# Nhandu chromatus (Beginner)



## Roy1982 (Sep 30, 2016)

So I was thinking of getting a Nhandu chromatus (Brazilian White Striped Birdeater)

The seller says it's 1"+, so I was reading on here, to keep it in a 32oz. deli cup, which I can get 24 of them from Amazon Prime.

I'm also familar with the container store, and other places to get containers.

Did a little research, and found some care sheets.
Temperature : 78°F - 82°F Day, 68-72°F Night
Humidity : 70-80% Most of the year, 60% Dry Season.
Feeding : Crickets 2-4 times a week.

Does that sound right? What other feeders do you recommend? If not crickets.

My main concern.. How do I heat the enclosure?
Do I use ceramic IR heating bulbs, or heating mat?

Also, in order to keep the tempature, I would probably use a thermostat.

It get's cold up here, and with winter right around the corner, it seems I might have to look into learning how to keep the tempature reasonable.


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## johnny quango (Sep 30, 2016)

Roy1982 said:


> So I was thinking of getting a Nhandu chromatus (Brazilian White Striped Birdeater)
> 
> The seller says it's 1"+, so I was reading on here, to keep it in a 32oz. deli cup, which I can get 24 of them from Amazon Prime.
> 
> ...


 Hey Roy it's good to see someone doing research before a purchase. Now the important stuff firstly for the most part online care sheets aren't really worth the time it's taken to write them,
Most other members on here use the " t-shirt" rule of thumb wherein if you are comfortable in the tarantula room wearing just a t- shirt then the tarantula will be fine if you do need to raise the temperature use a space heater of some kind to gently heat the room it's better for the tarantula I wouldn't ever recommend using an heat mat or lamp as the tarantula will migrate to the heat source causing at best dehydration but most probably will kill the tarantula.
As for feeding Nhandu have a great appetite and as a sling feed them as much as it will eat as it will slow with age. Imo the best feeders to use are crickets to start with but you can also use waxworm,mealworm,locust,roaches or when your tarantula is larger use superworms.
I personally haven't kept the species you're looking at getting although I have kept Nhandu coloratovilosus in the past so for the humidity I just kept a full waterdish and on occasion dampened part of the substrate and she did just fine.
Despite the size of sling you should still provide a waterdish it won't drown and it makes it easier as for the waterdish itself just use a bottle cap. I hope this helps but as I've said I haven't kept this species so this is just based around general tarantula keeping and someone with experience of this particular species may help more

Reactions: Agree 4


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## WeightedAbyss75 (Sep 30, 2016)

Yeah, don't freak out about the temperature. As long as your house doesn't get 60 or below, I believe a Nhandu will do alright. As for feeding, at that size they could eat every day, just depends on your feeder avalibility and the T itself. I was also looking at that species, but a word of caution. The hairs they can kick have a nasty effect on some, and they can be quite skittish. I have never owned them, but that is the general consensus I see about them. They are great though, your cage sounds fine for that size. @johnny quango haa just about everything under the sun care-wise  Hope I helped.


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## YagerManJennsen (Sep 30, 2016)

Roy1982 said:


> So I was thinking of getting a Nhandu chromatus (Brazilian White Striped Birdeater)
> 
> The seller says it's 1"+, so I was reading on here, to keep it in a 32oz. deli cup, which I can get 24 of them from Amazon Prime.
> 
> ...


If you are brand new to Tarantula keeping (which appears to be the case) then a Nhandu species might not be the best o start with, It could work if you are careful and mindful of the hairs but there are better options out there that are not as skittish and easier to grasp (not literally) for an absolute beginner.


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## Andrea82 (Sep 30, 2016)

Anything saying you should keep a tarantula between x and y humidity is garbage. 
In the US, it is advised/customary to use a space heater to raise the ambient temperature. Here in Europe there are more people using a heat mat or (like myself), a heat cable, because of the insane eletricity prices. 
I think you would be better off with a space heater. Mats and cables can work, but require a bit of fine tuning and carefulness. 
Personally, i would not choose a Nhandu species as a first. Euathlus sp Red are great beginners, as are almost anything from the Brachypelma genus. If you want something with a bit more sass, B.vagans could be good. 
From what I've read, Nhandu can be very skittish, flick hair rather quickly, and can go from nice and tolerant to slapping threathposing little devils in a few seconds. 
Tip for getting good info real quick: enter 'Nhandu care Arachnoboards' in Google search. It comes up with a lot of great info on here.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## DeanK (Sep 30, 2016)

Space heaters are the way to go for winter. I will also say to make sure you give lots of deep, damp(not soggy) substrate, my chromatus dug to the bottom of it's enclosure immediately and is only seen at night when it comes up to play with it's water dish

Reactions: Agree 1


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## viper69 (Sep 30, 2016)

Andrea82 said:


> Here in Europe there are more people using a heat mat or (like myself), a heat cable, because of the insane eletricity prices.


Interesting, wasn't aware the Euro's were heating differently. How are you using the above? I've seen heat mat or Flexwatt used in a cabinet situation for indirect heating of Ts. What are you doing, what else have you seen that is safe?


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## Misty Day (Oct 1, 2016)

YagerManJennsen said:


> If you are brand new to Tarantula keeping (which appears to be the case) then a Nhandu species might not be the best o start with, It could work if you are careful and mindful of the hairs but there are better options out there that are not as skittish and easier to grasp (not literally) for an absolute beginner.


