New To the Tarantula Scene

[Tryinhardbutstillfailin]

Good to know you're trying to get over your arachnophobia, that's pretty cool. The Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens however isn't the best starter, they're pretty skittish and fast (not one I would really call docile). Some calmer species are Lasiodora parahybana & Brachypelma albopilosum, or if you want something colorful the Caribena versicolor.

C. Versicolor are still pretty fast, I have seen them bolt out of their enclosure and get away on occassion. They're considered docile and skittish.

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

C. Versicolor are still pretty fast, I have seen them bolt out of their enclosure and get away on occassion. They're considered docile and skittish.

Yea I own one so I know, but my GBB is still much more prone to dashing to the opposite side of the enclosure. My versi I can usually open the lid completely without it really trying to move/escape.

 

[Tryinhardbutstillfailin]

Yea I own one so I know, but my GBB is still much more prone to dashing to the opposite side of the enclosure. My versi I can usually open the lid completely without it really trying to move/escape.

Haha, I only mentioned it for the people who might not know. It's just something for a new keeper with arachnophobia may want to keep in mind. They're so beautiful it's hard not to want one!

 

[MrP]

Can you guys tell me more about the feeding process? How is it that you maintain the crickets and variety of other animals?

 

[Mirandarachnid]

If you're like me, or many other of your fellow Americans, you'll have a tricky time keeping crickets alive for long. I just buy them a few at a time when I feel like shaking things up. I think my main problem is how dry it is here, but anyways...

Dubia roaches have a good shelf life, you can feed them crushed up dog food, and fruits. I give them water crystals when I forget to have an apple at the house. (I'm a healthy eater, you can tell) No substrate, just some hiding places. I take the roaches out and shake out the frass (waste) once a month.

Superworms last a crazy long time in the container you get them in at the store, they're usually packed in a substrate of oats or bran, they eat, and live in it happily. You can toss them a piece of apple every couple weeks to give them some moisture. They don't need to be refrigerated, they stay in the larval stage as long as they have some buddies with them. They start to pupate when they are isolated from each other. Supers don't really have any maintenance requirements, I'd just sift through once every couple weeks to make sure there aren't any dead ones, those will stink. (I've noticed that they cannibalize in a small space with high numbers, the cup of 35 does well but when I bought the cup of 70 they ate the daylights out of each other, you would be fine with the cup of 35, that'll last you for months)

Mealworms I don't personally use, they need to be kept in the fridge to keep them from pupating, but other than that they're pretty much the same as supers, just a little smaller I think.

I'd strongly recommend crushing the heads of all of these at least a bit before you drop them in, they'll burrow away to safety if their heads are in working order. There's a learning curve to disabling them without decimating them (with the dubia at least, IMO) but with their heads squished a bit they still kick around enough to create a feeding response, but they can't dig.

Wax worms can be a little harder to locate, and not all Ts will readily accept them. It was the funniest thing when I fed mine waxies for the first time. They'd run up to it all excited to eat, but as soon as they touched it they'd jump back, then slowly investigate and decide if they wanted to eat it or not. They need to be kept in the door of the fridge or they will pupate in a couple weeks, but they will turn brown and die if they're kept below 50 degrees. The things I like about them are that they pose no threat to a T if they hide away somewhere and your T starts to molt. They're very soft bodied, so they're good for a first feeding after a molt. If one does sneak away and pupate, it turns into a moth. Again, no risk to your T, and it's a super fun snack for them to chase around.

 

[Dave Jay]

Can you guys tell me more about the feeding process? How is it that you maintain the crickets and variety of other animals?

Good advice above but I'll just add a couple of things.

Catching 'bugs' to feed your tarantulas (or any pet) is not a good idea, apart from the possibility of parasites, disease or bacteria you don't know what the bug has been in contact with. Even if you don't use pesticides your neighbours might, bugs can travel and poisons can be spread in wind and water. There is also the possibility of toxic plants having been eaten by something you find.

Most feeder insects can be stored in a Kritter Keeper with rolled oats on the bottom and egg carton pieces for shelter. Carrot is a good staple food and a source of moisture. Most can be bred in that situation with the exception of crickets. Crickets will last a long time, just keep them dry and replace the slice of carrot every couple of days, try to only add as much as will be eaten in a day, one slice or end at a time is enough. Never add a water dish as it raises the humidity too much, carrot has enough moisture, they'll just eat more in dry weather.

You should research breeding insects if buying them locally is hard, mealworms are the easiest imo, and just smell like oats and vegetables.

If you only have a few mouths to feed you might as well buy feeders, but keep them so that they live as long as possible.

