Just a concerned Trinidad owner

[TGod]

Hi I've got this Trinidad Chevron and I've had him since January and I gotta say going on my research I did on them I would have expected him to molt at least once or do at least something.Unfortunatly all it's done though Is hide for months and I haven't seen it eat since I got It. Anyway I came to the conclusion that the tank might be to cold which is understandable considering it's england and the weather has been rubbish as normal. So anyway I've got a heatmat now and put it under the tank with some cling film underneath and now I can actual feel the heat coming throgh the substrate, so now I don't thing temperature is the problem anymore. Anyway there is now like 5 crickets iside the enclosure and I dont think he's touched them yet. Is the fact that the crickets have alot of hiding spaces a problem at all?? I suppose what I really want is some feedback from others to see if things sound ok and I was wondering If there was any other ways of making the glass tank more heat efficient. Sorry If my english seems bad I'm writting this. on an incredibly awkward phone. Cheers.

 

[goodoldneon]

They're reclusive - and, they molt on their own schedule, not ours : )

Edit - Oh, and ditch the heat pad, it could cause more harm than good.

Oh and but p.s. - one or two crickets at a time - five could be a bit much - stress, et al.

 

[JZC]

+1 to goodoldneon

 

[TGod]

I'm afraid I cant loose the heatpad as It's the only way I can provide warmth. My house is just not warm enough and I think thats why It's been so inactive. I've heard rumors of heatmats creating hotspots and causing burns but I'm sure my Tarantula is smart enough to think "oh thats hot, I better move"beside it's under the glass and It's a big tank. I dont know of any other cheap sources of heat I'm afraid..

 

[goodoldneon]

How warm is "not warm enough"? My P. irminia's environment drops down into the mid to low sixties during the winter months, with no ill effects.

 

[Yentlequible]

Lose the heat pad. I doubt your temps are too cold. What are they exactly and how low do they drop at night?

 

[James501]

I live in the UK andI keep both my Psalmopheus cambridgei and irminia at room temp all year round and they're fine. As said above heat pads cause more harm than good... If you feel the need to use it attach it to the wall or somewhere that's not directly in contact with your tarantulas enclosure.

 

[PeaceBee]

I did a quick Google search and found that the average evening temperature for this week in Surrey is around 50 degrees (please correct me if that's not accurate). Maybe get a space heater so you can warm up the whole room as opposed to using a heat mat? That way you don't have to worry about possible harm that could come to the T. I don't think they can discern that one spot is too hot and have the logic to move elsewhere, but I'm not an expert, either. My opinion is that no part of the enclosure should be too hot for your T

 

[Hawk]

Get a space heater. That is what I use for my T room. AKA My room too.

 

[Poec54]

How big is it?

Cambridgei are shy but will be out when they're hungry, day or night. And they're voracious eaters. I'm in Florida and keep mine 85-90 daytime, and they're either eating readily or molting. Also, they are incredibly fast, so be careful about stirring it up.

 

[TGod]

Thanks for the info so far guys. My house does get pretty cold. Even summer evenings are quitchilly.I'm convince it's lack of activity Is due to low temperature because I haven't seen a peep out of him all year and now suddenly I see him walking around for the first time since I've had him. shall I add It's now summer where I live which leads me to think it must be because it's warmer. I got the heatpad because It's cheap to run and I cant afford to keep those area heaters running all the time. I do wack my hand In the tank to check the temperature time to time and It definatly doesn't feel hot enough to do any damage. The crickets that are in there love it, there really active and chirp at night. I really dont see the problem. I'm just wondering why it hasn't molted. It's tiny atm, I'd show u guys a pic but I've never gog a good shot of him. I'll try again today though. Once again apologies for my grammer.. these touchscreen phones just aren't built for this kind of thing.

---------- Post added 06-14-2013 at 09:07 AM ----------

Thanks for the info so far guys. My house does get pretty cold. Even summer evenings are quitchilly.I'm convince it's lack of activity Is due to low temperature because I haven't seen a peep out of him all year and now suddenly I see him walking around for the first time since I've had him. shall I add It's now summer where I live which leads me to think it must be because it's warmer. I got the heatpad because It's cheap to run and I cant afford to keep those area heaters running all the time. I do wack my hand In the tank to check the temperature time to time and It definatly doesn't feel hot enough to do any damage. The crickets that are in there love it, there really active and chirp at night. I really dont see the problem. I'm just wondering why it hasn't molted. It's tiny atm, I'd show u guys a pic but I've never gog a good shot of him. I'll try again today though. Once again apologies for my grammer.. these touchscreen phones just aren't built for this kind of thing.

---------- Post added 06-14-2013 at 09:29 AM ----------

Thanks for the info so far guys. My house does get pretty cold. Even summer evenings are quitchilly.I'm convince it's lack of activity Is due to low temperature because I haven't seen a peep out of him all year and now suddenly I see him walking around for the first time since I've had him. shall I add It's now summer where I live which leads me to think it must be because it's warmer. I got the heatpad because It's cheap to run and I cant afford to keep those area heaters running all the time. I do wack my hand In the tank to check the temperature time to time and It definatly doesn't feel hot enough to do any damage. The crickets that are in there love it, there really active and chirp at night. I really dont see the problem. I'm just wondering why it hasn't molted. It's tiny atm, I'd show u guys a pic but I've never gog a good shot of him. I'll try again today though. Once again apologies for my grammer.. these touchscreen phones just aren't built for this kind of thing.

