First-time owner, first-time feeding questions.

[AhstTraotee]

Greetings from Sweden!

My fiance and I are first time T owners (our little baby is a young female B. smithi we named Zagara, kudos if you get the reference.). I've included a picture to give you more experienced peeps a better idea of her size. We were told she had apparently molted a day or two before we purchased her, and to wait a week or so before attempting to feed her.
Week passes by, and attempts have begun. We were recommended to feed her crickets, and I can only assume that was what she was eating when she was at the pet shop (a very nice location in Gothenburg that appears to have experience with exotic pets). However, when we try feeding her, one of two things happens:
1. She backs away with her legs tucked in, giving off an appearance like she's scared of the crickets.
Or 2. I cut the crickets into smaller pieces, thinking maybe their size is intimidating, and receive nothing but total disinterest in return.

I'm not too concerned about her starving yet, since I know these guys can go a good while without food (meanwhile the crickets are being gut-loaded and spoiled rotten. ), but I'm wondering how to feed her when she seems almost timid towards her food. Any advice?

 

[Thekla]

It's probably too early for her. Wait another week and try again. Sometimes they just won't eat right away after they've hardened up. Nothing to worry about.

And by the way, I believe it's a B. hamorii (ex. smithi), and not an actual B. smithi (ex annitha).

 

[Rigor Mortis]

@Thekla beat me to it! Don't worry about it. If you've just gotten her she needs some extra time to settle in, sometimes they won't be all that interested in food until they've gotten used to their new surroundings.

 

[Nightstalker47]

It can take upwards of a month post molt for larger specimens before they start accepting food. I would recommend keeping handling at a minimum, it can pose a risk to your spider and you should really just be leaving it to settle in since you just got her.

Welcome to the forums.

 

[AhstTraotee]

Thanks, everyone! And yeah, we weren't sure on the smithi vs. hamorii situation, as we had seen it advertised as both, altering between the store itself and their website.
We're giving her her space (she has a couple nice little "happy places" in her terrarium), but that first picture was taken as we tried coaxing her out from her tiny carrier and into her new home, and she decided my hand was more interesting.

 

[Greasylake]

Can you post a picture of the enclosure? If that one in the background is what I think it is then some changes need to be made.

 

[Thekla]

Can you post a picture of the enclosure? If that one in the background is what I think it is then some changes need to be made.

Well spotted!

If it's an Exo Terra (or something similar) it's not suitable for a heavy bodied terrestrial T like yours, at least not without some major adjustments. You don't want more than 1,5x DLS of space between substrate and the top, and with these kinds of enclosures, it's just not possible.

Something like this would be better:


There's also a nice thread about beginner species and how to keep them. It's definitely worth a read: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/fantastic-beginner-tarantulas-and-how-to-keep-them.314840/

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I believe it's a B. hamorii (ex. smithi), and not an actual B. smithi (ex annitha).

Yeah, definitely hamorii in this case.

 

[AhstTraotee]

Well spotted!

If it's an Exo Terra (or something similar) it's not suitable for a heavy bodied terrestrial T like yours, at least not without some major adjustments. You don't want more than 1,5x DLS of space between substrate and the top, and with these kinds of enclosures, it's just not possible.

Something like this would be better:
View attachment 299413

There's also a nice thread about beginner species and how to keep them. It's definitely worth a read: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/fantastic-beginner-tarantulas-and-how-to-keep-them.314840/

Oooh, that one looks really nice. We do have an Exo-Terra, and that was actually the smallest terrarium they sold at the location as well as the terrarium they used for all their arachnids within the store (they also are unfortunately a couple towns away and only accessible to us via train, and the closest pet store that sells supplies for anything other than dogs or cats.). We plan on getting some new bedding as soon as we can, we honestly thought one coconut fiber brick would be enough to get the height we needed for her (the bowl we put the brick in also started overflowing, since we didn't have a bucket or tub.).
Actually, now that you guys mention it, we noted that our Exo-Terra has a little side ventilation, but it's rather low and would be buried under more substrate, which my fiance was concerned about covering up, since we keep hearing side ventilation is good. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Thekla]

When you fill up an Exo Terra terrarium to a level that is safe for your T, you won't be able to open the doors anymore, also the additional ventilation will be gone, too. Apart from that the mesh lid Exo Terras have is also considered dangerous in case your T gets its tarsal claws stuck in there.

