46-60F climate:which Ts to have and not to have

[migueljaime]

Hope you guys could help out on to what T's I would preferably buy which are conducive with our climate (50 not 46 - 60F) and I don't want the hassle of lighting and heating.

I just lost a fimbriatus sling. around 5cm DLS which came from a 86F climate.

Thanks!

 

[Londoner]

Hello there. Tarantulas are tough little buggers but I wouldn't keep them at those temps for extended periods of time. Lower temps will make them sluggish and slow their metabolisms (causing possible problems with prey digestion).

I think Ts from more arid climates can cope with lower temps better than the tropical species, but only in small bursts. If you don't want to use lights or pads, then just use something like a space heater to heat the area around the enclosures or turn the household heating up in the room you will be keeping them in.

As you've discovered, sadly slings are much more sensitive to temperature and humidity fluctuations than older Ts, but I wouldn't keep a T in those temps without some sort of heat source.

 

[Merfolk]

Grammostola, some Aphonopelma and Haplocosmia can stand very low. Any species from a mountaneous area I think. But if you heat your house a little bit during colder times, it should be OK.

Personnaly I would have a hard time living in those temp as a human being!!! I have shivers visualizing myself out of the sower in a house under 50°F

 

[gvfarns]

Do you seriously let your house get down to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, or do you keep your T's in an unheated garage? I would not let any T spend any significant time in temperatures in the 40s. That's, like, refrigerator-land, If you can't change the circumstances of your home, you might have to knuckle down and get a red lamp.

And a freaking blanket.

 

[migueljaime]

I'm living in a third world country where room heaters are not common and our climate (only in our city) here is whole year round thing. much colder from december - february (48-50F)

I've read through the forum that megaphobema's are more adapted to colder climates, so I'm really getting one. what other species are adapted to it without loosing their metabolism. I've read of the species country of origin but never encountered if it's from the mountainous area or the flat and dry lands.

Thanks once again!

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I would never keep any tarantula below 65F under any circumstances ever. For a night if the power went out, maybe, but I just would personally not risk anything colder or longer than that.

There are a few people who've had some species do fine during a cold winter, but I can't recall which species and won't try to guess. I'm also not certain any tarantula, even the ones that can handle cold winters, could do it all year round.

 

[AzJohn]

Aphonopelma behlei, these guys live at or above 7000ft. A good part of the year there borrows are under snow.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Aphonopelma behlei, these guys live at or above 7000ft. A good part of the year there borrows are under snow.

Are they able to remain active during this time, though, or do they shut down and wait for things to thaw?

 

[AzJohn]

Are they able to remain active during this time, though, or do they shut down and wait for things to thaw?

They are a lot less active when its real cold, its not a total shut down though. They breed during the fall months. The average highs in Oct are in the low 60's. The lows are around 30. They handle cold really well.

 

[apidaeman]

Maybe P. subfusca or rufilata, but I still think that is too cold for them as well.

 

[migueljaime]

Thanks AzJohn.. I'll add Aphonopelma in my list...


any others please..

 

[Zoltan]

Just get some additional heating for the spiders and you can keep any...

 

[the nature boy]

Obt

Nothing can kill an OBT (a.k.a. P. murinus).

--the nature boy

 

[ThistleWind]

It sucks when a T's hardiness is an advantage to its keeper rather than the T itself. Hey.. if you want a spider, you gotta take care of it, it's not a question of "how much torture can this T endure". It should be "what do I need to make this T happy". If you don't want the hassle of taking care of your pets you should go outside and name a rock or something. Just my 25 cents.

 

[Moltar]

I think you'll have a challenge keeping any T at those temps. It will be pretty inactive and grow very slowly. That being said, some of the North American Aphonopelma are probably your best bet.

If you can't sort out any active heating perhaps you could rig some passive technique to make the best use out of available sunlight. The room I keep my t's in has sun exposure for most of the day. It stays about ten degrees (f) warmer than the rest of the house simply because of it's location.

 

[migueljaime]

I'm not torturing my Ts! currently I have a rosea and a truculentus and both are active and eating well at 53F.. I just opened this thread because of my resent lost (fimbriatus) which I don't want to happen anymore.

In terms of heating, as much as I want to keep pets in general that are climatize to warmer areas by giving them additional heating paraphernalia, I'm in a third world country where brownouts are common especially during storms. I've kept iguanas before with all the heating equipment but because of a s***** brownout, they died. The only reptile that survived were my pythons.

anyways.. more suggestions please! thanks!

 

[maybe2243]

i would have to agree with you there. I swear i had one that was going to die but it came back lol

 

[BrettG]

I'm not torturing my Ts! currently I have a rosea and a truculentus and both are active and eating well at 53F.. I just opened this thread because of my resent lost (fimbriatus) which I don't want to happen anymore.

In terms of heating, as much as I want to keep pets in general that are climatize to warmer areas by giving them additional heating paraphernalia, I'm in a third world country where brownouts are common especially during storms. I've kept iguanas before with all the heating equipment but because of a s***** brownout, they died. The only reptile that survived were my pythons.

anyways.. more suggestions please! thanks!

Man if the services were than unreliable I would not be keeping anything.It can only just happen again.......

 

[DannyH]

That seems pretty cold for a tarantula. I'm from what many Americans would consiter a third world country, New Jersey, and I can relate to frequent burnouts, so if you ARE going to keep tarantulas I would suggest only hardy types like Aphonopelma.

 

[cacoseraph]

4 years and 1 month too late, there, fellas

ftr, for a few years my room, which i shared with tarantulas would get down to ~50-55*F for about three months during winter and i lost almost nothing, out of hundreds of specimens across dozens of species of tarantulas, centipedes, and scorpions. most stuff goes into torpor and turns back on when it warms up a bit.

keeping them there that long would have wiped out a good amount of stuff, but i suspect a few things would have been able to rock it... if one could get them to breed it would have been really interesting to see what happened

maybe ppl should try actually knowing what they are talking about, rather than just spouting off?

i love the fact rather than a "holy chrome, this dude totally just told us something new and awesome!" ppl are like, "nuh uh!". typical.