Cause for Concern?

JayManges

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I got my first T last week. A 2" Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (GBB). I housed it in an 8"x8"x12" habitat with coco sub straight, some small fake plants, and a flower pot hide. The T has spun some web but confines itself to a few inches between the tops of two fake plants where it is always seen hanging out. I never see it wander around the rest of the enclosure. So far it has eaten three small crickets and appears to have a hearty appetite and appears healthy. My concern is, I never see it near its water dish let alone drinking from it. Is this something to be concerned about? Is it getting enough liquid from just the crickets? I thought about putting a few drops of water on the webbing but there is so little of it. I know this T is indigenous of a very dry area of Venezuela so maybe it doesn't need that much water? Will it seek out and find the water if it eventually gets thirsty or will it allow itself to dehydrate and wither away in its preferred hang out? Now there doesn't appear to be a real problem now. I just want to make sure I am not making a mistake by not being more proactive about water.
 

Thekla

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As long as it's eating it can't be dehydrated. Don't worry. Also, you probably don't watch your T 24/7, so, you don't know if it's coming down for a drink. ;)

As for staying in one place... well, it's definitely still settling in and it could be a bit intimated by the quite large enclosure as well. Could you please post a picture of the enclosure? It seems you have got an Exo Terra nano tall and although a GBB can handle a bit more height than other terrestrial Ts, it's still a terrestrial and shouldn't be housed in an arboreal enclosure.
 

cold blood

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Tarantulas drink VERY infrequently. Even with hundreds its still an uncommon occurrance to see one drink.
 

JayManges

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True I might be an overprotective tarantula parent. However, this is my first and I want to be able to do things right. Maybe I should remove some of the plants to make it more terrestrial?
 

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chanda

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True I might be an overprotective tarantula parent. However, this is my first and I want to be able to do things right. Maybe I should remove some of the plants to make it more terrestrial?
Removing some of the plants will not make the enclosure more "terrestrial." If anything, it will just make the cage less desirable for your spider, by decreasing the options for hiding places and anchor points for webbing.

When a cage is referred to as "terrestrial" or "arboreal" what they're really talking about is the ratio of floor space to vertical space.

Terrestrial enclosures are designed to discourage climbing. Either the enclosure is shallow - or it is deep, but contains deep substrate to permit burrowing, leaving only the top portion of the enclosure open. Either way, the spider has plenty of flat ground space to crawl around on (or burrow into) - but does not have excessive height. Having too much open vertical space can be deadly for terrestrial spiders, because - despite being "terrestrial" - they will sometimes climb the walls of their enclosure, and a fall from more than 1.5 - 2 times their diagonal leg span can result in a ruptured abdomen.

Arboreal enclosures are generally taller than they are wide, and provide lots of vertical climbing space - along with suitable branches, plants, or cork slabs for climbing on, hiding behind, and using as attachment points for webs. These cages are preferable for arboreal spiders that would normally live in trees. These spiders are better adapted to height than their heavier-bodied terrestrial counterparts, making them both less likely to fall - and better suited to survive a fall, if one should happen.

That is a very large cage for such a small spider, and while the GBB is better suited to a more vertical enclosure than are some species of terrestrial tarantulas, a fall from the screen or from high on the glass could still be fatal. Also, with a screen top, there is always the risk of the spider getting its tarsal claws stuck in the screen. If it can't get them free, it could end up losing a leg - or falling. It's very unsettling to walk into the room and see your spider dangling from the screen by one leg! That happened to me a few times when I was first getting started with tarantula keeping, when I was mostly keeping them in reptile cages because those were what I had available. Fortunately, none of my spiders ever suffered a ruptured abdomen or lost a leg - but I did have to help a few of them down when they got stuck, before I got them more suitably rehomed.
 
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cold blood

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You need a MUCH amaller enclosure as well as a change to terrestrial.
 

JayManges

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You need a MUCH amaller enclosure as well as a change to terrestrial.
What size would you recommend? The T was spread out on the glass yesterday and I held a ruler to it and measured a leg span of 2 inches.
 

cold blood

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What size would you recommend? The T was spread out on the glass yesterday and I held a ruler to it and measured a leg span of 2 inches.
I would still have it in a 16oz deli cup at that size...although you could certainly go a little larger, like one of the smaller sized kritter keepers.
 

JayManges

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I would still have it in a 16oz deli cup at that size...although you could certainly go a little larger, like one of the smaller sized kritter keepers.
Will pick up a small Kritter Keeper this weekend. Thanks!
 

Vanisher

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I got my first T last week. A 2" Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (GBB). I housed it in an 8"x8"x12" habitat with coco sub straight, some small fake plants, and a flower pot hide. The T has spun some web but confines itself to a few inches between the tops of two fake plants where it is always seen hanging out. I never see it wander around the rest of the enclosure. So far it has eaten three small crickets and appears to have a hearty appetite and appears healthy. My concern is, I never see it near its water dish let alone drinking from it. Is this something to be concerned about? Is it getting enough liquid from just the crickets? I thought about putting a few drops of water on the webbing but there is so little of it. I know this T is indigenous of a very dry area of Venezuela so maybe it doesn't need that much water? Will it seek out and find the water if it eventually gets thirsty or will it allow itself to dehydrate and wither away in its preferred hang out? Now there doesn't appear to be a real problem now. I just want to make sure I am not making a mistake by not being more proactive about water.
Dont complicate things. If it has a waterdish it will search for it if it gets thirsty
 
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