# Please post pics of your G. pulchra juvenile enclosures.



## WhiteRabbit14 (Jul 22, 2017)

Looking for G. pulchra juvenile enclosure ideas. Thank you.


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## Ungoliant (Jul 22, 2017)

For my terrestrial tarantulas, I use these small Exo Terra Breeding Box (8" x 8" x 5.5"). Features I like:

clear plastic
stackable
feeding hatch
large hatch on top (so I don't have to remove the whole lid to do maintenance)
good ventilation

Below are the enclosures for my two juvenile females.

Bulldozer (3.5")












Enclosure for Juvenile Grammostola pulchra (Bulldozer)



__ Ungoliant
__ Jul 22, 2017
__ 1
__
brazilian black tarantula
bulldozer
enclosure
female
grammostola
grammostola pulchra
juvenile
juvenile female
pulchra




						This is the enclosure for Bulldozer, my juvenile female Grammostola pulchra. The rubber mat and...
					




Flash (2.5" - 3")












Enclosure for Juvenile Grammostola pulchra (Flash)



__ Ungoliant
__ Jul 22, 2017
__
brazilian black tarantula
enclosure
grammostola
grammostola pulchra
pulchra




						This is the enclosure for Flash, my juvenile female Grammostola pulchra. Since Flash is...
					




*Substrate*

In both enclosures, the substrate is a mixture of peat (75%) and coconut fiber (25%). I like the texture of this mixture better than pure peat or pure coconut fiber. Make the bottom layer slightly damp, and pack it down. Then add some dry substrate on top and pack that down. (Tarantulas often don't like standing on loose substrate, and packing it helps make any burrows they dig more stable.)

In order to reduce the risk of injury from falls, the distance from the top of the substrate to the lid should not exceed 1.5 times the tarantula's diagonal leg span (DLS).

*Hides*

One thing I try to consider when decorating is any hard or sharp objects that could increase the risk of injuries from falls. (Bulldozer occasionally climbs onto the walls, sometimes up to the vent holes.) So both my hides and my water dishes are made of a soft material.

The hide is a rubber roof flashing. They are sold in various sizes of stepped cones. You cut off the top until you have the right size for molding around pipes on the roof. What is left -- the top -- makes a safe hide for terrestrial tarantulas. I partly bury the hide -- filling most of the inside -- and let the tarantula excavate. Many other things will work as hides, but cork bark is the most common. (The ideal terrestrial hide should have no bottom, so the tarantula can dig down if it wants.)

*Water Dishes*

The water dish is a silicone treat mold from Michaels, which is about 3" in diameter. If possible, bury it so that the water is roughly flush with the substrate, which makes it easier for the tarantula to drink. (Next time I cut these, I'll leave a bit of the lip to overlap the substrate to help prevent the substrate from wicking water out.)

With hard water dishes, I sometimes worried that if a tarantula fell on the raised edge, too much force would be concentrated on a narrow, rigid area, increasing the risk of injury. However, these are soft, so even if the tarantula fell onto the edge of the dish, it would just bend and absorb the energy of the fall.

*Plants*

I bought plastic and silk vines from Michaels, as they are usually cheaper than similar products sold at pet stores. Be sure to wash any fake plants thoroughly to remove any potentially harmful residue left over from the manufacturing process. (One thing about shopping at Michaels: you're really not meant to go in there without a coupon. You can print coupons from the Web site before going into the store.)

For _Grammostola pulchra_, plants are just for aesthetics. (They don't need anchor points for webbing.) I normally just put some plant on the side to add a touch of green. Before adding any substrate, I secure them to the bottom of the enclosure with a bit of tape. (Be sure there are no exposed sticky edges for the tarantula to encounter.)

However, since Flash is exceptionally reclusive, I thought it might make her feel more secure if I added some "shade" elements in the form of overhanging plants. It looks nice, but in hindsight, I would not put them so close to the water dish or hide, as it makes maintenance more intrusive. (I have to hold the plant out of the way when removing or replacing the water dish.)

Finally, the big leaf on the ground is just to add a different texture option, as Dozer seems to like sitting on it. The same goes for the little rubber mat.

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## WhiteRabbit14 (Jul 23, 2017)

Ungoliant said:


> For my terrestrial tarantulas, I use these small Exo Terra Breeding Box (8" x 8" x 5.5"). Features I like:
> 
> clear plastic
> stackable
> ...


Very nice little abodes!! I many inches deep is the substrate?


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## Ungoliant (Jul 24, 2017)

WhiteRabbit14 said:


> I many inches deep is the substrate?


They've gotten bigger (and don't burrow), so the substrate is only about 1.5" deep -- they don't have much room to fall (compared to their legspan).

You can add more if you want, although a shallow enclosure gives you less of a margin of error if a tarantula decides to bolt. (Pulchras are normally pretty easygoing, so this should not be an issue.) They just need about 0.75-1x their DLS in vertical space.


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