Crickets hatching in A. avic terrarium.

Jake94

Arachnopeon
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Jul 6, 2016
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Lots of baby crickets in my pink toe's palace. I've never encountered this before. what should I do?
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
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If there are too many to pick out, just rehouse. Really not that big of a deal. Leaving them in there isn't much of an option, you don't want that spider to molt with even one cricket present.

Next time, you have options to avoid this. The easiest is to just rip off the ovipositor from the female crickets (look up images on Google of what that is if you don't know).
 

Jake94

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Hrm, okay. I actually noticed crickets laying eggs at one point a while back; or well I saw them doing 'something' and found out that's what it was. I just didn't think the eggs/babies would survive to be an annoyance. I have since been cutting off their ovipositors before feeding. I've been meaning to do some work in his/her cage lately anyway. It sucks though because he/she's seemed pretty happy/content with her cork bark, and I love the way her web sort of funnels into it. While I'm at it, should I replace the cocofiber substrate with sphagnum moss, or the bag of timberline top soil I have, or both? I'll also post some pics of the container because I'm not actually positive that it has enough ventilation. I've just been letting it stay on the drier side with a small water dish, occasionally wetting the sub when I'm around to keep the door cracked.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
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It shouldn't be moist enough in the substrate for the eggs to hatch. I would also let the enclosure dry out to prevent this from happening again.
 

Jake94

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Just one, but I was originally just throwing them on the ground and waiting for the T to notice them. Now I just put the cricket on the cork bark and it climbs to its doom. Also I guess maybe I've been doing things wrong if the eggs are hatching. To be clear, most of the substrate is pretty much entirely dry, but I've been pouring maybe a tablespoon or a teaspoons worth of water in two or three different spots once or twice a week, then after a while opening the front of the enclosure to let it dry for a while. Maybe these baby crickets are more of a symptom of a larger problem. :( I'm gonna take some pictures real quick and hopefully you all can save my T. from further mishusbandry.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
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A. Avics don't need much in terms of humidity specifications. The crickets lack the ability to hatch in dry substrate. As long as you provide a water dish at all times your avic will be fine with dry substrate and baby crickets will be less common of an issue. You could also just scrap crickets that's what I did. #teamdubia
 

Jake94

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A. Avics don't need much in terms of humidity specifications. The crickets lack the ability to hatch in dry substrate. As long as you provide a water dish at all times your avic will be fine with dry substrate and baby crickets will be less common of an issue. You could also just scrap crickets that's what I did. #teamdubia
Yes! I'd love to get started on dubia's; I've been considering it ever since I started browsing these forums. Any tips? I have a $25 gift card for amazon I've not yet used.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
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Rubber made or similar tub of significant size 40qts or above. A heater for the side of the tub. UTH or heat tape. On the side. Egg crates. Vertically stacked. Constant changing of foods, I offer a variety of proteins such as commercially produced dog and cat foods, and fresh fruits and veggies. Water isn't required if fruits and veg are supplied. They can live without heat but they won't really produce offspring unless they're Around 90.
 

Jake94

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http://imgur.com/a/pUevR

Here are the pics of the enclosure. I'm thinking now that I have too little ventilation, but since I have some in the top, I don't know exactly how much more I need. I'd like to find that out before I rehouse so I can go ahead and get that done tonight as well.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
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http://imgur.com/a/pUevR

Here are the pics of the enclosure. I'm thinking now that I have too little ventilation, but since I have some in the top, I don't know exactly how much more I need. I'd like to find that out before I rehouse so I can go ahead and get that done tonight as well.
You will want to put more holes around the top on the sides of the enclosure. Not on the top. But towards the top on the sides.
 

Jake94

Arachnopeon
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Jul 6, 2016
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You will want to put more holes around the top on the sides of the enclosure. Not on the top. But towards the top on the sides.
Okay cool. That makes sense. Thank you! I will probably do something like, two rows of 5 holes near the top on the long sides, and a relatively appropriate amount on the thin sides.
 

Jake94

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Keep your sub more dry and they won't hatch. My Avics have bone dry sub.
Okay cool. I have heard conflicting information on Avics, some saying a water dish is enough, others saying they need damp substrate. I'll let yours be the final word on it though. Thanks.
 

viper69

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Okay cool. I have heard conflicting information on Avics, some saying a water dish is enough, others saying they need damp substrate. I'll let yours be the final word on it though. Thanks.
In my hands, I haven't seen a need for moist substrate. In my case, this is an example of a T keeper doing what works for them while observing their pet thrive, not just survive. It is more of a way for me to control mite issues than anything else. My Avic containers attract mites whereas my NW terrestrials do not.
 

