Enclosure Questions for Grammostola Pulchripes (Chaco Golden Knee)

[DrPeeWee]

Hello!

I'm new to the Forum and new to owning a T, and couldn't get the search function to pull up a thread with the information I'm looking for.

I currently have a Grammostola Pulchripes, Juvenile (3 - 3.5" DLS) Suspected Female based on Ventral Sexing from a post I made here on AB. I know this species' females can get up to 8" DLS and wanted to know what type of enclosure I should look into. I only have Petco and PetSmart in my area and all Mom and Pop shops are just for fish.

I currently have the Juvenile in a Zilla Large Terrestrial 14" x 8" x 6" but I know I will eventually have to Get a bigger size sooner or later. I am using coco coir with sphagnum moss around the water dish, and half a cork round for a hide.

Looking on Tarantula Cribs, they all seem smaller than this enclosure in footprint. I don't want to feel like I'm mistreating my T. with a tiny enclosure in the future. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank You!

 

[Gevo]

Welcome!

Lots of people do DIY enclosures: https://tomsbigspiders.com/2014/04/19/tarantula-enclosures-premium-and-diy/

I'm looking at these for when my juveniles get bigger but don't have experience with them yet to say whether I recommend them or not: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Reptil...ef_=ast_bln&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Not all tarantulas grow to be the max size listed, but I see why you'd want to plan for that anyway
- The main considerations for a good terrestrial enclosure are size/footprint, substrate depth and fall space, lid material (mesh can be dangerous), adequate ventilation, and escape-proofing
- Lots of tarantula keepers modify enclosures, like using a 10-gallon aquarium but swapping out the mesh lid with acrylic or plexiglass or something
- ExoTerras are also popular and widely available, but they are usually front-opening, which can be challenging for terrestrials because they need adequate substrate levels to avoid a nasty fall, but for a full-grown adult, the space between the bottom of the door and the top might be okay--you'd have to look at the model to see

 

[viper69]

Hello!

I'm new to the Forum and new to owning a T, and couldn't get the search function to pull up a thread with the information I'm looking for.

I currently have a Grammostola Pulchripes, Juvenile (3 - 3.5" DLS) Suspected Female based on Ventral Sexing from a post I made here on AB. I know this species' females can get up to 8" DLS and wanted to know what type of enclosure I should look into. I only have Petco and PetSmart in my area and all Mom and Pop shops are just for fish.

I currently have the Juvenile in a Zilla Large Terrestrial 14" x 8" x 6" but I know I will eventually have to Get a bigger size sooner or later. I am using coco coir with sphagnum moss around the water dish, and half a cork round for a hide.

Looking on Tarantula Cribs, they all seem smaller than this enclosure in footprint. I don't want to feel like I'm mistreating my T. with a tiny enclosure in the future. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank You!

That’s a very heavy bodied species.
Put it in an ExoTerra Breeder Box XL. I use them, they work great. Juvi can go in a Large

Whatever you do you must maintain 1.5X DLS from lid to sub surface, no more!

What search terms were you using? This question is asked billions of times every week.

 

[TheraMygale]

I currently have a Grammostola Pulchripes, Juvenile (3 - 3.5" DLS)

The enclosure is a bit bigger then needed, but it will slowly grow into it and i doubt youll need a new enclosure anytime soon.

As mentionned above, its important to keep substrate level high enough to prevent a fall. Your tarantula is already climbing and its acrylic. Nothing to hold onto.

I have the same as you. But she is an AF over 4 inches. When i first got her, all she did was climb. And thats a heavy abdomen. My substrate level is to the point where she can touch top of enclosure while being on her hind legs. I also have a very big hide that she goes into that is just right for her size. I got a half tube of cork. She went straight in when i got her.

Most of the time she is sitting on her hide doing nothing.

Nows shes gone into hiding. This species is so popular i am surprised you found no results on the board.

