Mexican red knee sling need help pls

[BrunoMartins95]

Hi everyone,
So I need some help with my tarantula !!!
I’m new , I always wanted a tarantula so I just bought one Mexican Red Knee 3 days ago. I ask the shop guy for advices because i nevar had one before , advices for the house , food, etc.. but I want your help.
So i have a terrarium 30x30x45 ( I will post some photos ) and the main question because I’m worried about is , my spider is always hide under the small tree decoration that i have inside. Is that normal ? In this days unjust saw her 3times. I need to worry about ? Is the enclosure to large for her ? Help me please

 

[krequiem]

Hi everyone,
So I need some help with my tarantula !!!
I’m new , I always wanted a tarantula so I just bought one Mexican Red Knee 3 days ago. I ask the shop guy for advices because i nevar had one before , advices for the house , food, etc.. but I want your help.
So i have a terrarium 30x30x45 ( I will post some photos ) and the main question because I’m worried about is , my spider is always hide under the small tree decoration that i have inside. Is that normal ? In this days unjust saw her 3times. I need to worry about ? Is the enclosure to large for her ? Help me please

Post pictures. Those will help. How big is the tarantula? An estimate will help - diagonal leg span - from the tip of the front left leg to the tip of the back right leg.

 

[Vanisher]

That tank is fitting for an huge adult tarantula not a sling. If that is inch (and not centimeters) you are talking about, that tank is to big for almost any tarantula. Maybe not for a 11 inch Theraphosa stirmi? That tank is fitting for an reptile!
Slings should be housed in small deli cups!
Your main problem is that you took advise from a petstore owner. As you noticed, they gives very poor advise. You have zero controll over a sling in such large enclosure. The spider wont find food or dissipear compleatly! There are too much room to have goid control over substrate dampness and so on! Rehouse it into a delicup!

 

[cold blood]

Since you say its a sling, we gotta assume its pretty small....so yes, your enclosure is WAAAAAAAY too big...like ridiculously too big. Its dimensions also appear to be an exo terra, if it has front opening doors, its simply not appropriate for ANY terrestrial tarantula.

Never listen to pet store advice...they just want to sell you things and are clueless, no matter how confident their care advice may seem.

A sling should be housed simply...under 1" a condiment cup is ideal.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

Over an inch and under 3" and a 16oz deli cup is an ideal choice.

Deli Cup Setup for Terrestrial Slings 1-3"

• cold blood
• Mar 13, 2017
• 6
• enclosure

Deli cup set up for terrestrial slings 1-3"

 

[Thekla]

You probably got an Exo Terra, and that particular size is bad in two ways for your B. hamorii:

1. It's too high, as in too much vertical space (and that's if we talked about a fully grown tarantula... with a sling it's even worse).
2. These enclosures have a mesh lid, which could pose a serious risk for your T as it could get stuck with its tarsal claws in there.

Please, we need pictures! As said before, a sling should be housed in a tiny container, approx. 3x DLS (diagonal leg span) of your spider in width and not more than 1,5-2x DLS from the substrate to the top.

 

[BrunoMartins95]

Post pictures. Those will help. How big is the tarantula? An estimate will help - diagonal leg span - from the tip of the front left leg to the tip of the back right leg.

I can’t load pictures ... I do t know why

That tank is fitting for an huge adult tarantula not a sling. If that is inch (and not centimeters) you are talking about, that tank is to big for almost any tarantula. Maybe not for a 11 inch Theraphosa stirmi? That tank is fitting for an reptile!
Slings should be housed in small deli cups!
Your main problem is that you took advise from a petstore owner. As you noticed, they gives very poor advise. You have zero controll over a sling in such large enclosure. The spider wont find food or dissipear compleatly! There are too much room to have goid control over substrate dampness and so on! Rehouse it into a delicup!

Thank you !!! In the beginning I thought that was not for a tarantula but the guy keep saying the same “ this is the more appropriate for a tarantula, because they will grow up fast “ it was my fault because I should search first then buy . Thank you for your help

Since you say its a sling, we gotta assume its pretty small....so yes, your enclosure is WAAAAAAAY too big...like ridiculously too big. Its dimensions also appear to be an exo terra, if it has front opening doors, its simply not appropriate for ANY terrestrial tarantula.

