Complete beginner, got some questions (After reading pinned post.)

[Waziri]

Hello all!

First of all, thank you for providing so much useful information on the beginner page. Sadly tho it does not answer absolutely all of my questions, so I decided to write here before I get in the hobby.

So, first tarantula - and hopefully only one as I really shouldn't get sucked into the hobby too easily due to too busy life style - I plan to get is a Curly Haired one. Please excuse me not remembering their proper name, but it's just easier to write Curly Hair than to copy-paste the name I'll probably never remember over and over again. I heard they were very docile, and amazing beginner species. I don't plan to handle it all the time but occasionally I do. I know they don't really like it, but getting over the fear of spiders is the main reason why I'm getting one in the first place. I know how fragile they are, so I wouldn't even try to handle it unless I was very sure I am able to.

I plan to get a sling as I'd like to watch it grow. Now here are my questions:

• How big should it's enclosure be? Should I just find a small cup or something for a month or two, and then slowly move it into bigger and bigger enclosures?
• How can I tell when should I rehouse it?
• I don't want to grow my own colonies of food as I'll only have one T, and my girlfriend would kill me if we had any bugs crawling around, so what would be the easiest way for me to feed my T? Should I just buy a small batch of crickets (They are rather cheap, about €0.5 for a small box of like 5 or so crickets) and just throw out 4 that the T does not eat and then just buy them again? Or should I just go out and try to hunt down for a cricket myself?
• I live in Ireland at the moment so everything is always rather humid, but right now I live in an old house that gets really cold. Probably around 15 degrees (60-ish Fahrenhite). We only turn heating on in the evening, so it would probably be way under the sling's preferred temperature. I don't want to buy a small space heater as my lady and I will be moving back in together within 3-4 months, and then the house will always be set for the said T. So question is: Should I get my Curly Hair now, or should I wait those 3-4 months and then get it?
• We plan to get quite a few animals - probably a cat, and three dogs. Not immediately but over the course of the next few years. We also have a hamster (All hail Lord Pipsqueak!) so I'm wondering: Would the noises from all those animals affect the T in any way? I know that cats are quite dangerous when it comes to T's, so I'll make sure to think of how to keep it safe on that regard.
• We're going on a trip for about 2 weeks during Christmas holidays, would the T be okay without anyone taking care of it for such period? I don't believe it would even receive fresh water until I'm back. I could ask a friend to take care of it, but I'd still like to know the answer to my question.

I believe that's it for now. I'll probably think of something else soon enough. Thank you so much for the amazing forum. I've found some amazing info on it, and you lot definitely made me want to get a tarantula more than I wanted it for the past few weeks. And also a completely random question: Why did you decide to get into the hobby? Like, I really want to get a tarantula, but it's been about three weeks now and I still can't tell why do I want one. Maybe because in this house that I currently live there are some rather large spiders running around on occasion (Irish house spider..) and after I got calmed from my fear, I got more and more curious about spiders in general. I wouldn't know though. All I can tell you is that I'm from Croatia originally and I've never seen a spider as large as these Irish House spiders, so seeing two of them in my room, both within a day of each other... It creeped me out like mad! So maybe I just want to work on that fear now.

Sorry for such a long post everyone.
Thank you very much for all future responses.

 

[Greasylake]

How big should it's enclosure be? Should I just find a small cup or something for a month or two, and then slowly move it into bigger and bigger enclosures?

Enclosures shouldn't be overly large for slings. Depending on what size you get a 16 oz deli cup would probably work just fine.

How can I tell when should I rehouse it?

When it starts getting cramped. I can't really explain it, you just kind of get a feel for it

I don't want to grow my own colonies of food as I'll only have one T

Crickets work, you could also get a cup of mealworms and stick them in the fridge. They'll last months.

Probably around 15 degrees

18 degrees is usually the recommended minimum. You can set something up safely with a heat mat if you put the sling enclosure in a larger enclosure then put the mat on the larger container to make a microclimate for the spider.

Would the noises from all those animals affect the T in any way? I know that cats are quite dangerous when it comes to T's, so I'll make sure to think of how to keep it safe on that regard.

Noise won't be an issue, just make sure none of the animals can knock over the enclosure. Cats tend to do it quite often.

We're going on a trip for about 2 weeks during Christmas holidays, would the T be okay without anyone taking care of it for such period? I don't believe it would even receive fresh water until I'm back. I could ask a friend to take care of it, but I'd still like to know the answer to my question.

