# Skeleton Tarantula Enclosure seeking advice



## JGrizz (May 1, 2012)

First off befor any one flames me.. I have been reading the forums and know how to use the search engine. I am a busy person and dont have the luxury or time to look threw all the posts that are on this forum. I am simply posting this to get help because I am new to this and am unsure about a few things..


I was just recently given a skeleton tarantula for a gift from my gf and I just did up this enclosure for him last night. Its a 18x18x18 Exo Terra. I have an inch of gravel on the bottom with 4 and a half inches of potting soil with some jungle mix scattered on the surface.. The plant is a spider plant (spider plant for a spider?). I am new to this and am not sure if I have set this up properly for the type of spider that is in it. I dont know much about plants and this is the first plant that I have ever had... Is it a good plant for this cage/ spider? Is there anything I can do to promote my spider to web more(ie more things in the cage)? I also am a bit lost on how to maintain proper heat and humidity threw the enclosure.. I have posted a picture of the screen lid , can any one give me advice on how to do it? I need it to be able to keep the humidity up but also be strong enough to keep my damn cat out. Last thing that i would like to know more about is how to keep the cage clean inside(free of dead feeder parts and other nastys). I have read about isopods and am intrested in useing them.. how many should I put in the enclosure and what do I need to keep them alive? Any advice and tips would be awesome.. thanks in advance.


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## Zoomer428 (May 1, 2012)

Take plants Out as they could be toxic. Idk if hes aboreal but if he is then he should web if not u really cant do anything. Id put eco earth fiber (coco fiber) in there as sub and take any lights out you may have pointed on him. Also figure out if he needs his cage misted or anything for humidity and keep out of direct sunlight.p.s. Water bowl and if he is webbing the ground he prob dont like the sub


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## JGrizz (May 1, 2012)

The plant is non toxic from what I have read and been told from the seller. The spider is terrestrial and not just aboreals will web up things. I had him in a glass dish I purchased from michaels when I first got him, he webbed the entire dish up to the point that i could barely see him any more. I had coco fiber in the dish and he had thickly webbed the entire ground. From my experiance - the coco fiber seems to not hold its shape/compact as well as potting soil, wouldnt the soil be better incase he builds a borrow? i use a tube to put water under the substrate into the gravel layer to keep the soil not wet but moist.. Should I still be misting the enclosure? Can any one recommend a good hygrometer? 



Oh and the light that you see in the picture was just there to take a clearer picture.


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## J Morningstar (May 1, 2012)

Why would a  Spider Plant be toxic to a T? They won't eat it.


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## Skeri (May 1, 2012)

Here are some links to some quick information that may help.

http://www.eightlegs.org/skel/skeleton.html

http://www.mikebasictarantula.com/Eph-murinus-care-sheet.html

http://www.herpfamily.com/showthread.php?t=7346

just skip to the pats that say setup, enclosure, housing, ect to answer your questions. Also suggest book marking them incase you have further questions. Its a good reference for whenever you may need some fast help.

Reactions: Like 1


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## philge (May 1, 2012)

Those tanks aren't really the best for terrestrial species. If the T were to climb to the top and fall off, it would likely be injured. In a regular aquarium, it would be simple to fix this by adding more substrate. That tank however will not allow for enough without the substrate falling out every time you open it.


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## Formerphobe (May 2, 2012)

I would consider Ephebopus murinus to be more fossorial than terrestrial.  As mentioned, the Exo-terra does not allow for very deep substrate.  
These spiders also require higher humidity.  You can cover most of the screen lid with plastic wrap to retain humidity or replace it with acrylic.  
The plant should be fine, though the spider may burrow amongst the roots and compromise the plant.  
It's been my experience that a bottom layer of gravel ends up wherever the spider chooses to put it, unless you also have a false bottom.
Buy some 12" tongs/thumb forceps to pick out boluses and other debris.
Isopods also work well in tropical tanks.  I started with ~10 in my P. imperator tank and ended up with hundreds, some of which I dispersed to my swamp and damp spider enclosures.  

If you're too busy to research and provide appropriate care for your tarantula, perhaps it would be better off with a keeper who would take the time.

Reactions: Like 1


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## SamuraiSid (May 2, 2012)

+1 Formerphone's post.

No flaming intended but using a plant without proper knowledge is disasterous. It may pose no immediate harm to the T itself, but crickets will likely nibble the plant if given enough time, and will in turn poison your T.


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## melijoc (May 2, 2012)

The plant should be fine although it will most likely die if not given enough sunlight. I would keep the substrate half dry half moist cuz i know most ts hate wetness so they will try to climb up the tank. If you give them a dry area they would most likely just hang around there instead of climbing.


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## advan (May 2, 2012)

melijoc said:


> The plant should be fine although it will most likely die if not given enough sunlight. I would keep the substrate half dry half moist cuz i know most ts hate wetness so they will try to climb up the tank. If you give them a dry area they would most likely just hang around there instead of climbing.


_Ephebopus_ sp. are far from the "dry liking spiders". This genus should be kept humid and with a lot of substrate for burrowing. You can give them a little room up because they will decorate the opening to their burrows with webbing but it is not needed. Switch to a more suitable enclosure that allows for deep substrate and enjoy that beauty.


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## Zoomer428 (May 5, 2012)

I know not just aboreals do and most sellers know nothing unless their in the hobby


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## Hornets inverts (May 5, 2012)

SamuraiSid said:


> +1 Formerphone's post.
> 
> No flaming intended but using a plant without proper knowledge is disasterous. It may pose no immediate harm to the T itself, but crickets will likely nibble the plant if given enough time, and will in turn poison your T.


Any evidence of that? Many toxic plants are popular vivarium plants with no ill effects to the inabitants


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