First T... Curly hair

[mazzzz]

I just got my first T and i probably should have done a bit more research but i was just very excited. I'm pretty sure she can be considered a juvenile. I just wanted to make sure I have her in a place that is the right temp.. the room she is in is about 71. Also is there a certain amount i should be feeding her, I am not totally sure about it..
Any help would be greatly appreciate, thanks.

 

[Sarkhan42]

71 is totally fine, if you’re comfortable she will be. For a juvenile one good sized feeder a week is plenty.

 

[Venom1080]

Pics please. How big she is will depend on how much she should be fed. A 3" specimen can be fed once a week or so.

Those temps are fine.

 

[Major017]

Hi. First and foremost, welcome to the hobby.

71F sounds a tad on the low side, but that's just my personal preference. As others mentioned, it should be fine. I kept my B. Albo at around 75-79 before I traded him off, and he thrived and grew just fine. Depending on the size, you should feed your T accordingly. Pictures of the T and the enclosure you have it in would be nice, so it would be easier for me and the others here to help you keep your friend in the most optimal environment.

 

[mazzzz]

Thanks you guys for the speedy responses.. This is her and what I have her in right now. I don't know how I feel about the cage I think I'd rather her in something shorter and longer but this is going to be it for a little while at least. I have a feeling the women I got it from didn't exactly know what she was talking about. Also if I wanted to make it a little warmer for her, should I use a heating pad?

 

[Sarkhan42]

Thanks you guys for the speedy responses.. This is her and what I have her in right now. I don't know how I feel about the cage I think I'd rather her in something shorter and longer but this is going to be it for a little while at least. I have a feeling the women I got it from didn't exactly know what she was talking about. Also if I wanted to make it a little warmer for her, should I use a heating pad?
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You really don't need to make it warmer, she'll thrive just fine at that temp. I raised my mature male that lived 5+ years past maturity at those temps, and I'm raising another sling that way, and we keep both females at work at those temps. With a heat pad you risk desiccation unless you set it up in a way where it heats the space around the enclosure, like in a cabinet. If you really really want higher temps, and don't want to rig up a cabinet or something similar, most people use a space heater, but that may be a bit excessive.

Also, a fall from the top of that enclosure onto the hide would kill your spider, not to mention it could get its tarsal claws caught in the mesh. I know you said its temporary, but a cheap plastic tub from walmart or target for a few bucks would be a great temporary housing. As a general rule, you want about 1.5x the DLS of the tarantula between the lid and the substrate.

 

[Major017]

Thanks you guys for the speedy responses.. This is her and what I have her in right now. I don't know how I feel about the cage I think I'd rather her in something shorter and longer but this is going to be it for a little while at least. I have a feeling the women I got it from didn't exactly know what she was talking about. Also if I wanted to make it a little warmer for her, should I use a heating pad?
View attachment 266237 View attachment 266238

There is not enough substrate in that enclosure. Your T could potentially fall and die if it decides to climb the sides. As you probably noticed though, there isn't any more room to put in more substrate. That's my only issue with Exo Terras (although that enclosure would work for an arboreal). Besides that it looks fine. If you really want a good display enclosure that you can fill with plenty of substrate I would recommend Jamie's adult enclosure (https://jamiestarantulas.com/Complete Terrestrial Tarantula cage/). I use these for my larger Ts and they're great.

Also, don't use a heat pad. They can kill your T.

 

[mazzzz]

Alright yeah I really don't want that to happen and that is what I've gathered reading about it and also that is how i know the women didn't know what she was talking about because she told me the this T was an arboreal. I have read that they need that space above them so they can turn over for molting, correct? I think I am going to run out tonight and grab one of those boxes from wall mart really quick to keep her in there until I can get something better for her, I am terrified she is going to fall. I really like the look of Jamie's adult enclosure. And just so I know now that you have seen her only one good size cricket a week or more than that cause that is the feeder I am using. I was not exactly sure because again the person I bought it from said to feed her 2-3 days a week and and this is the second day I have had her and she has eaten 4 crickets already between yesterday and today.

Again thank you both for getting back to me so quick, I really appreciate it.

 

[Major017]

Alright yeah I really don't want that to happen and that is what I've gathered reading about it and also that is how i know the women didn't know what she was talking about because she told me the this T was an arboreal. I have read that they need that space above them so they can turn over for molting, correct? I think I am going to run out tonight and grab one of those boxes from wall mart really quick to keep her in there until I can get something better for her, I am terrified she is going to fall. I really like the look of Jamie's adult enclosure. And just so I know now that you have seen her only one good size cricket a week or more than that cause that is the feeder I am using. I was not exactly sure because again the person I bought it from said to feed her 2-3 days a week and and this is the second day I have had her and she has eaten 4 crickets already between yesterday and today.

Again thank you both for getting back to me so quick, I really appreciate it.

