Burgundy Goliath Sling-Must know everything

[CharlotteTheT]

Alright. So I just got a Burgundy Goliath sling. For background I have a GBB adult, sub adult Mexican Red Knee, Avicularia Avicularia, and Curly Hair. This is my first sling. As well as I’m aware this isn’t a beginner species I’ve read. I need to know everyone’s experience. Detailed care. I’ve done some research before this, but only with adults.
Right now I put them in a 8x8x11. Tall, yes, probably too big :,( I put in a lot of substrate to make it safer. Got a lot of places they can hide. Really don’t know about the water dish. I didn’t fill it up. Just a little bit of water. This enclosure as you’ll see doesn’t have cross ventilation. I have top ventilation on all my enclosures. I do have a large fan that constantly circulates air. I see in my other enclosures that the plants in there move slightly so they are getting some type of air circulation. Anyway, this is my first baby, and a Goliath at that so I must know more. I keep looking at the enclosure and now I’m starting to think I could’ve put in more substrate. I’m stressing myself out. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[viper69]

Everyone's experience is on the forum already- start reading

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Same care as the adults just scale down the cage to fit a smaller spider. That’s it.

 

[Myrlina]

Looks dry, this is a moisture dependent species. You don't need more sub.

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species (And How to Maintain Moist Substrate) Author’s Note: Although tarantula husbandry “care sheets” often make a point of stating “ideal humidity” requireme…

tomsbigspiders.com

 

[CharlotteTheT]

Looks dry, this is a moisture dependent species. You don't need more sub.

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species

Keeping Moisture Dependent Tarantula Species (And How to Maintain Moist Substrate) Author’s Note: Although tarantula husbandry “care sheets” often make a point of stating “ideal humidity” requireme…

tomsbigspiders.com

When I looked back at the picture it does look dry. It’s still moist though and then I misted the back area of the tank. But definitely making sure to keep the moisture and air flow going. I have an extra Humidity and temp gauge I’ll use. Thank you!

 

[Myrlina]

When I looked back at the picture it does look dry. It’s still moist though and then I misted the back area of the tank. But definitely making sure to keep the moisture and air flow going. I have an extra Humidity and temp gauge I’ll use. Thank you!

Do read through Tom's guide. Humidity gauges are not very useful, it is more important to look for the moisture line in the deep layers of the sub. Misting will evaporate very quickly. I pour water with a miniature watering can around the edges of my enclosures so that the water runs to the bottom, the surface can be quite dry. You may need to cover part of the lid to slow down evaporation.

 

[CharlotteTheT]

Do read through Tom's guide. Humidity gauges are not very useful, it is more important to look for the moisture line in the deep layers of the sub. Misting will evaporate very quickly. I pour water with a miniature watering can around the edges of my enclosures so that the water runs to the bottom, the surface can be quite dry. You may need to cover part of the lid to slow down evaporation.

yes, right after replying I read Tom’s guide. I’m gonna do this today for sure

 

[Mustafa67]

Alright. So I just got a Burgundy Goliath sling. For background I have a GBB adult, sub adult Mexican Red Knee, Avicularia Avicularia, and Curly Hair. This is my first sling. As well as I’m aware this isn’t a beginner species I’ve read. I need to know everyone’s experience. Detailed care. I’ve done some research before this, but only with adults.
Right now I put them in a 8x8x11. Tall, yes, probably too big :,( I put in a lot of substrate to make it safer. Got a lot of places they can hide. Really don’t know about the water dish. I didn’t fill it up. Just a little bit of water. This enclosure as you’ll see doesn’t have cross ventilation. I have top ventilation on all my enclosures. I do have a large fan that constantly circulates air. I see in my other enclosures that the plants in there move slightly so they are getting some type of air circulation. Anyway, this is my first baby, and a Goliath at that so I must know more. I keep looking at the enclosure and now I’m starting to think I could’ve put in more substrate. I’m stressing myself out. Thanks in advance!!!

What’s the question?

 

[Brewser]

Go for the Gusto.
T Stirmi when nothing but the Biggest will do.
My Hats off to You, and B G Bird Eater.
Be sure and get back to us when You Can on this Huge Responsibility.
Best Wishes 2 U both.

 

[CharlotteTheT]

Go for the Gusto.
T Stirmi when nothing but the Biggest will do.
My Hats off to You, and B G Bird Eater.
Be sure and get back to us when You Can on this Huge Responsibility.
Best Wishes 2 U both.

Of course! Watched some more videos about moisture dependent T’s. Showered the substrate. Cut up a worm. They really enjoyed that. Very intense feeding response they have

 

[TheraMygale]

When I looked back at the picture it does look dry. It’s still moist though and then I misted the back area of the tank. But definitely making sure to keep the moisture and air flow going. I have an extra Humidity and temp gauge I’ll use. Thank you!

