Avicularia Husbandry?

[Dorifto]

I've looked and ran my fingers along bottom, no openings. Yes yes will check again when I get home from work.

2 rows at bottom and rear bottom leave the front clean. Gotit
Great info to clean up holes really appreciate it.

I'm on it.

And on top

 

[SeniorSpidieLovr]

What pattern do you suggest on top?

 

[Dorifto]

The one you preffer! The easiest one

 

[SeniorSpidieLovr]

Well hell, got any suggestions when good timing suggestions to rehouse my new itsy bitsy OBT leg span ohhh a pinto bean size. Very nice webbing. Looks like it's been in there a while.

 

[Dorifto]

Fill 1/2 of the enclosure at least. Make a nice pre burrow and give her a anchor point.

 

[SeniorSpidieLovr]

I removed this plastic greenery for the new enclosure. I decided against this enclosure. Mouth too wide, lid not flexible. Too chancy for OBT. Well fill have way, Premake burro invite. And anchor points. Gotit

Oops
Photo

 

[Dorifto]

Tell me that's a fake plant.

 

[SeniorSpidieLovr]

Yup.
And lotsa anchor points

 

[Dorifto]

If it's fake perfect!!!!

 

[SeniorSpidieLovr]

Omgee you are my hero again. I was attempting to remove uneaten meal worms thus opened the door (up) she went right down to that opening and tried put her feet through. Smart little girl. I have extra plexiglass I can measure and put there.

 

[SeniorSpidieLovr]

Photo: My girl Wednesday
She's eaten and actually used the cork bark guide. I did put a piece of plexiglass to Block that space when door is open. These creatures are smart and in sure get the draft of openings.

Oh hey it was quite funny she was eating a dubia and really looked like she fell asleep when we've was done, Bola in her mouth at bottom if encl.enclosure. lol like yummy and ooohlala. Lol

With some information received here I gave this baby more burrow/webbing room 3/4 up. (WITHOUT my scary cat barrier lol)

I received the idea if the have enough room they won't necessarily web to the top. Thus not disturbing their home every time opened. Wish us luck.

 

[Eggiess]

Oh

Welcome to the forum and the world of Avics. It's nice to see someone has finally decided to do research in ADVANCE of their purchase, so their next post isn't "HELP MY DEAD AVIC".

Many of us, myself included, are Avic enthusiasts.

I STRONGLY suggest you pour through all the Avic posts on this forum, including the vivarium forum.

They aren't too hard to keep BUT when they are 1" and smaller are a bit more delicate in the sense they have a narrow range of husbandry requirements that keep them alive.

First off, DO NOT read any care sheets, they will impress upon you the need for high humidity- this is NOT true. Moist, stuffy containers with poor ventilation will kill your Avic.

You are best off setting up a tall container for your arboreal Ts, such as a 16 oz deli cup if they are quite small. If they are a larger slings, say an inch or a bit more go with a 32 oz deli cup. Definitely put substrate in the bottom, not too much, perhaps about an inch is my preference (there's no scientific amount to add). Substrate varies, I use coco fiber, others use top soil and others use a mixture of other sub types such as sphagnum moss/peat/vermiculite etc. Some people use deli cups or inverted AMAC boxes (google those). I use both.

Here's an example of inverted AMAC boxes http://arachnoboards.com/threads/amac-style-box-enclosures.282537/ scroll down to arboreal.

There is no need to mist your T, it's not a plant. There is no scientific data supporting the idea that increased humidity helps in molting either.

For ventilation (there's no science as to what is "enough holes" for proper ventilation) in deli cups I put a few holes up at the top in case the T makes a canopy and molts up top and needs water (I add water in with a blunt tip syringe if needed), and I put small holes around the top and vertically I make holes down the deli cup, usually 8 vertical lines of holes around the perimeter of the deli cup. I do similar routine for inverted AMAC boxes.

