# Lasiodora Parahybana Tank Size Question



## Lobby1972 (Dec 8, 2015)

Hi folks,
I have a question re my Br. Salmon Pink B'eater please??

He/she is still quite young, (just a juve), and have my T in a 4 foot converted fish tank. I know the T will grow to accommodate it, (and maybe even outgrow it eventually!). But do you think my T is a little small for a big enclosure at this stage?? - he/she currently has leg span of about 3 inches????

Any advice would be much appreciated - Thanks


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## natebugman (Dec 8, 2015)

Well, it does sound a little on the large size, even for an adult LP. I have my 8" female in a 10 gallon aquarium which seems to be enough for her. I've thought about going to a 20 gallon long but she doesn't really seem to need that much space. At 3" I'd probably keep it in a 2.5 gallon or a large critter keeper.


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## Sam_Peanuts (Dec 8, 2015)

No tarantula will outgrow a 4' enclosure, unless it's really narrow.
As long as it finds water and food in the enclosure, it will be fine, but the thing to worry about is the height here. It can be dangerous if she falls from more than roughly 1.5-twice her leg span, especially if her abdomen is full.

To be safe, you'd either have to add more dirt(assuming you don't have enough right now which is very likely) and remove some eventually when she grows up or use a smaller enclosure for now and transfer her to the big one when she grows up.

Also, she probably won't get as big as you think, you'll be lucky if she can reach 9", 7-8" being the norm if I'm not mistaken.

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## soundsmith (Dec 8, 2015)

I think that is way too big even for a full grown LP, let alone one that is 3" dls. That's 48" of escape route for feeders. In the wild all tarantulas have unlimited space but they don't use much more than a couple of square feet. Putting her in that big of an enclosure seems pretty silly IMO, and adds unnecessary complications. I would say if you are going to use it, make sure the substrate is filled to where there's no more than about 5 inches of space to the ceiling, according to her current size. Take some out over time after she molts each time though so that the floor-to-ceiling ratio is appropriate to her size (just remember 1.5-2x the legspan measurement). Personally I err on the side of 1.5x, seems to be plenty and it's that much less risk if they fall off the wall/ceiling. Also try to limit the decorations at least until she is much bigger. That LP is going to work hard to catch prey as it is with so much floor space, doesn't help if the feeders find spots she can't get to. It could work out just fine. 

BUT, I would just use an appropriately sized enclosure though to be honest. Go grab something like an 8x6x6 plastic bin with locking lid and fill it with 2" of substrate, perfect for her right now.

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## vespers (Dec 10, 2015)

Lobby1972 said:


> He/she is still quite young, (just a juve), and have my T in a 4 foot converted fish tank. I know the T will grow to accommodate it, (and maybe even outgrow it eventually!)


Outgrow a 4 foot enclosure? How big do you think they get? It, nor any other spider on earth, will ever outgrow such a tank. Your tank is way too big for a little 3 inch LP...I keep my adult female in a 10 gallon aquarium.

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## pyro fiend (Dec 11, 2015)

vespers said:


> Outgrow a 4 foot enclosure? How big do you think they get? It, nor any other spider on earth, will ever outgrow such a tank. Your tank is way too big for a little 3 inch LP...I keep my adult female in a 10 gallon aquarium.


meh cant kill old wives tales.. my dad keeps telling me to let my GBB [cuz my most colorfull ofcourse] run loose so it grows bigger then his shih-tzu's because it "grows to the size of its cage"  and he cant grasp that with that concept wed have T's with their carapas bigger then most sedans lmao ...people will never listen -.-


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## Beary Strange (Dec 11, 2015)

vespers said:


> Outgrow a 4 foot enclosure? How big do you think they get? It, nor any other spider on earth, will ever outgrow such a tank. Your tank is way too big for a little 3 inch LP...I keep my adult female in a 10 gallon aquarium.


Perhaps the OP is misunderstanding how tarantulas are measured, as a lot of people do? You know, how occasionally you end up with people asking about their 2.5" tarantula when really they have a 5" tarantula, because they think a T is measured by it's body length, rather than DLS. So if one were thinking that way, I can imagine they'd expect a 7-8" tarantula to be quite large. 

Or the measurement of the tank got lost in translation and it's not 4 feet long.


