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Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,095
I did not want to get into handing but figured at some point it would be inevitable...so may as well get comfortable with it in case of emergency.
It's not as inevitable as you might think. Rehousing, for example, can be done with catch cups and other methods that don't require handling the tarantula. The biggest emergency, an escape, should also be handled with a catch cup. (Keeping catch cups on hand whenever you open the enclosure is a good habit to develop.)
 

T Rex

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 26, 2018
Messages
1
Hi all ,

I am an old hobbyist from South Africa returning to the hobby...well actually my 10 year old daughter is joining the hobby and I would probably be described as a consultant / financier. Quite keen to see what has changed over the last 10 years
 

Kayroach89

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
2
Hi y'all my name is Kayla. I'm very new to this site. It was recommended by a friend on Facebook. I'm 28 (I have a slight arachnophobia, but slowly getting it). I have just recently gotten 2 Tarantulas 1 avicularia avicularia (male) and 1 brachypelma albopilosum sling. I would love to learn everything I can possibly learn. Since I'm new to being a T owner I don't have much experience. I've read tons of forums and watched lots of YouTube videos but I still feel like I know nothing..lol so im on here to try and learn from the best!! Any advice to me better care for my little squishies is greatly appreciated!!!
 

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octanejunkie

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Messages
206
Hello all
I am new to this forum but not the hobby. My daughter and I have owned a B. albopilosum for about 2 and a half years and recently decided to add a few more slings to our collection. Having had success with the curly hair we got from Jamie's Tarantulas, we ordered a GBB from Jamie last week and then this weekend we acquired a B. vagans and G. rosea from a local breeder - might as well raise 3 slings at once, right? Lol The GBB and Rosea slings are around 3/4" and the Vagans is around 1" in size. We saw the Rosea and Vagans eat before taking them home and our GBB ate it's first pinhead B. lateralis yesterday since joining us 3 days earlier.

We have all our slings each in a Jamie's Terrestrial Sling enclosure, inside a glass tank with an under-tank heater to keep the ambient about 74-78 degrees F. The heater is only on one side and the slings are not directly on top of it. There is a water bowl in the tank above the heated area providing additional humidity as it has been quite dry in SoCal lately.

Looking forward to learning more about the hobby after basic success with our curly hair that is now about 3-1/2" in size.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,259
We have all our slings each in a Jamie's Terrestrial Sling enclosure,
I'm not a huge fan of those, but they will work. They're a little big for slings, and a little tall for terrestrial slings...and the mesh ventilation is less than desirable. I prefer a condiment cup...less room means less burrowing and hiding, and typically a greater food response, which generally leads to faster growth as well as a sling that's much easier to monitor.
inside a glass tank with an under-tank heater to keep the ambient about 74-78 degrees F. The heater is only on one side and the slings are not directly on top of it.
70 is all you need, your temps are great though for maximizing growth. I would suggest putting the mat on the side, and not beneath the enclosure, its just safer.

Setting up a micro-climate like you did is a good idea, kudos on heating in a safe manner.

There is a water bowl in the tank above the heated area providing additional humidity as it has been quite dry in SoCal lately
Humidity is a term that's really irrelevant for the most part n this hobby...it baffles me that it is clung to the way it is by the masses. Any t can be kept in any humidity, what it really means when you hear a t needs humidity, is that it needs damp substrate. Your ambient humidity will dictate how much water you add, as well as how often you need to add. You simply need to dampen more frequently when its dry...you can also reduce ventilation to slow the evap process.

Slings should be kept on slightly damp sub, or what I recommend in a condiment cup, is keeping half the sub damp...when it dries, add more water, its really as simple as that.

In just a few molts, the GBB can be kept dry, as they are an arid adapted species.

Welcome to the hobby...you have made some really good choices regards to the species you have acquired.
 

octanejunkie

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 12, 2018
Messages
206
I'm not a huge fan of those, but they will work. They're a little big for slings, and a little tall for terrestrial slings...and the mesh ventilation is less than desirable. I prefer a condiment cup...less room means less burrowing and hiding, and typically a greater food response, which generally leads to faster growth as well as a sling that's much easier to monitor.
70 is all you need, your temps are great though for maximizing growth. I would suggest putting the mat on the side, and not beneath the enclosure, its just safer.

Setting up a micro-climate like you did is a good idea, kudos on heating in a safe manner.



Humidity is a term that's really irrelevant for the most part n this hobby...it baffles me that it is clung to the way it is by the masses. Any t can be kept in any humidity, what it really means when you hear a t needs humidity, is that it needs damp substrate. Your ambient humidity will dictate how much water you add, as well as how often you need to add. You simply need to dampen more frequently when its dry...you can also reduce ventilation to slow the evap process.

Slings should be kept on slightly damp sub, or what I recommend in a condiment cup, is keeping half the sub damp...when it dries, add more water, its really as simple as that.

In just a few molts, the GBB can be kept dry, as they are an arid adapted species.

Welcome to the hobby...you have made some really good choices regards to the species you have acquired.
Thanks for the detailed response, I modified the housings drilling holes around the sides and and am using flat, solid lids for the B. vagans and G. rosea, the GBB is in the traditional JTSE for extra height and top ventilation as it is a more arid species, like you mentioned. See pic attached.

Ironically the two aforementioned slings came in deli cups, but my daughter and I like to look at them and they have both made intricate, deep burrows already, Lol, but I don't mind since they are display animals for us and watching them come out of their burrows to feed is half the fun for us - plus our B. albo did fine in that size container through 3 or 4 molts so we stuck with it. Next step is 16 oz deli cups or larger containers like Jamies, the Container Store has them dirt cheap, pardon the pun.
 

