anyone with a B. Smithi please answer!

gmrpnk21

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Here she is. I touched her and she barely moved her legs a little bit, and when I gently lifted part of her body, some of the substrate underneath came with it so I am hoping it is a molt mat. Now I am panicking a bit thinking I may have bothered her during her molting process and that I may have doomed her :wall: The temp she is in is about 75 degrees, and I misted the substrate a bit to raise the humidity just in case. Does she look pretty close to a molt to you?
P.S. I am sorry the pic looks fuzzy, it is because I had to resize it for the forum.
 

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curiousme

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It looks pretty darn premolt to me. Time to leave it be and let it have some peace and quiet. Oh and wait, definitely time to wait. :) Give it a week or so after its molt before you feed or mess with it. :)
 

gmrpnk21

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Do you think I should worry that I moved her a bit? I didn't see any splits in her exoskeleton or anything like that.
 

curiousme

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Do you think I should worry that I moved her a bit? I didn't see any splits in her exoskeleton or anything like that.
If it wasn't on its back, you should be fine. Just watch unobtrusively and wait for the flip. :)
 

gmrpnk21

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Well I have her tupperware home inside and empty 10 gallon aquarium with a heating pad on the back of the tank keeping the inside at about 77 degrees. I wrote my last post, then peeked through the glass and saw what looked like 2 spiders in there :). I will carefully open it in a few hours to make sure everything looks good and take a picture. Pray that everything comes out OK!
 

curiousme

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Well I have her tupperware home inside and empty 10 gallon aquarium with a heating pad on the back of the tank keeping the inside at about 77 degrees. I wrote my last post, then peeked through the glass and saw what looked like 2 spiders in there :). I will carefully open it in a few hours to make sure everything looks good and take a picture. Pray that everything comes out OK!

Don't open the lid, or pick up the enclosure for a bit longer than that. The air displacement/ movement could startle it and that is not a good idea with a freshly molted T. I have read accounts of Ts bleeding from joints when startled while still soft. The pictures can wait until tomorrow. ;)

I see no reason that everything shouldn't be okay, so congrats on the molt! :D
 

gmrpnk21

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Well I am glad you responded so soon then! Do you think that 77 is a good temp for her? She has the moist substrate and full cap of water in with her so she should have plenty of moisture until tomorrow evening when I will hopefully open it and see how she is. Maybe in this molt her color will start to show? I can't find anything that says when the red will start to show...
 

curiousme

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Well I am glad you responded so soon then! Do you think that 77 is a good temp for her? She has the moist substrate and full cap of water in with her so she should have plenty of moisture until tomorrow evening when I will hopefully open it and see how she is. Maybe in this molt her color will start to show? I can't find anything that says when the red will start to show...
77 is just fine for her. She should be just fine on humidity and water to drink for a week.(they can also drink directly from the substrate) We got ours at a larger size and she already had color, so I can't help you there. I don't generally know when to expect the color change with our slings, so each molt is like opening a bday present. :D
 

Irene B. Smithi

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My B. Smithi likes it bone dry, and very well ventilated. she's got a nice water dish, and eats like a little piggy...
 

gmrpnk21

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Well maybe today I will open her container and take a picture. I want to give her as much time as she needs to be left alone so I don't risk hurting her at all. I think I will keep her substrate mostly dry and mist one wall every few days or so, as well as providing a water dish for her. I am so excited and I can't wait to see how she looks now!
 

moondancer

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I purchased a young B. Smithi (1.5") about 3 weeks ago, and I have since bought a G. Pulchripes and a Avic. Avic. However, one thing I am still unsure about is how moist the substrate should be for the Smithi? The local pet shop guy told me to make it pretty damp (enough to make clumps) and various websites said to keep it on the dryer side. I had her in a deli container with some pretty damp eco earth, and I noticed a little bit of white mold growing on it today, so I immediately made some air holes in the tupperware and put fresh eco earth in it for her new home. The ecoearth is a little damp, and I put a small water bottle cap in the corner for her water dish. Can someone that actually takes care of them please let me know what they keep theirs at?
Thanks in advance guys!
hi there i keep mine ,and i have three of these in a glass terrarium with a screen top ,on the bottom of terrarium glass i put a heat pad inside coconut fibre ,a cave to hid in but i have found that the b. smithi does not use it ,but the other relations of smithi do use it don't quote me on that, just happens here plants bark,that's about it forgot a bulb on top of mesh keep dry but i'm sure a very quick misting will do no harm but as everybody says keep dry hope this helps ( bob ,plymouth england )
 

malevolentrobot

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hi there i keep mine ,and i have three of these in a glass terrarium with a screen top ,on the bottom of terrarium glass i put a heat pad inside coconut fibre ,a cave to hid in but i have found that the b. smithi does not use it ,but the other relations of smithi do use it don't quote me on that, just happens here plants bark,that's about it forgot a bulb on top of mesh keep dry but i'm sure a very quick misting will do no harm but as everybody says keep dry hope this helps ( bob ,plymouth england )
this would be okay advice on keeping an adult (except if you do use a heat pad, put it on the side not the bottom so heat doesn't build up in the substrate. also i hope you don't have the three living together otherwise you'll probably have one very fat smithi one day... :-/), but OP stated his B. smithi is 1.5". correct care requirements for slings/juvies are different. he'd be better putting it in a deli cup or small sterilite/plastic container at the size he stated and misting a corner of the sub as previously stated.

i suggest you read curiousme's first post in this thread over again, and do some research of your own here on the boards as well ;)
 