Honestly, I'd sell the Exo Terra or get another species that is more comfortable with heights, an arboreal or a GBB might be fine in there.

You don't need to go to a pet shop to get the right supplies (they normally just want to sell the expansive stuff to you). I ordered the Komodo terrarium above online (about 15 €), but you can also just go to your local hardware store and get some nice plastic containers with lids. Then you only need a soldering iron to melt some vent holes into it.

 

[sasker]

the pet shop (a very nice location in Gothenburg that appears to have experience with exotic pets).

that was actually the smallest terrarium they sold at the location as well as the terrarium they used for all their arachnids within the store

Unfortunately, 'good' pet shops that actually know how to care for the animals they sell are very, very rare. In case you need something else or have any questions, it is best to see what information you can find on Arachnoboards before going to a pet shop. As @Thekla said, proper enclosures can be found online. This goes for most things you need (including tweezers, feeder insects, etc. but also tarantulas). They are usually much cheaper than in pet shops, too.

 

[viper69]

I’ve read all the posts here.

I’m shocked not a single person has provided this new person with the most accurate information on feeding post-molt


Do not worry about time!

You need to be concerned with color!

You attempt to feed when fangs are black!

They go from white>red>black.

You only feed on black. Feeding earlier may lead to death.

On black they don’t always eat right away.

 

[sasker]

It may be true that tarantulas - in general - refuse to eat as long as their fangs are not completely hardened, but after a about a week it is impossible to say if the fangs are black or actually very, very dark brown. They may even be black, but the tarantula may still refuse to eat. I agree that the colour of the fangs works as an indication, but it is not a hard rule IME. I had a B. emilia that would take two weeks before catching its first prey after a molt. My Pampho eats much earlier than that.

My advice is to try feeding. If your tarantula takes, it's fine. If not, wait anoter 5 days or so, and try again.

 

[AhstTraotee]

Thanks, everyone!

We took a look at new terrariums online, such as the Kritter Keepers I'm seeing recommended on this forum, but it seems not one site we found that distributes enclosures (or really any supplies, including feeders) even ships to our country (and Amazon is not an option here, either), so unless someone can link a site that they know for sure ships to Sweden, I worried we may be out of luck.
Fortunately, the feeder crickets were living in exactly that type of enclosure (I like how it was recommended for the crickets but not the spider, pffft.), so after cleaning it out thoroughly, the animals were promptly swapped, with the crickets now in an Exo-Terra penthouse suite, and Zagara in a Kritter Keeper with MUCH less height and more substrate to dig and have fun in!
I got a look at the fangs, yesterday, incidentally, and they are quite dark. Not sure if they're pitch-black, but definitely not a bright red or anything like that.

P.S: For the person who mentioned "good" pet stores, I'm sorry to say this is the best pet store I have ever set foot in, as near all previous experience I have had was with Petco/Petsmart, but to their credit, other than the terrarium shenanigans, all the info they gave us was pretty similar to things we have read here and on other reputable sources.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

We took a look at new terrariums online, such as the Kritter Keepers I'm seeing recommended on this forum, but it seems not one site we found that distributes enclosures (or really any supplies, including feeders) even ships to our country (and Amazon is not an option here, either), so unless someone can link a site that they know for sure ships to Sweden, I worried we may be out of luck .

Kritter Keepers is mainly sold in the US. In Norway almost every pet shop will have Exo Terra Faunariums which is the same thing: http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/faunarium.php

I am 100% sure you can easily find those in Sweden as well.

 

[Ellenantula]

Her rump looks healthy enough, no biggie if she waits a bit before resuming eating. As long as water is readily available she should be fine -- it's just a matter of waiting until she's ready to feed.

You may want to do a forum search re: risks handling Ts (I don't handle) but especially, I wouldn't handle a newly moulted T (not sure when pix was taken).

Anyway, lovely T -- good luck with her!

