ideal enclosure for p. cambridgei?

[sdeveikis]

Hi all, I'm currently looking to buy a female juvie/adult p. cambridgei so I'm trying to get my enclosure research done beforehand. Up 'til now, I've only had terrestrial Ts (and a relatively easy time setting up appropriate enclosures) and many people seem to think that a cambridgei is a nice in-between for people looking to eventually keep arboreals, as they don't require as much moisture/maintenance as many other arboreals do.

I was hoping to get some feedback on what you guys found to be the best permanent (read: non-sterilite tubs as this will be on display) enclosure for them. I've read many people praising the Exo Terra Mini/Tall as a near ideal setup, but have heard others say that it's way too bulky and overpriced (even for a display tank).

Finally, my last concern is the size of the T itself; if I end up getting the Exo Terra Mini/Tall as a permanent enclosure, would that be too large for a juvenile and unduly stress them out? Sorry for the million questions, I just want to make sure I have all my bases covered before bringing one home.

 

[cold blood]

I was hoping to get some feedback on what you guys found to be the best permanent (read: non-sterilite tubs as this will be on display) enclosure for them

What you put them in isn't relevant, its how you set them up...the set up should be the same, sterilite or otherwise.

They need space, ground cover, and for adults, something to climb on, although room and cover are more important.

0214161544a

• cold blood
• Mar 24, 2016
• 1

AF P. cam enclosure

Psalmopoeus cambridgei

• cold blood
• Mar 11, 2017
• 7
• cambridgei psalmopoeus psalmopoeus cambridgei trinidad chevron tarantula

cam...the camster..the caminator, the cam-meister...Dr. Camenstein...Cam-a-lama-ding-dong...mass...

While they are drought tolerant and can be kept predominantly dry, they do tend to like some moisture from time to time. They're really versatile and easy to keep...heck, with enough space, you could even keep them almost terrestrially.

Finally, my last concern is the size of the T itself; if I end up getting the Exo Terra Mini/Tall as a permanent enclosure, would that be too large for a juvenile and unduly stress them out?

Not at all, they're very fast and extremely good hunters, they do well with more space...makes working around them easier as well.

 

[sdsnybny]

That would be a decent size for P. cambridgei, I have my female in a 6x6x12" acrylic cage. The Exo Terra will be ok just giver her a good hide and plenty of plant cover. They are great hunters and wont have any trouble patrolling the extra room when its a juvenile.

 

[Nightstalker47]

An exo-terra enclosure would work fine, one of my females is in one. The setup is whats most important.

House them with lots of cork bark as cover, they will web it all up and use the pieces to perch on and hide behind. Cams do quite well with extra space as mentioned, their great hunters.

 

[sdeveikis]

Thank you all so much for your help!! I'll be sure to post pics of the enclosure once I get it together just to be sure it'll be good for her

What you put them in isn't relevant, its how you set them up...the set up should be the same, sterilite or otherwise.

While they are drought tolerant and can be kept predominantly dry, they do tend to like some moisture from time to time. They're really versatile and easy to keep...heck, with enough space, you could even keep them almost terrestrially.

Not at all, they're very fast and extremely good hunters, they do well with more space...makes working around them easier as well.

Thank you so much for all the help. Just a couple quick questions: for substrate, are we still looking at no less than 1.5x their body length or is a little less okay as these are somewhat arboreal? Is putting down some sphagnum tree moss as decor okay, or is it better to leave the floor largely clear of obstacles (other than cork bark/water dish)? Finally, for moisture/drinking, is the standard overflowed water dish okay (sparingly) or is it more like spraying down the foliage every once in a while? Or using the moss to help retain moisture?

Again, thanks for all the help. P. cambridgei has been on my dream T list for quite some time now, wanna make sure she is as comfortable as possible.

 

[boina]

are we still looking at no less than 1.5x their body length

?? Are we talking about height here? These are arboreal Ts after all, even if they do like to make their lair on the ground. They want at least some space to go up - 1.5 times their leg span may do, but if I have choices I'd say more like 3 times their leg span in height. How are you going to get something to climb on in the enclosure if you don't have height? They won't fall and even if they do they are very unlikely to injure themselves since they never get those fat, fragile abdomens the terrestrials sport.

I don't like moss on the ground - it's just cover for crickets and roaches.

 

[Zymotic]

Yes, an exo terra nano tall (8x8x12 inches) would work out fine.

Like others have said, this species can also do well with more overall space, and since this is going to be a display tarantula you may eventually want something even larger. Of course, if you decide to go larger, you will also be spending significantly more money.

On a rare occasion, terrestrial tarantulas get their feet caught inside the screen mesh of these enclosures. Though Arboreals do not seem to have this problem, it's still recommended you remove the screen and replace it with a piece of well-ventilated acrylic. You can do this by just cutting the screen out, going to a hardware store to pick up a piece of acrylic or plexiglass, and cutting it to size, gluing it down, and drilling holes on top for ventilation.