Jake94

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In my hands, I haven't seen a need for moist substrate. In my case, this is an example of a T keeper doing what works for them while observing their pet thrive, not just survive. It is more of a way for me to control mite issues than anything else. My Avic containers attract mites whereas my NW terrestrials do not.
Hm. That's interesting about the mites. I luckily haven't encountered them so far. I hope no one thought my previous reply was sarcasm; I may have not used the best language by saying "damp substrate". I just meant that I've seen people say they wet portions of sub from time to time. Either way, I won't be doing that anymore. At least as long as my T responds well. Thanks.
 

Ranitomeya

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Unless you have a food source for the newly hatched crickets, they should die within a week from starvation after they've cannibalized each other. Most tarantulas web up and seal themselves with webbing, so they shouldn't be in danger from tiny crickets as they're not strong enough to get through to them. Larger crickets and roaches-especially burrowing roaches like dubia--are a definite danger as they could get through the webbing.

I keep my arboreals with dry substrate and provide them with drinking water and occasionally hydrate the substrate a little in order to periodically increase the humidity further. Arboreals are usually unlikely to encounter wet substrate in the wild high off the ground, so you should probably avoid keeping web substrate around them all the time. When I first started keeping tarantulas, I'd gone with the wet substrate method thinking it would keep things nice and humid like tropical tarantulas would enjoy, but switched when my avicularia slings started dying off and found experienced keepers recommending drier conditions.
 

Jake94

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Unless you have a food source for the newly hatched crickets, they should die within a week from starvation after they've cannibalized each other. Most tarantulas web up and seal themselves with webbing, so they shouldn't be in danger from tiny crickets as they're not strong enough to get through to them. Larger crickets and roaches-especially burrowing roaches like dubia--are a definite danger as they could get through the webbing.

I keep my arboreals with dry substrate and provide them with drinking water and occasionally hydrate the substrate a little in order to periodically increase the humidity further. Arboreals are usually unlikely to encounter wet substrate in the wild high off the ground, so you should probably avoid keeping web substrate around them all the time. When I first started keeping tarantulas, I'd gone with the wet substrate method thinking it would keep things nice and humid like tropical tarantulas would enjoy, but switched when my avicularia slings started dying off and found experienced keepers recommending drier conditions.
Thanks for your help! I definitely have noticed fewer pinheads in there than there were originally. I need to do a rehousing anyway though to top off ventilation, and I want to try and position her cork bark tube and fake plant so that the leaves will provide anchor points and I assume more stability for the funnel web she'll built outside of the entrance to the bark. I don't have any more coco fiber on hand; would it be better to use sphagnum moss or the timberline top soil I have? I'm pretty sure the top soil is safe since it's mixed in with my A. hentzi's substrate, and crickets have lasted over night in there. I'm leaning towards the peat moss, maybe a mixture that's 3 parts peat, 1 part dirt.
 

Ranitomeya

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I would avoid sphagnum as it leaves too many spaces for uneaten prey to hide in. Peat moss is fine, but it can mold rather easily and is a great reservoir for spores if not sterilized before use. Avoid using substrates meant for use in the garden, it's uncertain what goes into its production in terms of whether or not the organic matter going into it had come into contact with unwanted chemicals and it's not sterile and could be a source of mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and a whole lot of other potential issues.

If you are out of substrate, arboreals can do fine with just paper towel lining that you can easily clean up. It's not aesthetically pleasing, but it's practical and can be an easy temporary alternative in the meantime.
 

Jake94

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I would avoid sphagnum as it leaves too many spaces for uneaten prey to hide in. Peat moss is fine, but it can mold rather easily and is a great reservoir for spores if not sterilized before use. Avoid using substrates meant for use in the garden, it's uncertain what goes into its production in terms of whether or not the organic matter going into it had come into contact with unwanted chemicals and it's not sterile and could be a source of mites, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and a whole lot of other potential issues.

If you are out of substrate, arboreals can do fine with just paper towel lining that you can easily clean up. It's not aesthetically pleasing, but it's practical and can be an easy temporary alternative in the meantime.
Wait, are sphagnum and peat moss not the same thing? I've seen lots of people say peat moss is too acidic for mold to survive, without negatively affecting the T. Never heard of paper towels being used before. Seems like it wouldn't help much in case of a fall. I actually just checked and don't see any more pin heads in there anyway :D
 
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