Beginner to tarantulas, need help!

Tilly

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 12, 2016
Messages
3
Hello everyone! This is my first post on this forum, and boy, do i have alot of questions! I'm new to tarantula/scorpion keeping, so please bare with me if i ask stupid questions. I'm about a week away from purchasing my first tarantulas and scorpions. I live in australia so i'm a bit limited. Heres what i'm getting:

Selenotypus Wallace sling - tarantula
Selenotypus exevale sling - tarantula
Urodacus manicatis - scorpion
Urodacus armatus - scorpion

The T's come with a container that supposedly will be okay for 12 months. I just have a few worries about their care:

- What substrate? I was thinking of getting some coco peat from bunnies at 2 bucks a brick for all of them.

-heating? I live in NSW, Australia. It's pretty warm out here so i think they'd be fine? Where i'm keeping them theres no powerpoints.

-Food? How often do i feed them all? I have been told every week, every two weeks and once a month!

-Supplements? Do they need any sort of calcium if they're fed on crickets and mealworms?

That's about all for now. I hope you guys can help! Thanks. :)!
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
No, tarantulas and scorpions do not require calcium supplements.

You can generally feed them roughly once or twice a week, depending on their age/size. (I feed my slings twice a week, my adults once a week.) Let their eating habits be a guide - if they always seem hungry, you may want to feed more often. If they are leaving uneaten prey in the enclosure, remove it and try again in a few days. If they are pre-molt (barricade themselves in a burrow) do not feed them until several days after they emerge. Uneaten prey can kill/injure your pets - particularly if they are molting. A freshly-molted tarantula should not be fed for several days to a week (depending on size - longer time for larger animals) because their fangs and chelicerae need to harden. Otherwise, you risk injuring your animal if it tries to take down prey with soft fangs.

They will not require supplemental heating. Heat pads/lights can actually be bad for them, overheating them and/or drying their enclosures out too quickly. As long as you are comfortable, your inverts will be comfortable as well. If you get some sort of cold snap, then you'll want to keep them in a heated room of your house - at a comfortable room temperature, they'll be fine.

I'm not familiar with "coco peat" - is it a coconut fiber substrate, similar to Eco Earth? http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=231&SearchID=5 If so, then it should be fine - but both the tarantulas and the scorpions are burrowing species, so you may want to mix it with dirt or sand so it will hold together well enough for burrowing. Straight coconut fiber bedding tends to collapse when burrowed into.
 

Tilly

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 12, 2016
Messages
3
No, tarantulas and scorpions do not require calcium supplements.

You can generally feed them roughly once or twice a week, depending on their age/size. (I feed my slings twice a week, my adults once a week.) Let their eating habits be a guide - if they always seem hungry, you may want to feed more often. If they are leaving uneaten prey in the enclosure, remove it and try again in a few days. If they are pre-molt (barricade themselves in a burrow) do not feed them until several days after they emerge. Uneaten prey can kill/injure your pets - particularly if they are molting. A freshly-molted tarantula should not be fed for several days to a week (depending on size - longer time for larger animals) because their fangs and chelicerae need to harden. Otherwise, you risk injuring your animal if it tries to take down prey with soft fangs.

They will not require supplemental heating. Heat pads/lights can actually be bad for them, overheating them and/or drying their enclosures out too quickly. As long as you are comfortable, your inverts will be comfortable as well. If you get some sort of cold snap, then you'll want to keep them in a heated room of your house - at a comfortable room temperature, they'll be fine.

I'm not familiar with "coco peat" - is it a coconut fiber substrate, similar to Eco Earth? http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=231&SearchID=5 If so, then it should be fine - but both the tarantulas and the scorpions are burrowing species, so you may want to mix it with dirt or sand so it will hold together well enough for burrowing. Straight coconut fiber bedding tends to collapse when burrowed into.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!! I'm so exited to get into the world of T's! :)
 

Tilly

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 12, 2016
Messages
3
O
No, tarantulas and scorpions do not require calcium supplements.

