Newcoming Keeper

[DangGucci]

Maybe, as long as it's small enough that you can still easily manipulate the container. I don't know that I would drive a nail through the bottom though; any moisture you add to the substrate may leak through, and the nail will rust.

I'd try some velcro or a glue that sticks to both wood and plastic.

Another alternative would be to put the sling enclosures inside a larger container, so you won't accidentally knock them off the shelf.

I think I'll go on the safe side, as per your recommendation. Besides, Velcro and 3M's Outdoor-rated Double Sided tape are already in my arsenal. No need to go crazy with a staplegun/nailgun/hammer. Much simpler!

 

[DangGucci]

UPDATE:

Received everything from the mail! Now I just need to get some of those plastic deli containers, or maybe even some tupperware. Either way, I think I'm just about ready for them

The best part is, I got word back last night from Anastasia regarding the order! She really is great, she's already given me an idea of the days she may be sending the little ones over. The weather is a huge constraint and I would rather wait for the time she judges is best

The mealworms also arrived, with all of them very much alive. Only 2 of them are beginning to molt into larger worms, the rest of them are SUPER tiny - perfect for the those little Slings I'm getting! I got one of those Daisy Sour Cream containers that we keep (so much cheaper than buying more tupperware), got a needle, and heated it up to poke holes all over. Took about 10 minutes to pour all of them out the baggy, get them all off of the newspapers, and put them in their new home. Now the worms are happily eating oats I ground up for a few pulses in a Ninja Bullet processor. Later, I'll grab some veggies I know we won't cook with and toss them in there for some hydration/nutrition!

Soon, I'll update with pictures of the enclosures once they're made, as I want everything to be on point for when they get here - I need all the Professional T-keeper opinions I can get

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

2 good places to buy invertabrates are http://www.kenthebugguy.com/

I retract this statement. I've been waiting on a curly haired T that was supposed to take 2 days to get here for about a week

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

Maybe, as long as it's small enough that you can still easily manipulate the container. I don't know that I would drive a nail through the bottom though; any moisture you add to the substrate may leak through, and the nail will rust.

I'd try some velcro or a glue that sticks to both wood and plastic.

Another alternative would be to put the sling enclosures inside a larger container, so you won't accidentally knock them off the shelf.

Oh my god! Congrats on becoming a moderator!!!

 

[DangGucci]

I need a second opinion, if anyone has ever used or heard of anyone using these enclosures:

• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-P...orpion-spider-Ants-Chameleon/32826775854.html
  
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cry...ox-scorpion-scollops-pet-box/32664237954.html

Both seem pretty good, and the price is definitely right for me. I've seen ones similar to the one that you build online, but they're more like $20-30 for the set, while I could get two here for $16.52 with free shipping.
I'm also considering this for a cute little hide, since they're already in coconut substrate

• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Sma...Fish-Reptile-Tank-Decoration/32809545207.html

Let me know if you Keepers have heard of or experienced yourself anything with those kinds of enclosures.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

The hide should be good as long as you sink it into the substrate pretty far, tarantulas feel most secure in tight places. They'll dig it out if they want more room

 

[DangGucci]

The hide should be good as long as you sink it into the substrate pretty far, tarantulas feel most secure in tight places. They'll dig it out if they want more room

Just what I was thinking! Good, I’m starting to think like a true Keeper Do you think I should block the opening on the top to give them darkness in their hide? That’s the only thing that bothers me about them - the opening at the top.

Also, what do you think about the enclosures? I think they’ll be good but I was hoping for a second opinion before I go guinea pigging.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

Just what I was thinking! Good, I’m starting to think like a true Keeper Do you think I should block the opening on the top to give them darkness in their hide? That’s the only thing that bothers me about them - the opening at the top.

Also, what do you think about the enclosures? I think they’ll be good but I was hoping for a second opinion before I go guinea pigging.

It couldn't hurt to block the hole at the top, but it may not be necessary. You could just soak a tiny amount of substrate and plop it on there, then let it dry.

As far as the enclosures, personally, I wouldn't go with either.

The one in the link on top doesn't look good at all to me. I like to be able to see into my enclosures, and I don't like the feeder door on top, I would worry that it might bow over time and create a gap (if it even lines up in the first place)
(EDIT: Oh yeah, also no ventilation.)

The second one looks nice in the picture, but I've heard about enclosures like this often arriving broken. Also, language like, "Feedback Policy DSR is a strictly judge standard what is useful for our service. If you have any problem before you want to leave us low DSR ,please to contact us freely. ... ... ... Feedback is our life, before you leave a neutral or negative feedback, please do contact us to get a better solution." Is a big red flag. I did a quick google search, and this website looks kinda shady to me.