A general rule for terrestrials is 3xdsl for length of enclsoure, 2xdsl for width. And we covered height already with 1.5xdsl.

Some keepers keep them in 8inchx8inch breeder boxes. The XL will be plenty for its lifetime. And you wont have to rehome.

Water bowl large enough for your tarantula, dry substrate.

And patience. Its a very slow grower.

 

[Brewser]

Congratulations
Good choice for entry level specimen...
New World Terrestrial, Males up to 7 & Females 25 years life expectancy...
Size parameters as stated above, Substrate, Cork Bark Hide, Water Bowl, and Alone Time to adjust/settle in to the New Digs.
Welcome Aboard

 

[DrPeeWee]

That’s a very heavy bodied species.
Put it in an ExoTerra Breeder Box XL. I use them, they work great. Juvi can go in a Large

Whatever you do you must maintain 1.5X DLS from lid to sub surface, no more!

What search terms were you using? This question is asked billions of times every week.

Thank you!
I will look into that container

I will also take a head space measurement to make sure its within that 1.5" margin when I get home.

My search terms included:
"enclosure, size, tarantula, and recommended"

However, I may have put the search in the wrong box as i was doing it from my phone and it was displaying differently than on my computer.
i am willing to accept the fact it was probably my fault for not pulling up any results.

 

[Gevo]

Sometimes the search function within the site isn't the most helpful and it's better to go to Google and use keywords or Boolean search strings followed by a colon and arachnoboards.com, like this:

(enclosure size) AND pulchripes: arachnoboards.com - Google Search

 

[DrPeeWee]

Welcome!

Lots of people do DIY enclosures: https://tomsbigspiders.com/2014/04/19/tarantula-enclosures-premium-and-diy/

I'm looking at these for when my juveniles get bigger but don't have experience with them yet to say whether I recommend them or not: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Reptil...ef_=ast_bln&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

A couple of things to keep in mind:
- Not all tarantulas grow to be the max size listed, but I see why you'd want to plan for that anyway
- The main considerations for a good terrestrial enclosure are size/footprint, substrate depth and fall space, lid material (mesh can be dangerous), adequate ventilation, and escape-proofing
- Lots of tarantula keepers modify enclosures, like using a 10-gallon aquarium but swapping out the mesh lid with acrylic or plexiglass or something
- ExoTerras are also popular and widely available, but they are usually front-opening, which can be challenging for terrestrials because they need adequate substrate levels to avoid a nasty fall, but for a full-grown adult, the space between the bottom of the door and the top might be okay--you'd have to look at the model to see

Thank You!

I have heard of the mesh being dangerous, and am prepared to replace mesh with acrylic or plexiglass to be safe.

I love the Exoterra but in practice for a T, I would probably shy away because I see too many issues, height above the substrate being my main one. would be great for an Arboreal T IMO.

I will be looking into your links, I appreciate your efforts to help answer my question!

Edit: Grammar

 

[viper69]

Thank you!
I will look into that container

I will also take a head space measurement to make sure its within that 1.5" margin when I get home.

My search terms included:
"enclosure, size, tarantula, and recommended"

However, I may have put the search in the wrong box as i was doing it from my phone and it was displaying differently than on my computer.
i am willing to accept the fact it was probably my fault for not pulling up any results.

I dumped the terms on my computer and it turns up your post and many others.

Reason I asked is because some people don't know how to search, and end up including the species or common name of their T and that yields virtually "nothing", and then they complain the search doesn't work, and really it works fine.

Sometimes the search function within the site isn't the most helpful and it's better to go to Google and use keywords or Boolean search strings followed by a colon and arachnoboards.com, like this:

(enclosure size) AND pulchripes: arachnoboards.com - Google Search

I use google all the time to be safe.

Google recently added a small link of sorts that takes your search and directs it to forums only. I tried it and it worked great. Then the following day I didn't see it.