 

[xkris]

I also have a p.cam and in my experience, they aren't reclusive at all. At least mine isn't. She is 7cm (3.5 inch). When I first got her, I left the pill jar she came in with her in her new enclosure. I also put 2rows of sticks against opposite walls, so she can have plenty of hides and choose one. First couple of days she sat in her jar. Then she started coming out and exploring. Then she started building and remodeling. She made construct of web, dirt curtains incorporated with sticks and tunnels all connected into one elaborate castle. It was quite a feat to watch! And now....she sits outside all day LOL! But she still remodels from time to time. And still uses her hide when I do maintenance. Don't know why yours don't sit outside. Maybe its hers personality? Or maybe she never liked her hide and doesn't feel safe? How big is she?

About whole heat pad thing. I see nothing wrong if its put against a wall on/next to enclosure. Know how a space heater rapes your electricity bill...

 

[EightLeggedFreaks]

Could be stressed from all the damn crickets you have in there. Start by taking those out. Next if you're going to use a heat pad even though you have been advised not to. Don't put it directly on the tank, they create hot spots. So put it on the wall or something an inch away form the tank. You said the tank is big and the spider is small? That could be another issue. But without knowing how big the T is and how big the enclosure is and how you have set it up, there is not a lot of advice people can give you. So snap some pictures and come on back with them!

 

[TGod]

Maybe I should try re-modeling the hole enclosure perhaps using a different substrate. My other 2 never seemex to mind it but there all different arent they. I've been using compost but I've got some sand although I was advised against that on here. Anyway the tank is big its 18" by 18" and In it it's got some fake logs and leaves for decor, also theres some moss inside to retain it's moisture. The spider is probably just over 2" in legspan. I know this is probably more than enough space but it was the most suitible one I had and I cant see the harm In there being too much room. I mean In the wild it's got all the room in the world. Can't put any pics up though as my web is being super slow...

 

[Shrike]

I did a quick Google search and found that the average evening temperature for this week in Surrey is around 50 degrees (please correct me if that's not accurate). Maybe get a space heater so you can warm up the whole room as opposed to using a heat mat? That way you don't have to worry about possible harm that could come to the T. I don't think they can discern that one spot is too hot and have the logic to move elsewhere, but I'm not an expert, either. My opinion is that no part of the enclosure should be too hot for your T

Yes, but is it 50 degrees inside the house? I live in Virginia and in the fall and winter it gets cold outside. So what? OP, you've said it gets cold, but you haven't told us what the temperature is inside your house. Give us a number.

 

[Gilberator]

Giving us a temperature and possibly some pics would be extremely helpful! Hard to understand your situation without seeing what your dealing with

 

[Akai]

I had my big T. Chevron seal her self up in her cork tube for 3 months. She webbed herself in. I've only noticed this behavior with pregnant females but she's never been mated so I was a bit worried. After a month or so I poked a hole in the web and shined my flashlight to see if she was ok and all was well so I left her be. I figured she was going to molt as some point because she was huge before she webbed her self in. She finally emerged after 3 months walking around and freshly molted. I think my temps at the time was low 60's during the winter. It was the only time she's ever done this. Who knows what goes on with Tarantula's behavior. I just let them do what they want to do and let things run their course.

 

[xkris]

Seems to me your p.cam feels overwhelmed by all the space. That size tank is huge overkill. As a result, she never comes out. 2inch is small spider. Don't you have a smaller sized cheap plastic thingy to put it in, she'd be happier that way.

 

[Storm76]

Hi I've got this Trinidad Chevron and I've had him since January and I gotta say going on my research I did on them I would have expected him to molt at least once or do at least something.Unfortunatly all it's done though Is hide for months and I haven't seen it eat since I got It. Anyway I came to the conclusion that the tank might be to cold which is understandable considering it's england and the weather has been rubbish as normal. So anyway I've got a heatmat now and put it under the tank with some cling film underneath and now I can actual feel the heat coming throgh the substrate, so now I don't thing temperature is the problem anymore. Anyway there is now like 5 crickets iside the enclosure and I dont think he's touched them yet. Is the fact that the crickets have alot of hiding spaces a problem at all?? I suppose what I really want is some feedback from others to see if things sound ok and I was wondering If there was any other ways of making the glass tank more heat efficient. Sorry If my english seems bad I'm writting this. on an incredibly awkward phone. Cheers.

Either I'm blind, or overread it:

Size of T?
Size of enclosure?
Pics please!

Heatmat - not necessary unless you're freezing in your house. I'd ditch it especially since Psalmopoeus spp. have a tendency to burrow, or at least extend their webbing into the substrate with a chamber: A heatmat will make him/her go straight for that one most likely sitting right on it. It's very unnatural to have heat coming from the ground anyways on that notion.


Aside from that, I have a ~6.5" female that isn't out often herself, but if she's hungry she'll roam the cage frequently. She has sealed herself in for a couple weeks now and I'm suspecting an upcoming molt. If she doesn't show up, don't throw food in there. Chances are she's not interested if you already have 5 crickets in there - which is anyways way too many. 1 or 2 every 3 or 4 weeks even seems to be perfectly fine, or else they'll get really plump and won't show up a lot (appropriately sized crickets that is and depending on the T size the feeding schedule). That's at least what I'd say.


Example of the tank of my female (she has made her home on the left side behind the corkbark and dug down there, too):

 

[EightLeggedFreaks]

Enclosure is way too big. 18x18 for a 2 inch specimine? My two inchers all get 32oz delis. that means its like 4x4x5 high approx. And they are good in there till just after their 3.5 inch molt.