I keep my sub dry, primarily because it's easier AND it reduced the attraction of mites. I always clean the boli (spherical cricket remains) out off the substrate to minimize mold formation as they will grow mold.

I provide them a cork bark slab put at an angle from sub floor to top of the container, like a 45 degree, just lean it against the wall, no need to hot glue it. I would also strongly suggest you provide additional anchor points with moss hot glued to the slab OR even better some plastic plants. I use ones from ZooMed. I never use silk plants as they may have dyes.

Also, the plants are important because this genus likes to have cover. They don't like to be out in the open. If you don't provide cover you will observe your T typically with its legs pulled in, and very rarely move.

ALWAYS provide them a water bowl. They will not drown so don't worry about that. As slings they are pretty sensitive to hydration levels, ie not enough food or water to keep their abdomen plump and they will die.

This is the style water bowl I make: http://www.tarantulasus.com/showthread.php/4353-A-tip-for-a-Tip-resistant-water-dish

I keep the water bowl on the sub floor, they will come down to drink and they will come down to hunt as well. I just put in crickets on the sub floor and watch the hunting.

Some people keep water dishes up top via hot glue. I noticed no benefit when I did that. It's personal preference.

For temps I typically keep them at 68F night/70-75F day. No particular photoperiod, just sun up/sun down.

Feeding: I feed slings as often as they will eat, because their only job in the wild is to evade predators, and eat to get large enough to defend themselves. Too many people put their slings on Nazi Feeding Programs, ie giving their T 1-2 crickets a week. I don't believe in that. I'd find it hard to believe they only eat 1-2x/week in the wild, but there's no data to support my thoughts on this to my knowledge.

When they are hungry, you will often observe them pointing downward head first towards the sub floor, legs spread out a bit, not retracted to their 2 body segments.

They are nocturnal, but if an Avic is really hungry they will eat at anytime, day/night.

A. metallica is probably the best in my opinion, quite docile which makes for easier rehousing as they grow larger. However, don't be fooled by their typically docile temperament, they are faster than a human when they need to be.

Lastly, do your T a HUGE favor and don't handle it. It derives no value from being handled. It's not capable of forming any bonds with you.

Avics will take a flying leap off your hand at any moment they choose, even from heights that will kill/injure them because in the wild they expect there to be branches etc to land on. They don't expect a free fall drop onto your carpet or floor etc.

Oh thank GOD I seem to be doing most things right right now for my Pink Toe. His new terrarium is coming with cross ventilation, I knew some of the care sheets were bs - and decided to instead go into the tarantula enthusiast world to ask around which has helped a lot.

however, I hate that I was under the impression they needed humidity - my humidity is usually 40 with his water bowl and most once a week. Can this cause problems?

 

[Dorifto]

however, I hate that I was under the impression they needed humidity - my humidity is usually 40 with his water bowl and most once a week. Can this cause problems?

Humidity helps, but firstly is highly recomendable to learn how it works and how you can achieve it. Usually depending on the enclosure size and the amount of ventilation a water dish can raise it to acceprable levels, but in other cases, a bit of moist substrate will help keeping it more stable.

Doing it without knowing how it works usually it's more detrimental than beneficial.

If the 40s are enclosure RH values, that's on the low side. Which kind of substrate are you using right now? And the amount of it. A good substrate helps releasing moisture gradually if your conditions are dry. Also could you post a pic of the current setup? This will give us more info like ventilation level, amount of substrate etc, also which are your house climatic conditions? This affects the enclosure too.

 

[Eggiess]

Humidity helps, but firstly is highly recomendable to learn how it works and how you can achieve it. Usually depending on the enclosure size and the amount of ventilation a water dish can raise it to acceprable levels, but in other cases, a bit of moist substrate will help keeping it more stable.

Doing it without knowing how it works usually it's more detrimental than beneficial.

