Avicularia Enclosure

[bluntzstoned]

Hello, I’ve had this avicularia avicularia for I want to say about three months.
They previous owner (runs a reptile business took very good care of them) believes the T to be juvenile around 9mo-1 yr. At first I was using a 3 gallon fish tank, but quickly realized it was impractical and the ventilation wasn’t working. However today I was researching and I believe I have been misinformed by a few things.

I’m going to ask several questions as well as add photos of my T and the set up, I am open to all criticism positive or negative I realize I may not be the most educated but I want to give my pink toe the best life possible. I appreciate all the help I can get!

For starters his name is Star Dawg Bubblegum (I call it a boy I couldn’t tell you the sex) I typically put around 3-5 live crickets every week- sometimes every two weeks. But often times there’s about three dead at the bottom.

I think he’s pretty comfortable considering how wicked cool his web is, I’ll have to attach a photo once I figure out how to use this forum, and he does come out of his hiding sometimes.

So here’s my main question:

Since they’re arboreal species I find it very odd how much time my T spends in this certain hiding spot. I’m curious if I haven’t provided enough coverage? Or if he’s unsatisfied

If you have any suggestions to create a hide higher up off the ground, or how to move around my current vines I would appreciate it! He seems to hide in the back corner behind this cork thing, I’m wondering if the way the vines are positioned is inefficient. The water dish, I honestly don’t think I’ve seen him drink out of it once. I used to mist everyday until I read on here that it’s incorrect?

Here’s some photos:
The tank is by the brand Zilla it’s 8x10x15
And then a pic of my T so you can see his full size.

 

[viper69]

You’re overthinking

You spend a lot of time in the same home, why shouldn’t they?

Misting everyday is the PERFECT way to kill Avics

Eat poop molt- that’s all that matters in terms of their activities generally

 

[bluntzstoned]

You’re overthinking

You spend a lot of time in the same home, why shouldn’t they?

Misting everyday is the PERFECT way to kill Avics

Eat poop molt- that’s all that matters in terms of their activities generally

haha i do have a tendency to do that thank you for the reply!

 

[ladyratri]

If you have any suggestions to create a hide higher up off the ground, or how to move around my current vines I would appreciate it! He seems to hide in the back corner behind this cork thing, I’m wondering if the way the vines are positioned is inefficient.

The vines will make fine anchor points for webbing, but they are too thin for your T to hunt from. The bark it set up near is a better place to set up its ambush. Usually you want a cork bark slab or half round for them to hunt from -- that bark thing at the bottom of what it decided was the best choice. They also feel safer when they squeeze into tight spaces, like between that bark and the backing.

If it eats, I wouldn't bother changing things around.

The water dish, I honestly don’t think I’ve seen him drink out of it once.

It might never. Or, it might be doing so in the middle of them might when you don't see it. Either way, the water dish does make water available if needed and it also helps regulate the amount of moisture in the air inside your enclosure.

I used to mist everyday until I read on here that it’s incorrect?

Yeah don't mist, just refill the water dish when it gets like half empty. You can use a dropper to put a few drops of water onto the webbing every week or two, or down the side of the enclosure. Sometimes they'll drink from the droplets there.

I typically put around 3-5 live crickets every week- sometimes every two weeks. But often times there’s about three dead at the bottom.

That sounds like serious over-feeding.

Introduce one feeder at a time. Don't leave a live feeder in there more than about 24 hours. (I will sometimes go a LITTLE longer if the cricket is still actively climbing around and the T is still obviously waiting for it to blunder into the kill zone, but only with the T I had in a slightly-too-large enclosure.)

For that size T, 3-5 large crickets are like a month's worth of food... Probably why you are finding some dead at the bottom.

 

[bluntzstoned]

The vines will make fine anchor points for webbing, but they are too thin for your T to hunt from. The bark it set up near is a better place to set up its ambush. Usually you want a cork bark slab or half round for them to hunt from -- that bark thing at the bottom of what it decided was the best choice. They also feel safer when they squeeze into tight spaces, like between that bark and the backing.

If it eats, I wouldn't bother changing things around.



It might never. Or, it might be doing so in the middle of them might when you don't see it. Either way, the water dish does make Easter available if needed and it also helps regulate the amount of moisture in the air inside your enclosure.



Yeah don't mist, just refill the water dish when it gets like half empty. You can use a dropper to put a few drops of water onto the webbing every week or two, or down the side of the enclosure. Sometimes they'll drink from the droplets there.



That sounds like serious over-feeding.

Introduce one feeder at a time. Don't leave a live feeder in there more than about 24 hours. (I will sometimes go a LITTLE longer if the cricket is still actively climbing around and the T is still obviously waiting for it to blunder into the kill zone, but only with the T I had in a slightly-too-large enclosure.)

For that size T, 3-5 large crickets are like a month's worth of food... Probably why you are finding some dead at the bottom.

Very helpful, I appreciate all the info!! I think I’ll leave the set up how it is. I’ll stop misting from here on out. How often would you say to feed 1 cricket?

