Help me properly fill a 20 gallon long

[Blackout14]

Thank you both of you. Made me feel better about getting NW's! I was worried that I was being too paranoid. I'll definitely go with the 2 NW's I've been eyeing here for a while. Acanthoscurria geniculata and Chromatapelma cyaneopubescens.

One last question before I pull the trigger on two slings this week. I'll be heading out of town for a week toward the end of August. Would both slings be okay for a week without food? What tips would you give for preparing them for the week? I've read that they can go upwards of 2 weeks without food. The A. geniculata will be around 1/4 to 1/2 inch and C. cyaneopubescens will be a little over 1 inch.

But them out them in condiment cups day before you leave if they diddnt eat a day or two before I would drop a 1/4 size cricket or roach with a crush head in it and leave it if he take it cool if not leave it be they might later on and not worry about it till you come back. Remove dead cricket if still
In there and carry on

 

[Trenor]

Thank you both of you. Made me feel better about getting NW's! I was worried that I was being too paranoid. I'll definitely go with the 2 NW's I've been eyeing here for a while. Acanthoscurria geniculata and Chromatapelma cyaneopubescens.

One last question before I pull the trigger on two slings this week. I'll be heading out of town for a week toward the end of August. Would both slings be okay for a week without food? What tips would you give for preparing them for the week? I've read that they can go upwards of 2 weeks without food. The A. geniculata will be around 1/4 to 1/2 inch and C. cyaneopubescens will be a little over 1 inch.

Food for a week will not be a problem. Just feed them really good before leaving.
Water is an issue IMO. Make sure the substrate is nice and damp and I'd ensure the 1 inch T be put in an enclosure that is big enough to have a 2 liter bottle cap in it for a water dish. A 16 oz deli cup would work well. If it were me I'd do the same for the A.gentic as well though some don't like a smaller T in a big cup like that.

I know it was suggested that placing them in a large plastic bag (like a trash bag) with the end tied can help with moisture/humidity issues and that might be worth a try. I just went on vacation for a week and I have several smaller Ts (less then 1/2 inch) and they were fine while I was gone. With a little prep you'll be good too.

 

[Screamingreenmachine]

Thanks everyone! You've all be a massive help as seems the norm on here! Cannot wait to get this going

All of my tarantulas, both OW and NW are in my bedroom. We've never had an incident with hairs outside of an enclosure causing problems. Besides my partner and I we have kids, dogs, and cats that run through our bedroom without any issues. I wouldn't personally worry about hairs.

As far as getting NW vs. OW, I would encourage you to get the NW species that have caught your interest. I don't aim to be offensive or to tell you what you can or can't do, but the folks here that are suggesting waiting on the OWs that have caught your fancy are offering solid advice. It isn't advice that has anything to do with you as a person but an attempt to help you not end up in a really bad situation. The users that have been here for a while and are making the recommendation are the ones that have seen folks jump into OWs against advice and then have varying levels of serious issues immediately. There was a thread in the last month that followed this exact pattern. Someone wanted to get a couple OWs, folks said that it probably wasn't a good idea, the user went ahead and got the OWs, and within a couple weeks had another thread running with a series of troubles working with the tarantulas. The result that I've seen most often over time with this scenario is a keeper that ends up with a tarantula that they are afraid of and unable to work with. Other instances of this same scenario have ended in escapes, bites, and general mayhem. And those are only examples that I have seen since I've been a member.

Bottom line in my book, NW hairs can be a pain but are an issue within the enclosure or while it's open. I would recommend giving those beauties a shot though. I can't say enough wonderful things about my big, hairy NWs, from their looks to their attitudes and interesting behaviors.

No offense taken! I come on here to ask people with knowledge to make sure I don't do something I would end up regretting. I'd rather avoid any possible mayhem as that wouldn't go over to well with anyone at home haha! Seems that I'm definitely overthinking the hairs part and now I'm feeling more comfortable with NW's and will order my 2 this week. Pretty stinking excited. Tomorrow I'm getting their sling enclosures together.

Sure, I could use gloves, but seriously, a bit of red & itchy never killed no one. We are talking about T's hairs not WWI sulfur mustard

Haha this is true! It won't kill me. Plus my sister said she never has any issues with hairs other than one time when they slightly irritated her when she first got a T. I don't remember which species she said it was. She agrees with everyone on here that I being overly paranoid about the hairs.

But them out them in condiment cups day before you leave if they diddnt eat a day or two before I would drop a 1/4 size cricket or roach with a crush head in it and leave it if he take it cool if not leave it be they might later on and not worry about it till you come back. Remove dead cricket if still
In there and carry on

Food for a week will not be a problem. Just feed them really good before leaving.
Water is an issue IMO. Make sure the substrate is nice and damp and I'd ensure the 1 inch T be put in an enclosure that is big enough to have a 2 liter bottle cap in it for a water dish. A 16 oz deli cup would work well. If it were me I'd do the same for the A.gentic as well though some don't like a smaller T in a big cup like that.

I know it was suggested that placing them in a large plastic bag (like a trash bag) with the end tied can help with moisture/humidity issues and that might be worth a try. I just went on vacation for a week and I have several smaller Ts (less then 1/2 inch) and they were fine while I was gone. With a little prep you'll be good too.

