Pink Toe setup.

[HelloClarice21]

Hey, All. This is Clarice.

Almost 3 days ago I purchased a Guyana Pink Toe for my son after SO much interest in them for months.

He is 2 so obviously I will be caring for her/him for a long time until my son is old enough. I really want her to have a happy life and have done so much reading. One thing I am stressed about is heat. I live in SLC and my house is 100yo so it’s drafty. We also keep it around 67 (feels a bit cooler) at night/during the day when we’re not home. A space heater is not an option as my pinktoe is in an open space. The guy at the store told me to get a heat mat and stick it on the side of the enclosure but she kept cuddling up on top of it and I’m scared she’s going to cook. Mat is 4 watt and I can hold onto it with my bare hand after it’s been on all day and it doesn’t burn. Just feels warm.

Also, no webbing yet and I’m wondering if she’s just cold.

 

[Michael Guirov]

Definatly remove the heat mat, your absolutely right about the T cuddeling up on it and cooking. Just make sure theres plenty ventilation, a peice of wood that has space for the T to streach out on high up in the enclosure and plenty leafy cover around that. Also include a water dish. The T will want to live up high so bare that in mind with the set up

 

[Ungoliant]

Also, no webbing yet and I’m wondering if she’s just cold.

Do you have a picture of the entire enclosure? Are there any fake leaves in the enclosure? If not, fill the top half with fake leaves. Avics love leafy clutter and use it for cover and anchor points for webbing.

The lack of webbing may be due to the lack of leafy anchor points.

One thing I am stressed about is heat. I live in SLC and my house is 100yo so it’s drafty. We also keep it around 67 (feels a bit cooler) at night/during the day when we’re not home. A space heater is not an option as my pinktoe is in an open space. The guy at the store told me to get a heat mat and stick it on the side of the enclosure but she kept cuddling up on top of it and I’m scared she’s going to cook.

As far as temperatures go, if it's not regularly getting below 67 °F, you probably don't need supplemental heat.

While a low-wattage heat mat can be used, as a safety precaution, it's usually best not to place them directly on the enclosure, as tarantulas don't always know when they are getting too hot. (They are drawn to heat and will go over to the heat mat even if the room is not too cold.)

Instead you can place the mat against something non-flammable like a tile or piece of laminated glass and lean that next to the enclosure, so that the mat is close but not quite touching.

 

[HelloClarice21]

Okay so more plants. No heat needed. I have a water dish but it’s on the ground. Should I move it up?

 

[Anoplogaster]

An avic won’t web across areas they can’t climb across. So more clutter is key for healthy webbing behavior.

Yeah, that enclosure looks quite baren. Fill it with fake plants, for sure. And a water dish on the floor is fine. She’ll find it on her nightly strolls.

 

[Ungoliant]

These two threads contain helpful information:

• Avicularia Husbandry by viper69
• Avicularia care by Venom1080

Okay so more plants. No heat needed.

I personally remove those foam backgrounds, as they come apart easily, and feeder insects get stuck behind them.

Lean the cork slab so that it's more vertical.

Fill the top half with leafy cover; leave the ground clear, as ground cover just provides feeder insects with places to hide.

Ideally, you should replace or cover the screen lid. Although not everyone agrees that that screen/mesh lids are hazardous for arboreals, I would personally replace or cover it.

While arboreals are better climbers, their tarsal claws can still get stuck in a fine mesh. My Avicularia did seem to have trouble walking across the screen. Sometimes, she would pull her foot free and keep moving, but once she fell in the attempt. Fortunately, she landed in the water dish and was unharmed, but I took that for a warning and implemented a temporary fix.

I cut a square of very thin cotton from a worn-out bedsheet. I removed the screen lid, placed the sheet of cotton over it so that it covered the mesh, and then replaced the lid. The result is a sheet that is loosely draped below the mesh inside the cage.



This effectively discourages my arboreals from climbing on the ceiling, as they seem to realize that they aren't getting secure footing. (I've seen them take a tentative step or two onto the cloth and then turn back.)

It worked so well that I never ended up replacing the screen lid. I now use this on both of my Exo Terra arboreal enclosures. (So far, it's been successful with two Avicularia avicularia and a Psalmopoeus cambridgei.)

I have a water dish but it’s on the ground. Should I move it up?

Avics may go down to drink from their water dishes, but they don't always. I find that they are more likely to drink from elevated water dishes. I use these Command soap dishes from Walmart. (You just need to plug the drain hole.) Once mounted, you can slide the dish up and out to clean it.

I like that they have a gentle slope, allowing the Avic to drink from multiple angles.





However, sometimes they even forget where elevated dishes are, so if you think they're not drinking, drip some water onto their webbing. (Do not mist the enclosure.)

 

[HelloClarice21]

Wow! I definitely need more clutter up top.
I see your substrate is pretty thin too. Is it better to remove some of mine to allow for the illusion of more height?

 

[Ungoliant]

Wow! I definitely need more clutter up top.
I see your substrate is pretty thin too. Is it better to remove some of mine to allow for the illusion of more height?

Since a healthy Avic rarely spends time on the ground, substrate depth is irrelevant. I just put a bit for aesthetic reasons. There's no need to reduce the amount you have unless it's bothering you.

While it has worked fine for me for several years, my "treehouse" setup is actually pretty unconventional. Most people surround a vertical slab of cork with leaves in the top half. At some point with my first Avic, I got annoyed trying to capture and redrop missed feeders, so with my second Avic, I tried a horizontal treehouse so I could just set the feeder insect in the entrance.

 

[HelloClarice21]

Thank you guys so much for your help!
I’ll get some new things this week and report back with (hopefully) good news.

 

[HelloClarice21]

Okay, how is this? Suggestions?

 

[Ungoliant]

Okay, how is this? Suggestions?

Better, though you should look into replacing or covering the mesh lid at some point.

I'd also remove the background; it is a great hiding place for feeders and crumbles into a mess.

You may also want to get a taller piece of cork (or move that one up close to the leaves) so she can use it as a hunting perch.

 

[HelloClarice21]

Yeah I looked at the store I went to but didn’t see any lids. Sure I can find one online.

 

[Ungoliant]

Yeah I looked at the store I went to but didn’t see any lids. Sure I can find one online.

If you measure the top, a hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot may be able to cut you a piece of acrylic to spec.

Alternatively, you can try the cheap, lazy solution I use of loosely draping a thin sheet of cotton beneath the mesh to discourage climbing onto the ceiling.