Of course! Watched some more videos about moisture dependent T’s. Showered the substrate. Cut up a worm. They really enjoyed that. Very intense feeding response they have

If substrate is moist, then no need to clog it. Thats where the problems arise. Don’t let stress overpower reason. Substrate needs room to breath.

im saying this because people said it looked dry, but you said it wasnt. Dont overdo it if you know its moist.

its going to take a long time to dry out if its overstaurated, then youll get mold and that will stress you even more.

look for gradients of color in the substrate to gauge your moisture.

its a huge enclosure for a sling. With all the decor in there, youll need to work twice as hard to make sure its eating. You can do it though. If you find its not manageable, a smaller enclosure until it grows will be better.

you can also dig into the corners with a stick, this helps you direct the water all the way down. Depending on the type of substrate you have, when it dries, it can take a long time to get moist. Which is why its also important not to add to much water at once.

Water dish needs to be full. Tarantula will lower its carapace into it to drink, if it does. Its easier for them to drink.

they are not necessarily beginners because of husbandry. I also recommend you watch Daves little beasties on t stirmi. To cross check info and get different views.

we are talking about t stirmi right?

 

[CharlotteTheT]

If substrate is moist, then no need to clog it. Thats where the problems arise. Don’t let stress overpower reason. Substrate needs room to breath.

im saying this because people said it looked dry, but you said it wasnt. Dont overdo it if you know its moist.

its going to take a long time to dry out if its overstaurated, then youll get mold and that will stress you even more.

look for gradients of color in the substrate to gauge your moisture.

its a huge enclosure for a sling. With all the decor in there, youll need to work twice as hard to make sure its eating. You can do it though. If you find its not manageable, a smaller enclosure until it grows will be better.

you can also dig into the corners with a stick, this helps you direct the water all the way down. Depending on the type of substrate you have, when it dries, it can take a long time to get moist. Which is why its also important not to add to much water at once.

Water dish needs to be full. Tarantula will lower its carapace into it to drink, if it does. Its easier for them to drink.

they are not necessarily beginners because of husbandry. I also recommend you watch Daves little beasties on t stirmi. To cross check info and get different views.

we are talking about t stirmi right?

I was wrong. It wasn't moist enough when I started to watch some videos aka Tom’s moisture dependent video I realized. It has a nice gradient to it now. I also filled up the cap diy water dish now that I see they won’t drown in it. And I did watch his videos too! Love his channel. It is a Stirmi yes. And also mold, ugh, I should’ve put a different type substrate/material on the bottom but I didn’t. Dang it. They’ve been hanging out next to their hide so far. Very good feeding response.

 

[TheraMygale]

I was wrong. It wasn't moist enough when I started to watch some videos aka Tom’s moisture dependent video I realized. It has a nice gradient to it now. I also filled up the cap diy water dish now that I see they won’t drown in it. And I did watch his videos too! Love his channel. It is a Stirmi yes. And also mold, ugh, I should’ve put a different type substrate/material on the bottom but I didn’t. Dang it. They’ve been hanging out next to their hide so far. Very good feeding response.

Tons of people managed without a draining layer and so can you. Just keep an eye on the substrate layers. If the enclosure proves to be to big, you can always redo it. Large tarantulas like these require more floor space anyways. So you might eventualy get something like 14 x 21. Thats if it gets to 7 inches. Best luck to you.

 

[Myrlina]

Your enclosure will be absolutely fine if you manage the moisture right. In my experience Theraphosa slings do fine in quite large enclosures because they have such a strong feeding response, and they grow so fast you would be rehousing every other week if you started smaller. I haven't used a drainage layer, I am just careful not to flood the substrate. Just to add, mine tend to bury themselves and disappear for a surprisingly long time when they are about to moult, so don't be surprised if that happens.

 

[Matt W]

I recently got a T. stirmi sling. It has so far, several days after arrival, refused to eat either live or pre-killed crickets. Curious if it's possible it's in pre-molt; the abdomen seems to small, but it's really hard to find images of developmental stages and early instars for these spiders.



The spider is in a 12"x7"x9" Reptile Growth enclosure. (Somewhat too big for this 2" sling, but I'm anticipating growth.) A few inches of pre-moistened coco-fiber substrate kept moist with corner "rainfall" wetting. I've got a 7W flat terrarium heater pad velcro'd to the backside of the enclosure because it gets down to mid 60's indoors at night and I've found these things do well at giving a good front-to-back temp gradient across the enclosure. There's a 1/4 ramen cup hide for the spider as well, which it mostly stays inside.

