# Now I need a tarantula....



## bowyorang (Jun 2, 2012)

Got my cage all fixed up with vent and a little hidey hole. Got my coconut fibers drying after having to hydrate them, and they should be done tomorrow. still have to find something for water and some kind of small rock or decoration of some kind....
The dimension are 8 3/4x 6x 6 1/4. Should work for a 1.5" B. smithi?


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## Tweak (Jun 2, 2012)

Don't offer a sling that small a water dish. Your just risking drowning and it'll get sufficient hydration from its prey. It's probably gonna be too big for it. Slings are at less of a risk from a fall but even still it's not worth it. Besides its gonna have issues finding prey


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## bowyorang (Jun 2, 2012)

Tweak said:


> Don't offer a sling that small a water dish. Your just risking drowning and it'll get sufficient hydration from its prey. It's probably gonna be too big for it. Slings are at less of a risk from a fall but even still it's not worth it. Besides its gonna have issues finding prey


Thanks, should I half the size? Maybe put a partition in it? At what size should I offer a water dish?


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## poisoned (Jun 3, 2012)

You can offer small bottle cup (diameter should be smaller than legspan)


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## Nikki1984 (Jun 3, 2012)

What a great idea! 

 In my opinion the size of your tank is on the large side of things. However. I have had some of mine in cages' too large' for them and as long as they establish a den area finding prey was never an issue with mine. I also stunned 
prey with some of my less aggressive feeders just so I could be sure they got it and save time, since feeding time at my house can take a bit.

I currently have my 1.5" B. emilia in a 6"L x 6"W x 7"H container and she has no issues. She just 'sits' outside her hide and snatches food when it comes near.


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## Tweak (Jun 3, 2012)

bowyorang said:


> Thanks, should I half the size? Maybe put a partition in it? At what size should I offer a water dish?


That's an option but you'd have to be really careful how you go about it. The safest way to partition it would be to also slice the lid. Do a search and read some of the horror stories about partitioned enclosures gone wrong. However it's very possible to do it. I usually don't offer a water dish until about the 2.5" mark but that's just me


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## Cuda1973 (Jun 18, 2012)

Tweak said:


> Don't offer a sling that small a water dish. Your just risking drowning and it'll get sufficient hydration from its prey. It's probably gonna be too big for it. Slings are at less of a risk from a fall but even still it's not worth it. Besides its gonna have issues finding prey


I agree with this for sure, I actually gave my slings a "water dish" when they were small. Well all but my GBB, just misting the side of the enclosure occasionally. I used the end of an eye dropper. You can buy them at Wal-Mart or any place like that so they havent been used with anything. Just cut the round rubber end off, flip over, and viola.... a safe tiny water dish that hold about 2 drops to fill with water. Obviously I only used it when the leg span of the sling could reach all the way across the diameter of it.


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## Stan Schultz (Jun 18, 2012)

bowyorang said:


> Got my cage all fixed up with vent and a little hidey hole. Got my coconut fibers drying after having to hydrate them, and they should be done tomorrow. still have to find something for water and some kind of small rock or decoration of some kind....
> The dimension are 8 3/4x 6x 6 1/4. Should work for a 1.5" B. smithi? ...


It will work, but it's way overkill! Since it's still a "wee young un" it's going to outgrow the fancy cage several times over. For anything less than about full grown a Kritter Keeper:


(_Grammostola rosea_, the Chilean rose tarantula. Click the thumbnail for a larger image. The alien figurine is optional. Thanks to Patrick Mumford of the ATS for the use of his setup.)

..or, a plastic shoe box:


(_Brachypelma vagans_, Mexican redrump tarantula, male.)

... would have been a lot more practical. Certainly less trouble and expense. (And yes, I'm being a grouchy, old curmudgeon again! )

Still, it's your spider, and your time and money. It *DOES* look great and will make a nice addition to your burgeoning collection. You are getting more tarantulas, no?

_Has no one told you?_

[size=+2]*THE TARANTULA KEEPER'S LAMENT*

*Like those potato chips,

you can't have just one!*[/size]



*You've been warned!*​

Enjoy your newfound, little, 8-legged, addiction! 

---------- Post added 06-18-2012 at 11:34 AM ----------




Tweak said:


> Don't offer a sling that small a water dish. Your just risking drowning and it'll get sufficient hydration from its prey. ...


I beg to differ.

The OP stated, "Should work for a 1.5" B. smithi?" Baby tarantulas, probably less than 4th or 5th instar, have not yet developed the wax layer in the epicuticle, and therefore their body surfaces may become wet on contact to water, and in theory they can drown. However, because they're so small and fragile we keep them in small containers like pill bottles and such:


(Click the thumbnail for a larger image.)

... on damp substrate. Not only is a water dish not needed, but there's no room for one at that stage.

However, by the time a tarantula has grown to a DLS of 1.5" (3.8 cm) it's well beyond that stage, getting ready to be acclimatized to its adult care regimen. They developed the wax layer a long time ago and now can be wet only with great difficulty. If they fall into a water dish they float like corks! Of all the not-so-clever ways that enthusiasts have discovered for killing their tarantulas (e.g., dropping them, flea powdering them, letting the cat eat them) the one technique that you never see reported on these forums is drowning in the water dish.



Tweak said:


> ... It's [the cage?] probably gonna be too big for it. Slings are at less of a risk from a fall but even still it's not worth it.


Agree. (My insert.)



Tweak said:


> Besides its gonna have issues finding prey


A young one like this is going to be agile enough to chase down almost anything. A parallel situation is comparing me (age 68, and 235 pounds - 107 Kg) and my 17 year old grandson chasing baseballs. *NOT!* When the _smithi_ reaches a DLS of 6" (15 cm) we may need to revisit this discussion, however. (Puff, puff, wheeze! Where'd that *!#$%^!* ball go, anyway? Oh, no! Way out there?  )

Enjoy your little, 8-legged Olympian!


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## Tweak (Jun 18, 2012)

Pikaia said:


> However, by the time a tarantula has grown to a DLS of 1.5" (3.8 cm) it's well beyond that stage, getting ready to be acclimatized to its adult care regimen. They developed the wax layer a long time ago and now can be wet only with great difficulty. If they fall into a water dish they float like corks! Of all the not-so-clever ways that enthusiasts have discovered for killing their tarantulas (e.g., dropping them, flea powdering them, letting the cat eat them) the one technique that you never see reported on these forums is drowning in the water dish.
> 
> 
> 
> A young one like this is going to be agile enough to chase down almost anything. A parallel situation is comparing me (age 68, and 235 pounds - 107 Kg) and my 17 year old grandson chasing baseballs. *NOT!* When the _smithi_ reaches a DLS of 6" (15 cm) we may need to revisit this discussion, however. (Puff, puff, wheeze! Where'd that *!#$%^!* ball go, anyway? Oh, no! Way out there?  )


While I don't, by any means, wish to argue with you and I have immense respect I would like to clarify I few things that I said.

While I didn't know about the wax coating I always hold off on giving water dishes to specimen under 2" I always thought there was a drowning risk but you learn something new everyday! Still though I find it unnecessary to provide one at that size.

Secondly, when I say finding the prey what I meant was in an oversized enclosure, the sling may not be aware there is prey wandering around inside. I have first hand experience of this with two of my slings that I originally put in oversized enclosures. 

But again thanks for all your work in this hobby


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