Changing substrate?

[mortado1990]

Hello I am new to keeping insects and arachnids and before I buy my first pet (I was thinking blue death feigning beetles) I was wondering if I need to change the substrate for insects and arachnids, and if so, how frequently do I do it and how do I go about it?

 

[viper69]

for Ts you don't have to change it too often if at all. In fact when you change the sub Ts don't like it because they dont like being distrubted- spot cleaning is best.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Hello I am new to keeping insects and arachnids and before I buy my first pet (I was thinking blue death feigning beetles) I was wondering if I need to change the substrate for insects and arachnids, and if so, how frequently do I do it and how do I go about it?

I stir old substrate with a stick or tool and add a small layer of fresh ontop if anything at all. No reason to toss substrate unless it’s so rough and abrasive it’s unusable. I’ve had to do this before bad bags of soil. Sometimes top soil over watered can become abrasive exposing the hard stuff. So it needs periodically refreshed not tossed.

 

[Smotzer]

Whether or not you need to change substrate depends on what you are keeping, for example you will beed to occasionally change substrate for things like isopods and millipedes but you will not need to for arachnids or the crabs I keep, as another example. best to look into each invertebrates unique needs!

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Whether or not you need to change substrate depends on what you are keeping, for example you will beed to occasionally change substrate for things like isopods and millipedes but you will not need to for arachnids or the crabs I keep, as another example. best to look into each invertebrates unique needs!

Messier the species more often dirt needs replaced, as for tarantulas that’s a rare occasion I usually re use substrate and add some fresh stuff.

 

[Smotzer]

Messier the species more often dirt needs replaced,

Not sure what you mean? I only have ever needed to ch she substrate while rehousing.

 

[Europus Gigantus]

Good question, OP! Now, what about heavy webbing spiders? The webs can get really nasty looking with dirt and boluses, but it really freaks the spiders out when you take the webbing out. Is it better to take your pets out and then they can start the web over?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Not sure what you mean? I only have ever needed to ch she substrate while rehousing.

yeah I think your right and I’ve rarely tossed substrate I did it once to get a 20gal light enough to be carried. I actually threw out perfectly good substrate during the pandemic just out of confusion. And some tanks the sub just got old and dried out had loads and loads of bolus. Later on I used the same tanks again. So I just threw money away $$.

 

[Smotzer]

yeah I think your right and I’ve rarely tossed substrate I did it once to get a 20gal light enough to be carried. I actually threw out perfectly good substrate during the pandemic just out of confusion. And some tanks the sub just got old and dried out had loads and loads of bolus. Later on I used the same tanks again. So I just threw money away $$.

Oh okay I think I had misunderstood you! Gotcha friend!