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## kellysaxez (Dec 28, 2015)

Lobby1972 said:


> Hi folks,
> I have a question re my Br. Salmon Pink B'eater please??
> 
> He/she is still quite young, (just a juve), and have my T in a 4 foot converted fish tank. I know the T will grow to accommodate it, (and maybe even outgrow it eventually!). But do you think my T is a little small for a big enclosure at this stage?? - he/she currently has leg span of about 3 inches????
> ...


Hi. I, like you, want my T's to feel comfortable and free to roam as they would in the wild. However, even I think 4 feet is too much for even an adult LP. I have one that I keep in a 20 gal high, packed with substrate for burrowing. For a juvie around 3 inches DLS, I'd go with a large KK, or, if you insist on keeping it in the 4 foot tank, because to purchase a KK or smaller tank is not in your budget right now, perhaps you can fashion, or buy, dividers, and then as it grows remove the dividers until it is comfortably settled into it's life long "sized" home. This is how I am going to house my soon to arrive OBT, so as not to have to struggle with the rehouse. Almost purchased on last year, as is stated here on the boards in some of my posts, but the transaction fell through, which is good because it gave me time to really ready myself for keeping such a handful of a 
T. I have a 20L tank it will grow up in, it's 2" sling now, and in that 20L I have substrate and hide and a branch should it wish to climb and anchor a web to it. I also have two dividers placed to separate the tank in thirds. As the OBT grows, I plan on simply removing one divider at a time. That's the plan anyway. Who knows if the OBT will go along with it. I have a few pics here on the boards of my LP in and out of her tank. Her name is Picklez, and she is a joy  Good luck


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## micheldied (Dec 29, 2015)

Definitely won't outgrow that tank (if it's a 4x2x2, 120g tank).
The thing about it being too big now is that it's mainly a worry for you. You need to worry about whether it's getting enough food and water in all that space. Of course, there's a risk of it falling and getting hurt, but have enough soil in there and it'll be fine.

It'll likely never really utilize all the space when full grown, nor need it, but it'll be a really impressive show tank. Definitely won't hurt the T (at adult size) to have that much space.

Right now all you have to do is make sure it's getting to its prey.


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## TheHonestPirate (Dec 29, 2015)

Whenever I talk to me mother she always is telling me "Why do you torture your snakes in those storage bins?" (32qt bins for a 2.5 foot boa and a separate one for a colubrid) she can't comprehend that the snakes don't care and thinks it needs tons of space. I guess that's just human instinct to attach human characteristics to all animals and interpret their behaviors as such.


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## Bugmom (Dec 29, 2015)

I never understood the "is this tank too big" line of thinking (past the sling/juvie age). Nature isn't a Kritter Keeper, and they do just fine on their own. This isn't a case of domesticated animals losing their ability to hunt in the wild. 

I'd love to hear of anyone who had a tarantula starve to death or dehydrate solely because an enclosure was too large. Anyone?


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## pyro fiend (Dec 30, 2015)

Bugmom said:


> I never understood the "is this tank too big" line of thinking (past the sling/juvie age). Nature isn't a Kritter Keeper, and they do just fine on their own. This isn't a case of domesticated animals losing their ability to hunt in the wild.
> 
> I'd love to hear of anyone who had a tarantula starve to death or dehydrate solely because an enclosure was too large. Anyone?


im going to have to agree with you here.. granted i feel a "cage too big" is usualy something like a rosea in a 20g long wont use 18 of those gallons 90-95% of the time..so its just getting "too big" of an enclosure for what the T will likely use.. but also i think those who ask this question are those who dont observe how active a T is at night, like i have a 3/4-1" b emilia in a tank 11.0 x 7.88 x 7.5 about the same size as my pen males cage , most would think this is a waste of space because she only has one burrow and webs only within maybe 1" of said hole, [granted the burrow is fairly big for the ~1" t] and her water dish is on the opposite side of the cage, iv seen her walk on every wall, move every grain of dirt on the top and i find the bolus usualy an inch away from the water dish [again thats 11"+ away] and to newbies [the ones i suspect always asking the question] they may not notice the roach carcass among the clay chunks and sand in my dirt so may think the T didnt eat it all, as well as feeding large pray to a small T will look like it didnt eat as a 1" t wont be able to eat an entire adult cricket so i believe said people feel the extra space may stress them??

