# Beginner - Gifted a Avicularia avicularia



## rheafritz (Apr 4, 2018)

So my mom came home with a little pink toed tarantula today for my 3 year old daughter. It's about the size of a half dollar. She loves insects and anything creepy and she's already infatuated with it, so I don't want to tell my mom she has to take it back. I know not to just find a care sheet online and do as it says, as they are usually way wrong. I've owned reptiles and rodents and basically everything but a tarantula. He came with a little 5 gallon tank with a screen lid, a shallow water dish and that's about it. I know I need to go get it some stuff to climb on, as it's a climber but I really want to make sure I do this right. What all do I need for the little thing? And what would make a proper enclosure, if the glass tank isn't okay? I'd love to see some photos of other people's set ups to give me some ideas so I can make sure I give it what it needs! I live in Michigan, so it's pretty cold still and we keep our house cool, so I know it needs a heat source for sure. I've attatched some photos of it's pitiful set up. Mind you, I haven't changed it from what it came with at all.


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## Ungoliant (Apr 4, 2018)

rheafritz said:


> He came with a little 5 gallon tank with a screen lid, a shallow water dish and that's about it. I know I need to go get it some stuff to climb on, as it's a climber but I really want to make sure I do this right. What all do I need for the little thing? And what would make a proper enclosure, if the glass tank isn't okay?


Welcome!  Positive experiences with inverts are great for kids.  These are wonderful, fascinating animals that are too often feared or reviled.

These two threads contain helpful information:

Avicularia Husbandry by viper69
Avicularia care by Venom1080

Generally, what you want is a vertical enclosure that has a vertical slab of cork (for climbing/hunting) and lots of leafy clutter in the top half of the cage for the Avic to use as cover and anchor points for webbing.  I'd leave the bottom clutter-free, as it just provides hiding places for feeder insects.

Do not use heat lamps.  They will desiccate your tarantula.  (They don't need light either.  I would not leave a constant light on in the enclosure.  Just turn it on when you want to observe.)

Don't worry about humidity.  (Don't even measure it.)  Keep the substrate dry and provide lots of ventilation.  (Moist, stuffy enclosures are the most common reason Avics die in captivity.)

Try to avoid screen lids, as a tarantula can get her tarsal (foot) claws stuck in the mesh and may amputate a limb and/or fall in the attempt to free herself.

Tarantulas are more like fish than hamsters: pets you observe but not handle.  I would particularly not recommend handling this species.  It's not aggressive or likely to bite, but it is skittish and is prone to leaping away when afraid.  In the rainforest, they'd have leaves or branches to break their falls, but in your home, they may fall several feet to a hard floor, which could be fatal.  (It also makes escapes more likely.)




rheafritz said:


> I'd love to see some photos of other people's set ups to give me some ideas so I can make sure I give it what it needs!


My setup is unconventional (in that the cork is not vertical, and it's a tube instead of a slab, but it works pretty well for my tarantula.
  

There are more conventional setups in the threads I linked above.

If you have any other questions after reading those threads and this post, feel free to reply here.

Reactions: Agree 5


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## Marvinxox (Apr 4, 2018)

If you find a way to flip the tank on it´s side so that it´s a tall one, you could keep using this tank.
But you might want to include a backwall and some plants to keep some humidity and to give it anchoring points for its webbing.
If your daughter wants to see her pet (which I assume she will), you might want to silicone a piece of a cork-flat vertically on a glass-side with about 2-3 inches to the backround. The T will propably decide to web there and build itself a home, but through the glass you will still be able to see the spider when it decides to hide back there.

If you want to include plants, pothos might be a good choice as it grows in basically any environment and it offers some structure for the tarantula to crawl around in and to use for it´s webbing.

And here are some videos that might help in inspirating your enclosure:

















And this playlist contains some good basic informations about tarantulas:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-n-MpsP9M1J-et1KU2wCISVjVAV6pQ7C
(Also the channel is quite recommendable, if you both are interested into inverts.)

I wish your daughter, you and your new pet the best!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ungoliant (Apr 4, 2018)

Marvinxox said:


> But you might want to include a backwall and some plants to keep some humidity and to give it anchoring points for its webbing.


FYI, Live plants are generally a more advanced option, not something I'd recommend for beginners.  It is difficult to create conditions that are good for both plants and tarantulas.  Additionally, adding humidity to an Avic enclosure is treacherous unless there is ample ventilation.  (Plants give off a lot of humidity.)

Fake plants are a lot easier to deal with.  They don't die.  They don't need water.  They don't give off humidity.  They don't need sunlight that would overheat your enclosure due to the greenhouse effect.




Marvinxox said:


> If your daughter wants to see her pet (which I assume she will), you might want to silicone a piece of a cork-flat vertically on a glass-side with about 2-3 inches to the backround. The T will propably decide to web there and build itself a home, but through the glass you will still be able to see the spider when it decides to hide back there.


