Do Spiderlings Need Small Terrariums?

[Skullion]

Hi, there. I'm a newbie who's been researching tarantulas and am thinking of having one as my next pet. I've noticed that a lot of people put their spiderlings into small enclosures and then increase the spider's enclosure size over time as it gets bigger. Is this required? Can a spiderling live in an adult-sized terrarium, or would it it make it lose it's prey and water source? I own a leopard gecko and I know that they can have that trouble. Does the same thing apply to tarantulas?

 

[Edan bandoot]

Smaller is easier in every aspect

 

[Tarantulafeets]

Not only will feeding become harder, but locating the spider as well. It will also not use most of the space anyway. A small deli cup can work for most small spiderlings, also takes way less space.

 

[Neonblizzard]

Yes, don't put a spiderling in an adult enclosure. People use deli cups, i use little klipfresh food tubs. You can make your own vent holes that are small enough that they can't escape; people regularly underestimate how small a hole a sling can slip through.

There's a user on here who put his slings in an adult enclosure and to this day has no idea if they are even still in there. Most likely escaped.

What i think is good about each rehouse as they get bigger is you can try new things with each enclosure and learn from the last one without upheaving the T unnecessarily

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

Smaller for slings is preferable. The like the security of enclosed spaces.
If the enclosure is too big:
-Harder to spot the T making maintenance more difficult/risky (could harm the T unintentionally).
-Feeding is more difficult, more space for small (appropriate sized) feeder to hide away, harder to find it later to remove if not eaten.
-Your sling may burrow away in an attempt to make itself feel more secure, I had this with a 1cm sling that was in a small enclosure I normally would house something around an inch in. Last time it came back out, I rehoused it into a small vial, it made a burrow but is out and about way more often and feeding more responsively.
-Bigger enclosures are designed to contain bigger T's and don't generally have any way of preventing a sling going a wander outside.

Small enclosures are CHEAP to set up, a deli cup with some pinholes in it is fine, small takeaway containers, pound shop/dollar store plastic tubs.....pretty much anything secure and ventilated adequately will be great! Will also do your mental health a world of good not having the "where is it? is it ok?" anxiety every time you want to check on it

 

[darkness975]

Hi, there. I'm a newbie who's been researching tarantulas and am thinking of having one as my next pet. I've noticed that a lot of people put their spiderlings into small enclosures and then increase the spider's enclosure size over time as it gets bigger. Is this required? Can a spiderling live in an adult-sized terrarium, or would it it make it lose it's prey and water source? I own a leopard gecko and I know that they can have that trouble. Does the same thing apply to tarantulas?

Use deli cups and increase the size as it grows. A sling will get lost in an adult enclosure. Some day when it is larger you can give it a 5 or 10 gallon tank or whatever. But until then stick with the deli cup.

 

[viper69]

Is this required

No, I’ve commented on this many times

 

[0311usmc]

I have housed several fossorial slings into adult enclosures from the get go with no issues. I wouldn't do it with a arboreal or terrestrial tarantula though.

 

[boina]

No, it's not required, but it's certainly helpful. There are actually some experiments that show that slings tend to grow better in smaller enclosures. Personally, out of ignorance I put the very first sling I ever got (E. campestratus) into a relatively large enclosure and it did not go too well. Here's why:

1. A terrestrial sling in a large enclosure will almost certainly burrow. They also tend to close the burrow entrance. Good luck ever finding that sling again.
2. Since the sling is now in a burrow, that is is likely also closed, it will often not find its prey. Prey will run around in the enclosure and the stressed sling may go even deeper into hiding, unless it is really, really hungry, meaning it will not get fat, but just survive. If you take the prey out to not stress the sling, it may actually not feed... which is obviously not good. My sling took years (!!) to grow to small juvenile and remained smaller than average throughout his life. It finally became a very tiny male, far below the usual size of males of this species.
3. It's even worse for arboreals that will make a web somewhere and will have even more trouble finding their prey.

TL;DR: Keeping a sling in a large enclosure is not only stressful for the sling, but also for you, because it may get lost in the enclosure and may not thrive as well as you would like.

As @0311usmc said it's different for fossorials since they burrow anyway and they like to stay in one burrow that gets constantly enlarged for all their lives.

 

[Skullion]

Okay. Thank you guys. <3
Advice much appreciated.