 

[ladyratri]

Very helpful, I appreciate all the info!! I think I’ll leave the set up how it is. I’ll stop misting from here on out. How often would you say to feed 1 cricket?

I have a versi who's about 3.5" and I give one cricket maybe every week or 10 days, sometimes when it's in hunting position again quickly after eating, and early in its molt cycle, I'll give a second a day after it catches the first -- but then I generally wait closer to 2 weeks before I feed again.

You'll learn to tell from behavior when they're hunting/hungry, and get a glimpse of their abdomen size to see if they're getting overly chonky. They need surprisingly little food, and can be more prone to falling/injury if they get over fat.

 

[Wolfram1]

also if you ever redo some of it, you really should, put in a slab or half round of bark sized at roughly 2/3rds of the enclodure hight and some more substrate, the way you have set it up that substrate can barely hold any water at all and while misting isn't a good idea, having a partially moistend soil at the bottom will raise the humidity just very very slightly without all the issues misting causes

i give all my spiders at least one moist corner

 

[ladyratri]

also if you ever redo some of it, you really should, put in a slab or half round of bark sized at roughly 2/3rds of the enclodure hight and some more substrate, the way you have set it up that substrate can barely hold any water at all and while misting isn't a good idea, having a partially moistend soil at the bottom will raise the humidity just very very slightly without all the issues misting causes

i give all my spiders at least one moist corner

Agree on the bark, and some more sub is reasonable too, if you are redoing it at some point. That said, I rarely moisten the sub for my A. purpurea or for my versi -- definitely not consistently. I'm much more likely to drip water onto their webbing. Especially when they are no longer slings, they don't dehydrate quickly as long as I keep water in their water dishes, so I'd rather have water in a place they can take a drink rather than damp dirt. I can tell when the air in my house is so dry I should worry, because it's immediately obvious how much faster the full water dish evaporates -- that's when I will dampen a corner every now and then.

My psalmos on the other hand get a corner moistened (from the bottom) pretty regularly.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Is no one going to mention the lid?

 

[ladyratri]

Is no one going to mention the lid?

It looks like the perforated type rather than the woven mesh. I don't have direct experience with either, but from my reading on here so far, I'm much more worried about the woven mesh like a standard window screen, where the individual wires can shift to trap tarsal claws.

 

[SpookySpooder]

Is the issue only with woven mesh, and not all mesh? I personally haven't experienced this issue so I never really took the time to dissect WHY the T gets caught in the mesh. (I briefly read it had something to do with their inability to retract their feet hooks and thus getting stuck)

So the problem is with shifting wires, and not the mesh pattern itself? That does make sense to me. I've used aquarium fishing nets on T's and their feet don't get stuck in the soft mesh.

 

[Wolfram1]

the problem is most severy/well known with the bog standard aluminium mesh, used in many enclosures with fairly wide knitting at ~1mm width

this gets claws stuck

however any kind of material or ventilation that allows a spider to go and hang upside down on the lid poses a problem for animals that can not find a good angle to get off

this applies to wooden lids, stamped metal, wide 0,5cm mesh used for rodent cages, acrillic with too many air holes that allows the spider to climb up etc

it is very hard to eliminate fall risks 100%

better to give the animal other options to return back down, like decorations that are reachable, slanted substrate that is high enough on one side for the spider to reach etc.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Is the issue only with woven mesh, and not all mesh? I personally haven't experienced this issue so I never really took the time to dissect WHY the T gets caught in the mesh. (I briefly read it had something to do with their inability to retract their feet hooks and thus getting stuck)

So the problem is with shifting wires, and not the mesh pattern itself? That does make sense to me. I've used aquarium fishing nets on T's and their feet don't get stuck in the soft mesh.

Last time I had a t get stuck on a lid it was the popular screen lids that come with 10 gal. And I’m not sure if arboreal can get stuck in zilla lids or not .. but not sure I’d risk if you can just slide in a cheap replacement. Zilla isa different pattern , but doesn’t mean smaller Ts can’t get stuck .

 

[gardener889]

Hijacking an old thread to ask this question so I don’t muddy up the forum. Does this seem like enough ventilation for a juvenile Avic? My four year old wanted to get a new T and likes pink so we’re picking up an juvenile Avic. The enclosure is about 10x6x4.

 

[TLSizzle]

One more row of each wouldn't hurt. But might not be necessary... Are the holes on every side?

Remember, it isn't air vents that kills em, its stuffy air. So don't overdo the moisture.

 

[cold blood]

Hijacking an old thread to ask this question so I don’t muddy up the forum. Does this seem like enough ventilation for a juvenile Avic? My four year old wanted to get a new T and likes pink so we’re picking up an juvenile Avic. The enclosure is about 10x6x4. View attachment 469001

yes, placement is far more important than the number of vent holes...your venting placement is good.

 

[gardener889]

One more row of each wouldn't hurt. But might not be necessary... Are the holes on every side?

Remember, it isn't air vents that kills em, its stuffy air. So don't overdo the moisture.

The holes are all around the enclosure. They’re spaced more or less the same all the way around with two rows at the top and two at the bottom and drilled out the lid for about 21 holes up there