I glued the cork onto the glass _once_.  It made feeding and maintenance a pain in the butt.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Marvinxox (Apr 4, 2018)

Ungoliant said:


> FYI, Live plants are generally a more advanced option, not something I'd recommend for beginners. It is difficult to create conditions that are good for both plants and tarantulas. Additionally, adding humidity to an Avic enclosure is treacherous unless there is ample ventilation. (Plants give off a lot of humidity.)
> 
> Fake plants are a lot easier to deal with. They don't die. They don't need water. They don't give off humidity. They don't need sunlight that would overheat your enclosure due to the greenhouse effect.


Thats why I recommended the pothos. It can live quite good without strong light (mine has a chead ikea-led as a light source and it´s doing great) and it doesn´t need much water, thus giving not much humidity. So it isn´t too problematic as a plant. But if one doesn´t want to keep plants at all, then fake plants can also be used. I personally just prefer the natural feeling a live plant brings into any terrarium.




Ungoliant said:


> I glued the cork onto the glass _once_. It made feeding and maintenance a pain in the butt.


Oh, then thats propably something to avoid. Didn´t know that.


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## AnimalNewbie (Apr 4, 2018)

1st off it doesn’t need that much substrate it’s arboreal and your right about getting some sticks for it to climb on. Their kept dry with a lot of ventilation despite what caresheets say they die a lot because of humid conditions, and they often get stuck in the screen lids so a lot of the people on the board would reccomend switching it to plexiglass as a top and drilling holes into it. Also remove the heat lamp, and just put it in a warm part of the house. Most Ts don’t climb, just in case u didn’t know.


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## rheafritz (Apr 4, 2018)

Our pet stores are pretty crappy and obnoxiously exspensive, so I got what I could for now. Our house  pretty cold everywhere, so I will order a heat mat online so I can get rid of the heat lamp. Will the heat lamp cause any damage over the next few days before the heat mat gets here? There really isn't any very warms in out house, at least none like the temperature it needs lol. I got it a large piece of bark and leaves to climb on and moss for the bottom, it's about an inch thick. There is a little shallow dish for water as well. Once I find a way to secure the lid well, I can flip it on it's side and set it back up that way. It's a pretty active little spider, since I put the stuff inside it's been climbing all over it. I also got it some small crickets to eat. Anything else it can eat at this size? How often should I be offering the crickets? My daughter is in love with it and is already begging me to let it watch cartoons with her! I'm terrified I'm gonna kill it then she'll be mad at me forever


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## AnimalNewbie (Apr 4, 2018)

rheafritz said:


> Our pet stores are pretty crappy and obnoxiously exspensive, so I got what I could for now. Our house  pretty cold everywhere, so I will order a heat mat online so I can get rid of the heat lamp. Will the heat lamp cause any damage over the next few days before the heat mat gets here? There really isn't any very warms in out house, at least none like the temperature it needs lol. I got it a large piece of bark and leaves to climb on and moss for the bottom, it's about an inch thick. There is a little shallow dish for water as well. Once I find a way to secure the lid well, I can flip it on it's side and set it back up that way. It's a pretty active little spider, since I put the stuff inside it's been climbing all over it. I also got it some small crickets to eat. Anything else it can eat at this size? How often should I be offering the crickets? My daughter is in love with it and is already begging me to let it watch cartoons with her! I'm terrified I'm gonna kill it then she'll be mad at me forever


Just remember keeps it dry and if u get a heat mat put it on the side and at that stage they can eat dubia and mealworms or super worms maybe. Don’t let your daughter hold it it’ll just jump into the the abyss of your floor and go splat.


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## rheafritz (Apr 4, 2018)

AnimalNewbie said:


> Just remember keeps it dry and if u get a heat mat put it on the side and at that stage they can eat dubia and mealworms or super worms maybe. Don’t let your daughter hold it it’ll just jump into the the abyss of your floor and go splat.


Put the heat mat on the end/side of the tank, rather than the bottom? I got some mealworms per advice from an employee, so glad those will be okay! I cam get roaches on special order through the pet store, so that's good to know too. And I'm definitely not letting her hold it, she's only 3.5 and gets a little too excited still lol.


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## AnimalNewbie (Apr 4, 2018)

rheafritz said:


> Put the heat mat on the end/side of the tank, rather than the bottom? I got some mealworms per advice from an employee, so glad those will be okay! I cam get roaches on special order through the pet store, so that's good to know too. And I'm definitely not letting her hold it, she's only 3.5 and gets a little too excited still lol.


Yeah it’s great to hear that my advice was helpful! Though you have to put it on the side or maybe just don’t get one because they’ll literally cook if it’s on the bottom


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## rheafritz (Apr 4, 2018)

AnimalNewbie said:


> Yeah it’s great to hear that my advice was helpful! Though you have to put it on the side or maybe just don’t get one because they’ll literally cook if it’s on the bottom


We keep our house around 65° F, so I figure it'd be best to have one. I will get a small one and put it on the small side of the tank.