One last point, feeders like roaches and crickets can be fed an hour or two before feeding to the spider, that way their stomachs will be full of extra nutrition when the spider eats them.

 

[MrP]

Do you guys have any sites to find out how to maintain tarantula food? Also PICTURES please!

 

[Dave Jay]

There are lots of threads mentioning breeding feeders, using my phone I can't post links, but one title to search for is - How to care for mealworms?

There's advice from a few people and I explained my method and posted pictures .

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Dude tarantulas are BADASS.

I think they aren't

They are peaceful animals that enjoy a 100% full comfy life: opportunistic; they hate noise; love for darky environments; eating; being lazy like Homer Simpson = lovely lazy inactive, etc

Obviously OW included.

 

[MrP]

Is there any merit to feeding my T different types of pray as opposed of just mealworms?

 

[Greasylake]

People get along just fine feeding their T only one kind of prey their entire lives, as long as it's not fruit flies. You can feed them only meal worms or if you want to mix it up a little to make things interesting for you, you can feed them other things as well.

 

[cold blood]

Wax worms can be a little harder to locate, and not all Ts will readily accept them.

Actuyally they are easier to locate, as not only can you get them at the LPS, but most bait and tackle shops sell them as well.

And I've never had a t of any size refuse to eat a wax worm.

They need to be kept in the door of the fridge or they will pupate in a couple weeks, but they will turn brown and die if they're kept below 50 degrees.

Keeping waxies in the fridge will eventually kill them...they should be kept at room temp.

Its actually a bonus if you get them to pupate successfully, as they become moths, which are about the best thing for getting a positive feeding response.

Is there any merit to feeding my T different types of pray as opposed of just mealworms?

There's never been any evidence that they require a varied diet, but most of us do switch up feeders from time to time.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

Actuyally they are easier to locate, as not only can you get them at the LPS, but most bait and tackle shops sell them as well.

And I've never had a t of any size refuse to eat a wax worm.

Keeping waxies in the fridge will eventually kill them...they should be kept at room temp.

Perhaps I should have said they're harder to locate in my area. We don't have a lot of water around here, so we don't have many bait and tackle shops.

And yeah, it'll eventually kill them, I guess I forgot to mention that, but more slowly if you keep them at 50 or higher (which is why I recommended the door of the fridge, a mini fridge would be better because you could adjust the temp). I've read that the nutritional value of the moths is lower than the cats because they burn up a lot of energy when they pupate. But I agree, T's love the moths.

One more note about wax moths to the OP in case they decide to use them..

They are invasive, they parasitize bee hives. Make sure you don't let any moths out, and don't throw away the cats unless they're obviously dead (it is very obvious when they're dead).

 

[Sykomp]

Good to know you're trying to get over your arachnophobia, that's pretty cool. The Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens however isn't the best starter, they're pretty skittish and fast (not one I would really call docile). Some calmer species are Lasiodora parahybana & Brachypelma albopilosum, or if you want something colorful the Caribena versicolor.

I would actually not recommend L. parahybana to a beginner, if one is scared of spiders. They're not that fast moving, but they grow quite fast and they grow to be huge, and they tend to be hungry and "aggressive" with the feeding response. My LP has literally jumped lightning fast more than her own leg-span forward to catch a cricket, and in no way would I put my hand even near her since everything is food for her.
Now imagine you're scared of spiders and suddenly your hand-sized spider bolts, or even worse, jumps towards you...

Personally I get more nervous the smaller the spider is, maybe because it's harder to locate them and see them move. Large tarantulas don't really even feel like "spiders" to me, so I'm just exited even when they're fast and feisty, but that doesn't really seem to be the usual case - especially with people scared of spiders.

 

[MrP]

What would be the appropriate size terrarium for a mature Caribena Versicolor?

 

[Ungoliant]

What would be the appropriate size terrarium for a mature Caribena Versicolor?

I would consider something like the Exo Terra Nano/Tall (8" x 8" x 12") to be the minimal size for a spider that maxes out at 5-6".

For my mature Avicularia avicularia (about the same size as a mature Caribena versicolor), I use the Exo Terra Mini/Tall (12" x 12" x 18"). That is a bit oversized, so if you found something between those two sizes, that would probably be the perfect fit.

 

[MrP]

What's the verdict on Lugarti Premium Tarantula substrate?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

What's the verdict on Lugarti Premium Tarantula substrate?

Such a nice scam

 

[MrP]

Gotcha! So when collecting substrate for a T like a GBB it's best to by coco fiber and peat at the store or online?

 

[Sinned]

...it holds moisture/water pretty well. But so do many other substrates. So yeah, no need to go overboard for a GBB who like it dry.