Blackout14,Trenor: Sound like I really don't have too much to worry about. I'll just make sure they are well fed before I leave. Will go the 2 16 oz cup routes and will definitely make sure to have it damp, not soaking wet, to keep the humidity up. Now with the A. Gentic being such a small sling, is there any worry of drowning in the bottle cap? I've read that the really tiny ones don't need water sources?

 

[Blackout14]

Thanks everyone! You've all be a massive help as seems the norm on here! Cannot wait to get this going



No offense taken! I come on here to ask people with knowledge to make sure I don't do something I would end up regretting. I'd rather avoid any possible mayhem as that wouldn't go over to well with anyone at home haha! Seems that I'm definitely overthinking the hairs part and now I'm feeling more comfortable with NW's and will order my 2 this week. Pretty stinking excited. Tomorrow I'm getting their sling enclosures together.


Haha this is true! It won't kill me. Plus my sister said she never has any issues with hairs other than one time when they slightly irritated her when she first got a T. I don't remember which species she said it was. She agrees with everyone on here that I being overly paranoid about the hairs.





Blackout14,Trenor: Sound like I really don't have too much to worry about. I'll just make sure they are well fed before I leave. Will go the 2 16 oz cup routes and will definitely make sure to have it damp, not soaking wet, to keep the humidity up. Now with the A. Gentic being such a small sling, is there any worry of drowning in the bottle cap? I've read that the really tiny ones don't need water sources?

Nope no drowning worries your good

 

[Trenor]

Blackout14,Trenor: Sound like I really don't have too much to worry about. I'll just make sure they are well fed before I leave. Will go the 2 16 oz cup routes and will definitely make sure to have it damp, not soaking wet, to keep the humidity up. Now with the A. Gentic being such a small sling, is there any worry of drowning in the bottle cap? I've read that the really tiny ones don't need water sources?

They don't handle dry conditions very well. They don't need a water dish as long as you keep the substrate moist but since you will be gone it is nice to have one as backup in case the substrate dries out. Ts can't drown so no worries there.

 

[Screamingreenmachine]

Thank you both, again! Great to hear that I have no driving worries. All in all sounds like it'll be plenty easy to have them manage a week without me. Can't wait to show some pics!

Edit: drowning, not driving!

 

[Sana]

All of my tarantulas from the tiniest slings on up have water dishes. I get concerned about things staying moist enough with the dry climate here.

 

[Haksilence]

Well, you should be scared of that A. geniculata! They are bitey little things. Easy to care for, though, so long as you have respect for a fast spider that is always ready to bite. You're right to say that a 20 gallon is too large for pretty much any spider, so I'm glad to see you've done a bit of research. Kudos to you for that. I would not try to partition the tank unless you really know what you're doing. That's a great way to end up with one fat spider, which you brought up. However, if you're confident in sectioning off an aquarium (which I've done successfully), then it actually works quite well. Just don't cut any corners. You are correct in saying that they would function like separate enclosures - personally, I had a humid loving species right next to an arid one.

You may want to look into getting an adult of some large species - L. parahybana, A. geniculata, T. stirmi, etc. Unfortunately, none of those are beginner species. The A. geniculata is arguably a beginner species, although the adults could be a handful if you have no prior experience with tarantulas. However, with any of those species, you could create a beautiful aquarium with plants, logs, and the like. Check out the Vivarium subforum for some ideas.

I'd suggest getting a juvenile A. geniculata and keep it in an appropriate sized enclosure. When it puts on some inches, transfer it into that beautiful 20gal. It will be large, but that just means that you'll have plenty of room to make it look nice.

I would consider l. Parahybana and A. genic or sp "brocklehursti" both to be beginner species, perhaps tier two. I've never had an aggression problem from any of mine, sure hey are a tad faster than grammostola and brachypelma but they aren't much faster. They are both very hungry, food aggressive, relatively fast growing new worlds, in my experience as long as you respect their appetite they are perfectly safe. And being as energetic/hungry as they are makes them a more interesting option to captivate a new keeper over a Grammy or brachy that moves only once a month

 

[Screamingreenmachine]

Well they will indeed get some water dishes! So pumped.

Today I've been preparing the sling enclosures. Actually got 2 small baseball/softball display cases for a couple bucks each since they actually look really nice haha. Now I'm putting some holes in for air and I was wondering if 1/16th inch holes are large enough? 32 holes all around the enclosure with 8 on each side and then another 4 on the top. How does this look for a sling enclosure? I'll put the substrate up almost to the bottom row and if they dry to quickly, before I leave I'll plug up a few holes on each side. Also, the holes are totally smooth now, no burs but I still need to clean the plastic shavings up inside of it (even though a few look kind of meh since this was the first side I drilled) so that I don't have anything sharp in there that can harm the sling.

Now since one sling will be itty bitty (they say half an inch, maybe a bit less) I would rather not risk an escape through an 1/8th inch hole if that is indeed possible.

 

[beaker41]

I'll give you the worst case scenario for NW hairs. I like to pair my t's in a neutral area to reduce aggression and give the males somewhere to go if things go sour after the coupling. Naturally during the transfer process in and out of the octagon I get some hair flicks. if the timing is right and I do pairings for multiples, of course I take precautions , wet towells and the like, but invariably I've got a cloud of hair throughout the living room and somewhat the whole house. I've got b. Smithi, b. Albo, b. Vagans , m. Robustum, l. Parahybana, and b. Emelia and I end up itching my neck like dave chapelle's crack head character for a week or so.