You can generally feed them roughly once or twice a week, depending on their age/size. (I feed my slings twice a week, my adults once a week.) Let their eating habits be a guide - if they always seem hungry, you may want to feed more often. If they are leaving uneaten prey in the enclosure, remove it and try again in a few days. If they are pre-molt (barricade themselves in a burrow) do not feed them until several days after they emerge. Uneaten prey can kill/injure your pets - particularly if they are molting. A freshly-molted tarantula should not be fed for several days to a week (depending on size - longer time for larger animals) because their fangs and chelicerae need to harden. Otherwise, you risk injuring your animal if it tries to take down prey with soft fangs.

They will not require supplemental heating. Heat pads/lights can actually be bad for them, overheating them and/or drying their enclosures out too quickly. As long as you are comfortable, your inverts will be comfortable as well. If you get some sort of cold snap, then you'll want to keep them in a heated room of your house - at a comfortable room temperature, they'll be fine.

I'm not familiar with "coco peat" - is it a coconut fiber substrate, similar to Eco Earth? http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=231&SearchID=5 If so, then it should be fine - but both the tarantulas and the scorpions are burrowing species, so you may want to mix it with dirt or sand so it will hold together well enough for burrowing. Straight coconut fiber bedding tends to collapse when burrowed into.
oh just one thing- what about ventalation for the scorps? Do they need air holes, or nah?
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
O

oh just one thing- what about ventalation for the scorps? Do they need air holes, or nah?
Yes, you should provide ventilation for all inverts. Just make sure the holes are small enough that they can't fit through them. While many invertebrates have relatively low oxygen needs, they still require fresh air - and inadequate ventilation can lead to problems with mold and mites.

Also, while the species you are getting do prefer their substrate on the dry side, they will still need water. You'll need a shallow water dish of some sort. (If the slings are really small, just put a few drops of water on the substrate - you don't want them drowning in a water dish.) It doesn't have to be fancy - for my larger slings/juveniles, I just use small plastic caps from disposable water bottles or milk jugs.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
im not familiar with any of those species. :eek:
being OW, they will be quite defensive and skittish. they will also have a pretty nasty bite, not life threatening but it'll ruin your day.
please dont handle your tarantulas and scorpions, they dont like it and its dangerous.
coco peat, eco earth, bed a beast, whatever, its most likely ground up coconut and thats what youre looking for. its by far my favorite substrate.

the key for more help would be to know the sizes of the spiders youre getting. you also may want to post a thread in the scorpion forum here for help with your Urodacus.
best of luck and welcome to the hobby!:)
ps. you'll get more responses when the Americans wake up.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
No, tarantulas and scorpions do not require calcium supplements.

You can generally feed them roughly once or twice a week, depending on their age/size. (I feed my slings twice a week, my adults once a week.) Let their eating habits be a guide - if they always seem hungry, you may want to feed more often. If they are leaving uneaten prey in the enclosure, remove it and try again in a few days. If they are pre-molt (barricade themselves in a burrow) do not feed them until several days after they emerge. Uneaten prey can kill/injure your pets - particularly if they are molting. A freshly-molted tarantula should not be fed for several days to a week (depending on size - longer time for larger animals) because their fangs and chelicerae need to harden. Otherwise, you risk injuring your animal if it tries to take down prey with soft fangs.

They will not require supplemental heating. Heat pads/lights can actually be bad for them, overheating them and/or drying their enclosures out too quickly. As long as you are comfortable, your inverts will be comfortable as well. If you get some sort of cold snap, then you'll want to keep them in a heated room of your house - at a comfortable room temperature, they'll be fine.

I'm not familiar with "coco peat" - is it a coconut fiber substrate, similar to Eco Earth? http://zoomed.com/db/products/EntryDetail.php?EntryID=231&SearchID=5 If so, then it should be fine - but both the tarantulas and the scorpions are burrowing species, so you may want to mix it with dirt or sand so it will hold together well enough for burrowing. Straight coconut fiber bedding tends to collapse when burrowed into.
To be honest @Tilly there is not much else to say :D Other than don't handle them and be careful with maintenance (since they seem to be OW, although never heard of those species) then that is all you need! Post some pics, would love to see these "rare/unseeen" species ;)
 

Paiige

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
335
Sounds like you're headed in the right direction! I'm not familiar with these Ts but I did a little bit of Googling and it seems like they're pretty shy and defensive and are burrowers so you won't see them terribly often. And that means lots of substrate! From what I've read, the Selenotypus genus only has one tarantula that's considered docile - the plumipes. I also believe they're all also considered 'barking' or 'whistling' tarantulas, meaning they stridulate, so if you hear them making sounds, they're pretty grumpy, so be wary! Just don't handle them and be aware of their 'moods' when you're feeding/doing tank maintenance.
 