 

[goofyGoober99]

I recently got a T. stirmi sling. It has so far, several days after arrival, refused to eat either live or pre-killed crickets. Curious if it's possible it's in pre-molt; the abdomen seems to small, but it's really hard to find images of developmental stages and early instars for these spiders.

I have 1" slings that will go almost a month without eating after a big meal. A few days is nothing to worry about.
Best thing to do at this point is keep the water dish full and let the little guy settle in for at least another week before trying to feed again.

 

[CharlotteTheT]

Your enclosure will be absolutely fine if you manage the moisture right. In my experience Theraphosa slings do fine in quite large enclosures because they have such a strong feeding response, and they grow so fast you would be rehousing every other week if you started smaller. I haven't used a drainage layer, I am just careful not to flood the substrate. Just to add, mine tend to bury themselves and disappear for a surprisingly long time when they are about to moult, so don't be surprised if that happens.

Thanks for the advice! I’ve heard about the disappearing too. Definitely keeping up on the moisture. I wonder if it also helps that I have at least 50% humidity in my apartment naturally so the substrate doesn’t dry out so fast. He or she just had another piece of cut up worm tonight. Feeding them 3x per week is what I heard is a good amount for the age they’re at. They’re webbing right now as we speak. I think they’re pretty happy

 

[CharlotteTheT]

UPDATE 12/25.

Got him Nov. 3rd. Came into some mold. Not a lot at all but changed out the moldy substrate and cleaned up. I know I was warned. Then came the fruit flies. Which was actually ridiculous. Besides these hurdles I did more searching. Went back to the articles and videos I’ve previously watched. I reevaluated. I’ve decided my enclosure wasn’t enough. Anyway, since it’s Christmas the pet stores are closed so I got a container and drilled holes. Most on the sides for cross ventilation which I didn’t have before. New clean substrate. He or she (Aragog’s the name) has recently refused food so I’m hoping for a molt sometime in the future. I’m still learning here. But I think I went too far with the moisture. And the fact that I had only top ventilation. Of course I have fruit flies and they love that. They’re coming out of my sink. The enclosure I think is a more appropriate size as well. Now I can leave him alone to do what he needs to do. I will not be using the previous enclosure for Aragog when he gets bigger. That’s an excuse to get something else now. Love my lil Aragog. Let me know if there’s any pointers here. Happy Holidays!

 

[Arachnophobphile]

UPDATE 12/25.

Got him Nov. 3rd. Came into some mold. Not a lot at all but changed out the moldy substrate and cleaned up. I know I was warned. Then came the fruit flies. Which was actually ridiculous. Besides these hurdles I did more searching. Went back to the articles and videos I’ve previously watched. I reevaluated. I’ve decided my enclosure wasn’t enough. Anyway, since it’s Christmas the pet stores are closed so I got a container and drilled holes. Most on the sides for cross ventilation which I didn’t have before. New clean substrate. He or she (Aragog’s the name) has recently refused food so I’m hoping for a molt sometime in the future. I’m still learning here. But I think I went too far with the moisture. And the fact that I had only top ventilation. Of course I have fruit flies and they love that. They’re coming out of my sink. The enclosure I think is a more appropriate size as well. Now I can leave him alone to do what he needs to do. I will not be using the previous enclosure for Aragog when he gets bigger. That’s an excuse to get something else now. Love my lil Aragog. Let me know if there’s any pointers here. Happy Holidays!

This link should help you with Theraphosa stirmi.

Theraphosa care and info

We have had so many threads lately on Theraphosa, and I find myself repeating the same thing time and time again. This thread will cover most of the common questions, hopefully it should be useful to some of the newer keepers, and may even save a few spiders from neglect. I'll start by going...

arachnoboards.com

I hope you are aware that T. stirmi have type 4 urticating setae. I believe it's type 4 basically the worse. Do your homework especially on protecting not just your hands but your eyes first and your respiratory system. This is why I don't have any Theraphosa

 

[CharlotteTheT]

This link should help you with Theraphosa stirmi.

Theraphosa care and info

We have had so many threads lately on Theraphosa, and I find myself repeating the same thing time and time again. This thread will cover most of the common questions, hopefully it should be useful to some of the newer keepers, and may even save a few spiders from neglect. I'll start by going...

arachnoboards.com

I hope you are aware that T. stirmi have type 4 urticating setae. I believe it's type 4 basically the worse. Do your homework especially on protecting not just your hands but your eyes first and your respiratory system. This is why I don't have any Theraphosa

Looks like they said in the article that they are in fact the worst. Phewy thanks for posting this