King Baboon enclosure too small?

[Beggottenson]

Hey all just purchased a King Baboon and the enclosure it came in is rather shallow, now ive heard of people keeping them in shallow containers but honestly I don’t really think it’s large enough, he tends to just dig down into the corner and stay there, what do you guys think? He’s around 1.5 in

 

[cold blood]

Needs both more room, and significantly more substrate depth.

 

[Beggottenson]

Needs both more room, and significantly more substrate depth.

Thanks I’ll get a large kritter keeps for him tomorrow

 

[l4nsky]

There is a lot of conflicting information for the husbandry of this species out there. Some people have found if they have too much sub, they'll close their burrow and wither away (presumably, in the wild when they do this, there is a plethora of subterranean creatures they can snack on should they wish). Some people keep them on only a few inches of substrate (and usually have to deal with a very defensive spider because of this) and keep them just fine. My personal take on the issue is the middle ground. For my KB, I shoot for 4x in enclosure length, 4x in enclosure width, 2x substrate depth, and no more than 1.5x height from the lid to the top of the substrate (where x equals the specimens legspan).

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[Chris LXXIX]

They need more, more, and more inches/cm of substrate.

For juve/adults: keep the bottom/middle layers of the substrate slightly moist/moist (depends), pouring room temperature water with a syringe/pipette/whatever directly in the substrate.

Add, when preparing the set up/a new set up, a good Tea spoon of vermiculite (the fine one, better) because that stuff works perfectly for mantain the moistness, in the medium/long run.

 

[Vanisher]

They dig deep burrows in the wild and my belief is that one wanna mimic that in terrarium also! Are they gonna die if kept in to little substrate? Probably not?? But are they "happier" or and stressfree in a deep substrate? I am certain they are!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Are they gonna die if kept in to little substrate? Probably not??

Yes, this is a possibility. And definitely you will end with a stressed specimen, if to a juve/adult P.muticus (or for that matter even the likes of H.gigas etc) are offered the average substrate inches/cm in general given to a 'Grammo/Brachy'.

 

[Vanisher]

Many years ago i had an adult female in a coustom build very high terrarium. I had 1 meter! very compact substrate! pet and clay mixture! She dug a burrowd right down to the bottom. I seldom saw her but it was very exiting when i did! I felt like i was in Kenya and observed her! This maybe gives you an idea how important substrate dephs is for this speicies

Yes, this is a possibility. And definitely you will end with a stressed specimen, if to a juve/adult P.muticus (or for that matter even the likes of H.gigas etc) are offered the average substrate inches/cm in general given to a 'Grammo/Brachy'.

Yes, maybe they will. If they not dies they certainly will be highly stressed

 

[Beggottenson]

Yes, this is a possibility. And definitely you will end with a stressed specimen, if to a juve/adult P.muticus (or for that matter even the likes of H.gigas etc) are offered the average substrate inches/cm in general given to a 'Grammo/Brachy'.

Many years ago i had an adult female in a coustom build very high terrarium. I had 1 meter! very compact substrate! pet and clay mixture! She dug a burrowd right down to the bottom. I seldom saw her but it was very exiting when i did! I felt like i was in Kenya and observed her! This maybe gives you an idea how important substrate dephs is for this speicies



Yes, maybe they will. If they not dies they certainly will be highly stressed

Needs both more room, and significantly more substrate depth.

so I just got an extra large kritter keeper filled it up with around 8 inches of substrate the bottom and middle being the most moist while the top is very slightly moist, it is composed of 75% reptisoil (a proven substrate for tarantulas) and 25% cocoa fiber, I dug a small starter cavern and put in some cork bark just Incase, he immediately went into the hole but now once I came back he’s climbing on the top vent

 

[Chris LXXIX]

so I just got an extra large kritter keeper filled it up with around 8 inches of substrate the bottom and middle being the most moist while the top is very slightly moist, it is composed of 75% reptisoil (a proven substrate for tarantulas) and 25% cocoa fiber, I dug a small starter cavern and put in some cork bark just Incase, he immediately went into the hole but now once I came back he’s climbing on the top vent

Climbing is a normal rehoused Theraphosidae behavior.

Btw, a thing. You said (quote) 'reptisoil (a proven substrate for tarantulas)'.

Proven? By who? When? Where? How?

People since forever used and use, as substrate, pure finest 'dirt', so Topsoil, or Irish moss peat, coco fiber etc I'm into T's since the early '90s and I've never heard about those kind of substrate brands, until those very recent years, when the T's market, 'coincidence', had a 'boom'.

Ain't saying that those brands aren't reliable or else, but definitely, those are a priced 'scam'

 

[l4nsky]

Btw, a thing. You said (quote) 'reptisoil (a proven substrate for tarantulas)'.

Proven? By who? When? Where? How?

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/reptisoil-a-good-substrate.315251/#post-2885358
OP actually asked us.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/reptisoil-a-good-substrate.315251/#post-2885358
OP actually asked us.

