Enclosure General Setup

[Tbone192]

I wanted to make an easily accessible thread where people can discuss their enclosures and what they use for various types and sizes of tarantula. This is the main discussion.

I was also wondering what to use for good visibility but would be cheap enough for a student? Price range <$100CAD for something fancy, <$50CAD for something like a good sized plastic tub. These are more for adult sized enclosures or large juvies. Everyday glass or plastic containers, namely notable brands for durability and visibility. Side Q.

Below is what I do for my T enclosures, varies depending on habitat and behaviour. I like to try emulating their natural environments and have them on a day/night cycle via natural light and blinds.

Enclosure base:
-large ramekins for tiny slings, condiment cups
-16oz deli cup for slings
-32oz deli cup for larger arboreal slings/young juvie
-varying size of plastic bin for larger T's
-flipped bin with mod lid for larger arboreal T's, of which I do not have any yet.

Furnishings:
-appropriate size of water dish
-Plenty of substrate (coco fiber and sphagnum moss), arboreals get less but enough to accomodate a shallow burrow, ik some sp are weird.
-cork bark hide for terrestrial, fossorials get a cork bark with their burrow
-cork bark/tree imitate/cork tunnel. For arboreals
-variety of safe fake plants
-starter burrow for fossorials and certain terrestrials

 

[mack1855]

What do you mean by "general setup"?.

Enclosures are different depending on genus/species of that genus and size of the T.

There is no "one size fits all".Can you expand what you are getting at?.

 

[viper69]

I wanted to make an easily accessible thread where people can discuss their enclosures and what they use for various sizes of T. I was also wondering what to use for good visibility but is cheap? The bins I use now are only semi translucent.

Enclosure base:
-ramekins for tiny slings
-16oz deli cup for slings
-32oz deli cup for larger arboreal slings/young juvie
-varying size of plastic bin for larger T's
-flipped bin with mod lid for larger arboreal T's, of which I do not have any yet.

Furnishings:
-appropriate size of water dish
-Plenty of substrate (coco fiber and sphagnum moss), arboreals get less but enough to accomodate a shallow burrow, ik some sp are weird.
-cork bark hide for terrestrial, fossorials get a cork bark with their burrow
-cork bark/tree imitate/cork tunnel. For arboreals
-variety of safe fake plants
-starter burrow for fossorials and certain terrestrials

So is anyone a mindreader on the planet, because no one knows what YOUR cheap means

Also this is the wrong forum, I'm surprised you don't know this.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I wanted to make an easily accessible thread where people can discuss their enclosures and what they use for various sizes of T. I was also wondering what to use for good visibility but is cheap? The bins I use now are only semi translucent.

Enclosure base:
-ramekins for tiny slings
-16oz deli cup for slings
-32oz deli cup for larger arboreal slings/young juvie
-varying size of plastic bin for larger T's
-flipped bin with mod lid for larger arboreal T's, of which I do not have any yet.

Furnishings:
-appropriate size of water dish
-Plenty of substrate (coco fiber and sphagnum moss), arboreals get less but enough to accomodate a shallow burrow, ik some sp are weird.
-cork bark hide for terrestrial, fossorials get a cork bark with their burrow
-cork bark/tree imitate/cork tunnel. For arboreals
-variety of safe fake plants
-starter burrow for fossorials and certain terrestrials

What’s a ramekin?
All I find are lids searching it.
Here’s some pics of my enclosures, one t is trying to escape .
10 gallon
5 gallon

 

[SpookySpooder]

Rip him APART

CRITIQUE HIM ENDLESSLY WITHOUT MEANINGFUL INPUT

The bins I use now are only semi translucent.

☆ ~ ☆ ~ 》 soo use "cheap" translucent bins?? 《~ ☆ ~ ☆

(that was a link)

 

[Tbone192]

So is anyone a mindreader on the planet, because no one knows what YOUR cheap means

Also this is the wrong forum, I'm surprised you don't know this.

I figured this was an inquiry of sorts, therefore questions and discussion seemed fitting. I'll keep that in mind though, thanks.

I don't think it is unreasonable to ask what people think are effective solutions to the issue that is housing tarantulas. I also don't think it is unreasonable to ask what people have found on a budget to do this.

 

[SpookySpooder]

I don't mind if you're fishing for ideas. I'll spoon feed you a couple solutions depending on what you like and your idea of "cheap"

Though TBH it is fair what they mentioned. One person's cheap 5 is another person's cheap 50 is another person's cheap 500. So, specify a numeric range next time?

