Terrarium Grass and Springtails

[Raven Jess]

Hello,
what are your thoughts on terrarium grass in a t enclosure? What about keeping springtails with your t's?

To clarify, the grass is literally called terrarium grass and does not appear to require excess water or light.

Brainstorming I can imagine a few pros of terrarium grass: more privacy for the t (if grass is along edges of enclosure),
but also a few cons: more places for feeders to hide.

Springtails seem to have only pros: they are natures little janitor and will keep the enclosure clean. I realize that they rely on moisture, but aren't they sometimes found under and in water dishes even when they haven't been intentionally seeded? Do springtails bother t's?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[boina]

The main question here is: What kind of tarantula are we talking about? With an arid scrubland species grass would be a big no-no. Grass gives off humidity by evaporation big time and will raise ambient humidity to dangerous levels for arid species, especially since even the hardiest grass needs some water in the substrate to survive.

You can probably use it for moisture loving species, just make sure you have plenty of ventilation since the evaporation I mentioned will encourage the growth of all kinds of mold.

 

[Raven Jess]

Thanks, you make a great point. I do have some hygrometers around that I can use to check humidity, I wouldn't want to harm or stress any of my t's. I do have some experience dealing with humidity and husbandry. You definitely gave me somewhere to start. A couple of my t's do love humidity.

What is your take on springtails?

 

[boina]

If you have a moist enclosure by all means use springtails. Without them all my moist enclosures seem to sprout mold after a while.