Okay i just got my first T which was this T. Blondi (5 inch) I got just this Thursday when i first put him in the tank he seem very happy he started to wonder around but right after he went in to his burrow he hasn't come out from it yet. He also looks tired or lazy his body kind of just laying on the floor don't know what the deal is? but yesterday i threw 3 large cricket in the burrow my T killed and ate both of em and the day before i also fed him 3 large crickets he also finish them off and today i haven't fed him all day which i will tomorrow. Is he dehydrating? or is he just isn't use to the housing yet? Should I also place the water dish closer to him because i put my in the corner. I also have my humidity around 70-80 temp high 75-80. I'm using a heat pad in the corner next to water dish not bottom and using two light bulbs with little heat one is a moonlight glow the other is sun glow. my substrates 100% peat with live moss and dry mosses I spray water 2-3 times a day and i always try to keep it moist. Is something wrong with him? please let me know if I'm doing something wrong... I will also post some pick of my T. and the housing.
T. Blondi my first Tarantula! Need help some help...
- Thread starter Spc.Fred
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if it's eating, then it's fine. Tarantulas are affectionately refered to as 'pet rocks'. By nature, they arn't very active. Granted, certain species dig or web, but for the most part there is just a lot of sitting/hiding in the burrow. 
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Yes definately. It's easy to do and will make your T happier. Plus it will reduce the possiblity that, uncomfortable with the light, it blocks that wall up with web and substrate so you won't see it at all.
Hey, very nice setup.
--Chris
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More fundamentally, you, my friend, may have done a very silly thing. T. blondi is perhaps one of the most difficult tarantulas in the world to keep. It would have been much wiser to get a Chilean rose (Grammostola rosea) or even a baby Brazilian salmon (Lasiodora parahybana) because they're not as expensive and they're much less likely to die for you. Whoever sold it to you was far too eager to get your money, and nowhere near eager enough about caring whether you enjoyed your new hobby.
But, now you are in the position of having to learn arachnoculture the hard way.
First, you need to read all of the following tarantula books to get a firm idea of how to care for these bizarre creatures. They're all available for FREE check-out from most public libraries. If you like what you see they're available for sale "off the shelf" from many of the pet shops in your area, by special order from any bookstore and by order over the Internet from places like amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, alibris.com and BooksPrice.com. I list them here in alphabetical order by author.
Breene, RG. 2005. QUICK AND EASY TARANTULA CARE. TFH Publications. An almost painfully simple book with all the basic information. Even though it is extremely inexpensive it has no gross errors. A good starter book.
Marshall, SD. 2002. TARANTULAS AND OTHER ARACHNIDS. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. A somewhat more advanced book than Breene's, but very, very good.
Schultz, SA and Schultz, MJ. 1998. THE TARANTULA KEEPER'S GUIDE. Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Written for the advanced beginner as well as the novice, you'll want to read this book over and over as you discover more and more about these fascinating creatures.
None of these books costs as much as a tarantula, but any one of them could save you a bundle in wasted time and money on useless stuff and dangerous care regimens, not to mention dead spiders. It would not be too surprising to find that you had a copy of each in your personal library within the next few months.
Why read these books? Because the information you get off these forums is, of necessity, going to be spotty and disjointed. You're not going to get the whole story, and it won't be strung together in a logical way so you can understand cause and effect, or relationships. You're likely to screw up and kill your tarantula.
Next (and only after you read the books!), do a search on the following three forums for each of these terms: "blondi," "birdeater," and "goliath" separately. (Don't include the quotes. Don't try to cheat by using more than one term at a time.) Read all of the hits for the last year or so.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/forumdisplay.php?f=2
http://atshq.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3
http://www.thebts.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=7
There's a lot of information out there if you can digest it.
Lastly, visit http://www.exoticfauna.com/arachnoculture/ and read the third option. Note carefully, he said it; I didn't!
Best of luck.
While its not a T that is typically suggested for a first time hobbyist you have it and we should move on from there. I would question how reputable that dealer is that sold you the T. Stan and I say this because they can be very hard to care for. They require high humidity, tend toward problems with molts, can be aggressive/defensive, and their urticating hairs are reported to be the worst of any T. from your pictures and comments it looks like you are on the right track, and will do fine with a few adjustments and some help.
You are never going to be able to maintine the humidity with the bulbs. Plus you are going to cook your T. Loose the bulbs, and the heat pad is not necessary but if your room is cold it won't hurt. The more humidity you can get the better.
Not that bad. This is a five inch T that is only half grown. Six to eight LARGE crickets per week is good in my opinion. Now after my blondi got much beyond 5" it started refusing large crickets so I started feeding B. dubias.
Other than that, you need to be mindful of parasites and other bugs. It could be wild caught and who knows where's it's been before now.
Good luck, and enjoy your new obsession! Feel free to PM any questions
now i do not mean this in an offensive way, but what exactly is in this food dish?
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From the setup you put together, it seems like you are a pretty competent person. With the right mindset, seeking information from all those that give good advice, and going beyond that in your own research, you should have no problem keeping a T. blondi, or any T for that matter. My first spider was not a T. blondi, but I did acquire one a month later after winning one in a contest. I've had it for eight years and its the highlight of my collection.
Absolutely get Stan's book. I have it and I have a hard time buying other books, as everything is already coverred in his and with superior quality.
--Chris
Absolutely get Stan's book. I have it and I have a hard time buying other books, as everything is already coverred in his and with superior quality.
--Chris
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You can keep the spider at room temps and dry substrate, RH is WAY overrated and internal hydration is much more important, just make sure you are feeding well fed and hydrated prey items, please remove the stones from the water dish so the spider can drink freely and properly from the dish....
Regards, Mike
Regards, Mike