Goliath bird eater molted and has not eaten for almost a month. Any good feed back on what to do?

[cold blood]

Thank you for the feed back, I am currently fixing it now.

If you really wanted, you could modify that enclosure. You would need to lay it on its back, so the door is at the top, and dam the top mostly (to retain the substrate)....Now you can add a proper amount of substrate (which would be a lot) to make it both safe and provide enough sub to burrow in...also deeper sub has the advantage of water retention...the deeper you can get the moisture, and the more area of substrate moistened, the longer it will last. I pour water at the edge, as the water will follow the path of least resistance and follow the glass to the bottom, so I can observe just how deep the water I pour in is getting.

You really want to avoid anything that encourages climbing, like the stick, these are really just fall risks...a fall from them could hurt, a fall onto them from the top would likely be worse yet, and you just never know when they will decide to climb.

The problem with misting is that the water stays on the surface and evaporates pretty soon. The substrate itself stays basically dry underneath, as you can see in your pictures. Now, I bet you've read about Theraphosa needing 'humidity'. That's actually highly misleading. Humidity in the air is pretty inconsequential. What they do need is moist substrate. Moist substrate creates a small area of very high humidity directly on the surface. This area is very important because it keeps the book lungs on the underside from dehydrating and they are the most sensitive part. It also keeps the rest of the spider from dehydrating since it always sits on the surface in the area of high humidity.

If you keep the substrate constantly moist you should also have good ventilation. I do not believe in restricting ventilation to keep 'humidity' in, since a humid, warm, and stuffy enclosure is a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. Constantly moist substrate gives you all the humidity you need in the place where it is needed.

Other than that I agree with what @Rittdk01 just said: Theraphosa should have enough substrate to burrow but much more importantly because of its size and bulk this is the genus most at risk from a fall. They can climb but do it rather poorly and when they fall there is a high risk that the abdomen will rupture and that spells certain death. The enclosure should therefore never offer more than 1.5 times the leg span in vertical space.

+1 Brilliant post.

I feel like I try to explain that on a daily basis...and I feel like you just did a better job than I ever did

 

[cold blood]

Did you acquire her at a pet store that convinced you that you needed the most expensive enclosure and all the bells and whistles?? I ask because this is a very common occurrence and most of the time, the care instructions they give are just as incorrect as all the stuff they say you need.

For the safety of your spider, you need to rehoused her ASAP into an enclosure with no more than 1.5× her leg span. As others have said, this species is especially at risk for a ruptured abdomen from a fall, and even if she fell off that branch you have in there, it would be bad. The ONLY way that enclosure could mayne be made more appropriate is to turn it on it's back, replace the mesh top with acrylic (they sell sheets of acrylic cheap at places like Lowe's), and fill it up with substrate. Even then, however, it wouldn't be ideal and would take A LOT of sub to fill.

Your best bet would be to rehoused her in a smaller enclosure. A 10 gallon aquarium with an acrylic lid (again, materials at Lowe's and the like) would work well along with Rubbermaid- type boxes. Personally, visibility is important for me (I like my spiders on display!), so I don't really like the Rubbermaid boxes, but they work really well, especially in situations where you may need an inexpensive new enclosure in a hurry.

All you need is appropriate size enclosure, enough substrate, a hide, and a water dish. You can also add decorative plants and stuff like that if you want.

Please keep us posted on your spider and ask as many questions as possible so we can help.

Ha, you got me while I was writing

 

[Misty Day]

Another problem with misting, along with all the points other people have made, is that its a great way to send the u-bristles, or "hairs", that the spider lays down straight into the air, and with a Theraphosa, that's definitely not something you want. Breathing in those things or getting one in your eye doesn't sound fun.

Theres been some great advice on how to give her a proper set-up, I'm sure we'd all love to see pics when your done!

 

[cold blood]

Another problem with misting, along with all the points other people have made, is that its a great way to send the u-bristles, or "hairs", that the spider lays down straight into the air, and with a Theraphosa, that's definitely not something you want. Breathing in those things or getting one in your eye doesn't sound fun.

Theres been some great advice on how to give her a proper set-up, I'm sure we'd all love to see pics when your done!

That's probably the single best reason to never mist a Theraposa.

 

[Nickb1296]

Did you acquire her at a pet store that convinced you that you needed the most expensive enclosure and all the bells and whistles?? I ask because this is a very common occurrence and most of the time, the care instructions they give are just as incorrect as all the stuff they say you need.

For the safety of your spider, you need to rehoused her ASAP into an enclosure with no more than 1.5× her leg span. As others have said, this species is especially at risk for a ruptured abdomen from a fall, and even if she fell off that branch you have in there, it would be bad. The ONLY way that enclosure could mayne be made more appropriate is to turn it on it's back, replace the mesh top with acrylic (they sell sheets of acrylic cheap at places like Lowe's), and fill it up with substrate. Even then, however, it wouldn't be ideal and would take A LOT of sub to fill.

