Mildew on Hideout
- Thread starter JoseMCeee
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Better a scared spider than a dead one. 
Though I'd wait until it's out of the hide, preferably on the other side of the enclosure--lure it with food?
Though I'd wait until it's out of the hide, preferably on the other side of the enclosure--lure it with food?
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Wow, your genic actually uses its hide! Mine ignores hers.
To clean it, first scrub as much of the mildew off as possible with soap and water, then boil it in water for at least 30 minutes, (if you have a pressure cooker and it fits in even better). Let it cool and then dry completely before putting it back. If boiling will damage it, then after scrubbing soak in a 10% bleach solution for at least 1 hr. Rinse with lots of water and let dry completely. Its safe to put back after it no longer smells of chlorine.
Or even better yet replace it with a plastic or ceramic hide, very resistant to mold and mildew.
Though either increase ventilation or reduce humidity, and that will eliminate the root cause of the mildew.
To clean it, first scrub as much of the mildew off as possible with soap and water, then boil it in water for at least 30 minutes, (if you have a pressure cooker and it fits in even better). Let it cool and then dry completely before putting it back. If boiling will damage it, then after scrubbing soak in a 10% bleach solution for at least 1 hr. Rinse with lots of water and let dry completely. Its safe to put back after it no longer smells of chlorine.
Or even better yet replace it with a plastic or ceramic hide, very resistant to mold and mildew.
Though either increase ventilation or reduce humidity, and that will eliminate the root cause of the mildew.
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Is humidity being measured by one of those petstore gauges. If so I would not realy trust it. Just increase the ventilation, i.e. you have something covering the mesh top like plastic wrap or tape, remove it otherwise just relax, things should dry out by themselves.
Did you refill the water dish or was it raining where you live before the humidity levels jumped? Two possible explainations but most of those analog hygrometers from petstores are p.o.s.
Did you refill the water dish or was it raining where you live before the humidity levels jumped? Two possible explainations but most of those analog hygrometers from petstores are p.o.s.
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The digital one is not bad, yep the the drop in temp. would cause a rise in RH.
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U got them in a garage or something?
55 wont hurt them over a short period of time, but I would not keep him that cold that long....
On second thought for a winter temp I dont think that will bother them much. She just won't eat or move much. Or grow for that matter.
~Ryan
55 wont hurt them over a short period of time, but I would not keep him that cold that long....
On second thought for a winter temp I dont think that will bother them much. She just won't eat or move much. Or grow for that matter.
~Ryan
Well my room used to be a garage and Im pretty sure when they turned it into a room it was built poorly so thats why it gets so cold. On top of that I dont have a heater in my room at the moment (it broke
).Yea he/she isnt moving much or even lookin at the crickets I put in there. Its just sitting in her hide in a corner.
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hi
55*F *shouldn't* be too bad for a wintering temperature. i didn't write down what my room was getting down to last winter, but seeing as how i have my windows open to some degree 24/7/365 it was probably around 55-60*F. although this is probably slightly (5-10*F, if that) colder than most burrowers reach in the winter it really isn't that far off.
as far as mold and mildew goes... a few spots isn't that bad, though it might indicate you are keeping things slightly more moist than you need to. like thoth said, increase vent or add less water and you really shouldn't have problems with much new stuff growing.
i only spot clean mold and mildew patches now. to be honest i am more happy when my cages are "seasoned" a little bit and there are some active like, microcultures of various low plants (and plant like organisms) going on. i feel this protects the container from being subsumed in a bloom of any one organism. this is how things work in nature, but i am not sure how faithfully the model carries itself out in our cages
about eating in low temps: bugs' metabolism is very much tied into the ambient temperatures because the are "cold blooded". some of my bugs still eat at 55-60*F but not many and not much. in nature some species of tarantulas will not eat for ~6months of the year when they are essentially hiberanating in their borrows. i don't believe A. genic's are part of this club due to where they live, but it does kind of give you an idea of what is possible for tarantulas
Extremely helpfulhi
55*F *shouldn't* be too bad for a wintering temperature. i didn't write down what my room was getting down to last winter, but seeing as how i have my windows open to some degree 24/7/365 it was probably around 55-60*F. although this is probably slightly (5-10*F, if that) colder than most burrowers reach in the winter it really isn't that far off.
as far as mold and mildew goes... a few spots isn't that bad, though it might indicate you are keeping things slightly more moist than you need to. like thoth said, increase vent or add less water and you really shouldn't have problems with much new stuff growing.
i only spot clean mold and mildew patches now. to be honest i am more happy when my cages are "seasoned" a little bit and there are some active like, microcultures of various low plants (and plant like organisms) going on. i feel this protects the container from being subsumed in a bloom of any one organism. this is how things work in nature, but i am not sure how faithfully the model carries itself out in our cages
about eating in low temps: bugs' metabolism is very much tied into the ambient temperatures because the are "cold blooded". some of my bugs still eat at 55-60*F but not many and not much. in nature some species of tarantulas will not eat for ~6months of the year when they are essentially hiberanating in their borrows. i don't believe A. genic's are part of this club due to where they live, but it does kind of give you an idea of what is possible for tarantulas