My proposed T Blondi enclosure

[Runaway987]

Hi guys here is my Juvenile T Blondi set up idea.

Its about 5 inches deep orchid compost which is mainly peat/natural bark chips.

I have scatters the chips onto the upper surface to try and keep a humid micro climate whilst not being overly wet for the spider.

The bowl size is going to be increased.

Tank measures [inches] 18Lx14Wx14H

Any feedback would be much appreciated thanks.

Runaway

 

[WayneT]

That setup looks fine to me! I spoil my T. blondi's, so I should know! Plus, you have room for growth, which is nice. You may find that he/she will rearrange your idea of a perfect setup, to what THEY want, which is always a blast to watch. My male's in a 20 gallon setup, a real nice one with plenty of space, and for 6 months, he kept burying his water dish, until I moved it!
Good luck!

 

[FryLock]

Looks good tho a larger pot cut in half or (my fav) a large pop or water bottle cut in half and then half buried so the spider can still hide from the off but can dig a little out its self too works well.

 

[Runaway987]

Great idea frylock, ur a bit of a blondi guru so i hear WayneT

The pot was originally semi submerged but i doubt a blondi will fit in there lol

Ill try the bottle thing see how it works out, i can cover the top with substrate and stuff see what looks nice. I hope the spider likes it.

One slight cause for concern is its a fish tank its in no way a specifically designed goliath bird eating encloser, hence it has a cheap faeces lid, can these brutes climb glass or are they too fat?

I can change lids but a few books would do the job ontop right???


Thanks fellas.

Runaway

 

[conipto]

The only problem I have of it is one of an aesthetic nature. Have you seen what those orchid bark chips look like after a few months of habitating with a spider? They are so light that they get dragged around in webbing, and clumped up and nasty in no time..

Bill

 

[Runaway987]

Indeed not, ill add some more peat and moss to replace some of the chips. Would that make it better you think?

Apart from anything else the tank needs scrubbing as well its a bit dirty... :8o

 

[Zorack]

Wayne do you have to have deco init, or can u just have somewhere for it to hide and some substrate

 

[chuck]

i thought blondi's were big time burrowers, then wouldnt they need more than 5" of soil?

One slight cause for concern is its a fish tank its in no way a specifically designed goliath bird eating encloser, hence it has a cheap faeces lid, can these brutes climb glass or are they too fat?

-runaway

yea theyll climb and keep an eye on them b/c 8 legs will allow you to run quick. my large T (L parahybana) loves trying to break out of her tank, using her fangs to pull on the wire top. i used some tape to hold the top down, not pretty looking but im not in the hobby to win a prize for best decor.

 

[WayneT]

Wayne do you have to have deco init, or can u just have somewhere for it to hide and some substrate

Did you mean me? :? As for what's in my setups...you can look on that "din-din..." thread, just various cork halves, one large enough to form a roof for where she digs, and the fake plants. But in that 55 gal setup, I've mounded the substrate real high on one end, to give her plenty of digging room. And I've put up a removable sceen so I can check on her, if neccessary, in her burrow.

 

[WayneT]

Great idea frylock, ur a bit of a blondi guru so i hear WayneT

No guru here...I wish! Hopefully I can pull off a mating between my two, he's doing his ultimate molt any day now...
I still cannot get over the size of these creatures! I've been around them for quite awhile, and they still amaze me.

Could you imagine a P. metallica THAT size???

 

[Runaway987]

Just keeping the blondi sucker alive will do for me

 

[oogieboogie]

The only problem I have of it is one of an aesthetic nature. Have you seen what those orchid bark chips look like after a few months of habitating with a spider? They are so light that they get dragged around in webbing, and clumped up and nasty in no time..

Bill

I would get rid of the chips all together. Just go with a soil/moss mixture. Or just go and buy some bed-a-beast.

 

[Sheri]

I would remove the large piece of wood that protrudes vertically from the substrate. T blondis are very bulky, and even more prone to getting injured from an inadvertant fall. I know someone that dropped his recently, only about a foot to have its abdomen rupture, killing the tarantula.
Other than that, it looks fantastic!

 

[Runaway987]

Change of plan

Right, apologies for the poor pictures.

I have removed the bark chips, made it a burrow, i took the ends of a 4 litre bottle of orange squash, rinsed it all out thoroughly and buried it down, i have covered the plastic floor with peat and tried to make the back of the burrow visible at the back of the tank.

Any opinions on this?

The soil is now 100% fine peat very fine and spongy and nice, i kinda wanna go to sleep on it as well

It seems to dry fairly quickly so this is good so it will help my newb ways out with oversaturation issues... I will try to refrain from drenching it though.

I am thinking if getting a bit of sphagnum moss in there for a bit of terrain diversity and im thinking of adding a few small plants to help regulate humidity and to make it look nice.

Any input much appreciated.


Runaway

 

[manville]

very nicely setup!

 

[Runaway987]

Ahhhh really?

 

[Runaway987]

Gorgeous

WAHAY Im a full time Theraphosa Blondi Guardian.

I couldnt describe how happy i was to see the little hairy beast alive, i tentatively scooped the spider out of the cotton (Had its arse in the air doing its Ostrich in the sand routine) i think the poor thing had been a bit traumatised by the whole ordeal of being posted.

I have let it just *sit there looking funky, they are absoluutey gorgeous shade of brown and look all velvety and fuzzy woth orange/red hairs protruding from them.
Lovely creature.

I sprayed the peat down just before the spider arrived not wet a real fine mist. Got the heater on and whacked the lid on it.

Although i wanna sit there and watch it do anothing all day i think it would prefer me to give it a day alone to calm down after being thrown about in its parcel.

More pics to follow when the spider has settled in a bit.

Any ideas concerns or comments welcome

Thanks to everyone who has already contributed on here, its really appreciated, a big shout out for Frylock who made my somewhat overly large burrow so simple and good looking by sharing his ideas - cheers buddy


Runaway

EDIT: I should think it is about..... 10 cm in length. About that anyway

 

[Runaway987]

Bumpity bump