Crone Returns

Arachnoangel
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
990
Yes, you should provide ventilation for all inverts. Just make sure the holes are small enough that they can't fit through them. While many invertebrates have relatively low oxygen needs, they still require fresh air - and inadequate ventilation can lead to problems with mold and mites.

Also, while the species you are getting do prefer their substrate on the dry side, they will still need water. You'll need a shallow water dish of some sort. (If the slings are really small, just put a few drops of water on the substrate - you don't want them drowning in a water dish.) It doesn't have to be fancy - for my larger slings/juveniles, I just use small plastic caps from disposable water bottles or milk jugs.
Ts don't drown!:)
 

Abyss

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
281
Yes, you should provide ventilation for all inverts. Just make sure the holes are small enough that they can't fit through them. While many invertebrates have relatively low oxygen needs, they still require fresh air - and inadequate ventilation can lead to problems with mold and mites.

Also, while the species you are getting do prefer their substrate on the dry side, they will still need water. You'll need a shallow water dish of some sort. (If the slings are really small, just put a few drops of water on the substrate - you don't want them drowning in a water dish.) It doesn't have to be fancy - for my larger slings/juveniles, I just use small plastic caps from disposable water bottles or milk jugs.
Just an edit/correction.......
Slings wont drown in a water dish FYI.
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
Just an edit/correction.......
Slings wont drown in a water dish FYI.
Actually, that particular question/response was primarily regarding the scorpions, and I believe scorplings can easily drown in a water dish. (Or maybe they're big scorpions and that isn't a concern? OP didn't specify the size of the scorps.)

As for the tarantulas, I've heard repeatedly that they can't drown - but I prefer not to take the chance with my babies all the same. I keep my dishes small and shallow for the young ones.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
No, but scorplings can!
I keep my 1" long C. gracilis slings with bottle cap dishes, which are decently big for them. Not had a problem yet, as long as it isn't a swimming pool. So long as they can get out ne way of another and is relatively shallow, they should be good. Always like to have a dish IMO, makes sure you have a bit of a safety net for dessication :D
 

chanda

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
2,229
I keep my 1" long C. gracilis slings with bottle cap dishes, which are decently big for them. Not had a problem yet, as long as it isn't a swimming pool. So long as they can get out ne way of another and is relatively shallow, they should be good. Always like to have a dish IMO, makes sure you have a bit of a safety net for dessication :D
I have water dishes for my larger scorps, but my Paravaejovis puritanus scorplings are so tiny that I just give them a little light misting. I'm afraid bottle caps would be swimming pools for these little guys!
 

Abyss

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
281
Actually, that particular question/response was primarily regarding the scorpions, and I believe scorplings can easily drown in a water dish. (Or maybe they're big scorpions and that isn't a concern? OP didn't specify the size of the scorps.)

As for the tarantulas, I've heard repeatedly that they can't drown - but I prefer not to take the chance with my babies all the same. I keep my dishes small and shallow for the young ones.
Ah yea i dont know about scorps haha
 

Paiige

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
335
I don't use a water dish per se for my littlest sling, it has a few small fake leaves in its little deli container and one of them dips in the middle so I just put a few water droplets at a time in there and it seems to do the job
 

Trenor

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
1,896
I prefer water dishes for all my slings. The last 6 I got are just so small you can't fit a dish. So they are getting a light mist a few times a week. Water dishes are nice so the T can drink whenever it's thirsty. Little Ts can dehydrate pretty quick so I'll be glad when those 6 molt a few more times and come out of the 2oz cups.
 
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