Brachyphelma Emilia enclosure

soulnexus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 11, 2021
Messages
9
My wife bought me a Mexican redleg tarantula for my birthday from PetSmart back in April. I followed their care sheet and it died. I had it in a glass container with a heating pad on one side. I think the heating pad killed it after it molted because it looked pretty dehydrated.

I got another one and I put it in a critter keeper and I'm trying to go by the information I've found on this forum.

I'm keeping my tarantula at room temperature. I'm not misting the enclosure but I'm overfilling the water dish every other day. (I quit misting because it makes her climb the walls.)

My tarantula appears to be happy and healthy. Her abdomen is plump and she comes out of her hide at night.

I'm a little nervous because I think she is fixing to molt and I'm wondering if my enclosure is too dry?

I used the search function and google and I'm still confused because all the information I've found is contradictory. Also the people at the pet store said I should keep the substrate wet. Any advice is appreciated.
 

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Sambro

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Messages
65
You're probably right about the heat pad. My rule of thumb is if I'm comfortable, then my T's will be too.
I switch on a space heater during colder days (I keep room temp at 20-25c)

The enclosure looks perfect, just make sure the water dish is kept full and try not to disturb if it began to molt/molting.
 

Neonblizzard

Arachnomoron
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
611
I wouldn't even overfill the dish, completely dry with a water dish is perfectly fine for these guys.

Misting is a big no no; not necessary at all and upsets the spider. The guys in pet stores never have a clue about keeping tarantulas, they just deal out a care sheet of profoundly wrong info that has been the undoing of many a tarantula.

Doing your own research you will have much more success.

Check out Tom Moran on YouTube, he has all the legit info on many different T's, but still don't be afraid to ask questions and use the search function on the board
 

soulnexus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 11, 2021
Messages
9
Okay cool, thanks for the feedback everyone. I really appreciate it. I tend to overthink things and I didn't want to mess this up after what happened to my last sling.

I'm certain I have the right information now and I have been doing the right thing since I got her. I'll go a little bit easier on overfilling the water dish though. And the temp in my room is comfortable. Around 75 degrees to be exact.

So I think things will be fine. Many thanks to everyone here.
 

Neonblizzard

Arachnomoron
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
611
Okay cool, thanks for the feedback everyone. I really appreciate it. I tend to overthink things and I didn't want to mess this up after what happened to my last sling.

I'm certain I have the right information now and I have been doing the right thing since I got her. I'll go a little bit easier on overfilling the water dish though. And the temp in my room is comfortable. Around 75 degrees to be exact.

So I think things will be fine. Many thanks to everyone here.
You're welcome! I did a lot of worrying when i first started too, but honestly the further on you get the more you laugh about the things you used to worry about. It's really quite simple for the vast majority of T's, as long as you do a bit of homework on what you're getting.
 

8 legged

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
1,069
Okay cool, thanks for the feedback everyone. I really appreciate it. I tend to overthink things and I didn't want to mess this up after what happened to my last sling.

I'm certain I have the right information now and I have been doing the right thing since I got her. I'll go a little bit easier on overfilling the water dish though. And the temp in my room is comfortable. Around 75 degrees to be exact.

So I think things will be fine. Many thanks to everyone here.
I guess everyone here knows that. But with tarantulas, less is often more!
When reading some of the posts I keep thinking to myself: cared for to death!
I can well imagine that more animals die from too much moisture than from drying out...
Stay relaxed, observe, draw conclusions!
 

Finikan

Painter of Poorly Rendered Images
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Dec 31, 2020
Messages
307
I'm glad you're on the right track now! :cool:

My friend works at a pet store and they do indeed have company rules and care sheets on how they should care for the animals to be in spec with the company. They pass those rules on to customers = A lot of dead animals.
Pretty sad, but it seems like very few chain pet stores do (or are allowed to do) their own research.
 

soulnexus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 11, 2021
Messages
9
I'm glad you're on the right track now! :cool:

My friend works at a pet store and they do indeed have company rules and care sheets on how they should care for the animals to be in spec with the company. They pass those rules on to customers = A lot of dead animals.
Pretty sad, but it seems like very few chain pet stores do (or are allowed to do) their own research.
Thanks!! I noticed a lot of the tarantulas are really stressed out at chain stores too. The tarantula I got was the only one out of the bunch that didn't have any of it's hairs missing from it's abdomen.