 

[viper69]

d

 

[TheraMygale]

For the search bar, you need to get creative and try multiple things. The fact is not everyone picks the right thread title either.

heres a lesson learned: for futur threads, pick a title that would get search results. You current title works because it has enclosure and species in it.

 

[Gevo]

And post questions in the questions thread so some of us get the post counts to stop being peons!!!!

 

[DrPeeWee]

The enclosure is a bit bigger then needed, but it will slowly grow into it and i doubt youll need a new enclosure anytime soon.

As mentionned above, its important to keep substrate level high enough to prevent a fall. Your tarantula is already climbing and its acrylic. Nothing to hold onto.

I have the same as you. But she is an AF over 4 inches. When i first got her, all she did was climb. And thats a heavy abdomen. My substrate level is to the point where she can touch top of enclosure while being on her hind legs. I also have a very big hide that she goes into that is just right for her size. I got a half tube of cork. She went straight in when i got her.

Most of the time she is sitting on her hide doing nothing.

Nows shes gone into hiding. This species is so popular i am surprised you found no results on the board.

A general rule for terrestrials is 3xdsl for length of enclsoure, 2xdsl for width. And we covered height already with 1.5xdsl.

Some keepers keep them in 8inchx8inch breeder boxes. The XL will be plenty for its lifetime. And you wont have to rehome.

Water bowl large enough for your tarantula, dry substrate.

And patience. Its a very slow grower.

The slow growing is one of the reasons I actually chose this Species lol.
It has only climbed the once so far (that I've seen) but as I said in another reply, I will make sure I'm within that boundary of 1.5xDSL for the height on any enclosure for sure.
I mainly wanted to have the time to do my research and get something that's going to work well for the tarantula and have the time to modify it if needed before my T ever reaches the size of needing to be rehomed.

I keep fish and it hurts my soul to see people with 10g aquariums with 30 -40 fish and snails and so on when they should be in a 30 or 40 gallon.
I don't want to be that person, but with Inverts.

I bet your T is a beautiful specimen! Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!

 

[TheraMygale]

The slow growing is one of the reasons I actually chose this Species lol.
It has only climbed the once so far (that I've seen) but as I said in another reply, I will make sure I'm within that boundary of 1.5xDSL for the height on any enclosure for sure.
I mainly wanted to have the time to do my research and get something that's going to work well for the tarantula and have the time to modify it if needed before my T ever reaches the size of needing to be rehomed.

I keep fish and it hurts my soul to see people with 10g aquariums with 30 -40 fish and snails and so on when they should be in a 30 or 40 gallon.
I don't want to be that person, but with Inverts.

I bet your T is a beautiful specimen! Thank you for taking the time to answer my question!

tarantulas are not like dogs. More space can be negative for them. I am sure you know that. If you care about fish (i used to work at a special petshop and learned so much about them, i get it), then you care a lot.

i can tell you are doing your research and care. Youll get great at this. The extra space in your current enclosure isnt bad. You could also put substrate all the way up at one end to compromise. I do that in certain of my enclsoures.

my g pulchripes female is quite a beauty to look at. I love her, and i to wanted a species that would live long and grow slow. I got three pulchripes slings, and her. Shes my only adult mature sized tarantula.

shes gorgeous. Yours to will be/is.

 

[DrPeeWee]

I dumped the terms on my computer and it turns up your post and many others.

Reason I asked is because some people don't know how to search, and end up including the species or common name of their T and that yields virtually "nothing", and then they complain the search doesn't work, and really it works fine.

Ahh, well I used my phones history and it brought me to the search bar, I did in fact have my species in the search, I'd bet my left foot that was my issue.

Ill mess around with the website search more later today because i have a feeling I'm going to use it a lot!

Thank You!

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I didn’t have any luck with last two of this species bad molts. Hopefully next time I get them I will. How strong are g pulchripes urticating hairs ?