 

[Tbone192]

Rip him APART

CRITIQUE HIM ENDLESSLY WITHOUT MEANINGFUL INPUT


☆ ~ ☆ ~ 》 soo use "cheap" translucent bins?? 《~ ☆ ~ ☆

(that was a link)

These look great tyvm
Most of the deli cups I have atm are only semi translucent, they are the heavy duty ones I use. Only reason is because I live with people who insist. It does not matter if they are heavy duty or not, right? What my roommates don't know won't hurt them

 

[Tbone192]

I don't mind if you're fishing for ideas. I'll spoon feed you a couple solutions depending on what you like and your idea of "cheap"

Though TBH it is fair what they mentioned. One person's cheap 5 is another person's cheap 50 is another person's cheap 500. So, specify a numeric range next time?

That is very fair. I should mention I am in Canada where the standardized currency is the CAD which is about 3/4 of a USD. Looking for anything cheaper than $35-$40CAD per adult enclosure.

 

[SpookySpooder]

If you're asking if the T will escape it, it won't. It you're asking if it can be broken, they all can. None of them are truly "heavy duty"

I am reusing one that I got 3 years ago from a snake shipment and several slings have gone in and out grown the container with no issues.

Keep in mind, when you bury it with substrate and your T webs up the sides anyway, visibility is about the same.

 

[mack1855]

Rip him APART

CRITIQUE HIM ENDLESSLY WITHOUT MEANINGFUL INPUT

Not sue why you said that,but whatever.

The OP was general enclosure setup.But you cant generalize enclosures.There are too many variables to T, s.
No substate for arboreal,deep sub for obligate fossorials/shallow sub for terrestrial.

So,there is no general enclosure,generally.Well unless you like sides,bottom,top and escape proof.Thats generally the way to go.

 

[viper69]

I figured this was an inquiry of sorts, therefore questions and discussion seemed fitting. I'll keep that in mind though, thanks.

I don't think it is unreasonable to ask what people think are effective solutions to the issue that is housing tarantulas. I also don't think it is unreasonable to ask what people have found on a budget to do this.

You have posted in the wrong forum.

Asking what people paid is not what you asked in the first sentence. It's like when you ask a forum for a computer build, or a new X, you have to tell readers what your budget is, otherwise you are wasting people's time. Would it help you if I showed you a 1,000$ setup. Maybe that's your idea of cheap?? But I HIGHLY doubt it

I was also wondering what to use for good visibility but is cheap?

 

[SpookySpooder]

I was just hoping to rouse a mob mentality against OP for his mistep, nothing serious

 

[Tbone192]

Not sue why you said that,but whatever.

The OP was general enclosure setup.But you cant generalize enclosures.There are too many variables to T, s.
No substate for arboreal,deep sub for obligate fossorials/shallow sub for terrestrial.

So,there is no general enclosure,generally.Well unless you like sides,bottom,top and escape proof.Thats generally the way to go.

This is the point! General enclosure set ups for all behavioural group of T. Whatever you feel like, there are no wrong answers.

I was more hoping this would be a good page for newbs to see how to set up a cheap effective, not overly complicated, set up for their first T's, whatever behaviour it exhibits, before they put an inch of sub in a Tupperware and slap that puppy in there. I could not expressly find anything when I first hopped on but I noticed most threads have one or two examples. Figured this would streamline searching.

My side Q has been answered ty.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

That is very fair. I should mention I am in Canada where the standardized currency is the CAD which is about 3/4 of a USD. Looking for anything cheaper than $35-$40CAD per adult enclosure.

Prices I paid were significantly lower then todays prices with inflation, just a plexiglass lid today would cost me $50+
Some of my Cages I use mesh lids which aren’t as safe. I’ve got no clue what Zilla 10 gal glass enclosures cost in Canada . Is it too late to add your prices to the first post. ?

 

[Tbone192]

To all of you, thank you sincerely. I appreciate that you took the time to respond to this thread. Thanks to those who were especially helpful.
Respectfully, I think some users may need to take a warm shower and raise their humidity a bit.

 

[slocoj91]

So I'm taking this to have been intended as -

• Does anyone have a 'staple' enclosure, whether reasonably universal to the habits a tarantula exhibits re its living situation or specific to 'staple arboreal', 'staple terrestrial' etc?
• Staple substrate/mix and any given alterations you make for certain needs?
• Rules of thumb you always follow? Again, whether always meaning all tarantulas regardless of behaviour, or specific to fossorial, arboreal, terrestrial, so on?
• Any examples of the above in practice?

I don't have pics to hand right now, but I always found/find it useful when someone posts a keeper thread or similar and shows the enclosures they tend to use 'day to day' when not aiming for display, for example, along with a few variations on how they may set that enclosure up depending on the species moving in.

