What do you keep in your T supply box?

[CommanderBacon]

As a new T keeper a few years ago, I didn't know anything about what sorts of tools to keep on hand. A lot of the stuff in the Tarantula Keeper's Guide box seemed a bit far-fetched for a noob with a sling, so I just kinda winged it and accumulated tools as needed or whenever I saw useful items in care videos.

My tarantula tool box, which is a plastic spaghetti keeper, now contains the following, in order of usefulness to me:

tongs
plastic pipette/syringe from Daiso for refilling water dishes
paint brush
straw with pantyhose taped over the end for tiny feeder distribution
wooden chop sticks
bottle caps, condiment cups, and tiny soy sauce dishes
toothpicks and q-tips for spreading molts
adhesive vinyl labels
rubber bumpers for stacking enclosures

I also have a clear cup for catching and feeder distribution, a hacksaw for cork bark, sterile sponges for cleaning spider poop, rubber gloves and protective sleeves, a glue gun, and hole-drilling templates I made for DIY enclosures. I try to keep it all in an office box along with the usual substrate, cork bark, decorations, enclosures, etc. junk so it doesn't take up my whole apartment.

I did not think that I was going to accumulate this much junk when I picked up my first tarantula, but I like being ready when I inevitably impulsively purchase another damn spider.

I'm curious what items or tools other people find to be the most useful for maintaining their collection. Are there any tools that you use/made/discovered that seem unusual that you find very handy?

 

[RezonantVoid]

Feeding tongs
Small precision tweezers
A cooking skewer for moving crickets around
A plastic spoon
Spray bottle
2 catch cups
My phone flashlight

These are just the must-have-for-any-situation things I always keep on my shelf

 

[CommanderBacon]

A plastic spoon

What's the spoon for?

 

[Nightstalker47]

What's the spoon for?

Scooping out mold.

As a new T keeper a few years ago, I didn't know anything about what sorts of tools to keep on hand. A lot of the stuff in the Tarantula Keeper's Guide box seemed a bit far-fetched for a noob with a sling, so I just kinda winged it and accumulated tools as needed or whenever I saw useful items in care videos.

My tarantula tool box, which is a plastic spaghetti keeper, now contains the following, in order of usefulness to me:

tongs
plastic pipette/syringe from Daiso for refilling water dishes
paint brush
straw with pantyhose taped over the end for tiny feeder distribution
wooden chop sticks
bottle caps, condiment cups, and tiny soy sauce dishes
toothpicks and q-tips for spreading molts
adhesive vinyl labels
rubber bumpers for stacking enclosures

I also have a clear cup for catching and feeder distribution, a hacksaw for cork bark, sterile sponges for cleaning spider poop, rubber gloves and protective sleeves, a glue gun, and hole-drilling templates I made for DIY enclosures. I try to keep it all in an office box along with the usual substrate, cork bark, decorations, enclosures, etc. junk so it doesn't take up my whole apartment.

I did not think that I was going to accumulate this much junk when I picked up my first tarantula, but I like being ready when I inevitably impulsively purchase another damn spider.

I'm curious what items or tools other people find to be the most useful for maintaining their collection. Are there any tools that you use/made/discovered that seem unusual that you find very handy?

You need a pairs of 10" tongs, invaluable piece of equipment...especially once you start working with larger specimens. Hungry tarantulas tend to mistake fingers for food.

 

[The Seraph]

Spray bottle, catch cup, flash light, chopsticks and tweezers.
Edit: Also a paint brush.

 

[CommanderBacon]

You need a pairs of 10" tongs, invaluable piece of equipment...especially once you start working with larger specimens. Hungry tarantulas tend to mistake fingers for food.

Yep tongs are the first thing on my list. I already have them.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Yep tongs are the first thing on my list. I already have them.

The big ones?

 

[CommanderBacon]

The big ones?

Yes, the big ones. They are longer than my forearm.

 

[Greasylake]

10 inch tongs, very useful when working with pedes. Some bottles of water, old toothbrush, spoon, red and white flashlight, pocket knives.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Yes, the big ones. They are longer than my forearm.

Sweet. I know someone that has these really short "tongs" as she called them, they looked more like tweezers to me, we had a laugh when I was telling her to get some better equipment...kind of went against the whole point of keeping your fingers out of harms way.