Just feed it well before you leave and top up its water dish. 2 weeks isn't a very long time from a tarantulas perspective, so as long as it's housed right and it doesn't freeze you'll be fine to go on vacation.

 

[Waziri]

Thank you very much for answering all the questions! I don't think i'll be able to keep mealworms in the fridge either, the landlady would probably kick me out of the house haha.

 

[Anoplogaster]

Welcome to the forum!

I would advise against handling at all. Even the most experienced keepers can kill a tarantula by handling it. Treat the spider as you would a fish. Look with your eyes. You don’t need to handle a spider to get over your fears. Most often, just observing them doing their spider things will be enough to make you love them

 

[Enrgy]

since u insist on handling, do so while sitting on the floor or something

 

[Minty]

Don't handle it. It's a selfish, unnecessary risk.

 

[The Seraph]

Congratulations for wanting to overcome your fear! Pretty brave to do it in this manner. Should just say that if you want to see your tarantula anytime, don't set it up in a bit cage as it will most likely burrow and stay hidden until it is much larger.

Should I just buy a small batch of crickets (They are rather cheap, about €0.5 for a small box of like 5 or so crickets) and just throw out 4 that the T does not eat and then just buy them again? Or should I just go out and try to hunt down for a cricket myself?

Apologies but that is very wasteful. Just get a deli cup, put a cardboard tube in it, stick the crickets in it and occasionally put some food in. Don't leave crickets running around the tarantulas cage as those can severely hurt a molting tarantula. Apologies if you already knew this and I was being a bit condescending. You should definitely not catch wild crickets as they might carry parasites or be infested with pesticides. Finally, if the crickets are too large then dismember them and feed that to the tarantula. They (the tarantula) will scavenge dead insects.

 

[EtienneN]

T's can't hear, but they do feel surface vibrations, i.e. someone walking across the room past the shelf they are sitting one or drawers being shut if underneath it's enclosure if it's on a dressing stand or something. So animal noises won't affect it.
While the threshold is arbitrarily 18C, the basic rule of thumb is that any temperature that is okay for you is also okay for the T. I would be really, really surprised if a 60 degree Fahrenheit room was too cold for a spider.
Also though even spiderlings can go two weeks without eating, I'd be afraid of the tarantula drying out and dehydrating during your Holiday so maybe wait until after you've returned to purchase your new eight-legged friend?

 

[Mirandarachnid]

Thank you very much for answering all the questions! I don't think i'll be able to keep mealworms in the fridge either, the landlady would probably kick me out of the house haha.

You could go for superworms. They have a very long shelf life and should be kept at room temperature. You can buy them in the 'small' size, they may grow to be too big for your sling but you can just cut them up. (pro tip, buy another sling to feed the other half of the worm to ) Always crush the head a little before you feed so it doesn't burrow into the substrate.
Crickets stink, and they always get away from me. I hate crickets.

 

[ccTroi]

Please excuse me not remembering their proper name, but it's just easier to write Curly Hair than to copy-paste the name I'll probably never remember over and over again.

Brachypelma albopilosum, B. albopilosum, B. albo, albo, or even just curly hair. No other species is considered to be “curly haired” as this species. i was the same when i started.

I heard they were very docile, and amazing beginner species.

generally a docile t. always welcome to my collection

I plan to get a sling as I'd like to watch it grow.

great choice. they are one of the fastest growing t’s. they slow down when they hit 2-3”

How big should it's enclosure be? Should I just find a small cup or something for a month or two, and then slowly move it into bigger and bigger enclosures?

2oz condiment cup: smaller than 1” (~2.5cm)
16oz deli cup: smaller than 3” (~7.5cm)
you get the idea . after they hit 3”, up to you how big the enclosure to b.

How can I tell when should I rehouse it?

above^

what would be the easiest way for me to feed my T? Should I just buy a small batch of crickets (They are rather cheap, about €0.5 for a small box of like 5 or so crickets) and just throw out 4 that the T does not eat and then just buy them again? Or should I just go out and try to hunt down for a cricket myself?

for very small collections, i recommend mealworms because you can refrigerate them and cut into appropriate sizes (size of abdomen for slings). always offer pre-killed prey to slings because the t might b killed or badly injured.

