Poecilotheria. Regalis. Is the viv too big for my sling?

[Pokiepokie18]

I got a P. Regalis sling about 3 weeks ago and this is my first spider. I know arboreals aren't great starters and i know slings arent great to start with either. I am looking for some advice. Its built a tunnel web in the back corner of the viv and seems to be acting normal from what i've researched, but it hasn't eaten since ive had it. The previous owner said it was a great feeder with him. Its roughly 1 and 1/2" long and the abdomen is normal and not shrunken. Im keeping it at 60-85% humidity and its temp between 26-28 degrees celcius. I'm wondering if the vivarium is too big for it or if i should just wait it out and see if it eats rather than moving it into a smaller vivarium and risk stressing it out with another move. Its in an exo terra 45 x 45 x 60 cm tank. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Yeah, looks too large for my liking, slings will have more trouble finding food and feeling safe in such a large space.

Don't worry about humidity numbers, those temps are quite high as well, unnecessarily so. I would unplug that heat mat immediately, and just leave it at room temp.

 

[Pokiepokie18]

U think i should move it though and stress it out even now its built a web? What temp and humidity would you recommend? Theres so much variation online. I live in england so atm is quite cold room temp is probably around 18-22 degrees

 

[Tenebrarius]

slings don't make good starters, arboreals don't, OWs don't, and pokies don't. they have fairly bad venom, so first throw humidity out the window, second and also thats probably too big i don't know really cause im an in" type of guy not really into that cm stuff. but whats that bamboo thing it looks like an easy way to get a T in it and it would be hard to get it out. but mainly it looks like you got heat mat cant tell don't do that thanks. I also don't know what celsius is maybe a metric genius will help you. and about moving it out and turning off the heat mats I'd prefer a slightly stressed T than a dead T.

 

[Pokiepokie18]

I have a tall thin custom aquaria viv that might be more suitable. Its roughly 15 x 15 x 30cm in size

 

[Nightstalker47]

I have a tall thin custom aquaria viv that might be more suitable. Its roughly 15 x 15 x 30cm in size

Thats already much better, go for it. Make sure theres good vent though.

 

[Pokiepokie18]

68-71F room temp here. 17 x 23 "viv atm and the smaller one is 5 x 11 ".

 

[lostbrane]

18C is on the low end of acceptable temperature. 22-24C should do you fine, if you need it a bit warmer in your abode.

Do you have a space heater or central heating? If not, there is a method to use a heat pad in a much safer way. Attach a heat pad to an empty enclosure that can fit the enclosure you are using to house your P. regalis. The enclosure it is living in now is then placed inside the larger enclosure. Turns that direct heat into secondary heat. If you don't have a thermostat for that heat pad though, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Pokiepokie18]

Found a smaller viv 5" x 7" what temp do u keep tham at or is best.

 

[Nightstalker47]

70-85 is my preferred temperature range.

 

[lostbrane]

Well, like I said, 18C is on the lower end of typically recommended temperature, so you could keep it there or a little above. However, 22-24C is fine if you need your place to be warmer. I just gave that range because it's not a high temp range, and hopefully that would suit your needs. A guideline is that if you're comfortable they are, in terms of temps. Right now I keep my apartment ~22C just because it's warm enough for me and my spiders.

 

[Pokiepokie18]

Ok i have moved it into the smaller tank, i have put the tank inside the original viv like u said. I have a temp and hygrometer in the small tank and a temp and hygrometer in the big tank so i can see both lots of stats. I shat myself moving it but it all went fine, no escapes and no heart attacks. Sitting next to the viv waiting for the temp to rise to 23C so i can feel better about things. Thanks for all the help. And sorry im one of those people who gets the worst starter spider. Xox i didn't want to get your average run of the mill T and get bored of it, so i called up my local exotics shop and spoke to the shop owner and he said go fir something that interests you and as long as you treat it sensibly u will be ok. I have kept other exotic pets for over 6 years now, i have 4 crested geckos, a gargoyle gecko, whites tree frog, millipedes and sun beetles so im not a complete novice when it come to exotics. I wanted to get a T so i can understand them more as i used to be very scared of them and i wanted to become more familiar with them as a whole. Since gettimg this T i feel alot better and more comfortable about spiders in general. Sorry for all the babbling on, just wanted to explain everything.

