# My setup



## steel26man (Dec 11, 2006)

Hello to all, as this is my first post. 

I have crept here in the shadows for the past week, obtaining information (what a wealth of information!) on my new hobby.... I will try and not ask to many newb questions, but I would like some personal imput on my setup, in order to insure that the enviroment I created for my Rosie T, is correct:

1 10 gallon aquarium with meshed hood for ventalation

2. 90% coconut fiber/ 10 % vermiculite

3. My setup is placed out of direct sunlight, however it can attain indirect

4. Water dish filled

5. Hiding spot (half of a plastic log)


Is there anything I am missing? Anything I am doing wrong? I have read conflicting reports on humidity requirements.....any suggestions? 

Another question I have is: anyone know of a good cricket storage setup, that requires little space and maintence? For some strange reason I cannot find one in the search fuction.

Thanks to all in advance for thier input!!!


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## Windchaser (Dec 11, 2006)

Your setup sounds fine although a 10 gallon enclosure is a bit on the large side. It won't really harm your _G. rosea_ but it certainly doesn't need that much space. I am assuming your tarantula is an adult.

You didn't mention how deep your substrate is. You want to make sure that the height from the top of the substrate to the lid is not much more than that of the leg span of the tarantula.

I use the Kricket Keepers for my crickets at home. These seem to work best. Though for one tarantula you can easily get buy just buying a couple every week or so. With one tarantula keeping crickets at home is not that practical. You will probably end up throwing more away than you feed.


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## steel26man (Dec 11, 2006)

Thanks for the crituque.....yes it is an adult.

My substrate depth is no where near the level you reccommened. If I am reading you correctly, the depth of my substrate should  encompass over half the volume of my aquarium? Yikes...


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## TheDarkFinder (Dec 11, 2006)

steel26man said:


> Thanks for the crituque.....yes it is an adult.
> 
> My substrate depth is no where near the level you reccommened. If I am reading you correctly, the depth of my substrate should  encompass over half the volume of my aquarium? Yikes...


Yea it is the fall you have to worry about. Tarantulas will check out there surroundings and they can climb glass. If they fall it is more then liking be fatal. I would say get a 5 or 2.5 gallon tank.


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## kurisute_hasu (Dec 11, 2006)

*I agree*



Windchaser said:


> I use the Kricket Keepers for my crickets at home. These seem to work best. Though for one tarantula you can easily get buy just buying a couple every week or so. With one tarantula keeping crickets at home is not that practical. You will probably end up throwing more away than you feed.


I thought about keeping my own crickets. Mainly because I have to drive 15 min. to get to a store that sells them. But decided against it. I only have one T and I wouldn't be able to tolerate the cricket chirping. 

(I just got back from buying some) I asked the woman if I could have three crickets instead of a half dozen. She said no, and then gave me an extra. :wall:


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## Jaydon (Dec 11, 2006)

kurisute_hasu said:


> I asked the woman if I could have three crickets instead of a half dozen. She said no, and then gave me an extra. :wall:


That's how it starts... after a couple months you'll start to reason that you'll need another tarantula so you're not wasting crickets.... Next thing you know you're carrying your TV out to the garage after you realized how many more enclosures would fit on the stand, your kitchen cabinents are full of little cups containing spiderlings, and your entire house is kept at 76 degrees with a humidifier in every room.....


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## steel26man (Dec 11, 2006)

Problem fixed....lucky I bought a huge bag of vermiculite......


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## eight leg goth (Dec 11, 2006)

i only have 1 t and i still keep crikets. i started off using a 2 litre ice cream tub (washed out of course) with viewing holes in the lid that i covered with clear film. i drilled a few 1mm holes aroung the sides for ventilation. stuck some egg box cottoms in with them and just added fresh fruit and veg for food and moisture. now however i have a 8"w x 13"l x 7"h container that i made of plastic wth a breeding dish inside, toilet roll tubes replacing egg boxes, a square of wet paper towel *replaced daily* for moisture dry dog food, potato peel, oats and other fruit and veg for food. ventilation again but no viewing holes. one mistake i did make was i found a cardboard thing which i thought would be perfect for a hide, had dry paint on it but i didn't think that would harm them. alas found well over half dead horrid stench and bite marks in the hide after a few days i am now reduced to 5 crix. 

another point if your shop has silent crikets be warned two molts later they will grow wings.


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## green_bottle_04 (Dec 11, 2006)

I keep my crickets in a 5 gal. tank with a screen top. i use the flukers "cricket quencher: and give them a grain type of food. i really cant tell you what it is because the pet store i get it from has the recipe "classified" ha ha! youd have a better chance breaking into Ft. Knox than finding it out. I have used the flukers cricket feed before...but the only thing it seemed to do is kill my crickets. i have food and quencher set up on both sides of the tank with cardboard eggcrate int the middle for hiding spots and a place to climb. all of this is topped with a screen lid. they seem to like this set up quite nicely and they keep for a long time....sometimes a suprisingly long time. i have 16 ts. and i go to the pet store for crix once a week and buy a few dozen of each...(small, medium and large) since my ts rage from 3/4" spiderlings to my 8" brazilian white knee. but anyway...thats my two cents! good luck!


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## _Nagash_ (Dec 13, 2006)

steel26man said:


> Hello to all, as this is my first post.
> 
> I have crept here in the shadows for the past week, obtaining information (what a wealth of information!) on my new hobby.... I will try and not ask to many newb questions, but I would like some personal imput on my setup, in order to insure that the enviroment I created for my Rosie T, is correct:
> 
> ...



Hello!
I do not 100% agree on your setup. 

Instead of Coconut fiber and vermiculite, use 100% peat.* It is very important that the peat do not contain any fertiliser, or other chemicals!*
Even if about every caresheet you find on G.rosea tell you to give it about 75% humidity, the spider will thrive much better with about 60%.

If you give it coco fiber and vermiculite(both  contains alot of water, when prepeared), your tarantula will live on the walls of its cage, instead of the floor.

The substrate shuold be about 15-25cm(6-10 inches) thick. Sometimes the rosises actually  digs their own burrow 

Pardon my bad english

Greets
Robin


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## NeitherSparky (Dec 13, 2006)

I am new to the hobby too, and I only have one T (a 4" female wildcaught Tucson Blond). She has a 20 gal long all to herself - yes its big but I enjoy watching her roam around.  The others are right about the substrate - I also use 100% peat and yes it has to be very deep in an aquarium, more than half full. Plus it settles over time so be prepared to add more. T's tend to make poops against the glass so in my girl's tank you can see where all the different heights of peat moss used to be by these white marks on the glass.


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