brachypelma albopilosum newbie questions

armadillo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
9
just under two days ago i acquired a juvenile honduran curly hair from a local reptile convention. this is my first tarantula, and i have some newbie questions.
1. is she in premolt, or just lazy? she is rather sluggish but may be a bit stressed out from recent events such as moving from place to place. she has also taken to standing/laying with her belly placed in her water dish. it also appears to me that she is developing the telltale dark spot on her abdomen, but i cannot tell whether or not this is her natural coloration. i do not know whether or not she is fasting; i have not yet fed her and will be waiting at least a week before i do. (i was told this was the best thing to do after rehoming a spider - correct me if i am wrong.)
2. is simple cardboard safe for her enclosure? the hide i have currently is simply a portion of a toilet paper tube that forms a sort of half-tunnel in which she likes to hide.
3. is it necessary for me to mist or include sphagnum moss or something similar in her enclosure? currently her substrate is about two inches of coconut fiber, with a wide, shallow water dish buried into the substrate for easy access. so far i have been following the instructions found on the calgary spider webtree.
thank you in advance for your replies. some pictures of constance are attached below. as you can see, she is quite small.
constance1.png constance2.png constance3.png constance4.png
click through for full size :)
 

bryverine

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Messages
890
just under two days ago i acquired a juvenile honduran curly hair from a local reptile convention. this is my first tarantula, and i have some newbie questions.
1. is she in premolt, or just lazy? she is rather sluggish but may be a bit stressed out from recent events such as moving from place to place. she has also taken to standing/laying with her belly placed in her water dish. it also appears to me that she is developing the telltale dark spot on her abdomen, but i cannot tell whether or not this is her natural coloration. i do not know whether or not she is fasting; i have not yet fed her and will be waiting at least a week before i do. (i was told this was the best thing to do after rehoming a spider - correct me if i am wrong.)
2. is simple cardboard safe for her enclosure? the hide i have currently is simply a portion of a toilet paper tube that forms a sort of half-tunnel in which she likes to hide.
3. is it necessary for me to mist or include sphagnum moss or something similar in her enclosure? currently her substrate is about two inches of coconut fiber, with a wide, shallow water dish buried into the substrate for easy access. so far i have been following the instructions found on the calgary spider webtree.
thank you in advance for your replies. some pictures of constance are attached below. as you can see, she is quite small.
View attachment 218457 View attachment 218458 View attachment 218459 View attachment 218460
click through for full size :)
Looks like a boy, no?
No misting, just water bowl.

Can you post a pic of the whole enclosure?
 

armadillo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
9
bryverine:
haha, certainly could be -- i only assumed it was a girl as i'm not really experienced enough to have sexed it with any degree of certainty. :)
here is a picture of the current enclosure; rather small but it is a rather small spider, lol. as it grows i will rehome as needed.
constancehouse.png
i will also be getting more substrate in the coming day or two so as to prevent long falls. in the meantime, though, i am not terribly worried as he's not much of a climber. :) also, good to know i am in the right with the dish: i will continue to keep the cage high and dry. :D
 

Hellblazer

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 13, 2016
Messages
134
I would switch the cardboard out for something a little more durable and mold resistant. It looks like a good enclosure set up though.
 

bryverine

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Messages
890
@armadillo
I only say male because of this:
PicsArt_08-21-06.42.00.jpg
I'm no expert though, so maybe wait for them there experts to weigh in.

Welcome to the hobby!
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
The cage looks really good! Btw, T's are just lazy in general ;) They don't move around very much. The only real way to tell if it's in premolt is if it stops eating or it's colors go bland and the abdomen gets shiny. Just something o add, I've heard those T's will go on hunger strikes every oncein a while. If your T doesn't eat for a few months, don't worry. I have never heard of a T starving before, as they can go without food for many months. I'd go with the coco hut, they work well. Just make sure he has a good amaount to walk. May be just me, but that hide+water dish takes up a lot of space. Glad to see someone start with the right T and the right info coming to the right place :D
 

armadillo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
9
The cage looks really good! Btw, T's are just lazy in general ;) They don't move around very much. The only real way to tell if it's in premolt is if it stops eating or it's colors go bland and the abdomen gets shiny. Just something o add, I've heard those T's will go on hunger strikes every oncein a while. If your T doesn't eat for a few months, don't worry. I have never heard of a T starving before, as they can go without food for many months. I'd go with the coco hut, they work well. Just make sure he has a good amaount to walk. May be just me, but that hide+water dish takes up a lot of space. Glad to see someone start with the right T and the right info coming to the right place :D
LOL, ive heard that they are pet rocks somewhat, i just wanted to make sure the sluggishness wasnt more than the ordinary lazy T. :D ive heard about the fasts as well haha, so im not terribly worried that he hasnt taken any crix. and it is a pretty big dish hahaha, ive been digging in my cupboards in search of a smaller jar lid, LOL -- want my little guy to have plenty of room to move if he ever gets up off his fuzzy butt. XD. and, thank you! i did my homework as best i could, didnt wanna end up with a T i couldnt care for just yet. :)
 

armadillo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
9
hahaha, good to know my little gal is actually a little guy!!! he's docile as can be and handles brilliantly but im glad to know it won't grow up to be an aggressive old lady :D
 

bryverine

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 18, 2012
Messages
890
hahaha, good to know my little gal is actually a little guy!!! he's docile as can be and handles brilliantly but im glad to know it won't grow up to be an aggressive old lady :D
Must keep in mind, it won't ever love you, want to be handled, or recognize you.

Handle at your own risk as a fall can rupture their abdomen quite easily.

I had a scare with my first T when I tried to hold her. She got startled and jumped out of my hand and landed on the headboard. She was OK, but I will never do it again (on purpose).
 

armadillo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2016
Messages
9
Must keep in mind, it won't ever love you, want to be handled, or recognize you.

Handle at your own risk as a fall can rupture their abdomen quite easily.

I had a scare with my first T when I tried to hold her. She got startled and jumped out of my hand and landed on the headboard. She was OK, but I will never do it again (on purpose).
im terribly scared of dropping him ever since a friend of mine lost a beautiful whip scorpion to a fall -- i dont think ill ever be handling this little guy unless im rehoming him, and even then only over a bed or soft surface... wouldnt wanna lose my little critter because of my own clumsiness :D
 

Sana

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
1,139
I just wanted to drop in and congratulate you on doing solid research and starting with a great tarantula.
 

Moonohol

Two Legged Freak
Joined
Aug 8, 2016
Messages
115
im terribly scared of dropping him ever since a friend of mine lost a beautiful whip scorpion to a fall -- i dont think ill ever be handling this little guy unless im rehoming him, and even then only over a bed or soft surface... wouldnt wanna lose my little critter because of my own clumsiness :D
Sounds like you're on the right track! Congrats on your new addition.
You'll be shopping for the next one before you know it... ;)
 

ratluvr76

Arachnodemon
Active Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2014
Messages
759
also, would a coconut shell hide work well? i could easily pick one up tomorrow when i buy more substrate.
coconut shell hides work for T's. As does a little flower pot cut in half, in a pinch I've taken yogurt containers, cut them in half and "voila" 2 hides. It's not pretty but definitely functional. ;) Keeping T's is DEFINITELY the most inexpensive hobby/pet I've ever had lol

I would switch the cardboard out for something a little more durable and mold resistant. It looks like a good enclosure set up though.
Cardboard is prone to molding. Although the cage should be kept pretty well dry with this species, what if the water dish spills? this species is notoriously messy with the water bowl. ;) Why take the chance though?
 
Top