help with my B.Albo

[megabytex3]

Im about to buy my first T...well, I know the basics and I already did my homework but I still have a couple of questions in my mind, and so,im here.Im actually a more of a scorpion guy than a tarantula guy and I have been taking care of some scorps for quite sometime now and I quite know somethings about arachnids...Here it goes, Im buying a B. Albo tomorrow, Iv searched the internet for caresheets and I already did some reading about T's in general and B. Albo specifically. My questions now are: Iv read that tarantulas doesnt need misting. Is this true? Is this true with B. Albo...Im staying here in the Philippines, so, does it apply to my B. Albo? If I have to mist, how often will I mist? And what substrate do B. Albo prefer (damp or dry)? in a scale of 1-5 where 5 is the highest (or venomous), how venomous is a B. Albo?I'll really appreciate it if you guys help me with this...Thanx in advance...

 

[Jilly1337]

B Albopilosum is a great choice. How big will it be when you get it?

A lot of people debate on the misting. You will be just fine if you provide a water dish and overfill it occasionally. If you want to mist once a week, it won't hurt anything. Just watch the substrate and make sure it isn't getting saturated. I'm not sure about the venom on a scientific level but brachys are generally low in the bite reports I've read.

Enjoy your spider!!

 

[megabytex3]

B Albopilosum is a great choice. How big will it be when you get it?

A lot of people debate on the misting. You will be just fine if you provide a water dish and overfill it occasionally. If you want to mist once a week, it won't hurt anything. Just watch the substrate and make sure it isn't getting saturated. I'm not sure about the venom on a scientific level but brachys are generally low in the bite reports I've read.

Enjoy your spider!!

about 2". Yeah, Iv read the debate and that really confuses me...thanks for the advice though, it really helps a lot. The truth is, I cant wait to get my T...

 

[Mack&Cass]

You chose the best first tarantula. My first was a B. albo, he's a mature male now and has about another 6 months left in him, but I'll sure be sad when he goes.

Everything Jilly said was spot-on. We don't mist our albos, we just overfill their waterdish sometimes. They're a more tropical Brachy species, so they do need a bit higher humidity than something like a B. smithi or other Mexican Brachy. Our female is gravid and we're probably going to flood her enclosure in hopes that it will enduce her to lay her sac.

We use cocofibre for all of our Ts with no problems. As far as the venom goes, Brachys are way low. I don't have first-hand experience, but these people do:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=9337

The first T I ever handled was our B. albo, he was a sweetheart. Our female on the other hand, is a little bit more high strung. A bite is unlikely, however, they do have a pretty aggressive feeding response, and they're always hungry (outside of premolt of course), so if you're doing maintenance with your hands, then it is possible that a bite will occur.

Good luck and I want to see pictures!

Cass

 

[Jilly1337]

2" is plenty big enough for a water dish. You'll want to give it pretty deep substrate, I forgot to mention. I raised 10 of them years ago and they would sometimes completely burry themselves when they were really little. They started digging less as they got bigger but some of them still did.

When are you getting it? I'm getting 2 slings tomorrow myself!!

 

[megabytex3]

You chose the best first tarantula. My first was a B. albo, he's a mature male now and has about another 6 months left in him, but I'll sure be sad when he goes.

Everything Jilly said was spot-on. We don't mist our albos, we just overfill their waterdish sometimes. They're a more tropical Brachy species, so they do need a bit higher humidity than something like a B. smithi or other Mexican Brachy. Our female is gravid and we're probably going to flood her enclosure in hopes that it will enduce her to lay her sac.

We use cocofibre for all of our Ts with no problems. As far as the venom goes, Brachys are way low. I don't have first-hand experience, but these people do:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=9337

The first T I ever handled was our B. albo, he was a sweetheart. Our female on the other hand, is a little bit more high strung. A bite is unlikely, however, they do have a pretty aggressive feeding response, and they're always hungry (outside of premolt of course), so if you're doing maintenance with your hands, then it is possible that a bite will occur.

Good luck and I want to see pictures!

Cass

Thanks for the the advice. But is coco fiber better than peat or potting soil? or are they just the same?

dont worry ill post the pic once I get it...

2" is plenty big enough for a water dish. You'll want to give it pretty deep substrate, I forgot to mention. I raised 10 of them years ago and they would sometimes completely burry themselves when they were really little. They started digging less as they got bigger but some of them still did.

When are you getting it? I'm getting 2 slings tomorrow myself!!

oh, thats one thing I wanted to know from experienced keepers. you wont see any of those on caresheets on the internet. Thanx again:worship:...is 2" or 3" deep substrate alright? my brother is getting it later but ill be getting it from him next week...

 

[Mack&Cass]

It's all personal preference as far as the cocofibre goes. That's just what we use for all of our Ts and it's worked out fine. We did try potting soil but it molded all the time, so we redid all our enclosures with coconut fibre. What kind of enclosure will you be putting it in? It should only have about 1.5x its body length available to climb in the enclosure.

Cass

 

[megabytex3]

It's all personal preference as far as the cocofibre goes. That's just what we use for all of our Ts and it's worked out fine. We did try potting soil but it molded all the time, so we redid all our enclosures with coconut fibre. What kind of enclosure will you be putting it in? It should only have about 1.5x its body length available to climb in the enclosure.

Cass

1.5x its body length? isnt that too small? i'll be using a customized terrarium. is 16"x8"x12"(LxWxH) terrarium ok for an adult B.Albo?...

 

[Mack&Cass]

Brachypelma don't naturally tend to climb, and it is something that you don't want to encourage. If your T climbed the sides of the enclosure and fell, it could result in a devastating injury. Floor space is more important than height.
Mackenzie

 

[Jilly1337]

Thanks for the the advice. But is coco fiber better than peat or potting soil? or are they just the same?

dont worry ill post the pic once I get it...



oh, thats one thing I wanted to know from experienced keepers. you wont see any of those on caresheets on the internet. Thanx again:worship:...is 2" or 3" deep substrate alright? my brother is getting it later but ill be getting it from him next week...

If you have a larger enclosure, you could even give a little more. If the spider is 2", you could even give it 3-4". It will be really fun to watch it dig and rearrange everything you put in there as they often do.

 

[megabytex3]

Brachypelma don't naturally tend to climb, and it is something that you don't want to encourage. If your T climbed the sides of the enclosure and fell, it could result in a devastating injury. Floor space is more important than height.
Mackenzie

Thanx again:worship:...is there any way to prevent it from climbing the enclosure? can you give me some tips..

If you have a larger enclosure, you could even give a little more. If the spider is 2", you could even give it 3-4". It will be really fun to watch it dig and rearrange everything you put in there as they often do.

ok I'll do that. Thanx again..

 

[jebbewocky]

If it's climbing the enclosure, then it's usually one of three things:
1.) New tank. T is adjusting and exploring.
3.) The substrate is too moist.
3.)T hates your substrate--coconut coir and peat are both fine, potting soil is a bad idea (contains additives, and typically, manure. There are some potting soils worth using, but they are hard to find). Now when I say coir and peat are fine--that means they work, it doesn't mean your T will necessarily like it, and sometimes T's are unusually finicky.

I really, really think it is #1, and if not that, then #2.
Putting more substrate in doesn't prevent it from wall climbing, but it does mean if it continues it is less likely to injure itself. Plus, it has room to burrow and sometimes they like that.