I agree, my female rarely kicks hairs but will not hesitate to throw up a threat posture. That combined with how fast they can be I feel that wouldn't be agreeable with a beginner. 

Buuuut, if OP doesn't plan on handling, then he/she will become more comfortable with the sling as it gets bigger, so it should be fine.


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## Nosiris (Oct 1, 2016)

"Interesting, wasn't aware the Euro's were heating differently." 
The poster wasn't speaking on behalf of all Europeans. I have never used mats, cables, bulbs or any other form of direct heating, and would strongly advise against their use. I don't know of anyone who does use them. General heating of the whole room is always the way to go, where necessary.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Andrea82 (Oct 1, 2016)

@Nosiris 
You are not European anymore 
Just kidding! Of course i wasn't talking on behalf of ALL europeans. 
I was comparing US and Europe, there are more people here using a heatmat/cable than in the US. 
Should have been more clear, my apologies. 
@viper69 
Heatmats are used sticking to the sides, as far up as possible, to avoid burning the spider in the substrate. Cables idem. When the enclosure is standing against a wall, sometimes styrofoam is used to limit the loss of heat. 
These are solutions for people who just keep a few, and don't want to heat the entire room. Because of central heating it is not always possible to just keep one room on higher temps without making it tropical in the rest of the house. 
Another use is to keep several species in one room, and just raise the temps for a few spider, or to be able to keep some cooler, for breeding. I don't know a lot about that, since i have just started keeping two and a half years. 
For myself, i simply wind the cable loosly around the enclosures. 
I think the key is to use a low wattage device, so it will not get as hot. My cable is 38°C in the core, but two cm from it, it is just 27°C. So in the enclosures it is max 25, without any hot spots, and never placed under the enclosures. 
But i know of several people just using a space heater, but these are mostly the people who have a T-room or invert/snake room instead of having just 20 or 30 spiders.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Nosiris (Oct 1, 2016)

@Andrea82
No worries and no apology necessary. I understood what you were saying and was just disagreeing with it.

I should have also added what I DO use for heating: One of those oil-filled free-standing electric radiators. Keeps one room pleasantly warm and is on a thermostat. I don't ever look at a thermometer - if I think it's pleasantly warm in there then I reckon the spiders are ok. 

As for N chromatus, I would say it's a reasonable beginner T. Ok it's going to get comparatively huge and it does have urticating hairs, but mine's never flicked hairs and is pretty mellow even when I'm messing about inside her enclosure. Personality does vary from one individual to another but I've not heard of too many psychotic ones. Positives would include: it's likely to stay out in the open most of the time. It's got striking markings. Great feeding response bordering on the greedy.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Andrea82 (Oct 1, 2016)

I know that type of heating, used to have that in my room when living with my mom. I don't know about the electricity prices in the UK, but i do know the meter for electricity went reeeeeally fast when i turned that heater on. My mom wasn't pleased to say the least


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## Venom1080 (Oct 1, 2016)

dont bother with a dry season, this is captivity, not the wild. never seen a caresheet i agreed with 100% and ive seen plenty that are just trash.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## cold blood (Oct 1, 2016)

Yeah, as long as the op isn't intent on handling, I think chromatus can be a good first t.  They offer a lot of positives, in that they grow fast, hardly ever fast, and you get to watch the colors slowly come in.    Yes, they can be skittish, but as long as they have a hide, that's where they go if they spook, most I've raised are quite calm and just sit there when I open the top.

OP, like others have said, just about all those specifics you threw up there in the original post was care sheet non sense that will do nothing but over complicate your tarantula keeping.

First thing, you do not want a 32 oz deli cup, that's a great place for arboreal slings, but terrestrials are better off in a 16oz deli...same size, half as deep.  Give it a small hide, some moss and a small water dish (water bottle cap) and keep part of the substrate dampened.  As for temps, just keep it above 70, that's it, no need for crazy temps, although it will grow faster is kept a little warmer, but you'll have no issues with 70 at all.   That's it, its that simple.

I've been keeping ts for over 15 years and I have yet to ever once measure humidity in my house or any enclosure...the word humidity serves a simple purpose in this hobby...to confuse people and over-complicate their keeping.  When you hear a t requires high humidity, what they mean is its moisture dependent, so you need to keep the sub, or part of the substrate, damp....when it dries, dampen it again with a simple solution of water

Feeding schedules are not specific either and *widely* varied.   You could feed once a week or 3 times a week, or every 10-14 days, its up to you....the less often you feed, the larger prey items you can offer.

Reactions: Like 2


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## viper69 (Oct 1, 2016)

Roy1982 said:


> Did a little research, and found some care sheets.


Care sheets *KILL* tarantulas.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Chris LXXIX (Oct 1, 2016)

Roy1982 said:


> My main concern.. How do I heat the enclosure?
> Do I use ceramic IR heating bulbs, or heating mat?
> 
> Also, in order to keep the tempature, I would probably use a thermostat.


I used those as well once for heathing my T's, but I was deluded, since that day only Tesla devices, man.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Walker253 (Oct 2, 2016)

Don't worry about heat. If you're comfortable in the room, so are they. As far as an N chromatus, If that's what you want, go for it. I think there are better choices for beginners, but they are ok. Mine has an attitude like a neurotic cat, but I just leave her alone. I've gotten the occasional threat posture, but she just pretty much stays and holds her ground.


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