IMO it's cheaper and easier to just find plastic containers that don't require much modification.

 

[DangGucci]

It couldn't hurt to block the hole at the top, but it may not be necessary. You could just soak a tiny amount of substrate and plop it on there, then let it dry.

As far as the enclosures, personally, I wouldn't go with either.

The one in the link on top doesn't look good at all to me. I like to be able to see into my enclosures, and I don't like the feeder door on top, I would worry that it might bow over time and create a gap (if it even lines up in the first place)
(EDIT: Oh yeah, also no ventilation.)

The second one looks nice in the picture, but I've heard about enclosures like this often arriving broken. Also, language like, "Feedback Policy DSR is a strictly judge standard what is useful for our service. If you have any problem before you want to leave us low DSR ,please to contact us freely. ... ... ... Feedback is our life, before you leave a neutral or negative feedback, please do contact us to get a better solution." Is a big red flag. I did a quick google search, and this website looks kinda shady to me.

IMO it's cheaper and easier to just find plastic containers that don't require much modification.

Thank you for the help again! This is all very future planning, so I just want to be ready for when they're starting to grow a little more This is so much fun, and I don't even have them yet lol

 

[DangGucci]

UPDATE: Contact made with Anastasia @ Net-Bug

TL;DR If you haven't, you're missing out. The sweetest 10 minute phone call I could've asked for, especially for someone so niche as a reputable Tarantula Breeder/Keeper. She's the T's Knees!

This afternoon I was able to speak on the phone with Anastasia from Net-Bug, and I couldn't be happier. She exudes so much goodwill and encouragement in the hobby, I felt flattered to even be on the phone with her. It felt like I had spoken to a celebrity, honestly! Truly, she's very communicative about her care for the T's, as well as for the Keepers that she corresponds with. We will for sure be keeping in contact beyond this transaction, as she told me to keep her number for anything in the future. I feel like my research in a reputable breeder/keeper just became priceless in that it felt like the start to a new friendship. This hasn't even felt like a transaction, or anything remotely close!
She took down my number so that when she goes to ship, she can put it into the FedEx tracking for me! I'm telling you guys, she really thinks of everything, from your needs to the T's. She gave me an estimate that Tuesday-Thursday the weather will be warmer. That means around Monday, I can contact her to verify that we're on for the next day, and we already settled on a comfortable shipping location for a time that would be most convenient for me. While explaining to me her packaging, she even said she's going to include with them some little homes for both of them, as well as some food to start me off! While I already had some feeder mealworms going, I did not have a home completely prepared for a little one (I was going to use Pollo Tropical sauce containers, the little 4" deli sauce containers). This totally caught me off guard. Honestly, when she said this, I smiled really hard, even got a little emo' 'cause it really shows how much she cares about the little ones and about us newbies to the hobby.

Next update will either be an update regarding the shipping, or the shipment itself!

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

I retract this statement. I've been waiting on a curly haired T that was supposed to take 2 days to get here for about a week

okay i recant that recant he actauly hasnt shipped it because of temperature reasons

 

[DangGucci]

okay i recant that recant he actauly hasnt shipped it because of temperature reasons

Yeah, I think the cold weather has halted all shipping for T keepers. She told me that those heat packs specifically say that they don’t guarantee functionality in environments below 20F, which puts their lives at risk. I would rather they wait

 

[DangGucci]

I have a question based on Temperature and Humidity. I know, I'm being anal and I shouldn't be worrying about this; but I live in Florida, where the humidity and heat can get insane. I just want to make sure my little babies will be comfortable in a terrarium with these ecological specifications.
I have been monitoring both of them in my room for a week. I have a through-wall air unit in my room, so I can keep the temperatures set for whatever I'd like. Are these levels okay for them? From what I've read, I'm pretty sure they are, I'm already getting used to it; although sometimes, I think the humidity might be getting a little too far up there for them. You let me know!

• Temperature:
  • Highs: 77-78
  • Lows: 73-74
• Humidity:
  • Highs: 75-78%
  • Lows: 51-53%

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I have a question based on Temperature and Humidity. I know, I'm being anal and I shouldn't be worrying about this; but I live in Florida, where the humidity and heat can get insane. I just want to make sure my little babies will be comfortable in a terrarium with these ecological specifications.
I have been monitoring both of them in my room for a week. I have a through-wall air unit in my room, so I can keep the temperatures set for whatever I'd like. Are these levels okay for them? From what I've read, I'm pretty sure they are, I'm already getting used to it; although sometimes, I think the humidity might be getting a little too far up there for them. You let me know!

