B. smithi sling help

[cgiiid]

hey guys im brand new to the tarantula world and i have decided to bu a 1inch b.smithi (mexican red knee) and im getting concerned because all of the videos i find about tarantulas have a web or some sort of webbed borrow should i be worried because it is only a spiderling and i have had it for about 2 weeks or should i downsize its cage...any info would be helpful

 

[Londoner]

You won't get copious amounts of webbing from a smithi sling and you've only had it for 2 weeks so relax. Could you give us your enclosure dimensions or a pic? That would help us to answer your downsizing question .

 

[cgiiid]

uhm the dimensions to my enclosure are 16"x8"x8" and there ya go

[EDIT]
i have the heating pad moved and the cage is raised on a small "base" soo the pad is not directly on the cage and gives hot and cold spots

The cage is from tarantulacages.com and is the larg aboreal cage

 

[Salamanderhead]

You don't need a heating pad for it. Room temperature is fine. Use a small vial or jar until it gets bigger.
Your enclosure is much bigger than it needs at its size. B.smithi don't web much.

 

[hassman789]

I think that may be too big. I had a 1 inch sling in a small tupperwear container. And also the substrate looks wood chippy. I would reccomend, eco earth coco fiber, chemical free potting soil, or peat.

 

[Falk]

Change the substrate and move the heat pad. You should never put a heat mat under a theraphosid cage, put it on one of the sides if you really need to use.

 

[Terry D]

+1 on enclosure size being WAAAAY too big for a 1" sling. That's big enough for an adult Brachy!

 

[cgiiid]

[UPDATE]

I have downsized to a tote container (pictures coming soon) and she does look happy i still think its a little big and the substrate is now cocofiber mixed with peat moss (good mix?) if theres anything else pls tell me thanks for all the help guys and should i be expecting a molt soon?

 

[Hobo]

Dimensions of the new enclosure?

For a 1" terrestrial, you should really go small. No need to get fancy yet; save that (and your tote + beautiful cage) for when (s)he grows up.

With a smaller enclosure, it will be easier to control things like humidity and height (the height from the sub to the top shouldn't be larger than 1.5x the legspan to prevent injuries from falls, so fill 'er up!). It will also be easier for you to find him once/if he digs a burrow, and it will be easier for prey to find him too!

Was it shipped to you? Perhaps the vial he came is is big enough, depending on it's dimensions. If not, a trip to the dollar store and you'll find a ton of options!

 

[cgiiid]

new enclosure (the smallest one i could get)




the vile my T came in

measurements for the new habitat are 12"x8"x4.5" available space 7"x8"x2.5"

is this any better? or should i go even smaller?

 

[jt39565]

That substrate still doesn't look right, also someone adv me against putting the air holes on the top. Putting them on top releases the heat and makes for a harder time keeping the temp even. I would actually use that container for a 1" but definitely nothing bigger. But have no fear the Brachypelma genus is a forgiving group so enjoy, and learn as you go making changes when necessary.
How bout a pic of that T ?

 

[cgiiid]

ill get a pic when i find the good camera im just using my phone for now and i have to coax him/her out of the burrow then i will definately post pix

 

[Hobo]

That's still much too large!

I have the same omnibox, and I house a 5" juvie terrestrial in it comfortably.
You definitely need to go smaller. And different sub. I'd go with either sphagnum peat moss, or coco coir.

That vial is just a tad bit too cramped for a 1" sling, so I'd suggest going to the dollar store (or anywhere else) and getting yourself a nice tupperware container or something. I, personally, would go with nothing larger than about 4" x 4" or so, give or take.

Pics of the actual spider? It amazes me how you are able to even find it in there considering the size of the enclosure and the substrate! So many hiding places...

 

[cgiiid]

yeah it is wierd i guess you sorta know where your "kids" are and i know i bought "coconut fiber" from the pet store and i think im gonna just gradually switch to a peat moss substrate and mix it with some soil (will sanitized work) and i cant really get a picture because the camera picks up the coco fiber but not the T uhm the container you mentioned is about what size i keep my crickets in so I'm gonna have to do some digging (and hope my mom doesn't notice that one of the bowls are missing)

 

[curiousme]

yeah it is wierd i guess you sorta know where your "kids" are and i know i bought "coconut fiber" from the pet store and i think im gonna just gradually switch to a peat moss substrate and mix it with some soil (will sanitized work) and i cant really get a picture because the camera picks up the coco fiber but not the T uhm the container you mentioned is about what size i keep my crickets in so I'm gonna have to do some digging (and hope my mom doesn't notice that one of the bowls are missing)

Did you rehydrate both the coco fiber and the peat before putting it in the enclosure? That should be a perfectly fine mix, but it does not look at all like it is that mix.

Do you have a craft store near you? The one near us sells the perfect sized hobby cube for a small arboreal sling. It is a flat box that is about 4" square and 3" tall, so you might want to go on hunting expedition.

The second enclosure is still a tad big for a sling that small, because you are unable to control things like humidity and monitor whether it is eating. The humidity is important, because at that size the epicuticle has not fully formed and it is harder for the sling to hold in moisture. Now that doesn't mean it needs to be in a sopping wet enclosure, but about once a week you can moisten one side of the enclosure to provide humidity and a drink for the little fella. Once it hits about 2" that ceases to be a concern and you can give a bottle cap water dish.

 

[Salamanderhead]

Don't bother with coco fiber. Just use peat moss.

 

[Midknight xrs]

go to a local grocer or to a store like target. look for clear glad containers, something around 6-8 ounces and use that for about 2 years. as far as substrate, don't use anything that has chips in it or fertilizer. peat or coco fiber or a mix are fine.

 

[KevinFrancisco]

This is what houses my 1.5inches G. Rosea. And I think it's happy with its home. Bought this at a local pet store.

For your T, maybe something in this size? And I'd change the substrate if I were you...

Hope that helps...

 

[MIC]

Here are my two B.smithi slings, the one in a commercial vial and the other in a hand made plexiglass vial.

You can see, especially in the first vial's lid, the very dense mesh I use to avoid any entrance of intrusive insects.

 

[malevolentrobot]

my terrestrial Ts under 2" are all in 16oz deli cups. super cheap and stacky

i think it has said before, but most brachypelmas will burrow in time (time being the key element. some acclimate sooner, some later) if you give them enough sub to do it. so far, all except my boehemi have seemed to follow this.