My point was (and still is) that all of those substrate bags labeled as 'Tarantulas substrate' (or something) are a sort of scam. Sure, they work, as far as I know (and would be crazy the opposite, frankly) but those are basically, at the end of the day... way more priced dirt.

Those brands jumped out in recent years because the T's market, in those recent years, had a little 'boom', and people able to 'smell' well the wind, jumped in, and started to put a spider drawing upon the substrate they were seling, as if that detail should be a warranty for something.

If someone says that a certain fact is 'proven', means that there's a certain level of consensus, about that certain fact. But barely no one answered in the thread link you posted. Reason, barely no one used/use said substrate brand.

Ain't saying that those substrate brands aren't good, and if someone opt for those it's ok for me, but that's far from being a 'proven' thing either.

 

[Beggottenson]

My point was (and still is) that all of those substrate bags labeled as 'Tarantulas substrate' are a sort of scam. Sure, they work, as far as I know (and would be crazy the opposite, frankly) but those are basically, at the end of the day... way more priced dirt.

Those brands jumped out in recent years because the T's market, in those recent years, had a little 'boom', and people able to 'smell' well the wind, jumped in, and started to put a spider drawing upon the substrate they were seling, as if that detail should be a warranty for something.

If someone says that a certain fact is 'proven', means that there's a certain level of consensus, about that certain fact. But barely no one answered in the thread link you posted. Reason, barely no one used/use said substrate brand.

Ain't saying that those substrate brands aren't good, and if someone opt for those it's ok for me, but that's far from being a 'proven' thing either.

I totally agree with you it is dirt at the end of the day, I just want to make sure that the portions are right honestly and I don’t mind spending the money, but I did indeed post a thread about it as well as on Facebook and many people said they use it, one person even said he uses it for his KB, also thanks for the advice I really appreciate it, I’m fairly new so this is all a learning experience for me!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I totally agree with you it is dirt at the end of the day, I just want to make sure that the portions are right honestly and I don’t mind spending the money, but I did indeed post a thread about it as well as on Facebook and many people said they use it, one person even said he uses it for his KB, also thanks for the advice I really appreciate it, I’m fairly new so this is all a learning experience for me!

Don't get me wrong, you can use whatever substrate brand you like, and go figure about the money (how someone may spend his/her money) part.

Just that those kind of 'Tarantula/s Substrate' cracks me up. Have a look here, from South Africa:

http://www.petbugs.co.za/product/professional-tarantula-substrate-2/

Ah ah

--

As far the new set up, seems a more suitable than the previous one.

 

[Beggottenson]

Don't get me wrong, you can use whatever substrate brand you like, and go figure about the money (how someone may spend his/her money) part.

Just that those kind of 'Tarantula/s Substrate' cracks me up. Have a look here, from South Africa:

http://www.petbugs.co.za/product/professional-tarantula-substrate-2/

Ah ah

--

As far the new set up, seems a more suitable than the previous one.

Hahahahah that just made my day “professional” lol, don’t forget this one! http://www.lugarti.com/bedding-substrates/75-premium-tarantula-substrate.html

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Hahahahah that just made my day “professional” lol, don’t forget this one! http://www.lugarti.com/bedding-substrates/75-premium-tarantula-substrate.html

Yep, that's another perfect example. They may work? Well, yes. But with the price of one of those bags you can buy a "warehouse" of Topsoil

 

[l4nsky]

My point was (and still is) that all of those substrate bags labeled as 'Tarantulas substrate' (or something) are a sort of scam. Sure, they work, as far as I know (and would be crazy the opposite, frankly) but those are basically, at the end of the day... way more priced dirt.

It's not marketed specifically for tarantulas like that Lugarti stuff, but is just a mixed substrate (similar to an ABG mix) of material that is sourced to be animal safe. I cant really say the same for top soil or fill dirt (http://arachnoboards.com/threads/psa-topsoil-warning.281837/#post-2450628, etc). End of the day, it gives me piece of mind that it's safe for my pets, in addition to all of its other positive properties.

...one person even said he uses it for his KB...

Yep, that was me, it's part of the mixture I use.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[Beggottenson]

It's not marketed specifically for tarantulas like that Lugarti stuff, but is just a mixed substrate (similar to an ABG mix) of material that is sourced to be animal safe. I cant really say the same for top soil or fill dirt (http://arachnoboards.com/threads/psa-topsoil-warning.281837/#post-2450628, etc). End of the day, it gives me piece of mind that it's safe for my pets, in addition to all of its other positive properties.


Yep, that was me, it's part of the mixture I use.

Thanks,
--Matt

Hahaha I copied your mixture I remember you told commented on my post a couple of months ago, hopefully my KB likes it!!

 

[Vanisher]

My point was (and still is) that all of those substrate bags labeled as 'Tarantulas substrate' (or something) are a sort of scam. Sure, they work, as far as I know (and would be crazy the opposite, frankly) but those are basically, at the end of the day... way more priced

Agree with that! I buy 20 pound "Natural peat" for 7 dollars at the Garden shop. I bet that works as goid ascsome fancy "Tarantula marked brand" 10 times the price!