• Temperature:
  • Highs: 77-78
  • Lows: 73-74
• Humidity:
  • Highs: 75-78%
  • Lows: 51-53%

I would imagine the wall unit may help dry things out a bit. I really don't know if the ambient humidity levels in your room will be detrimental to your T, I have a constant battle in the opposite direction.

From my understanding high humidity in an enclosure with inadequate ventilation creates stuffy, stagnant air, which is bad for your T's (EDIT: Referring to when a keeper is chasing high humidity numbers). But I'm pretty sure a higher ambient humidity in your room just means you don't have to refill water dishes as frequently..

(Someone please correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[Nightstalker47]

I have a question based on Temperature and Humidity. I know, I'm being anal and I shouldn't be worrying about this; but I live in Florida, where the humidity and heat can get insane. I just want to make sure my little babies will be comfortable in a terrarium with these ecological specifications.
I have been monitoring both of them in my room for a week. I have a through-wall air unit in my room, so I can keep the temperatures set for whatever I'd like. Are these levels okay for them? From what I've read, I'm pretty sure they are, I'm already getting used to it; although sometimes, I think the humidity might be getting a little too far up there for them. You let me know!

• Temperature:
  • Highs: 77-78
  • Lows: 73-74
• Humidity:
  • Highs: 75-78%
  • Lows: 51-53%

Temps are good. The higher humidity just means your sub won't dry out very quick, so be mindful not to over water.

Both the hamorrii and E sp. red are arid species, but should still be kept slightly moist as slings. Throw up some pics of the setups you have prepped for them, we can help verify that everything is right.

 

[DangGucci]

Temps are good. The higher humidity just means your sub won't dry out very quick, so be mindful not to over water.

Both the hamorrii and E sp. red are arid species, but should still be kept slightly moist as slings. Throw up some pics of the setups you have prepped for them, we can help verify that everything is right.

I believe Anastasia is sending enclosures for them as they are currently, as well as some feeder. I don't have a picture but I believe the enclosure is going to be top-notch if it's coming from her.

Would it be a good idea to get a small automatic dehumidifier for my room? I could easily program a Raspberry Pi to do the work for me accurately if I can't find one that's automatic and cheap. I would like to recreate their ideal environment as best I could. Do I understand correctly that their arid environment would mean I might need a dehumidifier to control the humidity from getting past ~80%?

 

[Thekla]

As long as there's good ventilation I wouldn't worry about the humidity. What's important for Ts is the moisture/dampness of the substrate. And as Nightstalker said slings need a bit more moisture than adults. I like to keep one part/half of the enclosure slightly moist (and the other side dry), so they can choose where they want to hang out.

Oh, and a small water dish of course, it if fits in the enclosure.

 

[Ztesch]

You don't have to recreate exact humidities. Keep temperatures around 68 to 85 degs And give water dishes to all your T's and make sure you fill them regularly. Some require a little more moist substrate but chasing a humidity level will hurt more then help. Check out Tom Moran on YouTube. He has a really good begginer sling guide.

 

[Dave Jay]

I understand your excitement, I'm in much the same situation, my first Tarantula will be posted tomorrow! I've been reading and watching videos for a couple of weeks now, I can't wait!
One thing I wasn't sure on is if you are settling up a breeding colony of mealworms? A couple of inches of oats, egg cartons and cardboard and you're away! The better you feed the mealworms the healthier they'll be for your tarantula. Something I've found is if you put crumpled paper bags on top of the egg cartons etc there will generally be enough worms in the bags and you won't need to dig around in the oats.
Best of luck, I look forward to following your progress as I embark on my own T journey!

 

[Ungoliant]

Are these levels okay for them? From what I've read, I'm pretty sure they are, I'm already getting used to it; although sometimes, I think the humidity might be getting a little too far up there for them.

You are getting Brachypelma hamorii and Euathlus slings, right?

Those temperatures are fine.

Ignore the humidity. Tarantula keepers live in a variety of climates, from the driest deserts to humid tropics. Your ambient humidity will just affect how often you need to refill water dishes and moisten substrate.

Instead, focus on substrate moisture. Some species like it dry. Others like some moisture. (Slings of most species need some moisture in their substrate to prevent desiccation.)