When I saw wooden chopsticks in your list I couldn't help but assume you were using those instead lol, sorry about that.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Spray bottle, catch cup, flash light, chopsticks and tweezers.

I use tweezers for manipulating molts for sexing or picking out tiny items from my slings' enclosures sometimes, but I don't have them in my kit. Is that what you use yours for?

10 inch tongs, very useful when working with pedes. Some bottles of water, old toothbrush, spoon, red and white flashlight, pocket knives.

What do you use the toothbrush and pocket knives for? I use a red and white flashlight sometimes to look at my Ts at night, but since I also use the laser pointer on it to play with the cat, I hadn't though of including it in my kit. hmm!

 

[Rigor Mortis]

Since I only have 2 T's right now I don't have a supply box, just a pair of tongs and a water bottle. And a tiny cello.

 

[The Seraph]

I use tweezers for manipulating molts for sexing or picking out tiny items from my slings' enclosures sometimes, but I don't have them in my kit. Is that what you use yours for?

I have just slings and a juvenile, so I use them to drop in feeders.

When I saw wooden chopsticks in your list I couldn't help but assume you were using those instead lol, sorry about that.

. . . Is there anything wrong with using chopsticks as tongs?

 

[MintyWood826]

For me it's just stuff spread out on the dresser and a shelf...

- Catch cups
- 10" tweezers
- Push pin for ventilating sling enclosures
- Turkey baster for filling water dishes even though I really need to get a pipette
- Paintbrushes
- Two flashlights
- Spare bottlecaps that I took out of my hoard of them
- Cup with some old sub in it
- Sphagnum moss for slings
- Plastic leaves
- Plastic spoon I used to scoop sub during a rehouse
- Random lids and deli cups not part of my hoard of clear plastic containers
- A deli cup with some water because it's harder to get it into the baster directly from the faucet
- Macro lens that doesn't magnify enough
- A lot of other random stuff

This is making me realize I need to organize it.

 

[Nightstalker47]

. . . Is there anything wrong with using chopsticks as tongs?

I suppose that would depend on the person, im bad enough with them whenever I have sushi at the restaurant. Wouldn't want to make things harder on myself when theres a nine inch Theraphosa that wants my hand for dinner.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Sweet. I know someone that has these really short "tongs" as she called them, they looked more like tweezers to me, we had a laugh when I was telling her to get some better equipment...kind of went against the whole point of keeping your fingers out of harms way.

When I saw wooden chopsticks in your list I couldn't help but assume you were using those instead lol, sorry about that.

My chopstick skills are decent, but I mostly use them to make small starter burrows and to gently poke things into place.

I actually kind of hate my tongs because they're bamboo and not very precise, even though I soaked them in water and re-molded them to grip better, but my hope is that the wood is less likely to break a fang if somebody tries to attack it. Are there any general thoughts about bamboo vs. metal tongs in the hobby?

 

[Nightstalker47]

My chopstick skills are decent, but I mostly use them to make small starter burrows and to gently poke things into place.

I actually kind of hate my tongs because they're bamboo and not very precise, even though I soaked them in water and re-molded them to grip better, but my hope is that the wood is less likely to break a fang if somebody tries to attack it. Are there any general thoughts about bamboo vs. metal tongs in the hobby?

Unless you're tong feeding, which I would advise against, the risk of broken fangs is very slim. I would personally go for the steel tongs, I have one pair with rubber on the ends and one without. If you wash them and take good care of them, they pretty much last a lifetime.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Unless you're tong feeding, which I would advise against, the risk of broken fangs is very slim. I would personally recommend the steel tongs, I have one pair with rubber on the ends and one without. If you wash them and take good care of them, they pretty much last a lifetime.

Thanks! I don't tong feed, so I will pick up a pair of metal ones at the reptile show next weekend. 10 inch

 

[Greasylake]

What do you use the toothbrush and pocket knives for

Toothbrush is mostly for cleaning out old enclosures after a rehouse. Pocket knives are just handy and I end up using them for a lot of stuff. Cutting up mealworms, opening bags of crickets, unpacking inverts, they're just useful.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Since I only have 2 T's right now I don't have a supply box, just a pair of tongs and a water bottle. And a tiny cello.

A tiny cello is a strong addition. *takes notes*