The tarantula "expert" at PetSmart said the one I picked likes to bolt and the staff is scared of it. She tried selling me another one that she scooped up into her hand. It was flicking hairs like crazy. Long story short I went with the one that nobody liked touching..

I don't plan on handling my t. I just want to give her a happy home and have the opportunity to observe her. So far it's been a rewarding experience.
 

Westicles

Arachnobaron
Arachnosupporter
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Dec 9, 2018
Messages
520
I'm glad you're on the right track now! :cool:

My friend works at a pet store and they do indeed have company rules and care sheets on how they should care for the animals to be in spec with the company. They pass those rules on to customers = A lot of dead animals.
Pretty sad, but it seems like very few chain pet stores do (or are allowed to do) their own research.
It's even worse for the reptiles! I've overhead advice given for iguanas that would kill them quick!
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
room temperature
NOT HELPFUL...what temperature..are we all mindreaders :banghead:

I think she is fixing to molt
Great!

I'm wondering if my enclosure is too dry?
WHY is this a concern of yours???

all the information
Specific things you are not sure about ask on, writing the above does not help us, help your T.

Any advice is appreciated.
Stop listening to that damn pet store, and get your info ONLY from here, and trusted owners/breeders at shows (too many fly by night people in both the exotic animal hobby- do not trust someone simply because they sell animals)

he tarantula I got was the only one out of the bunch that didn't have any of it's hairs missing from it's abdomen.
Missing setae are not necessarily a sign of stress.

I guess everyone here knows that. But with tarantulas, less is often more!
When reading some of the posts I keep thinking to myself: cared for to death!
I could not agree more on both. Too many owners are just ignorant to the point of "stupid", doing things they have NO business doing.
 
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The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
I think the heating pad killed it after it molted because it looked pretty dehydrated.
Yeah, it's highly likely. There are certain precautions that must be followed in order to safely use heat mats (they've been used safely in the UK/Europe for decades) and Americans tend not to bother with any of them.

My rule of thumb is if I'm comfortable, then my T's will be too.
Tbh, anything between 18°C and 33°C is fine for the vast majority of species. I find that much more useful than "if you're comfortable then they're comfortable" because different people are comfortable at different temperatures. I could sit comfortably in a freezer for longer than it takes a tarantula to freeze to death whereas temps over 25°C that make me extremely uncomfortable wouldn't even phase a tarantula.

...I've heard this cheese somewhere before...
Wastebook/StupidTube
 

soulnexus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 11, 2021
Messages
9
NOT HELPFUL...what temperature..are we all mindreaders :banghead:
Mid to lower 70s. 72 at the lowest and 75 at the highest.

Specific things you are not sure about ask on, writing the above does not help us, help your T.
I've been using the search function. I was more or less confused about the humidity and temp. I'm certain things will be fine.

WHY is this a concern of yours???
The humidity was a concern of mine because I don't want her to have a bad molt. I was confused about the humidity because there's a lot of contradictory information out there on this topic. A Google search would turn up caresheets that suggest daily misting.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I have things figured out. Thanks for the input.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
Mid to lower 70s. 72 at the lowest and 75 at the highest.



I've been using the search function. I was more or less confused about the humidity and temp. I'm certain things will be fine.



The humidity was a concern of mine because I don't want her to have a bad molt. I was confused about the humidity because there's a lot of contradictory information out there on this topic. A Google search would turn up caresheets that suggest daily misting.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I have things figured out. Thanks for the input.
Tarantulas don't require humidity for molting like many reptiles do.