Your best bet would be to rehoused her in a smaller enclosure. A 10 gallon aquarium with an acrylic lid (again, materials at Lowe's and the like) would work well along with Rubbermaid- type boxes. Personally, visibility is important for me (I like my spiders on display!), so I don't really like the Rubbermaid boxes, but they work really well, especially in situations where you may need an inexpensive new enclosure in a hurry.

All you need is appropriate size enclosure, enough substrate, a hide, and a water dish. You can also add decorative plants and stuff like that if you want.

Please keep us posted on your spider and ask as many questions as possible so we can help.

Thank you so much for your feed back

 

[Nickb1296]

Thank you all for the feedback. I am currently rearranging her enclosure until I can get a new one tomorrow. I took out the rocks, Branch, and pine cones and dig into the ECO, as well as moistened it good.

 

[Nickb1296]

This is what I have for now until tomorrow. Is it any better for the time being?

 

[Nickb1296]

If you really wanted, you could modify that enclosure. You would need to lay it on its back, so the door is at the top, and dam the top mostly (to retain the substrate)....Now you can add a proper amount of substrate (which would be a lot) to make it both safe and provide enough sub to burrow in...also deeper sub has the advantage of water retention...the deeper you can get the moisture, and the more area of substrate moistened, the longer it will last. I pour water at the edge, as the water will follow the path of least resistance and follow the glass to the bottom, so I can observe just how deep the water I pour in is getting.

You really want to avoid anything that encourages climbing, like the stick, these are really just fall risks...a fall from them could hurt, a fall onto them from the top would likely be worse yet, and you just never know when they will decide to climb.


+1 Brilliant post.

I feel like I try to explain that on a daily basis...and I feel like you just did a better job than I ever did

Thank you so much, I recently just posted a picture of what I did just now for the time being. I am probably going to go with your idea so I don’t have to buy a whole new onclosure. Thank you so much for the feed back

 

[Nmilburn14]

This is what I have for now until tomorrow. Is it any better for the time being?

You'll need a LOT more substrate. A Theraphosa is a very large, heavy, terrestrial tarantula. That means that having a lot of height above the substrate can lead to disastrous falls. Not that your tarantula appears in any condition to try climbing--but if it did, I can almost guarantee you that it would fall. Moreover, your tarantula needs room to dig (when it's actually able), and for now, it at least needs a good premade burrow... which, once again, requires a lot of substrate.

If you won't modify this enclosure by putting it on its side like @cold blood suggested, then you'll have to get a new one quickly. A sterilite tub is a cheap and easy way to make an enclosure that is large and retains moisture/humidity. It's not the best for showcasing your spider, but that cannot be your priority right now. You'll have to drill or melt ventilation holes into it. This video shows a good example of that--you don't need to worry as much about the substrate concoction bit, but it shows off the enclosure well with ventilation holes and actual white plastic vents installed (also not necessary, as you can just make those holes directly in the plastic of the tub), as well as the burrow.

 

[Nickb1296]

You'll need a LOT more substrate. A Theraphosa is a very large, heavy, terrestrial tarantula. That means that having a lot of height above the substrate can lead to disastrous falls. Not that your tarantula appears in any condition to try climbing--but if it did, I can almost guarantee you that it would fall. Moreover, your tarantula needs room to dig (when it's actually able), and for now, it at least needs a good premade burrow... which, once again, requires a lot of substrate.

If you won't modify this enclosure by putting it on its side like @cold blood suggested, then you'll have to get a new one quickly. A sterilite tub is a cheap and easy way to make an enclosure that is large and retains moisture/humidity. It's not the best for showcasing your spider, but that cannot be your priority right now. You'll have to drill or melt ventilation holes into it. This video shows a good example of that--you don't need to worry as much about the substrate concoction bit, but it shows off the enclosure well with ventilation holes and actual white plastic vents installed (also not necessary, as you can just make those holes directly in the plastic of the tub), as well as the burrow.

Thank you so much for the feed back

 

[McSP1D8R]

Yeah mate ditch the enclosure and buy a Really useful box, they hold moisture and heat far more efficietly Also a big pile of sphagnum moss and leaf litter is good, if you dont know of any pesticide free wild collection sites then you can buy some good stuff from bioactive herps. I tried a live boston fern in that RUB but it died and got massacred by the springtails fairly quickly lol..

 

[Andrea82]

This is what I have for now until tomorrow. Is it any better for the time being?

This has to do, but get a good setup as soon as possible. I don't think she'll use the Playmobil bench...

 

[Anoplogaster]

I don’t understand the obsession with those tall Exo Terra enclosures. They’re horrendously expensive for what they are, and I constantly see people using them for animals that don’t need/should not have that vertical space.