If the 40s are enclosure RH values, that's on the low side. Which kind of substrate are you using right now? And the amount of it. A good substrate helps releasing moisture gradually if your conditions are dry. Could you post a pic of the current setup? This will give us more info like ventilation level, amount of substrate etc, also which are your house climatic conditions? This affects the enclosure too.

Thank you and noted! The current enclosure is being replaced the 15th, it’s the one I was given to with him in it sadly.
I am using coconut fiber (the pressed bars). He’s a pink toe. I live in a very dry desert with about 31% humidity.

 

[Dorifto]

View attachment 407969
Thank you and noted! The current enclosure is being replaced the 15th, it’s the one I was given to with him in it sadly.
I am using coconut fiber (the pressed bars). He’s a pink toe. I live in a very dry desert with about 31% humidity.

Ok! Nice to know new enclosure is coming.

Your current setup has a lot of ventilation, that's why it can decrease the RH (relative humidity) to 40s.

For the next enclosure, get a bag of peat based topsoil. This will help you to have a more evenly moisture release, without the sudded spikes and decrease in RH that coco fiber experiments, specially with shallow substrates.

For now simply pour a bit of water on the substrate, and check how the enclosure behaves.

For the next enclosure, I'd recommend you to get some fake plants and leaves to clutter the top area, in case you didn't do it yet.

Do you have any pic or the name of the new enclosure? To give you a better suggestion. Enclosure size and ventilation will affect in the amount of moisture/dampness the substrate needs it order to reach safe levels.

 

[Eggiess]

Ok! Nice to know new enclosure is coming.

Your current setup has a lot of ventilation, that's why it can decrease the RH (relative humidity) to 40s.

For the next enclosure, get a bag of peat based topsoil. This will help you to have a more evenly moisture release, without the sudded spikes and decrease in RH that coco fiber experiments, specially with shallow substrates.

For now simply pour a bit of water on the substrate, and check how the enclosure behaves.

For the next enclosure, I'd recommend you to get some fake plants and leaves to clutter the top area, in case you didn't do it yet.

Do you have any pic or the name of the new enclosure? To give you a better suggestion. Enclosure size and ventilation will affect in the amount of moisture/dampness the substrate needs it order to reach safe levels.

this is the enclosure type

thank you so much, I’ll get into ordering the stuff mentioned. Can I mix the peat with some coco fiber substrate if that’ll work?

The enclosure is 8.35 x 5.39 x 2.44 inches

this is the enclosure type

thank you so much, I’ll get into ordering the stuff mentioned. Can I mix the peat with some coco fiber substrate if that’ll work?

The enclosure is 8.35 x 5.39 x 2.44 inches

I lied its actually this - sorry

 

[Dorifto]

A bit small imho

Also both needs to be moded (drilled) in order to have a proper ventilation. There is no low ventilation holes.

I'd only mix topsoil if it's really solid due to it's clay content, if not works wonderfully as is.

 

[Eggiess]

A bit small imho

Also both needs to be moded (drilled) in order to have a proper ventilation. There is no low ventilation holes.

I'd only mix topsoil if it's really solid due to it's clay content, if not works wonderfully as is.

Is there a enclosure you'd reccommend , should I cancel the order?

 

[Dorifto]

Imho, that's more suited for a small T. 2xdls is a bare minimum.

Any brand or enclosure with ample of low and top ventilation. Size wise, 20x20x30/8x8x12 would be nice.

 

[jimmyjohns]

Yeah, Viper69 pretty much hit it out of the park with that one. I agree that its always good to see someone come in and ask questions about a specific species or genus before they go out and buy one, so hats off there. One thing I found helpful when I got my first arboreal (A. versicolor) was to get one that is a juvie or sub-adult. That will let you get used to arboreal behavior and hone your arboreal husbandry skills without having to worry all the time about it being delicate as a sling. Then you can give some Avic slings a try and get used to their somewhat fussy requirements.

Would a 1.5" C. versicolor still be considered a sling? When does a spiderling become a juvenile, when it displays adult coloration or after a certain period of growth?