As for the decor, that's really up to you. I personally just use a good sized piece of cork bark placed vertically and some fake plants from hobby lobby to serve as an anchor for webbing.

They don't need a lot of moisture or misting. Maybe give one side of the enclosure a decent spray once a month. Otherwise just fill their water dish up and you can overflow a little if you want.

One last thing I should mention that you may or may not know: Because these enclosures do not have a lot of cross ventilation, they really aren't recommended for some of the more sensitive arboreal species. It would work out great for a Psalmopoeus cambridgei, though.

 

[cold blood]

They dont burrow really, but rather make depressions and use the sub for dirt curtains....a few inches of sub is sufficient.

I dont mist...not really a fan of that for any t....i also dont like the "overfill the water dish" thing either as it just keeps one area damp....pour water onto the sub when things get dry, its more effecient and allows you to rotate the damp areas as needed.

Moss is fine in small doses, but like boina, i really just see it as feeder hiding places....its not necessary, but its up to you......you dont have to worry about consistent dampness.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

for substrate, are we still looking at no less than 1.5x their body length or is a little less okay as these are somewhat arboreal?

A few inches should be fine, apparently they don't burrow much but mine dug out a large chamber underneath his cork tube, with those style enclosures I just fill them up to just under where the vents are.

Is putting down some sphagnum tree moss as decor okay, or is it better to leave the floor largely clear of obstacles (other than cork bark/water dish)?

You can put down little bits if you want, she'll probably end up incorporating it into her web tubes if she makes any.

Finally, for moisture/drinking, is the standard overflowed water dish okay (sparingly) or is it more like spraying down the foliage every once in a while?

Overflowing the water dish is fine, as is pouring water directly into the substrate, misting is pretty useless and just annoys the tarantula so a lot of people don't do it.

 

[sdeveikis]

Hi everyone, thanks again for all the help. So far, this is what I have for her. The bottom is relatively clear apart from the water dish and a small smattering of moss but I'm not sure if I should put down some foliage behind the cork bark? I also have another relatively long bit of foliage I can hang if it is too sparse up on top. Would love any constructive criticism if there are any improvements I can make. (I am planning on replacing the top with some acrylic this weekend!)

 

[viper69]

You could start with that. Or you could give it more foliage towards the front right, up top a bit.

Tends to make them more secure, makes husbandry easier when they are secure, vs out of the open etc. Smart to keep water bowl up front.

 

[cold blood]

Yep, housing would be similar to, but basically opposite of an Avic....the plants should be on the ground, preferably surrounding the base of the wood as its home base will likely be right under that wood in the back corner.


Love the plant you are using.

 

[viper69]

some sphagnum tree moss as decor okay

Bad idea, prey hide in moss easily, and end up dying under it. Then after a few dead bugs, you could end up with mites, phorid flies, if they get a bit moist etc.

 

[sdeveikis]

You could start with that. Or you could give it more foliage towards the front right, up top a bit.

Thank you! I will put up the second string of foliage I got and see if that helps and will remove the moss I put down.

Yep, housing would be similar to, but basically opposite of an Avic....the plants should be on the ground, preferably surrounding the base of the wood as its home base will likely be right under that wood in the back corner.


Love the plant you are using.

Threw down a plant on the side/underneath the cork, hopefully this is an improvement (and thank you for the kind words; I dwell a LOT [unnecessarily, haha] about the appearance of the plants in my T enclosures but I I'm a fan of that particular one so I have a few stockpiled])

 

[viper69]

Yep I like that.

 

[cold blood]

I'd flip the one on the right that looks like MJ, so the bushier part is on the floor.

If you see my initial pics, all the plants are visible around the base of the wood, but you see the next pic is at an elevated position, and clear of any plants. Often they go up to hunt, down to hide...so I prefer to keep the upper parts of the wood clearer...not that elevated cover would necessarily be an issue...just saying what I do and why.

 

[viper69]

I'd flip the one on the right that looks like MJ

For a second I thought you meant Michael Jackon, hahahhahhhahh

 

[cold blood]

For a second I thought you meant Michael Jackon, hahahhahhhahh

No...but I am sure its probably medicinal....op probably just has cataracts.

 

[sdeveikis]

okay, flipped the other plant and tucked some more of the leaves of the other one behind the cork flat (I can also lower it/flip it as well so more of it is on the ground if that would be better); looks pretty well covered and snug now and I will go pick up another string of leaves tomorrow to hang up on the top right hand side if necessary. again, thank you all so much for all the help. I'm beside myself with excitement waiting for her to arrive and you all have helped me so much!

 

[viper69]

If you could scramble some eggs and cook up some bacon too, we'd appreciate it.

Looks better.