Enclosure questions.

[Venom1080]

ExoTerra's are fine. I don't believe Avics need cross ventilation per se, what they need is a reasonable amount of air exchange. Don't you think?

agreed.
the only thing that kills Avics is stuffy conditions.

 

[cooperevans001]

So, tall tank with good air exchange. Okay. Also, what is bad about Ornamentals? I am looking for a more advanced T to get experiance with. I have done alot of reading recently. All I need is some time and supplies to set up a good terrarium. My last T was a very quick setup, which I now know is bad.

 

[Venom1080]

So, tall tank with good air exchange. Okay. Also, what is bad about Ornamentals? I am looking for a more advanced T to get experiance with. I have done alot of reading recently. All I need is some time and supplies to set up a good terrarium. My last T was a very quick setup, which I now know is bad.

they are super fast when they want to be, can be very defensive and have some of the worst venom out of all tarantulas. check out my signature under this post, thats all i have to say for comparing research to hands on experience. a more advanced T for you would be Psalmopoeus or some bigger tropical tarantulas.( Pamphobeteus, Phormictopus, Nhandu, Acanthroscurria) raise a Psalmopoeus sling to adult and get a couple other tropics to be fully ready.

 

[viper69]

So, tall tank with good air exchange. Okay. Also, what is bad about Ornamentals? I am looking for a more advanced T to get experiance with. I have done alot of reading recently. All I need is some time and supplies to set up a good terrarium. My last T was a very quick setup, which I now know is bad.

It seems you are quite new to owning tarantulas, it would make sense to get something that is more manageable. It's like flying a plane, you get your pilot's license and you aren't allowed to fly Boeing 787 for a reason. The same is true for a T, they are not all created equal, nor are owners.

Obtaining experience in successfully owning a tarantula that is not advanced will pay off far later more than one can imagine.

 

[mistertim]

But Tim, how do you reconcile the above statement with the fact that Europeans have been successfully keeping and breeding Avic in glass containers, which the ExoTerra is modeled off of? @Chris LXXIX @louise f do just fine w/the glass cubes as I call them. And @Storm76 has raised Avics in ExoTerra as well. There's quite a few people in the USA, on the board, keeping Avics in ExoTerras.


ExoTerra's are fine. I don't believe Avics need cross ventilation per se, what they need is a reasonable amount of air exchange. Don't you think?

Fair points. The empirical evidence certainly seems to indicate that they do just fine as long as they have adequate airflow, independent of the source.








Then again, I don't trust those Europeans. I think there's actually a huge landfill full of dead Avics over there and they're just doing the whole "glass enclosures work fine for Avics, look!" thing to try and troll us.

 

[viper69]

Then again, I don't trust those Europeans.

Well there is some merit to that. You know those Germans, they tend to get a bit uppity and drag everyone into their issues, it's happened twice already!

They prob tell us glass cubes work fine just to keep the USA hobby down

 

[YagerManJennsen]

You can do a cheap but very nice arboreal enclosure with a sterilite tub with walmart. Orient it so it's the most vertical it can get. I cut out a large section of the lid and glue in acrylic from home depot.

After

• YagerManJennsen
• May 14, 2016
• 11

After modification. Housing for Avic avic.

 

[symbol]

Also, thanks for all the info guys. It will really help, and it will possibly imrove my T's quality of life. I will try and get a new cage online, or modify one, and will get some new substrate and a few plants. Where I live there arent any pet stores other than PetCo and Pet Smart though.

It doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive. As already mentioned, Sterilite tubs should be readily available and inexpensive. Many people here on the boards also use plastic gallon jars from Walmart with good success. Really Useful Boxes are also an option if you're willing to do some modifications to put them into an upright/tall configuration. (EulersK has a tutorial on how to do this which I can't be bothered to look up at the moment, but you should be able to find if you search for it.) You might even be able to use a 19L (or similar) Really Useful Box without any modifications besides adding some ventilation, but I don't know how easily you'll be able to find that size.

Coco fibre should be easy enough to find at PetSmart. It's often sold in compressed bricks and may be labelled as coconut husk, coir, or fiber. Many people on the boards also swear by plain topsoil which is cheap and readily available from garden centres and even many hardware stores. Just make sure to get something without any fertilizers or other additives.

Plastic plants and the like should also be readily available from somewhere like PetSmart.

 

[darkness975]

@cooperevans001 Regarding your Avic; you need a vertically oriented enclosure for your current spider. Your setup that you posted is not adequate at all. The substrate is also not good, you need coco fiber or something similar.

Check out the Enclosures section of this Forum. There are a lot of awesome set ups posted by all different members. It is not necessary to spend billions on a fancy set up but you do want to ensure that you have at least the basic requirements for Avics that have been mentioned in this thread. Vertical orientation, adequate plant material for webbing anchor points, proper substrate, etc.