Caresheets are anything BUT, they kill Ts.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
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Messages
13,223
I'll go a little bit easier on overfilling the water dish though.
Here is the thing, you can over fill a water dish, but its not some randomly performed action. You really want to wait for the area to dry before dampening again. Also, you would want (need) to do it more often in the winter when the house is dry, and much much less in summer when its warm and humid. Its generally a good idea to always err on the side of dry, not damp. Conditions that are too dry are far easier for a t to survive than an enclosure that gets too damp (provided a water dish is available, of course)

Honestly though, rotating the area you dampen is a better way to go about it IMO, I don't like the idea of a perpetually damp area around/under the water dish.

We see a lot of people watering on schedules that end up having problems as the enclosures eventually become more suited to keeping a salamander.

And the temp in my room is comfortable. Around 75 degrees to be exact.
Here is the gist of what you actually need to know about tarantulas.

For slings, they really just need 70 (they can drop a bit, but this is a safe sling temp), but for juvies and adults, well for a slower growing t like your brachy, your temp range is actually between 60 and 95...night temps can drop to the 50s....not something you will likely ever have to worry about unless you go homeless.

Even tropical species can deal with 68-95...huge variance...temp requirements are nothing more than care sheet drivel....fake news! :grumpy: Same goes for those ridiculous humidity requirements they often list

You see these two things stressed anywhere or by anyone, ignore their words and thank me later.:cool:
 

soulnexus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 11, 2021
Messages
9
Here is the thing, you can over fill a water dish, but its not some randomly performed action. You really want to wait for the area to dry before dampening again. Also, you would want (need) to do it more often in the winter when the house is dry, and much much less in summer when its warm and humid. Its generally a good idea to always err on the side of dry, not damp. Conditions that are too dry are far easier for a t to survive than an enclosure that gets too damp (provided a water dish is available, of course)

Honestly though, rotating the area you dampen is a better way to go about it IMO, I don't like the idea of a perpetually damp area around/under the water dish.

We see a lot of people watering on schedules that end up having problems as the enclosures eventually become more suited to keeping a salamander.


Here is the gist of what you actually need to know about tarantulas.

For slings, they really just need 70 (they can drop a bit, but this is a safe sling temp), but for juvies and adults, well for a slower growing t like your brachy, your temp range is actually between 60 and 95...night temps can drop to the 50s....not something you will likely ever have to worry about unless you go homeless.

Even tropical species can deal with 68-95...huge variance...temp requirements are nothing more than care sheet drivel....fake news! :grumpy: Same goes for those ridiculous humidity requirements they often list

You see these two things stressed anywhere or by anyone, ignore their words and thank me later.:cool:
Thanks for the help and advice cold blood. I really appreciate you for going through the trouble to type this all up for me. You're very kind.
 

LucN

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
315
Welcome to the boards !

As everyone mentioned so far, you can ignore any caresheet out there. A heating pad is only necessary if it gets really, really cold, like below 60F. And even then, a space heater is the better option. B. emilia is part of a group that are generally considered "bulletproof". As long as you don't cook them, drop them, feed dangerous prey (ie bees, wasps, ants, larger beetles) and not forget to provide water, they should last you a long, long, LONG time. Be forewarned that this species has a propensity to fast, meaning it can go off food for weeks, months or even years ! This is normal. This is probably one of the slowest growing Ts out there. They are strikingly beautiful and they'll teach you the meaning of patience.

In the meantime, consider getting a 2nd or even a 3rd spider soon. If your B. emilia decides to fast, don't waste your crickets, instead feed them off to the others. I personally recommend Tliltocatl albopilosus, the Curly Hair. They won't be as visually impressive as your B. emilia, but they make up for it with an inquisitive personality and a vicious feeding response. Another to consider would be Grammostola pulchripes, the Chaco Golden Knee. They look nice, they get to a good size (7-8" apparently) and eat well too. With these 3, you'll be hooked.

Enjoy your B. emilia ! :)
 
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