New tarantula!

100% it needs to be on the side. That's what I put in my OP. Side or back. But it needs some sort of insulation behind it or the heat will just be wasted.

 

I wouldn't worry about that, I've only caught my T drinking twice but obviously she drinks more than that. As long as you've given him everything he needs just give him time and he should be fine.

 

Unfortunate. Males do not live long after maturing, only a few weeks/months/maybe a year. Their only purpose will be to reproduce and they will ignore food and water to do so. He looks mature, or almost mature, so he must be at least 5-8 years old. If it was female it would have lived decades.

 

Agree that hot temps in summer are awful. I keep the thermostat at 22°C.

 

22c!!!!!!

Here's 1 of my big mats. I run it vertically to cover 3 shelves. A shelf holds 2 enclosures.

 

That's just as a stanard. Goes up to 30 from time to time. lol

 

That's not only a male, that's a mature male. Unless you want to breed you have been ripped off by the store. That tarantula is only going to live one more year, two years tops, he will hardly ever eat, just run around and wear himself out in search for a female and then die. He should be with a breeder who has females of the species.

Your enclosure is too wet. There are drops of water against the side - a really big red flag. Do not mist. They don't need humidity. They need slightly - slightly! - moist substrate.

Is that a cardboard role? Take it out. It will rot and make your spider sick. As a hide it's useless and too small anyway.

Heat mats under the tank are only good for cooking spiders. He will be drawn to it, like a moth to flame, and like the moth he will burn, or in this case dessicate. The ONLY way to use heat mats is the one @basin79 described and don't set the thermostat too high.

 

I'm still baffled why mats are so misunderstood for inverts even by pet shops when the correct info is out there on the WWW.

There are 3 reasons (for me) why a mat 100% shouldn't be used under an enclosure.

1) Thermal blocking. The substrate stops the heat for dissipating and it creates a hot spot that can cause a fire.

2) As above. The substrate will stop any heat actually getting into the enclosure. If the correct depth is used. But if deep substrate was used see above. Again.

3) It's natural for an invert to dig down if it gets too hot. Digging down will just result in getting hotter.

 

I almost never heat my spiders and they do fine, if I do I just use the house’s heating

You Englishmen and your freezing temps, mid twenties is perfect weather. Leaving for WA tomorrow and the forecast is pretty mild for a WA summer

 

That's ridiculous. I was mincing chicken carcasses in my dad's outdoor shed yesterday in a vest and shorts. Door open. It was 3c. I was warm.

 

Now that is ridiculous. I’m cold enough in winter clothing when it’s 10 degrees C

 

Aye. I run really hot. Far too hot of the UK. Really frustrating unless it's winter.

 

25°C is about as hot as I can tolerate. The cold I can deal with. I do my shop/post office runs in shorts and a hoody, last one I did was Monday and it was 5°C and raining.

 

Jeez man, that is shorts on, windows down weather in Canada

 

I would die of heatstroke if I wore winter clothing in 10°C lol

25°C is way too hot! 5°C is better... but I am out working dogs in the morning in a t shirt and jeans in -1°C. If I want to wear long sleeves, it has to be like -6°C... and forget wearing a sweatshirt unless there is a serious windchill along with it lol

 

Has your thyroid gland been checked recently?

And just to make it clear, I'm only half-joking. I suffered from hyperthyroidism a few years back and back then I walked around in a t-shirt in winter (and I'm a woman! ), still too warm.