 

[Andrea82]

I don’t understand the obsession with those tall Exo Terra enclosures. They’re horrendously expensive for what they are, and I constantly see people using them for animals that don’t need/should not have that vertical space.

Two words: pet stores.

 

[Nmilburn14]

Thank you so much for the feed back

Best of luck! Just post if you have any questions. There are plenty of people here to help.

 

[athlete96]

I don’t understand the obsession with those tall Exo Terra enclosures. They’re horrendously expensive for what they are, and I constantly see people using them for animals that don’t need/should not have that vertical space.

Dart frogs? They work pretty well. Crested geckos? Eh, too expensive. Tarantulas? Noooope.

 

[Teds ts and Inverts]

Idk if I'm a little late with my advice, but I agree with everyone here, rehouse her into a 10-20 gallon tank (with a majority of the top covered) or a large plastic storage bin (Rubbermaid, for example) with holes drilled in the side. Use about 4-7 inches of substrate because not only does that allow for burrowing, but deeper substrate keeps moisture in longer than a thinner amount. Trash the rock, pine cones, and that stick. I know that you most likely had those in for decor, but there is a potential that they have pesticides on them and like others said, should an accident happen with your girl climbing those types of things could kill her. Give her a nice sized hide and a good sized water dish and she should be good to go

 

[Venom1080]

The problem with misting is that the water stays on the surface and evaporates pretty soon. The substrate itself stays basically dry underneath, as you can see in your pictures. Now, I bet you've read about Theraphosa needing 'humidity'. That's actually highly misleading. Humidity in the air is pretty inconsequential. What they do need is moist substrate. Moist substrate creates a small area of very high humidity directly on the surface. This area is very important because it keeps the book lungs on the underside from dehydrating and they are the most sensitive part. It also keeps the rest of the spider from dehydrating since it always sits on the surface in the area of high humidity.

If you keep the substrate constantly moist you should also have good ventilation. I do not believe in restricting ventilation to keep 'humidity' in, since a humid, warm, and stuffy enclosure is a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. Constantly moist substrate gives you all the humidity you need in the place where it is needed.

Other than that I agree with what @Rittdk01 just said: Theraphosa should have enough substrate to burrow but much more importantly because of its size and bulk this is the genus most at risk from a fall. They can climb but do it rather poorly and when they fall there is a high risk that the abdomen will rupture and that spells certain death. The enclosure should therefore never offer more than 1.5 times the leg span in vertical space.

Is that a fact? (Substrate humidity because of book lungs)

How would that apply to arboreals?

 

[boina]

Is that a fact? (Substrate humidity because of book lungs)

How would that apply to arboreals?

Facts are:

Spider book lungs consist of very thin epithelium to allow for maximum gas exchange. Since the epithelium is so thin and water molecules aren't especially big spiders will lose water via the book lungs - much more and much easier than through any other part of their anatomy since pretty much everything else is covered with the water resistant exoskeleton. If the epithelium of the book lungs dries out the cells will die and the spider will suffocate. (I'm going to try to find some sources for this but possibly not today because it's somewhat late around here.)

Edit: first source

I don't know how this would apply to arboreals. True arboreals like Poeciltheria and Avicularia seem pretty resistant to dry conditions. Others may live in areas where moisture is retained after a rain, like tree holes, forked branches with trapped leaf litter, whatever, where they sit in or on.

I think I've read somewhere about a hypothesis that Theraphosa can get so big only because it lives in a moist climate. Spiders in more arid areas need to protect their book lungs from desication but that will also restrict air flow. The restricted air flow will not oxidize a body as large as that of a Theraphosa. - That's only a hypothesis, though, and far from a proven fact.

 

[Venom1080]

Facts are:

Spider book lungs consist of very thin epithelium to allow for maximum gas exchange. Since the epithelium is so thin and water molecules aren't especially big spiders will lose water via the book lungs - much more and much easier than through any other part of their anatomy since pretty much everything else is covered with the water resistant exoskeleton. If the epithelium of the book lungs dries out the cells will die and the spider will suffocate. (I'm going to try to find some sources for this but possibly not today because it's somewhat late around here.)

Edit: first source

I don't know how this would apply to arboreals. True arboreals like Poeciltheria and Avicularia seem pretty resistant to dry conditions. Others may live in areas where moisture is retained after a rain, like tree holes, forked branches with trapped leaf litter, whatever, where they sit in or on.

I think I've read somewhere about a hypothesis that Theraphosa can get so big only because it lives in a moist climate. Spiders in more arid areas need to protect their book lungs from desication but that will also restrict air flow. The restricted air flow will not oxidize a body as large as that of a Theraphosa. - That's only a hypothesis, though, and far from a proven fact.

Neoholothele, Cyriocosmus, Haplopus, etc. Live in fairly humid conditions and are small. I don't know how that'd work.