 

[lostbrane]

You can ditch the hygrometers, they're not needed. Keep an eye on the temps so it doesn't get too warm/hot.

Here's an in depth thread on their care though so you can get a better idea, etc. and it might contain some useful information for you: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/poecilotheria-care.291471/

Well, people make all sorts of ill informed decisions all the time, but at the end of the day as long as you learn and take proper care of your pet then that's all that matters. It is good you came to a good source of information to ask questions. I would say that a pokie is not the worst of the worst when it comes to people getting them as a first tarantula. I shudder to think of all the times brand new keepers walked away with the likes of a Cyripagopus or some other typically high strung genus. Also, at the very least you did some amount of research beforehand (although as you have found info can either be dead wrong or all over the place).

As to your other exotic pet experience, it may help in some ways, but from what I have seen not much transfers over (humidity being one of those things). You already got through probably one of the more stressful situations just fine in terms of a rehouse, so that's good! With time and more experience some of the things you are worried about will probably become trivial but never let that make you complacent. Always keep your wits about you!

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[Greasylake]

. they have fairly bad venom

Well that's an understatement if I've ever heard one.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Yeah, the venom is pretty bad lol...

 

[Tenebrarius]

Well that's an understatement if I've ever heard one.

i was being polite, yes envenomation can be medically significant. I do happen to be an idiot and use my hands to do maintenance but I don't really care anyways, maybe I'll go down in history "Idiot dies from his pet spider" I see the headlines now.

if you really care OP this is very insightful:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4470046/

 

[boina]

For some reason Poecilotheria have become vastly popular as starter Ts... At least you got a P. regalis and not a metallica. Still I know/know of several people who got their Pokie sling (usually metallica, though), set it up in a large terrarium - and then the sling just hunkers down somewhere, never eats, and, worst case, simply dies.

Yes, it is a really good idea to set it up in a smaller enclosure for the time being. Remember, these may actually burrow as slings, so an angled piece of cork bark and slightly more substrate than you'd think for an 'arboreal' wouldn't be bad either.

And do yourself and your spider a favor: forget about humidity. The worst thing that can happen to any tarantula is a humid, stuffy enclosure. They deal pretty well with drying out, but not with stuffy-ness. If you are trying to reach specific humidity numbers it is very likely that you will create exactly those humid, stuffy conditions that will kill your spider. Moist substrate for slings is good enough to provide any humidity they may need. As adults they do perfectly well in completely dry conditions - I know because I tried.

 

[kcuB yrogerG]

I mean, I started with a 4" OBT. But then again when I was 12 the first snake I bought was a 6 3/4 ft long Burmese. I disagree with the whole "not recommended" do research and all that and you will be fine. With that being said I would move it into a tall deli/food storage container. Once its about half the size of it just up the size of the container, it looks like that would be a good enclosure for a sub adult/adult.

 

[Tenebrarius]

I mean, I started with a 4" OBT. But then again when I was 12 the first snake I bought was a 6 3/4 ft long Burmese. I disagree with the whole "not recommended" do research and all that and you will be fine. With that being said I would move it into a tall deli/food storage container. Once its about half the size of it just up the size of the container, it looks like that would be a good enclosure for a sub adult/adult.

I disagree with your disagreement, beginners getting a advanced T as their starter results in a dead T. Tarantulas are not forgiving to beginner mistakes.

 

[kcuB yrogerG]

I disagree with your disagreement, beginners getting a advanced T as their starter results in a dead T. Tarantulas are not forgiving to beginner mistakes.

Sometimes, and that is where research comes into play. I got her as a .5" sling about 2 years ago, did all my research beforehand and so far so good. To this day I research tons before I buy. Out of the few I've had, and I've gotten all as .5" slings or smaller, the only sling that has died was an A. Avic due to a very bad molt a few days after buying from a local "exotic store"