Chaco Golden Knee climbing

[ChacoGoo]

Hi, Just a quick question my chaco golden knee sling, about 2 inches DLS, seems to want to climb up its enclosure (a ziploc twist n lock small) on to the lid, not the top just the rim. The surface substrate is bone dry, and he/she can dig for more moisture, maybe it was just the enclosure is too cramped? Maybe the blue lid? Any other tips can help, thank you.

P.S. I will get a smaller water dish, but the red one is temporary. The t always fills it up the night after I clean her/his water, just took out some substrate earlier.

 

[DonLouchese]

Hello there,

She is climbing firstly because the enclosure is small so she does not have a lot of places to go -> not saying that u should change it just yet. But she either has a small area on the bottom or to be on the sides of enclosure.

Second thing is that as you can see when u open the lid to take pictures she hides behind the moss , which means she wants to hide off , since she has a small place with no cork or similar she as well see's the blue cap of the enclosure as a hide since it's a darker place probably.

In all fairness an enclosrue change is going to solve the problem in the future. I have slings like this in a bigger tub , and they love to dig at this stage , never climbing.

Regards,

Don

 

[ChacoGoo]

Thank you! I did have a little hide she used for a day, then the next day she just buried it up, or maybe it collapsed. Maybe I should try to reopen the hole for her?

 

[DonLouchese]

If she buried the hide it's okay just leave it be. She'll make a new hole by the side or something if she'll need it. Look forward to getting her to something bigger when you'll recall. It should be able to molt inside this enclosure , then rehouse it.

 

[ChacoGoo]

I have a DIY leaf burrow, wondering if the t cares about the color? Sorry for all the questions, I've been panicking because I've had her for about a week, and it is my first tarantula. Also is this like a emergency, like some immediate danger that may come with it, like stress for her? I will try to get my hands on something bigger, any recommendations? Thanks for your time, really appreciate it

 

[DonLouchese]

DIY leaf burrow is okay , when your gonna rehouse it use a cork bark since they are the best sollution for the hide. There is no emergency status neither there is any danger that comes along. Everything is okay inside , usually i dont have a water dish in an enclosure like this but just water a corner a bit , not to moist , just to provide some water. This species don't like it humid anyway.
So I just sprinkle water to the corner in a sling stage like this once a week. It is more than enough.

Panick is understandable at start since you've never been in situations like this . With time you will understand what your tarantula is doing. Maybe watch videos about them and also read stuff to get a better understanding and also to make you feel more calm.

Recommendations for terrariums, since you are from America I can't really tell you exact stuff , in EU I have everything in a similar stuff to TarantulaCrib enclosures , and ExoTerra enclosures but another brand.

Regards,

Don

 

[ChacoGoo]

Thanks again Don. For now I will keep her in a wide, but not tall enclosure filled with moss. I got this amazing golden knee in this container and should serve as a temporary enclosure. I chose to not use this as it would only provide about 1-2 cm of substrate, obviously not enough for her to dig. Thanks for the tips and Happy New Year!

 

[DonLouchese]

Best wishes to you as well!

 

[DustyD]

Larger deli cups would work and Herp Cult and Tarantula Cribs offer nice but expensive acrylic enclosures.

If you are handy, plastic or acrylic food storage containers that you buy from stores are often used, you would just need to make air holes in the sides, likely with a drill for the heavier materials or acrylic.

I have three G. pulchripes and they do well in a drier condition. In a larger enclosure you can use caps for water and let some overflow into the substrate. I do tend to put water in other places at different times but not too close to the hide. They will get some moisture from food.

Moss is up to you. I don’t use it so much.

Cork bark is great. I have found that using the rounds don’t do as well as the halves as my T’s have liked digging underneath.

Your T does seem to need a better place to hide.
Do a search here or check out YouTubers like Tom Moran for rehousing information.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[viper69]

Setup looks small

 

[ChacoGoo]

Thanks everyone, could I just use a cork round and cut it down the middle?

 

[DustyD]

Thanks everyone, could I just use a cork round and cut it down the middle?

Yes for sure. That’s what I do with rounds. There may be species that will use them, but so far the only things that have used my rounds have been crickets. Every tarantula can be different, but my G. pulchripes have been diggers.

 

[ChacoGoo]

Yes for sure. That’s what I do with rounds. There may be species that will use them, but so far the only things that have used my rounds have been crickets. Every tarantula can be different, but my G. pulchripes have been diggers.

Ok thanks!