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FlyKiwiFly

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 1, 2014
Messages
38
Kinda forgot to introduce myself got extra hyped with so much content and cool t and insect pics :D

My name is Marko i am from Belgrade, Serbia. I've been in hobby for couple of years, but not as active as now since i got new space and better financial situation, aswell a fiance who likes them aswell :D (her name is Jeka). My first T was L. parahybana and eventually died of old age as all males tend to, and after that i got another one (turned out to be a male aswell), but along with him came a number of other pets (and not only tarantulas both new and old world there is a chameleon, some isopods, assassin bugs and a lot of interesting inverts coming soon :D). So with all the new space for animals and investing in hobby and feeders colonies and enclosures, lightning etc all that is left is the good stuff, so you will be seeing me a lot in the coming months :D!

I'm very glad to be part of this community and so hyped with the variety of animals and characters involved in it :D
 

Tvibez

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
20
Finally got my girl in today! She's perfect, special thanks to Kenthebugguy.com she's been very active and I can tell she doesn't feel threatened by me, hasnt showed any sign of hostility. look forward to continuing learning more from everyone on here. And thanks to those who consulted me thru the housing process
 

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Birdie

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 19, 2018
Messages
1
Hey All,

Welcome to Arachnoboards. Please take a moment to introduce yourself. Let us know who you are and what brings you here.

Feel free to post a picture of yourself here.

This thread is for personal introductions only, please let us know what inverts you have here.

Hope you enjoy your stay :D

The Arachnoboards Team
Hello Everyone ..my name is Birdie..ive started up with my new family .lol..my tarantulas.. i had one years ago...gave it to my aunt...I decided..to get back into the tarantula as a pet...i now have 2 pink toes..Gabora and lydia...surfing the internet im glad ive found this group...ive read some posts. .i can see alot of you are experienced ..These pet shops they dont know alot about selling spiders..anyway glad to belong...
 

John Emerson

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
6
Hello all! John; Arizona
This is where I get a lot of my information in relation to pretty much all my arachnid questions and thought it was time to join. Thanks all
 

Inverts of the Valley

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 19, 2018
Messages
2
Hello everybody! Devon; California
I got my first T when I was five, a G. rosea named Sandy. After her death, seven years later, I fell out of the hobby. I then went about eight years without giving it a second thought until i realized I was missing something. So, at an expo that I'd had no intention of attending, I picked up a juvenile T. stirmi(not the best beginner species, I know). I've been browsing this site since then, so I figured it was time to start contributing. The majority of questions I've had regarding arachnids already have entire dedicated forums on this site, which contain more details and nuances than I could've expected. Thanks to those of you who are active and constructive here, I have been able to catch and fix several possible issues. Below is a picture of Mocha, my probable male stirmi.
28826953_1610721035642679_5698892195878133195_o.jpg
 

MissOrangeHat

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 3, 2018
Messages
47
Guess I never introduced myself..Name's Emily, Im 20, soon to be 21! I'm highly interested in Ts and would love to learn more about them. I'm a newbie when it comes to Ts, but I'm pretty good with other animals, such as cats..And other general information on them.

So far yall can call me Miss, OrangeHat, or whatever the hell you want.
 

Melancholy Newt

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 22, 2018
Messages
14
Hello all! My name is Newt, I have been keeping tarantulas for between four and five years now. I recently lost my mature male rose hair named Charlie, he was my first tarantula. I now have nine tarantulas total and am looking forward to interacting here with people who "get it" :)
 

Red Queen

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 23, 2018
Messages
1
Hello! (waves)
Being formally a complete and utter arachnophobic, I decided to face my fear. Tarantulas have terrified and fascinated me in equal measure. I have recently purchased my first tarantula; a baby blue panay (orphnaecus sp). Even though she is too young to sex; she is already quite the little diva. We love watching her. I hope to make some new friends here and learn more so I can be a better owner :)
 

Excello

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
1
I'm new. I've never had a fear of spiders, but I do jump sometimes when one takes me by surprise. That happens occasionally in The Old House (built 1903) in which I reside. I'm hoping to start my tarantula hobby this spring by acquiring my first specimen(s). I'll need to keep my specimens under lock and key, as I have a very inquisitive cat. My cabinet, which I am already planning, will have mild heat and adequate ventilation, as The Old House can be draft and cold. I've been studying and watching YouTube videos to prepare myself. I've never kept archnids before. I purchased Shultz and Shultz's book from alibris. It should arrive Monday. I'm looking forward to many years of tarantula husbandry.

As a side note, I am a fan of Dark Shadows, if you haven't already picked up the clue. :vulcan:

Excello
 

Pelorix

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 24, 2018
Messages
11
Hi all,

Just popping in to say hello. I am new to Arachnoboards, but have had T's for a few years now. So far I am loving the hobby and am actually going to venture into breeding soon (which is actually what brings me to making an account). If anyone knows where I could find some solid advice for breeding, or even more so some advice on how to handle distributing slings to the hobby community once successful, I would be much appreciative!

I am 26 years old and live in Texas near Ft. Worth. Hit me up if you have any advice (questions even maybe) or wanna just chat about the amazing T's! :)

Phil
 

Danalemp1216

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
57
Hi,
My name is Daniel, I am from NY, but moved down to South Florida for grad school at FAU. My thesis is on arboreal camera traps to survey endangered primates in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I have been keeping tarantulas for 6 years. I find them absolutely fascinating and enjoy searching for them during my field work. I primarily joined arachnoboards to connect with other keepers for breeding purposes, but have found this site to be very useful and engaging on many topics.
 
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