P. Striata comes in the morning: nervous!

[sbullet]

A couple of quick questions, want to make sure everything is perfect for her.

1. I want to use 50% sphagnum and 50% potting soil. Sound right? If both are organic, I shouldn't need to do anything to prepare them, correct?

2. Should I make sure the first inch of substrate is extremely moist?

3. Should I feed her a cricket straight away? (Pokie is 2.5'', give her a large crick, right?)

4. ANY other tips, things I might forget or have slip my mind?

Thanks guys for your help, I hope you can understand my jitters. I feel unprepared even though I probably am not.

Here's her setup. that's a rock for a hide, will be baking a log hide when I find a nice one.

 

[sbullet]

jar is around 11'' high and 5'' wide

 

[SentinelPokie]

Ok so first thing you should consider, is that it just came from transit. What I would do, is to just leave it alone for 1-2 days (or when you feel its fully adjusted). After that, just feed it a cricket and let it settle in. Your cage seems fine, but maybe just a teensy bit too big. Either way, it seems suitable, but maybe add a bit more humidity? Not sure because I can't really tell from the picture, but it should be about 70-90% humidity. Thats pretty much all I can say. Good Luck! :biggrin:

 

[Tweak]

Looks fine to me! I love that jar where did you find it?

 

[sbullet]

Walmart dude, in the home/container isle. I thought they were glass at first but they are acrylic and drilling holes was super easy. Yeah, I didn't spray the tank yet so it is currently bone dry!

But the 50% potting soil 50% sphagnum seems like a good idea???

 

[SentinelPokie]

sbullet
Walmart dude, in the home/container isle. I thought they were glass at first but they are acrylic and drilling holes was super easy. Yeah, I didn't spray the tank yet so it is currently bone dry!

But the 50% potting soil 50% sphagnum seems like a good idea???

Yup. It seems like fine, but it all comes down to what you think is best for your T, because you got to remember that you can also use: eco earth, potting soil, pure sphagnum moss, vermiculite, etc.

 

[sbullet]

Yea, definitely. I'll pick up some vermiculite this weekend because the soil/spagn isn't holding the moisture very well. LOL I gave her a superworm over 10 hours ago and she is STILL eating it.

Might have been a little big oh well:biggrin:

 

[peterUK]

I've never bothered ever with humidity for the 6 species of pokies that ive kept, likewise I've never ever measured humidity for any of my T collection (696 T's so far).
All you need to do is keep the substrate slightly damp, the substrate can be anything that will hold a small amount of moisture.
I use eco-earth AKA coir, potting soil or compost or a mixture of any or all of them depending on what I have available.

 

[Jared781]

Walmart dude, in the home/container isle. I thought they were glass at first but they are acrylic and drilling holes was super easy. Yeah, I didn't spray the tank yet so it is currently bone dry!

But the 50% potting soil 50% sphagnum seems like a good idea???

Thats Accrylic?? i was going to ask how you drilled perfect holes in a GLASS Jar lol The enclosure looks great!

 

[sbullet]

Oh yea diamond-tipped drill bit all day! kidding, it's acrylic and you can buy them at Walmart for like $7.00

 

[AReaHerps]

Oh yea diamond-tipped drill bit all day! kidding, it's acrylic and you can buy them at Walmart for like $7.00

That's an awesome idea! I'll have to get one of those for my regalis. Thx for the idea. Good luck

Sent from my Android using the Tapatalk Forum App! It's awesome!

 

[Shay]

im goin to wally

 

[Giygas]

I've never bothered ever with humidity for the 6 species of pokies that ive kept, likewise I've never ever measured humidity for any of my T collection (696 T's so far).
All you need to do is keep the substrate slightly damp, the substrate can be anything that will hold a small amount of moisture.
I use eco-earth AKA coir, potting soil or compost or a mixture of any or all of them depending on what I have available.

Im pretty much the same for my P.irminia, stopped fussing about it too much. Plain observation is enough, if the substrate is looking a tad dry, then give the enclosure a good mist. She seems to be thriving, she molted only 4 days after purchase. So yeah, for me thats a confirmation that humidity is A ok.

 

[Prometheus]

I agree with the fellows (or ladies?) above. I have a few humidity gauges but as long as the sub is moist you"ll be fine. Just remember that most homes (human that is) are nearly as devoid of humidity as a desert.

 

[Jared781]

I and the majority of everyone here demand pics! AHA

 

[sbullet]

im goin to wally

For sure, they are sick setups. I'd drill less holes than I did though, it was my first pokie so I wanted to make sure ventilation was abundant, but now I find myself misting almost once a day.

updater pic for your viewing pleasure (PS I hate the rock i'm using for her hide!!!) oh i lied they are <edit> ones via my iPhone :giggle:

 

[sbullet]

Also, analog hydrometers are stupid.

 

[jayefbe]

That's not too many holes for ventilation. If you find yourself misting every day then you're probably keeping it too wet.

 

[sbullet]

I guess the substrate stays wetter than I thought but the rule of thumb I've been using is if there is no condensation anywhere on the walls, it gets a small misting.

---------- Post added 04-11-2012 at 01:11 AM ----------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br1y5IEsNTA check out his jars, you can see ZERO porting on the sides, I'm wondering if the top has a vent cut/put in. His jars look too humid IMO.

 

[jayefbe]

That's not a good rule of thumb, condensation is only going to arise if it's much too wet (or if there's a temperature gradient, like condensation on a window in winter). For a Poecilotheria in that enclosure, I would only moisten half of the substrate once or twice a week.