Avicularia avicularia

[therottingangel]

Never mind this post! My pink toe had fallen from about a foot or less of a drop onto a semi hard floor earlier and I was worried because she wasn't eating at first and chilling closer to the bottom of the cage but she made a tiny bit of web, I inspected her abdomen through the glass and saw no damage, and she's more than halfway done with her cricket. She seems to be exhibiting normal behavior such as crawling around on top now and eating her food.

 

[ThorsCarapace22]

Ok......great!
I'm glad everything is going well.
Good luck.

 

[cold blood]

but I fed her today because her schedule at the store was every Wednesday and I didn't want to stray from that

Don't get hung up on schedules...its not that kind of pet. For example, a plumper t wouldn't need to be fed nearly that often, a really plump one wont need to be fed at all...even after long periods of time.

didn't know I was supposed to wait because nobody told me

Wait for what? There is no reason to wait to feed a t....I often feed new ts within 24hrs of unboxing.

Earlier in the day she had gotten spooked while I was handling her just to rearrange the water bowl and check on her, and she leaped off of me onto my hard floors below.

Use a catch cup...easier and safer.

As I fed her today, she snatched her cricket up, but for the past almost three hours (9pm-11:50pm) she has just been sitting in the same spot with the cricket still in her mouth. That alone concerned me

It shouldn't.

For the first day or two she was up high and lately she's been closer to the ground. She's currently on her little log with the cricket that's on the ground

Post pics, Avics need to be set up vertical, with cover at the top...ground hides and cover are pointless and would only serve to hide feeders. They also need good ventilation....the first signs of poor ventilation would be an avic moving down and ending up on the substrate on a more than temporary basis.

I really try to be careful with her and I feel terribly

Then don't handle

She's an arboreal so I heard that they're a little bit more tough and resistant to falls.

They may fall better/slower, but impacts can still be just as dangerous for them.

 

[therottingangel]

Don't get hung up on schedules...its not that kind of pet. For example, a plumper t wouldn't need to be fed nearly that often, a really plump one wont need to be fed at all...even after long periods of time.

Wait for what? There is no reason to wait to feed a t....I often feed new ts within 24hrs of unboxing.

Use a catch cup...easier and safer.
Absolutely! I was just reading up on them and will be buying one soon to prevent this in the future.
It shouldn't.

Post pics, Avics need to be set up vertical, with cover at the top...ground hides and cover are pointless and would only serve to hide feeders. They also need good ventilation....the first signs of poor ventilation would be an avic moving down and ending up on the substrate on a more than temporary basis.
She's in a vertical one right now but I just learned that what the pet store employees suggested to me is not a very good one so I'll be buying her one on Friday that opens from the bottom and provides cross ventilation and won't disturb any webs she may make at the top. I was ill-informed on how to set up and will also be providing her with more stuff that she can climb on toward the top. Someone suggested I hot glue her plant and the log to the side of the enclosure because she'll rarely go to the bottom of the cage being an arboreal and everything.
Then don't handle
I realize that now, and I do feel badly. I just got a little too excited for my first tarantula and am going to avoid handling from now on. I realize now just how careful I need to be and will avoid the mistake in the future.
They may fall better/slower, but impacts can still be just as dangerous for them.

And yes, I know it can still be dangerous, however they do have a better chance. She doesn't seem to be injured and she's almost done chowing down on the cricket as we speak. She's finishing it. I'm gonna keep a close eye on her and pray for the best. I regret handling her. Like I said, I just got overly excited and I wasn't even thinking which is bad on my part as a new T keeper. I don't want my very first T to pass away because of my carelessness. Thank you for your advice. Also sorry if this formats bad because I'm on mobile and have never used this website before.

Ok......great!
I'm glad everything is going well.
Good luck.

Yeah, I feel lucky. I'm glad she's alright, too. Still gonna monitor her but won't be handling at all anymore unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

won't be handling at all anymore unless absolutely necessary.

Why do people insist on saying this absolutely necessary, if it’s done right there is NO reason to handle none whatsoever