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Irene B. Smithi

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this would be okay advice on keeping an adult (except if you do use a heat pad, put it on the side not the bottom so heat doesn't build up in the substrate. also i hope you don't have the three living together otherwise you'll probably have one very fat smithi one day... :-/), but OP stated his B. smithi is 1.5". correct care requirements for slings/juvies are different. he'd be better putting it in a deli cup or small sterilite/plastic container at the size he stated and misting a corner of the sub as previously stated.

i suggest you read curiousme's first post in this thread over again, and do some research of your own here on the boards as well ;)
actually, thinking back to when mine was just a little spiderling... I do remember keeping it a little moist... and in a much smaller KK.... now that she's a big girl it's bone dry (and in a 5.5 gallon)... just wanted to correct myself on my previous statement...
 

gmrpnk21

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So I opened it up today, and her colors are starting to show :D. I couldn't get a decent photo, so I decided to just leave her alone for awhile. Is it normal for her to not move much after a molt?
 

curiousme

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So I opened it up today, and her colors are starting to show :D. I couldn't get a decent photo, so I decided to just leave her alone for awhile. Is it normal for her to not move much after a molt?
Yes, and you will also see her stretching as well. It can look odd at times, but don't fret about it.
 

gmrpnk21

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Well I misted the substrate a bit because it felt really dry in there and I was worried about her drying out before she hardened. She is SO MUCH BIGGER than yesterday! I moved my goldenknee to a 3"x5" sterilite container with holes drilled in the top so I don't keep startling it when I have to open up the container. After my Smithi hardens up, I will move her to another one of the same containers for the same reason. Rather than having to pull on the saide of the top and having it pop off in a jarring motion, they have 2 handles on the side that fold up and lock it in place. I feel bad for switching their homes so many times, but it will be worth it in the long run to not worry about stressing them out as much.
 

curiousme

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Well I misted the substrate a bit because it felt really dry in there and I was worried about her drying out before she hardened. She is SO MUCH BIGGER than yesterday!
If it appeared dry in there spritzing shouldn't hurt as long as you don't spray her, because that could startle her. (I bet you know that though :) ) The color gets more dramatic with each molt, ours is my baby. :)

I moved my goldenknee to a 3"x5" sterilite container with holes drilled in the top so I don't keep startling it when I have to open up the container. After my Smithi hardens up, I will move her to another one of the same containers for the same reason. Rather than having to pull on the saide of the top and having it pop off in a jarring motion, they have 2 handles on the side that fold up and lock it in place. I feel bad for switching their homes so many times, but it will be worth it in the long run to not worry about stressing them out as much.
We just switched our B. smithi to one of those, just remember not to trust the handles; carry it from the bottom and there is no way for the enclosure itself to cause an accident. I like it though, it is clear and easy to see her, even from across the room. :)
 

Stan Schultz

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I purchased a young B. Smithi (1.5") about 3 weeks ago, ...

... one thing I am still unsure about is how moist the substrate should be for the Smithi? ...
B. smithi are pretty much typical tarantulas. They pose very few or no special problems. So, care for them the same as any other tarantula of the same size:

BABIES (up to 1.5" or 4 cm leg span): Restrict ventilation a lot. Keep them on damp substrate 1 to 1.5 " (2.5 to 4 cm) deep.

THE "TWEENS" (1.5" to 2" or 4 cm to 5 cm): Gradually increase ventilation and allow the substrate to dry out over two or three molts to acclimatize them to an adult habitat. (I'm being conservative in my recommendation. Many of us just switch them instantly from one care regime to the other and have no problems.)

SPIDERLINGS (2" or 5 cm leg span and larger): Keep them with reduced ventilation and a water dish on completely dry substrate. Do not mist. Do not dampen the substrate around the water dish. The combination of a reduced ventilation and the water dish will tend to elevate the humidity a little (all that they require) without endangering them with infections and infestations.

WARNING: DO YOU UNDERSTAND JUST HOW LONG A FEMALE B. smithi IS CAPABLE OF LIVING? You may have to write her into your Last Will and Testament! {D

Hope this helps.
 
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gmrpnk21

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Well the container wasn't made for pets, I got it from the office section. With a little dremel and drill work, it came out just fine :). I don't like the idea of reducing ventilation because lack of moving air will allow mold to grow. As for how old my smithi will get, I love that idea of writing her into my will :). I am only 26,so I should have a good many years left with her (maybe). I will post a picture of her later today hopefully. I just don't want to stress her out if I don't have to.
 

curiousme

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B. smithi are pretty much typical tarantulas. They pose very few or no special problems. So, care for then the same as any other tarantula of the same size:

BABIES (up to 1.5" or 4 cm leg span): Restrict ventilation a lot. Keep them on damp substrate 1 to 1.5 " (2.5 to 4 cm) deep.

THE "TWEENS" (1.5" to 2" or 4 cm to 5 cm): Gradually increase ventilation and allow the substrate to dry out over two or three molts to acclimatize them to an adult habitat. (I'm being conservative in my recommendation. Many of us just switch them instantly from one care regime to the other and have no problems.)

SPIDERLINGS (2" or 5 cm leg span and larger): Keep them with reduced ventilation and a water dish on completely dry substrate. Do not mist. Do not dampen the substrate around the water dish. The combination of a reduced ventilation and the water dish will tend to elevate the humidity a little (all that they require) without endangering them with infections and infestations.

WARNING: DO YOU UNDERSTAND JUST HOW LONG A FEMALE B. smithi IS CAPABLE OF LIVING? You may have to write her into your Last Will and Testament! {D

Hope this helps.
Thank you for this post Pikaia! It will be a great one to link back to. :)
 
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