You should really lay off the feeding a bit. Ts can be a rough transition from normal pets because you naturally wish to feed them often. Realistically, you only need to feed it once or twice a week. If she's rather plump, only once a week, etc. They do need a bit of space above them for molting, but def. not that much. Only a small bit is needed. You'd be surprised how they can molt in cramped spots.

 

[mazzzz]

Alright thank you so much for your help i'm currently getting a container ready for her so I don't have a heart attack all day and night thinking about her plummeting to her death. Last thing I am curious about is everywhere I have read and everything I have seen talks about this species being very slow moving, almost catatonic. But whenever I reach in to change her water or really do anything near her she moves very quickly. Is this because she is younger and probably still getting used to her new surroundings?

 

[Sarkhan42]

Alright yeah I really don't want that to happen and that is what I've gathered reading about it and also that is how i know the women didn't know what she was talking about because she told me the this T was an arboreal. I have read that they need that space above them so they can turn over for molting, correct? I think I am going to run out tonight and grab one of those boxes from wall mart really quick to keep her in there until I can get something better for her, I am terrified she is going to fall. I really like the look of Jamie's adult enclosure. And just so I know now that you have seen her only one good size cricket a week or more than that cause that is the feeder I am using. I was not exactly sure because again the person I bought it from said to feed her 2-3 days a week and and this is the second day I have had her and she has eaten 4 crickets already between yesterday and today.

Again thank you both for getting back to me so quick, I really appreciate it.

Tarantulas are opportunists, they'll eat when its provided, but can get to a weight that can be dangerous if overfed. Your Tarantula actually looks more like an adult or sub-adult than a juvenile, feeding once a week is fine for her. And in all honesty, frequency of feeding is less important than simply insuring that your T has a healthy abdomen size.

As major states above, they really don't need all that much space to molt, most molt in their burrows after all.

To answer your question about temperament, every Tarantula is different, and some may be more nervous than others. She's definitely not settled in so that probably contributes to how flighty she is.

 

[mazzzz]

That's what i thought just wasn't totally sure and I have a plastic tub set up for her so I am about to disturb her again which I feel kinda bad about, but hopefully this will be the last time for a while. Thanks.

 

[mazzzz]

sorry but when you say once a week should I only give her one cricket or more than one during that feeding?

 

[darkness975]

For a Tarantula that size feed it once a week with a single cricket or super worm and it will be fine. I don't have a set schedule for feeding for mine, I just feed when I remember to do it and they're fine.

Slings get fed far more consistently.

Irene 2

• darkness975
• Apr 27, 2017

 

[cold blood]

That's what i thought just wasn't totally sure and I have a plastic tub set up for her so I am about to disturb her again which I feel kinda bad about, but hopefully this will be the last time for a while. Thanks.

You can't worry about a disturbance...especially because she needs to be moved for safety reasons. Stress is over-rated...not the issue many would lead you to believe. Once you have it set up properly, it should adapt quickly.

sorry but when you say once a week should I only give her one cricket or more than one during that feeding?

Its all subjective.....I mean if your crickets are small you could offer several, if they're medium size maybe 2...if they're big crickets, one is fine. Mealworms and wax worms are great, too...superworms are a nice big meal and you could feed those every 10 days if you wanted (just crush the heads of worms first so they don't burrow).

 

[mazzzz]

Cool thank you for the info!! I already feel better about it so I think she does too.

 

[mazzzz]

Much better!!!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Last thing I am curious about is everywhere I have read and everything I have seen talks about this species being very slow moving, almost catatonic.

That'd be in comparison to the faster/more flighty species that can do a few laps of an enclosure before you've even realised that they've moved, all tarantulas can be fast when they need to be.

sorry but when you say once a week should I only give her one cricket or more than one during that feeding?

Depends on the size of the prey item/s, if you feed smaller prey then feed more of them, I try to make sure that the total combined prey size is no bigger than the tarantula's abdomen though.

 

[Dylan Bruce]

Also, don't use a heat pad. They can kill your T.

Not necessarily true, Heat mats can be deadly if used in the wrong way but if used with a proper thermostat and not stuck to the underside of the enclosure or right next to a burrow they can be great for raising the temperature a little. In this case i would say there is no need to raise the temp 21c is perfectly fine. I think its always better to explain how things like this can be used properly and safely rather than telling people just not to use them.

 

[Major017]

Not necessarily true, Heat mats can be deadly if used in the wrong way but if used with a proper thermostat and not stuck to the underside of the enclosure or right next to a burrow they can be great for raising the temperature a little. In this case i would say there is no need to raise the temp 21c is perfectly fine. I think its always better to explain how things like this can be used properly and safely rather than telling people just not to use them.

That's why I said can. Personally I've never had good experiences with them and I find it more like unnecessary effort for a negligible gain. In OPs case, a heat mat isn't necessary. It would be understandable if the temps were deadly low though.