its hard telling what some people think i dont believe a T can have too big of a cage, only too small and going overkill on a cage you know wont be used [ei the 20 long for a pet rock you think isnt moving ever] but i dont personaly believe a cage being to big will harm a T [excluding too tall obviously]

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## Bugmom (Dec 30, 2015)

pyro fiend said:


> im going to have to agree with you here.. granted i feel a "cage too big" is usualy something like a rosea in a 20g long wont use 18 of those gallons 90-95% of the time..so its just getting "too big" of an enclosure for what the T will likely use.. but also i think those who ask this question are those who dont observe how active a T is at night, like i have a 3/4-1" b emilia in a tank 11.0 x 7.88 x 7.5 about the same size as my pen males cage , most would think this is a waste of space because she only has one burrow and webs only within maybe 1" of said hole, [granted the burrow is fairly big for the ~1" t] and her water dish is on the opposite side of the cage, iv seen her walk on every wall, move every grain of dirt on the top and i find the bolus usualy an inch away from the water dish [again thats 11"+ away] and to newbies [the ones i suspect always asking the question] they may not notice the roach carcass among the clay chunks and sand in my dirt so may think the T didnt eat it all, as well as feeding large pray to a small T will look like it didnt eat as a 1" t wont be able to eat an entire adult cricket so i believe said people feel the extra space may stress them??
> 
> its hard telling what some people think i dont believe a T can have too big of a cage, only too small and going overkill on a cage you know wont be used [ei the 20 long for a pet rock you think isnt moving ever] but i dont personaly believe a cage being to big will harm a T [excluding too tall obviously]


For me it really comes down to space. I have 37 tarantulas and a scorpion, plus two snake racks, so it'd be impossible for me to fit large enclosures for every tarantula into my reptile/invert room. Anything 1.5" or gets a Sterilite tub. Only one is in a 10 gallon tank and that's Ethel, my geniculata beast, but she's pushing 8" and she uses all that space (to terrorize us lol).

My 1-1.5" B. albopilosum sling is in an 11" long Sterilite tub, hide is at one end, and I've filmed it "bulldozing" substrate on the opposite end of the tub from his hide. He's quite the little engineer, but it all happens at night, so I agree with you in that I think a lot of people just don't see how much some tarantulas move around since it happens while most people are sleeping.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## pyro fiend (Dec 30, 2015)

Bugmom said:


> For me it really comes down to space. I have 37 tarantulas and a scorpion, plus two snake racks, so it'd be impossible for me to fit large enclosures for every tarantula into my reptile/invert room. Anything 1.5" or gets a Sterilite tub. Only one is in a 10 gallon tank and that's Ethel, my geniculata beast, but she's pushing 8" and she uses all that space (to terrorize us lol).
> 
> My 1-1.5" B. albopilosum sling is in an 11" long Sterilite tub, hide is at one end, and I've filmed it "bulldozing" substrate on the opposite end of the tub from his hide. He's quite the little engineer, but it all happens at night, so I agree with you in that I think a lot of people just don't see how much some tarantulas move around since it happens while most people are sleeping.


Indeed my albo is in the same size tub as my emilias and i dont think a single grain of sand is in the same place twice... He recently molted getting his adult coloring ~1.5-2" and now thinks hes nolonger a bull dozer, he seems to think hes a full sized excavator now.. Iv seen him using his fangs to haul dirt, palps, and even his back legs to kick it out (silly bracky thinks hes a OW fossorial) but once the sun comes up, hes dead to the world, if you didnt see him out youd of thought you was crazy seeing clay where sand was and vice versa the day before..

