CostaRica Zebra health bad or good?

Poonjab

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Yeah. It’ll be fine. Looks very similar to the one I just rescued. Mine had a smaller abdomen than that and was being kept on a half inch of dry substrate with a heat lamp cooking it alive and a oversized hide. Few recommendations though. Put into an enclosure that will reduce the risk of a fall from a tall height. Also get some more substrate in the enclosure. 7-8 inches would be ideal. This will encourage burrowing. I’m assuming you picked it up from your local petco?
 

Vanisher

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Can you take a picture on the padipalps. It looks lot like an adult male, judging on.the overall look of the spider. I can be wrong of course! I dont remember if this speicies is sexual dimorphic or not?
 

cold blood

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Generally a small abdomen isnt an indicator of health unless its shriveled (but even that is easily reversed).

A small abdomen usually just means its recently molted...like a fat abdomen just means it molted a while ago and has eaten.

Now your enclosure...scrap that and start over.

Its WAAAAAAY too tall, a serious fall risk.

It also needs deep, damp substrate, this is a fossorial species.

The hide should not be a dead end either...halve that pot....think of a hide not as a home, but rather as the front door....a t should be able to use it as a starting point for a burrow.

Theres no advantage to an expensive enclosure to the t, a cheap sterilite tub is a great place to keep it and can be ventilated in any manner thats fitting.

Top only ventilation is the worse kind if ventilation. fwiw

Welcome to the hobby...good species to start with.
 

Vanisher

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IMO top ventilation is not bad. A mix of side ventilation and top ventilation is the best. In many enclosures i have just top ventilation. Neber had any problems! In enclosures with plenty of substrate side ventilation holes are often covered with soil if the spider is digging, and the ventilation is suffering. For speicies like A seemanni top ventilation is okey. But i use little more topventilation if i have only topventilation
 

Sarkhan42

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Can you take a picture on the padipalps. It looks lot like an adult male, judging on.the overall look of the spider. I can be wrong of course! I dont remember if this speicies is sexual dimorphic or not?
I would say definitely not a mature male. This species is in fact very dimorphic, adult males are often mistaken for other species actually! They’re on the darker side and can have a purple tint to them.
 

cold blood

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IMO top ventilation is not bad. A mix of side ventilation and top ventilation is the best. In many enclosures i have just top ventilation. Neber had any problems! In enclosures with plenty of substrate side ventilation holes are often covered with soil if the spider is digging, and the ventilation is suffering. For speicies like A seemanni top ventilation is okey. But i use little more topventilation if i have only topventilation
With ts kept dry or without real ventilation needs, it's just fine indeed, but for those requiring air movement or kept on damp substrate, top only is inadequate. It's not just my theory that top only doesn't promote air movement, it's a proven and easily provable fact. :) just sayin'
 

Vanisher

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Agree, that top ventilation does not promotes air circulation nearly as good as side and top ventilation put together. Thats why this is a pro in Avicularia enclosures. But in those enclosures i have top ventilation i have never had any problems related to ventilation. Just saying. 🙂
 

Angelo303

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Yeah. It’ll be fine. Looks very similar to the one I just rescued. Mine had a smaller abdomen than that and was being kept on a half inch of dry substrate with a heat lamp cooking it alive and a oversized hide. Few recommendations though. Put into an enclosure that will reduce the risk of a fall from a tall height. Also get some more substrate in the enclosure. 7-8 inches would be ideal. This will encourage burrowing. I’m assuming you picked it up from your local petco?
Generally a small abdomen isnt an indicator of health unless its shriveled (but even that is easily reversed).

A small abdomen usually just means its recently molted...like a fat abdomen just means it molted a while ago and has eaten.

Now your enclosure...scrap that and start over.

Its WAAAAAAY too tall, a serious fall risk.

It also needs deep, damp substrate, this is a fossorial species.

The hide should not be a dead end either...halve that pot....think of a hide not as a home, but rather as the front door....a t should be able to use it as a starting point for a burrow.

Theres no advantage to an expensive enclosure to the t, a cheap sterilite tub is a great place to keep it and can be ventilated in any manner thats fitting.

Top only ventilation is the worse kind if ventilation. fwiw

Welcome to the hobby...good species to start with.
IMO top ventilation is not bad. A mix of side ventilation and top ventilation is the best. In many enclosures i have just top ventilation. Neber had any problems! In enclosures with plenty of substrate side ventilation holes are often covered with soil if the spider is digging, and the ventilation is suffering. For speicies like A seemanni top ventilation is okey. But i use little more topventilation if i have only topventilation
its in fat a top and side ventilation it has a door and air vents under the door, it is a damp substraight but i just adedd 4 inches, i dont think it will be able to clime the walls to the top. i just upgraded it like you said the pot is the entrance i ad to break it to make it 20200216_164340.jpg
 

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viper69

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That setup has got to go. You can't put a terrestrial T in an arboreal setup- great way to potentially kill a T.
 

SquidStina

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i dont think it will be able to clime the walls to the top
He can. He could also make it all the way to the top, and then lose grip and fall, leading to a ruptured abdomen. You have an enclosure meant for an arboreal, and you should find something with more horizontal space than height.
 

Angelo303

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He can. He could also make it all the way to the top, and then lose grip and fall, leading to a ruptured abdomen. You have an enclosure meant for an arboreal, and you should find something with more horizontal space than height.
i only have a 20 gal
 

cold blood

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ANY enclosure with front opening doors is INappropriate for ANY terrestrial.