Once you get all that stuff sorted out you will have a happy Tarantula and no reason to think you will not have it for many years to come.

Also regarding feeding; I feed my larger sized specimens pretty sparingly. One or two crickets every couple of weeks or whenever I remember to feed them. I really do not have a set schedule for feeding as it is not really important to be rigid with a feeding schedule. They can go a week or so without food and not be at all affected.

Do make sure that you always have fresh water available for it though. Water is far more crucial than a few days without food.

 

[Storm76]

And @Storm76 has raised Avics in ExoTerra as well.

Correction: I don't use ExoTerras, but I have some adults in glass tanks that do just fine.

 

[louise f]

I don't trust those Europeans. I think there's actually a huge landfill full of dead Avics over there and they're just doing the whole "glass enclosures work fine for Avics, look!" thing to try and troll us.

Geez you got us good, damn you for revealing our secret weapons. Lets go to plan B then

 

[Andrea82]

Oh my god @louise f , not plan B!
That plan is only to be used as a last resort!

 

[cooperevans001]

Thanks for all the help and feedback guys. I am definantly going to change up my T's enclosure and feeding schedule. I am going to create a different thread for reccomendations of spiders, and all that. Thanks!

 

[symbol]

Thanks for all the help and feedback guys. I am definantly going to change up my T's enclosure and feeding schedule. I am going to create a different thread for reccomendations of spiders, and all that. Thanks!

There are already several threads full of spider recommendations. A couple new ones have even been started in the last few days. Before you make a new thread asking for recommendations, check the existing ones. If you have specific questions or want additional info or recommendations after that THEN create a new thread.

Here are some links to get you started:
Beginner Info (including links to several threads discussing both good and bad "starter" Ts)
Quick Reference Guide <- tonnes of useful information here! Post #8 has links to a few "what species should I get next?" threads and post #12 links to discussions about spiders with specific traits (eg. heavy webbers, burrowers, colourful spiders, defensive spiders, etc.)
I'd recommend checking some of those threads out before you start any new threads. And if you find you're interested in a particular species, do a search for it and look for relevant information and threads that have already been posted.

 

[cooperevans001]

I don't particularly want a 'Beginner' T, I am looking for something more advanced. Any info on those?

 

[symbol]

I don't particularly want a 'Beginner' T, I am looking for something more advanced. Any info on those?

Did you even look at the threads I linked? There're links to threads on "intermediate" Ts in there as well as first arboreals and first OWs. And if you read my post I mentioned that there's lots of great info in Ts with specific traits in that quick reference guide. So if you want something very defensive, or with a great feeding response, or that makes lots of webs or burrows, or is very colourful, or whaterver, just look under the appropriate heading and you'll find tonnes of recommendations. I even gave you direct links to the relevant posts within the thread to save you the scrolling. The info is there. Read it.

 

[Trenor]

I don't particularly want a 'Beginner' T, I am looking for something more advanced. Any info on those?

But you are a Beginner... You didn't know how to setup your only other Ts enclosure even close to right. You have little understanding of the differences between different Ts -- OW,NW -- terrestrial, arboreal,fossorial. How to feed them and how they grow. How to safely care for them. If you don't want to learn with a hard to kill easy to care for beginner T then you really need to do a lot more research. Otherwise you're going to end up with something you won't enjoy keeping or a bunch of dead Ts.

I'm all for people getting Ts they enjoy but you need to have knowledge to care for them.

 

[Estein]

I don't particularly want a 'Beginner' T, I am looking for something more advanced. Any info on those?

I agree with what others have suggested--don't jump straight into another T, especially an advanced one like a pokie. It's awesome that you're doing your research (and that's a vital aspect of raising any animal), but there are too many lessons that come with experience to use research as a sole substitute.

After you get your avic set up, and after you've spent some time honing your husbandry, start thinking about T number two. When that time comes, I definitely recommend that LP you were considering. I just got mine as a sling a few weeks ago and am thrilled with the little cutie.

Happy keeping!

 

[Ghost56]

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it yet or not, but you could also turn the tank you have right now on it's end. Then just buy some acrylic, few hinges, and some silicon, and make a folding door with either drilled holes or round vents for ventilation. There's tons of tutorials on here and youtube that'll walk you through it.

And I agree with everyone else on the more advanced t's, not to discourage you or try to sound harsh, but after seeing your current avic enclosure (which is no biggy, everyone has to learn sometime), it'd be best if you got all the basics down before buying another T let along a pokie.

 

[cooperevans001]

I was very ill-informed when buying my T, like I am sure most of you have experianced. Thanks for all the help though. If I can make it to a pet store today, I will definantly rearrange her setup, and post pics.