But i fully understand the space requirements i have a herp rack, 3 fish tanks on stands and a huge critter nation rat cage plus my shelving unit for Ts (numbered 35 before my rosea sack) and geckos all in my bedroom.. Sure i can move my genic to a 10g and maybe a few others if i wanted to but in my mind so long as they have 2x dsl by 3x dsl(which shoebox totes do fall under for 90% of Ts) most species are happy, again most not all ofcourse as you know with your albo in a shoebox 3x dsl wide and ~5x dsl length.. And so long as they are content and not stressed on space, im content


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## kellysaxez (Dec 30, 2015)

pyro fiend said:


> im going to have to agree with you here.. granted i feel a "cage too big" is usualy something like a rosea in a 20g long wont use 18 of those gallons 90-95% of the time..so its just getting "too big" of an enclosure for what the T will likely use.. but also i think those who ask this question are those who dont observe how active a T is at night, like i have a 3/4-1" b emilia in a tank 11.0 x 7.88 x 7.5 about the same size as my pen males cage , most would think this is a waste of space because she only has one burrow and webs only within maybe 1" of said hole, [granted the burrow is fairly big for the ~1" t] and her water dish is on the opposite side of the cage, iv seen her walk on every wall, move every grain of dirt on the top and i find the bolus usualy an inch away from the water dish [again thats 11"+ away] and to newbies [the ones i suspect always asking the question] they may not notice the roach carcass among the clay chunks and sand in my dirt so may think the T didnt eat it all, as well as feeding large pray to a small T will look like it didnt eat as a 1" t wont be able to eat an entire adult cricket so i believe said people feel the extra space may stress them??
> 
> its hard telling what some people think i dont believe a T can have too big of a cage, only too small and going overkill on a cage you know wont be used [ei the 20 long for a pet rock you think isnt moving ever] but i dont personaly believe a cage being to big will harm a T [excluding too tall obviously]


Very well said. I keep my T's and scorpions in tanks most might think too large, but I feel are just fine, validated by the fact that the T's still continue to grow and molt. I do have a question for anyone here on the boards willing to answer yet another OBT question. I have a 2" OBT sling coming tomorrow in the post (according to USPS tracking it should be here tomorrow). My question is this: Because they can be so very fast and so very defensive, I'd like to reduce the amount of rehousing I have to put the critter through as well as the amount of adult diapers I might have to go through in the process of said rehousing, lol, SO, does anyone know, or think, the "vents" on the lid of a common large KK will allow for chance of escape? I plan on allowing it to live its natural life out in a 5-10 gal (max) tank, but until that comes next week it will be in the large KK. The vents on the KK look to be no bigger than 1/8" wide, if this helps.


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## mistertim (Dec 30, 2015)

I keep my B. smithi in an enclosure that might be considered by some to be "too large" as well. But she hasn't ever shown signs of stress over it. She generally just keeps to a relatively small part of it. Inside her hide and then she burrowed a bit down and to the side of it. I don't think it is harmful...you'll just have a fair amount of unused real estate. The only pain is with feeding since she might not encounter the prey unless it happens to wander near her hide, but its not a huge deal; I usually just drop the cricket relatively close to her and she pounces. Good thing is I won't really have to worry about re-housing; she'll just grown into it (she is about 2-2.5 inches right now).


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## micheldied (Dec 30, 2015)

kellysaxez said:


> Very well said. I keep my T's and scorpions in tanks most might think too large, but I feel are just fine, validated by the fact that the T's still continue to grow and molt. I do have a question for anyone here on the boards willing to answer yet another OBT question. I have a 2" OBT sling coming tomorrow in the post (according to USPS tracking it should be here tomorrow). My question is this: Because they can be so very fast and so very defensive, I'd like to reduce the amount of rehousing I have to put the critter through as well as the amount of adult diapers I might have to go through in the process of said rehousing, lol, SO, does anyone know, or think, the "vents" on the lid of a common large KK will allow for chance of escape? I plan on allowing it to live its natural life out in a 5-10 gal (max) tank, but until that comes next week it will be in the large KK. The vents on the KK look to be no bigger than 1/8" wide, if this helps.


Depending on which brand of KK you're talking about, you should be fine. It's usually the flimsy crappy lids that cause problems. Of the cheaper brands where Ts can squeeze through between the top and the tank (side of the lid).


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## cold blood (Dec 30, 2015)

Its easier on the keeper to have smaller enclosures....and with bad eaters (generally slings) it also makes things easier....but with many species I agree, the t won't have issues with more room.   I'd rather see someone consistently using enclosures too large than too small any day.

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## cold blood (Dec 30, 2015)

Kelly, I'd give it at least another molt...2.5" is my personal KK size limit, honestly I try to make sure they're 3".  I used to say 2", but I now just think 3" is a safer size, especially with an OBT....they can be slender.

