couple of n00b questions

[Shox]

I've got a 90 gallon (former fresh water fish) tank that I'm planning on using to house a tarantula in. I plan on getting a mexican redknee. Although i've read that these are ground-dwelling, i've also read that they can climb up glass and fall, and possibly die. Now, to me, this sounds rather strange, as i did not know such a heavy spider could climb up glass...is this true? my tank is about 18 inches deep/high and will my T likely climb up the glass and kill itself? (the tank is about 5 ft long, 18 inches high as i said b4, and about 15-16 inches wide....big enough lol?)


another thing:
I called a pet store and asked if they sold T's, and she said that they were illegal in my state...I looked up the wildlife laws etc and they say nothing about T's... SO i'm trying to figure out why a T would be illegal...is it because they don't want they to be captured from the wild and sold? but then i would think they would say "wild T's are illegal" and would allow captive bred ones...they sell pit bull dogs, and boa constrictors etc, but not T's? it couldn't be a danger issue lol.

what else is illegal in my state? educating a dog is actually illegal in my state lol.



how do you keep ur crickets and such? do they make alot of noise?

 

[MrFeexit]

First off...welcome aboard,secondly what state?? I highly doubt you will go to jail for having a spider...third, 90 gallons is wayyyyyyyy huge for 1 spider. You may want to look at dividing it into sections....not half assedly but with real tight dividers that go from floor to ceiling with not even 1/8 inch of "squeeze space" THis way you could have quite a few spiders in one big display. The Tarantula you are speaking of is not big on wandering and will spend 90% of it's time in one corner. Yes most of the new world species have large abdomens that are prone to injury in the event of a fall and they are not known for being graceful for the most part. (Aviculara's are the exception) Think about dividing the tank, it would be cool and can be accomplished very easily. Again welcome aboard and good luck. The folks here will have tons of answers for you and lots of great advice. You can prevent injuries from a fall by putting a good amount of substrate in the tank.

Ed

 

[sinsect]

First of all, ditch the 90 gallon. 90 gallons is way too big for even the largest tarantula species. A B. smithi (Mexican Redknee) would do much better in something smaller than a 5 gallon.
If you want to put something in that 90 gallon aquarium, get yourself a pair of adult ball pythons or something along those lines.

It's true that even terrestrial spiders can suffer nasty falls from aquarium sides on occasion. Best to pack substrate (peat moss or potting soil) high enough to disable the spider from climbing a great distance (ie: if the sides of the aquarium measure 12 inches in height, you would want to add about 6 or 7 inches of substrate---overkill for a B smithi).
Second, what state are you in? I would imagine that the person you spoke with was mistaken, as I can't think of any US state that prohibits tarantla/invert. ownership.

 

[arachnopunks]

An answer to question one: The 90 gallon tank is overkill for one T but if you provide deep substrate the T will be more at home. They will climb we have T's that used to climb the glass onto the screen top and hang there until we raised the substrate. Yes, if the T fell it could rupture its abdomen so keep deep substrate and you won't have a problem. Red knee, Brachypelma smithi, will burrow. I f you give them a shelter of some sort (half a terra cotta pot, half log, or something like that) they will make use of it. If you wanted to keep more than one you can divide the tank you have; it is definitely large enough.

What state are you in because the pet store maybe misinformed or using that as an excuse to not keep T's for sale. Even some pet stores are creeped out by tarantulas. A large number of T's are imported and more are being captive bred. C.I.T.E.S. are the organization that is a watchdog group for the illegal export of various flora and fauna. They have a few species of tarantulas that are not to be exported. The Red knee is one of those so chances are if you buy one in the U.S. it is captive raised.

I would suggest if you want to buy a T to try one of the dealers advertised here. For what you would pay in a pet store for one you could buy a couple and have them shipped to your house.

 

[Shox]

Well, i can't just 'ditch' the tank lol, the set up cost 1000 dollars lol. I just feel bad for T's that are in such small containers like 5-10 gallons lol.


I was thinking of putting in alot more substrate to prevent a bad fall if the T climbed to the top of the glass...it will look really weird seeing 12 inches of dirt in there lol. but as long as the T is safe hehe.




I'm in CT btw. no pet stores sell these things, so i'm ordering online.


about dividing the tank:

is there a place that sells such dividers or do i have to make them? (i'm not very handy lol)

 

[MrFeexit]

All you have to do is take good measurments and go to a local glass guy and get 3/16s or 1/4" plexi glass cut to your specs then use an aquarium safe silicone to "glue " them in place. you could easily make 4 or 5 divisions in a tank of that size. As far as over all tank size that is a matter of opinion and of MANY debates on this site. 10 gallons is a nice size for most species "IN MY OPINION" The lid is also somthing yo will want to pay close attention to. Make sure the little buggers don't sneak over to their neighbors to murder them.

 

[Shox]

could these divisions be removed sumday? or are they permanent?

 

[MrFeexit]

easily removed. Just cut the caulk and pull the plexi glass out, then take a razor scraper and clean up the excess caulk.

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

A ten gallon tank is quite a bit of space for a spider. I have my B. albo in a 20 gallon, mainly cause I don't have anything that needs a twenty gallon right now and I have three of them. But really, she uses a 8X8 inch square of it. And she is a pretty big girl!! They don't tend to wander far from their hides, and if they are a webby species they never come out of their webs. Maybe just for a midnight patrol if they are active hunters rather than ambushing prey. (And you don't want the prey item to be too hard to find!) It is not cruel to the tarantula, you are providing them just enough space, which is beneficial to the T and the keeper.

Welcome to the board, and good luck with your new hobby!

 

[deifiler]

Hiya

Your questions have been answered, but I've constructed a "newby FAQ" on my website, which can be found here:

http://mysite.freeserve.com/Hatchery/newb_FAQ.htm

If there are any more questions, please ask so I can add them on it too