Sometimes the details of how to set the enclosure up feel really painfully obvious once illustrated. Because in reality, they're very straightforward when it comes to the basics. But for people new to the hobby, whether used to mammals - which we are typically a bit better at understanding - or reptiles/amphibians etc - where there are a lot of things to account for in enclosure design at times, - like generally no substrate or accessible substrate but providing sheltered egg laying space for females of certain species - it can be nice to have 'rules to follow' or seemingly explicit guidelines out the gate so they can feel confident with at least one aspect of keeping. And some people just find visuals easier.

There are tonnes of great pics of basic setups, just sometimes on here it can take a bit to find them. I got the impression this was an attempt to consolidate some of those, to make spotting the similar or identical features easier, as well as discovery of the images generally.

 

[Tbone192]

So I'm taking this to have been intended as -

• Does anyone have a 'staple' enclosure, whether reasonably universal to the habits a tarantula exhibits re its living situation or specific to 'staple arboreal', 'staple terrestrial' etc?
• Staple substrate/mix and any given alterations you make for certain needs?
• Rules of thumb you always follow? Again, whether always meaning all tarantulas regardless of behaviour, or specific to fossorial, arboreal, terrestrial, so on?
• Any examples of the above in practice?

I don't have pics to hand right now, but I always found/find it useful when someone posts a keeper thread or similar and shows the enclosures they tend to use 'day to day' when not aiming for display, for example, along with a few variations on how they may set that enclosure up depending on the species moving in.

Sometimes the details of how to set the enclosure up feel really painfully obvious once illustrated. Because in reality, they're very straightforward when it comes to the basics. But for people new to the hobby, whether used to mammals - which we are typically a bit better at understanding - or reptiles/amphibians etc - where there are a lot of things to account for in enclosure design at times, - like generally no substrate or accessible substrate but providing sheltered egg laying space for females of certain species - it can be nice to have 'rules to follow' or seemingly explicit guidelines out the gate so they can feel confident with at least one aspect of keeping. And some people just find visuals easier.

There are tonnes of great pics of basic setups, just sometimes on here it can take a bit to find them. I got the impression this was an attempt to consolidate some of those, to make spotting the similar or identical features easier, as well as discovery of the images generally.

Absolutely spot on. I figured this could be a place for people to share what they do for *insert species here* at *specific size* and limit the amount of searching one has to do to find the information. I'll get things started.

First I want to go over some terminology to clear things up for those who do not have the info.

Fossorial T's: make burrows and spend most of their time below ground. Typically heavy webbers.

Arboreal T's: prefer plenty of climbing surfaces and vertical space. Many species make dirt curtains so some loose substrate and extra, dry, sphagnum is recommended.

Terrestrials: a bit like burrowers as many will dig as slings but spend more time on the surface or in their hide when they grow.

Starter burrow: this is just a hole you make in the substrate to allow a spider to easily start a burrow system from that point.

Anchor points: are important as many T's like to web, and these are just fake plants, twigs, cork bark, etc make sure they are secured and made from safe materials.

Water dishes: are simply any form of dish which is an appropriate size for your T, you wouldn't give a 6" spider a tiny bottle cap but instead a large lid or small reptile dish. This helps with humidity and offers a drinking source for your spider.

DLS: refers to diagonal leg span which is the measurement from the longest front leg to the longest hind leg on the opposite side.

Cross ventilation: is achieved by making staggered holes at different levels of the side of the enclosure, not the top as this will only help to desiccate the enclosure and won't prevent mold growth.

Important: for any species it is important to have a water dish, a hide of sorts, and cross ventilation, make sure to have some air holes beneath your substrate level to help aerate the soil. Another general rule is having substrate be no more than your tarantulas DLS from the lid, unless they are arboreal. For most slings and small juvies or dwarf species you can use deli cups, 16-32oz as they are inexpensive and easy to modify, also stackable.

For opportunistic, burrowers/fossorials. As slings I start them off in a 16oz deli cup with plenty of substrate, a starter burrow, water dish, plenty of anchor points. For my 4" C dyscolus, I put them in plastic tubs about 35cm x 18cm x 18cm with a good amount of anchor points, large starter burrows, salsa lids for water dish, and substrate about 4-5" deep. When they get bigger this will change to 6-7" sub depth.


An infamously strange semi-fossorial, the OBT or P murinus. These pals share some similarities with the Chilobrachys sp. as you still want deep substrate but they will thrive if you give them more anchor points and a cork bark as they exhibit semi-arboreal behaviour as well as fossorial behaviour. Example: my DCF-mikumi juvie prefers to hang out on top of their web while my mature female prefers to hide in her burrow all day. Might add a small piece of cork bark for my large female to explore and web. I have about 5-7" of substrate depth for them when they are 3.5"+.



I will add more and try streamlining the posts a bit better. Hope this helps.

 

[Tbone192]

Psalmopoeus sp 1", in this case cambridgei,
36oz deli cup
Cork tube
Water dish
3" substrate
Fake plant
Loose substrate and dry moss for dirt curtain