 

[DrPeeWee]

tarantulas are not like dogs. More space can be negative for them. I am sure you know that. If you care about fish (i used to work at a special petshop and learned so much about them, i get it), then you care a lot.

i can tell you are doing your research and care. Youll get great at this. The extra space in your current enclosure isnt bad. You could also put substrate all the way up at one end to compromise. I do that in certain of my enclsoures.

my g pulchripes female is quite a beauty to look at. I love her, and i to wanted a species that would live long and grow slow. I got three pulchripes slings, and her. Shes my only adult mature sized tarantula.

shes gorgeous. Yours to will be/is.

(Image redacted for space, please see TheraMygalo's post in this thread)

Oh my! that is a beautiful T, thank you for sharing!

It makes sense, I was just mis-using the search function for AB's website (oops). I appreciate that you guys were so willing to jump in and answer my question even though it has already been asked an answered many times already!

Sometimes the search function within the site isn't the most helpful and it's better to go to Google and use keywords or Boolean search strings followed by a colon and arachnoboards.com, like this:

(enclosure size) AND pulchripes: arachnoboards.com - Google Search

And i will resort to this as an initial search and go from there. i really do need to learn the Boolean search method lol.

 

[TheraMygale]

I didn’t have any luck with last two of this species bad molts. Hopefully next time I get them I will. How strong are g pulchripes urticating hairs ?

So far, i cant say i have had any reactions. But they do have two types of UrS. When i find the thread about these, i will message you. Because it puts everything into context. It was a thread i stumbled upon during my allergy searches. But i cant find it when i search for it. A member listed all the types of UrS with genus.

my 4 inch hasnt kicked yet. The slings not much either, or its not obvious.

this for now puts things into perspectice. If nhandus are the worst, then do the math.

Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy - PMC

Tarantula urticating setae are modified setae located on the abdomen or pedipalps, which represent an effective defensive mechanism against vertebrate or invertebrate predators and intruders. They are also useful taxonomic tools as morphological ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It was @AphonopelmaTX who quoted it first https://www.scielo.br/j/zool/a/RvWPmmMFfcT6dBPGWCgzPym/?lang=en

it took me a while to find it and it still works, the link.

and for the record, it does take time to sift through the board. I found this link asap on google. But i wanted to give credits to this person because they gave this link a long time ago.

 

[DrPeeWee]

I didn’t have any luck with last two of this species bad molts. Hopefully next time I get them I will. How strong are g pulchripes urticating hairs ?

So far, i cant say i have had any reactions. But they do have two types of UrS. When i find the thread about these, i will message you. Because it puts everything into context. It was a thread i stumbled upon during my allergy searches. But i cant find it when i search for it. A member listed all the types of UrS with genus.

my 4 inch hasnt kicked yet. The slings not much either, or its not obvious.

I haven't felt anything during the rehome once I received it, nor have I had a rash or any itching in particular from just maintenance.
Even though mine was clearly stressed from the rehome, not once has it kicked hairs at me.

I watched a video from the Tarantula Collective on g pulchripes and he mentioned that the Urticating Hairs on the Grammostola T's are Quote: "Generally the least irritating to humans. But if these hairs get into your eyes, ears, mouth, or throat, you may require medical attention"

All this information and more can be found here: Tarantula Collective - G. Pulchripes

Edit: added the second quote

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I haven't felt anything during the rehome once I received it, nor have I had a rash or any itching in particular from just maintenance.
Even though mine was clearly stressed from the rehome, not once has it kicked hairs at me.

I watched a video from the Tarantula Collective on g pulchripes and he mentioned that the Urticating Hairs on the Grammostola T's are Quote: "Generally the least irritating to humans. But if these hairs get into your eyes, ears, mouth, or throat, you may require medical attention"

All this information and more can be found here: Tarantula Collective - G. Pulchripes

Edit: added the second quote

So weaker than my current Ts . So I could get a few . Although I’m trying to get ones with no hairs also.