Plus you never know, the seller could easily over or under-estimate the size, as we all tend to measure a little different, giving a little leeway with the sizing thing I think there is an acceptable margin of error when it comes to sizing)....you could open the box and see something closer to 3" and be fine with the KK....this is one of the reasons I always suggest having multiple enclosures ready to go when receiving a new t.

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## Bugmom (Dec 30, 2015)

Nothing smaller than 1.5" goes in a KK at my house. Rule of thumb I believe is that if the opening is as wide or wider than the cephelathorax, the T can escape.

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## kellysaxez (Dec 30, 2015)

cold blood said:


> Kelly, I'd give it at least another molt...2.5" is my personal KK size limit, honestly I try to make sure they're 3".  I used to say 2", but I now just think 3" is a safer size, especially with an OBT....they can be slender.
> 
> Plus you never know, the seller could easily over or under-estimate the size, as we all tend to measure a little different, giving a little leeway with the sizing thing I think there is an acceptable margin of error when it comes to sizing)....you could open the box and see something closer to 3" and be fine with the KK....this is one of the reasons I always suggest having multiple enclosures ready to go when receiving a new t.


Thank you kindly for your advice, I have multiple enclosures available, and am trying to avoid having to rehouse it and thus stress both the T and me out, but, after about 3 3.5" it's going in it's life tank anyway


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## kellysaxez (Dec 30, 2015)

Bugmom said:


> Nothing smaller than 1.5" goes in a KK at my house. Rule of thumb I believe is that if the opening is as wide or wider than the cephelathorax, the T can escape.


I was wondering if there was a rule of thumb for T's, and hoping to hear of one, so I thank you sincerely for this.


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## pyro fiend (Dec 31, 2015)

kellysaxez said:


> I was wondering if there was a rule of thumb for T's, and hoping to hear of one, so I thank you sincerely for this.


i use similar rules [tho i refuse to use KK now as i found a sterilite i love so i use it more with holes] if the slats are as wide as the _cephalothorax_[or carapas whichever suits you more] is 'tall' , forget about it.. Ts shells may be "hard" but its soft enough it can squeeze a little bit and it may try, iv seen pics of a T stuck halfway through a slot, and there used to be a sped up time laps of a ~2.5" T squeezing through a KK lid [idr what was called if i find it ill post it] and sense then iv only used a KK for MM shark tanks and transport of trades [and its usually packed like its being shipped and put inside the kk fulled with a shirt or towel, and i only use the kk so it doesnt slide all around and end up flying around my floorboard] because i have met at a neutral place with a friend to pick up purchases and trades, only to find they had it in the KK and nearly killed the T [ofcourse youl hopefully not be using the kk in your car lol]

but thats just my $0.02 on those, but i do keep them in my arsenal for other things [roaches, cricks, transfers, geckos who dont want so stay on my shoulder when cleaning lol] just after seeing the stuck ones and knowing they can break the vent slats if they want.. i personaly dont want to chance it

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## kellysaxez (Dec 31, 2015)

pyro fiend said:


> i use similar rules [tho i refuse to use KK now as i found a sterilite i love so i use it more with holes] if the slats are as wide as the _cephalothorax_[or carapas whichever suits you more] is 'tall' , forget about it.. Ts shells may be "hard" but its soft enough it can squeeze a little bit and it may try, iv seen pics of a T stuck halfway through a slot, and there used to be a sped up time laps of a ~2.5" T squeezing through a KK lid [idr what was called if i find it ill post it] and sense then iv only used a KK for MM shark tanks and transport of trades [and its usually packed like its being shipped and put inside the kk fulled with a shirt or towel, and i only use the kk so it doesnt slide all around and end up flying around my floorboard] because i have met at a neutral place with a friend to pick up purchases and trades, only to find they had it in the KK and nearly killed the T [ofcourse youl hopefully not be using the kk in your car lol]
> 
> but thats just my $0.02 on those, but i do keep them in my arsenal for other things [roaches, cricks, transfers, geckos who dont want so stay on my shoulder when cleaning lol] just after seeing the stuck ones and knowing they can break the vent slats if they want.. i personaly dont want to chance it


Thank you for your reply. There is much to consider most certainly. I will, of course, know more and be better able to gauge the situation when I actually see her or him this afternoon. I will keep the boards posted.


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