It's the size of a nickel. I got it from a reputable reptile store, that's not been wrong before, but I'm worried now. They said it just molted a few days ago. If I do keep it, I want to give it good correct care. Like if it's a new or old world too.
Thank you for all the info. I feel a little better knowing more about the care. I had the lid open for quite a bit when feeding it before realizing all of this. Thinking NT. Not being an OT. And it being an environment made for a Grammostola Pulchra.
You should mention it to the shop and see if they can look through their purchase records to figure out exactly what it is. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for shops to switch labels when they unpack a shipment, but they should be able to at least make an educated guess based on their records.
Thank you for all the info. I feel a little better knowing more about the care. I had the lid open for quite a bit when feeding it before realizing all of this. Thinking NT. Not being an OT. And it being an environment made for a Grammostola Pulchra.
The nice thing about fossorial T's is they like to just slump down into their burrow so escape risk is pretty low. That being said never drop your guard it is all about being prepared for what ifs. When I'm maintaining I always do a few things to reduce how much I am disturbing my spiders, I'll throw some general tips in as well.
1 - get your water, catch cup, feeder, tongs, and all your maintenance stuff ready before opening the enclosure. Keep it within arm's reach at all times.
2 - for slings, but works any size, prekill prey by crushing the head. Small crickets and mealworms work excellent for slings. As they grow you can feed live crickets no larger than 0.75x the spiders main body, cephalothorax and abdomen, unless prekilled. Oh and always prekill worms, never let them burrow.
3 - make note of your spiders location before opening the enclosure, if your spider is sitting right on the lid and does not move, check on them again later.
4 - if your T isn't hungry you can leave prekilled prey for about a day but you should remove after that or things will get funky fast.
5 - important to always keep 1 or 2 full water dishes full as they are moisture dependant unlike a lot of NW terrestrials, when watering get a solid portion of substrate wet w/ syringe or careful pouring along tongs. You'll know it's right if the water starts moving towards the bottom layers of sub, creating a gradient of moisture.
6 - NEVER HANDLE, OWs especially, even with NWTs it is very risky for the spider. Very exceptional circumstances barred.
7 - whenever I start getting OW attitude I calmly place the lid over top of the enclosure just to cover any potential escape routes, putting something like tongs on top helps if they are a strong spider. With sliding doors I take a piece of cardboard and cover the open areas as I slowly close the sliding door, always support the cardboard either yourself or with something, make sure it is flush and there are no escape gaps.
8 - it is easier, for me IMO, to tell when these T's are going into premolt because they will completely disappear into their burrow for a solid period of time. Then they emerge to stretch out and harden up. Time between molting and feeding is variable depending on size, the rule is if the fangs are black and they are showing hunting behaviour, they are out and exploring. Then it is time to get them fed. Usually 1-2 weeks but always confirm or you risk injuring your T.
Apologies for the wall of text. I'd try and confirm the genus and species by contacting the vendor you got them from as NMT mentioned. Keep searching the forums for info and you will have one happy hidey hole, tarantula lol. Best of luck to you and your spiders.
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