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## boina (Apr 4, 2018)

Get rid of the moss - the tarantula can't properly walk on it and it makes it difficult for her to get to the water bowl. Tarantulas absolutely hate soft and moving ground. And I really hope that moss is dry - if it is wet you are on the best way to kill your tarantula. Get some top soil or coco fiber substrate and Keep It Dry.

*Avicularias survive in DRY conditions*. They die fast in a humid, stuffy enclosure. They are also sensitive to dessication caused by heat appliances, though. That means your heat lamp is really not a good choice, not even for a short while. The problem with this species is that they have a very narrow range of husbandry requirements and if you get it wrong they will die without much warning. Honestly - so far it's not looking too good for your Avic.

Please, please, please read the links @Ungoliant provided. 

The vids @Marvinxox provided are only for very advanced keepers. Don't try that - it's bound to go wrong. (And the Avic with Betta terrarium is absolutely idiotic and I'd bet good money that the Avic did not survive that for long.)

Further: No, a heat mat on the bottom will not cook an arboreal (only a terrestrial) - it will just not provide much warmth since it is isolated by the substrate and your tarantula should never be on the bottom at all. If you really must use a heat mat - Avics do fine at usual room temps - put it at the side and definitely use a thermostat! If it gets just a little bit too hot your tarantula will dessicate fast.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Marvinxox (Apr 4, 2018)

boina said:


> ...
> 
> The vids @Marvinxox provided are only for very advanced keepers. Don't try that - it's bound to go wrong. (And the Avic with Betta terrarium is absolutely idiotic and I'd bet good money that the Avic did not survive that for long.)
> 
> ...


They were meant just as an inpiration for her own enclosure design. As she stated that she already owned reptiles, I assumed that she knows a bit about terraristics and therefore could also care for a tarantula in a setup, thats a bit more on the naturalistic side with a plant inside.
(I´m not fully sure about that. There are videos of Avicularia sp. swimming in nature, so the water might not be too much of a problem for them. The humidity and the risk of the Betta taking a bite if she comes to close to him could be problematic tho...)


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## ahimoto (Apr 5, 2018)

wow ... this enclosure to big for this small beats you really got  good links. read it. if space will be twice smaller ( maybe even more) you will get much more pleasure to watch this spider. Avic is a tree tarantula , they do lot of webings. and they really like to hide. they are not a best eaters and i agree ...it is not best tarantulas for first time  but so beautifullll  good luck. spend some time or reading and you will be fine


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## AnimalNewbie (Apr 5, 2018)

rheafritz said:


> Our pet stores are pretty crappy and obnoxiously exspensive, so I got what I could for now. Our house  pretty cold everywhere, so I will order a heat mat online so I can get rid of the heat lamp. Will the heat lamp cause any damage over the next few days before the heat mat gets here? There really isn't any very warms in out house, at least none like the temperature it needs lol. I got it a large piece of bark and leaves to climb on and moss for the bottom, it's about an inch thick. There is a little shallow dish for water as well. Once I find a way to secure the lid well, I can flip it on it's side and set it back up that way. It's a pretty active little spider, since I put the stuff inside it's been climbing all over it. I also got it some small crickets to eat. Anything else it can eat at this size? How often should I be offering the crickets? My daughter is in love with it and is already begging me to let it watch cartoons with her! I'm terrified I'm gonna kill it then she'll be mad at me forever


If you still have the moss and it’s wet take it out ASAP.


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## viper69 (Apr 7, 2018)

I've raised a lot of Avics. There's good advice here on this thread generally, and some parrotting by new people I think.



AnimalNewbie said:


> they die a lot because of humid conditions


This is factually not true. They don't die of humid conditions. They die in containers that don't have proper ventilation. For some reason beyond my comprehension, people seem to forget that Avics may be found in S. America, in jungles known as rain forests. These are some of the most humid places on the planet. However, they thrive there, so humidity itself doesn't kill Avics.



rheafritz said:


> Will the heat lamp cause any damage over the next few days before the heat mat gets here?


Not a smart idea at all.



rheafritz said:


> There really isn't any very warms in out house, at least none like the temperature it needs lol


Tarantulas may not be the pet for you. 65 is too cold, esp for a species that lives in a tropical jungle. You need at least 72-75F. Even 70F slows down their metabolism considerably.



rheafritz said:


> moss for the bottom


The moss you have looks like the type that is dyed. I'd remove it if so.



rheafritz said:


> Put the heat mat on the end/side of the tank, rather than the bottom?


Yes if necessary. These are not reptiles.



boina said:


> They die fast in a humid


Not exactly, it's lack of ventilation- see above my first reply in this post.

Reactions: Agree 4


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## AnimalNewbie (Apr 19, 2018)

Any updates???


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