Front doors prevent the addition of adequate substrate to create a safe home....and for a fossorial its worse because it also prevents you from having enough substrate for burrowing.

Exo terras are arboreal enclosures.

i only have a 20 gal
Too big, but a million times better than an exo terra.
 

Poonjab

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i only have a 20 gal
for the time being, just go get a large critter keeper. They are like $9 and will hold it over for a while. There are better options than this, due to type of ventilation, but at least it’s a cheap and safer quick fix. But that’s just me.
 

Angelo303

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ANY enclosure with front opening doors is INappropriate for ANY terrestrial.

Front doors prevent the addition of adequate substrate to create a safe home....and for a fossorial its worse because it also prevents you from having enough substrate for burrowing.

Exo terras are arboreal enclosures.


Too big, but a million times better than an exo terra.
Yeah. It’ll be fine. Looks very similar to the one I just rescued. Mine had a smaller abdomen than that and was being kept on a half inch of dry substrate with a heat lamp cooking it alive and a oversized hide. Few recommendations though. Put into an enclosure that will reduce the risk of a fall from a tall height. Also get some more substrate in the enclosure. 7-8 inches would be ideal. This will encourage burrowing. I’m assuming you picked it up from your local petco?
first of all it does have enough space for burrowing and i fixed the tall problem i made the hight shorter and secure, the pot is on the back side where the substrate is 7-8 in deep, have to have imagination to upgrade
 

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viper69

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@Angelo303

Yo Angelo- we have given you logical and common sense advice. If you choose not to use it, your choice, but your T pays for your mistakes with its life usually.

All you need to do is put the ZooMed tank on its side so the glass door opens up. AND replace the screen with acrylic that has ventilation holes. It's a basic mod for people who cant buy a new setup/don't want to etc etc etc.

Also, Ts climb up walls and glass in captivity. The fact you "think" your T won't is laughable at best.

I see that mickey mouse contraption you made above; do the RIGHT thing, not the convenient thing. Otherwise give your T to someone who cares.

BTW mesh screen tops are horrible for Ts of any type, even arboreals. Don't use screen.
 

Angelo303

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@Angelo303

Yo Angelo- we have given you logical and common sense advice. If you choose not to use it, your choice, but your T pays for your mistakes with its life usually.

All you need to do is put the ZooMed tank on its side so the glass door opens up. AND replace the screen with acrylic that has ventilation holes. It's a basic mod for people who cant buy a new setup/don't want to etc etc etc.

Also, Ts climb up walls and glass in captivity. The fact you "think" your T won't is laughable at best.

I see that mickey mouse contraption you made above; do the RIGHT thing, not the convenient thing. Otherwise give your T to someone who cares.

BTW mesh screen tops are horrible for Ts of any type, even arboreals. Don't use screen.
its not mickey mouse contraption its a solid base, first you guys talking about its to tall ,i fix the problem it cannot go up because its closed off the legs of the base are in the dirt no way it can move now its like a vwry nano exo terra, front ventilation top ventilation, 7-8 in of humid substrate, what are you guys trying to do its not tall anymore, has proper humidity,ventilation, deep substrate?
i can even add substrate on top of the base and add another tarantula get rid of the screen for acrylic 2 story exo terra
 
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Pyroxian

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its not mickey mouse contraption its a solid base, first you guys talking about its to tall ,i fix the problem it cannot go up because its closed off the legs of the base are in the dirt no way it can move now its like a vwry nano exo terra, front ventilation top ventilation, 7-8 in of humid substrate, what are you guys trying to do its not tall anymore, has proper humidity,ventilation, deep substrate?
i can even add substrate on top of the base and add another tarantula get rid of the screen for acrylic 2 story exo terra
So you blocked off what, 95 percent of the ventilation by placing a solid platform between the screen and the spider? That seems... questionable at best. If you put substrate on your platform, how will you feed/water the lower spider without losing all of the substrate in the upper chamber? Add a wall between the sub and the door? Ending up with one chamber with top-only ventilation and one with front-only? This isn't going to end well for the spider(s).

Beyond all that, coming here asking others (with MUCH more experience than you have - safe bet) for advice and then jumping down their throats and becoming insulting isn't really a great way to go about things. All you're likely to end up with is a bunch of really knowledgeable folks who ignore or block you, and a dead tarantula, if you persist in this fashion. I would encourage you to rethink your approach, both to housing your new pet and to interacting with folks here.
 

Angelo303

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So you blocked off what, 95 percent of the ventilation by placing a solid platform between the screen and the spider? That seems... questionable at best. If you put substrate on your platform, how will you feed/water the lower spider without losing all of the substrate in the upper chamber? Add a wall between the sub and the door? Ending up with one chamber with top-only ventilation and one with front-only? This isn't going to end well for the spider(s).

Beyond all that, coming here asking others (with MUCH more experience than you have - safe bet) for advice and then jumping down their throats and becoming insulting isn't really a great way to go about things. All you're likely to end up with is a bunch of really knowledgeable folks who ignore or block you, and a dead tarantula, if you persist in this fashion. I would encourage you to rethink your approach, both to housing your new pet and to interacting with folks here.
i will not add another one on top it was an example of how stron is the platform, the platform is not pressured against the glass it has a space where it connot go through or stuck and i have a drill to make holes on the platfor to make top ventilation go to the bottom, they say its to tall then i fix it with shorting it down with a shorter roof, you explain please whats wrong with it now?, its like if you add a fence in the middle of the yard to separate your dog from deep pool
i just came for help, this exo terra is for tree frogs i just added this striped-knee for the meanwhile i buy the frogs
 
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