Probably around 15 degrees (60-ish Fahrenhite). We only turn heating on in the evening, so it would probably be way under the sling's preferred temperature. I don't want to buy a small space heater as my lady and I will be moving back in together within 3-4 months, and then the house will always be set for the said T. So question is: Should I get my Curly Hair now, or should I wait those 3-4 months and then get it?

it’s metabolism will b slow compared to a t at 72F. i’m positive it’ll survive through the 60’s. feeding would b less frequent i assume

Would the noises from all those animals affect the T in any way? I know that cats are quite dangerous when it comes to T's, so I'll make sure to think of how to keep it safe on that regard.

keep the t in a place where it will never b knocked down

We're going on a trip for about 2 weeks during Christmas holidays, would the T be okay without anyone taking care of it for such period? I don't believe it would even receive fresh water until I'm back. I could ask a friend to take care of it, but I'd still like to know the answer to my question.

so long as the sling has access to drinking water, it will b alright. feed it a relatively big meal (same size as the t in terms of leg span) a week before you leave and refill it’s water the day before you leave. i use bottle caps for drinking water if the enclosure has enough space for it. for smaller enclosures, i moisten the substrate for slings to drink.
if you’re keeping a sling in a 2oz cup, you’ll need a friend to either refill the water bowl or moisten the substrate.
if you’re keeping a sling bigger than 1” (2.5cm), house it in a 16/12/8oz with at least two bottle caps filled w water. this is what i do to my super slow-growers when they refuse to eat (i dont bother touching their enclosures unless they’re water bowl is empty)

 

[Waziri]

Thank you so much for all the answers! You've all helped me out greatly. I'll definitely hold out on getting one until I'm back from my vacation - I'd hate for it to die on me. Most of you even told me some things I've never read before - such as pet's food being able to hurt the sling! So that's also something I'll watch out for. I might get meal worms or superworms. I just need to think it through and figure out how to hide it from both the landlady and my girlfriend.
Again, thank you all for being so helpful and answering all my questions!

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I just need to think it through and figure out how to hide it from both the landlady and my girlfriend.

The feeders, or the T?

The good thing about supers and mealworms is they usually come in an opaque container filled with oats or sawdust, so you won't see them unless you open the container. If your landlady doesn't want you to keep a T, it would probably be best to wait till you move back in with your girlfriend. It would be a huge bummer if you got the T all set up and then be forced to get rid of it or move out early. And keeping her in the dark about it is a bad idea because she might decide to have someone come in and spray for bugs without you knowing.

 

[Waziri]

The feeders, or the T?

I've meant the meal worms. The Tarantula I wouldn't be hiding.

she might decide to have someone come in and spray for bugs without you knowing.

This actually didn't even think about. Okay, I'll definitely wait until my girl and I love into a different place. I've waited this long, a few more months won't kill me.
Thanks a lot

 

[FrDoc]

@Waziri I refer you to the “Bite Reports” forum. B. albopilosum is not absent from the list of biters, and when they bite it seems to be a big surprise to folks because they are considered a “docile” species. The surprise factor is exactly why @mmcg posted the admonition above. It’s not that a bite would be medically significant for you, but your reaction, e.g., dropping the spider, may very well be medically significant or terminal for it.

 

[UniqueUserName]

Thank you so much for all the answers! You've all helped me out greatly. I'll definitely hold out on getting one until I'm back from my vacation - I'd hate for it to die on me. Most of you even told me some things I've never read before - such as pet's food being able to hurt the sling! So that's also something I'll watch out for. I might get meal worms or superworms. I just need to think it through and figure out how to hide it from both the landlady and my girlfriend.
Again, thank you all for being so helpful and answering all my questions!

It’s smart to crush the head of the prey you feed your T. Less chance of your T getting injured. Also, worms will burrow and disappear.

 

[Paul1126]

I've meant the meal worms. The Tarantula I wouldn't be hiding.

If you're keeping a T, it is safe to say your land lady and girlfriend know you're keeping prey items... Unless you intend on lying and saying you're getting one at a time from the garden or something

 

[Waziri]

If you're keeping a T, it is safe to say your land lady and girlfriend know you're keeping prey items... Unless you intend on lying and saying you're getting one at a time from the garden or something

As per my first post, I actually would prefer not to keep any prey items. I was hoping to catch them one by one from the garden as I didn't know they could be bad for my pet. But I suppose I have to have some prey items in the house.