Never listen to pet store advice...they just want to sell you things and are clueless, no matter how confident their care advice may seem.

A sling should be housed simply...under 1" a condiment cup is ideal.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

Over an inch and under 3" and a 16oz deli cup is an ideal choice.

Deli Cup Setup for Terrestrial Slings 1-3"

• cold blood
• Mar 13, 2017
• 6
• enclosure

Deli cup set up for terrestrial slings 1-3"

She’s bigger that that one on your first picture . The size is like a Normal USB pen ( srry for the example XD ) thank you a lot !!! I just had move her for a small Tupperware . I maked holes in the top

You probably got an Exo Terra, and that particular size is bad in two ways for your B. hamorii:

1. It's too high, as in too much vertical space (and that's if we talked about a fully grown tarantula... with a sling it's even worse).
2. These enclosures have a mesh lid, which could pose a serious risk for your T as it could get stuck with its tarsal claws in there.

Please, we need pictures! As said before, a sling should be housed in a tiny container, approx. 3x DLS (diagonal leg span) of your spider in width and not more than 1,5-2x DLS from the substrate to the top.

Exactly! Is a eco terra indeed. I should never believed in that guy .... I just moved her for a small Tupperware !!! Thank you a lot for your help !!! I think she’s a bit scared now , because she’s young yet and moving to another place ( she didn’t eat today ) it is normal that she stay stoped in one place for all day ? Almost no moving ?

 

[krequiem]

Exactly! Is a eco terra indeed. I should never believed in that guy .... I just moved her for a small Tupperware !!! Thank you a lot for your help !!! I think she’s a bit scared now , because she’s young yet and moving to another place ( she didn’t eat today ) it is normal that she stay stoped in one place for all day ? Almost no moving ?

That's entirely normal. Tarantulas spend the majority of their time sitting in one place and not moving. They're ambush predators, after all. They wait for prey to come to them by being silent and still and then pounce when it walks by all unsuspecting. That makes not moving a very important skill that they're excellent at.

 

[BrunoMartins95]

That's entirely normal. Tarantulas spend the majority of their time sitting in one place and not moving. They're ambush predators, after all. They wait for prey to come to them by being silent and still and then pounce when it walks by all unsuspecting. That makes not moving a very important skill that they're excellent at.

O moved her to this . It’s ok ? I maked holes in top and sides . It’s better ? Have a water dish inside and a small piece of hood under the soil making a shelter(hide place) to her . But I think the humidity inside of this is a way bigger.

 

[krequiem]

O moved her to this . It’s ok ? I maked holes in top and sides . It’s better ? Have a water dish inside and a small piece of hood under the soil making a shelter(hide place) to her . But I think the humidity inside of this is a way bigger.

You don't need the light on it. If that's a heat lamp you really need to take it off. Tarantulas are attracted to heat, but don't thermo-regulate well like reptiles do. The heat can dry them out and dehydrate them fast. This is especially true of slings the size of yours.

 

[BrunoMartins95]

You don't need the light on it. If that's a heat lamp you really need to take it off. Tarantulas are attracted to heat, but don't thermo-regulate well like reptiles do. The heat can dry them out and dehydrate them fast. This is especially true of slings the size of yours.

It’s just a normal light , with normal led light and a blue led( in the box das it was night bison ) should I take that out ?

 

[krequiem]

It’s just a normal light , with normal led light and a blue led( in the box das it was night bison ) should I take that out ?

LEDs don't emit heat so you should be fine. Your tarantula doesn't need it though. They may have 8 eyes but they can barely see.

 

[Thekla]

That's - in any case - much better than the Exo Terra (which you should bring back, if you can or keep it for a bigger arboreal T in the future). Keep the substrate mostly dry, you can pour a bit of water into a corner or overflow the water dish every now and then.

You should definitely read this thread to prepare yourself a bit better for anything upcoming questions: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/tarantula-information-for-beginners-and-more.318718/

Now, show us your little one, I'm curious.

Oh, and the guy in the shop lied when he told you it would grow up fast... B. hamorii is a slow grower. If it's about 2" (at least my normal USB sticks are about that size ), than you'll have a long time with her or him ahead of you.

 

[Venomgland]

Hold on to the large enclosure. You will need it in about 5 years, but get that little booger in something a lot smaller. It will be a lot easier to care for and observe in a smaller container.