 

[sasker]

P.S: For the person who mentioned "good" pet stores, I'm sorry to say this is the best pet store I have ever set foot in, as near all previous experience I have had was with Petco/Petsmart, but to their credit, other than the terrarium shenanigans, all the info they gave us was pretty similar to things we have read here and on other reputable sources.

I've come across a few shops that keep their animals reasonably well, but I am yet to find a shop that knows what it's doing when it comes to tarantulas. Unless the employee who is in charge of tarantulas actually keeps them himself (and keeps them properly), the tarantulas are usually kept under unsuitable conditions.

I understood that you mentioned your shop keeps all tarantulas in exo-terra enclosures and that you bought one from that store as well, right? They come in different sizes and shapes, but they are in general not the best enclosures to keep tarantulas. The front doors do not allow for enough substrate, which is required for many species. There is also a problem with ventilation. That's why I mentioned that it is best to do your research about keeping tarantulas yourself first, instead of relying on the info provided by your pet shop.

 

[AhstTraotee]

I've come across a few shops that keep their animals reasonably well, but I am yet to find a shop that knows what it's doing when it comes to tarantulas. Unless the employee who is in charge of tarantulas actually keeps them himself (and keeps them properly), the tarantulas are usually kept under unsuitable conditions.

I understood that you mentioned your shop keeps all tarantulas in exo-terra enclosures and that you bought one from that store as well, right? They come in different sizes and shapes, but they are in general not the best enclosures to keep tarantulas. The front doors do not allow for enough substrate, which is required for many species. There is also a problem with ventilation. That's why I mentioned that it is best to do your research about keeping tarantulas yourself first, instead of relying on the info provided by your pet shop.

We did near two months of research on our own, but found mostly contradicting information between sites, "caresheets" that seemed shaky at best, brief pages from zoos, or sites/blogs that did not appear regularly updated/maintained.
The pet shop employee we were able to get questions answered from on two separate visits apparently has kept several tarantulas himself, and on our first visit (when we wanted to see the spider before purchase), they were more than happy to show it to us, in a more suitable plastic container due to its smaller size at the time. We bought the spider a month later after more attempts at researching as best we could before the big day.
I actually recall seeing a few empty tarantula enclosures because many were being kept in more proper containers in the back (they mentioned species to us in stock that weren't shown in the front AT ALL), I think the Exo-Terras in the display areas may have just been for a more neat, "uniform" appearance for customers.

 

[Nightstalker47]

We did near two months of research on our own, but found mostly contradicting information between sites, "caresheets" that seemed shaky at best, brief pages from zoos, or sites/blogs that did not appear regularly updated/maintained.
The pet shop employee we were able to get questions answered from on two separate visits apparently has kept several tarantulas himself, and on our first visit (when we wanted to see the spider before purchase), they were more than happy to show it to us, in a more suitable plastic container due to its smaller size at the time. We bought the spider a month later after more attempts at researching as best we could before the big day.
I actually recall seeing a few empty tarantula enclosures because many were being kept in more proper containers in the back (they mentioned species to us in stock that weren't shown in the front AT ALL), I think the Exo-Terras in the display areas may have just been for a more neat, "uniform" appearance for customers.

Be careful with who you trust with advice, LPS and most online care sheets are terrible to put it mildly. Stick to AB for reliable information.

 

[sasker]

I did not mean to say that your pet shop is bad, nor was I accusing you of doing insufficient research, don't get me wrong

From what I hear now, your pet shop is apparently indeed one of the better ones. I mentioned in my earlier post that Arachnoboards provides the most reliable information about keeping tarantuals. There are tons of so-called care-sheets around that provide very poor and/or wrong information. The same goes for many of the YouTube channels about keeping tarantulas. And forget about zoos! One would expect that keeping animals as its core business would make a zoo an authority on keeping animals, but sadly the opposite is true (http://arachnoboards.com/threads/zoo-husbandry-concern.315281/). There are some threats around about zoos keeping tarantulas absolutely wrong.


I am glad you found your way to this forum. Best of luck with your tarantula. If you need any more info, it is only a few key strokes and clicks away