First tarantula! And couple questions

[Selfishphagosome]

Hello, I got my first tarantula today! Brachypelma hamorii. As a biologist, I personally believe in a principle that I shall never name my non-mammal creatures of mine because I believe they are nothing more than the part of nature that I happened to copy and pasted into the corner of my room. So, I have never named my insects and reptiles. But this time, I feel the strong urge to name this beauty. That is how excited I am right now. I luckily found a guy near my place who could give me the whole setup. I am planning to do a small terrarium project in the next months. Until then she will live where she is. Her body length is 2.8 inches (Starting from the fangs to the end of her body) And her lag span is about 4-5 inches. However, I have some concerns regarding the health of the spider. The previous owner hasn't given me the information regarding the last time she was fed, and the last time she molted. And he gave me two dubias with the setting but he told me that she is not likely to eat them cause she prefers crickets better. In fact, dubias haven't been eaten yet. And I will have to get rid of them by tomorrow. At that point, I felt a little bit confused and concerned that she might not be eating well, because I would assume he would put some crickets instead of dubias if he knew that she doesn't take dubias. Maybe he was just trying to be extra nice and careful so that the crickets don't hurt the spider in transit; and I am just paranoid.(I am sorry, the previous owner, but I wouldn't be paranoid if you replied to my message asking when was the last time she had eaten!) So I would like to ask you experts and get a sense that I got a nice deal with this guy! Does she look like a healthy female hamorii to you guys? Thank you so much in advance!
View attachment 355744

 

[moricollins]

Looks well fed to me, I wouldn't worry that it hasn't eaten...
What I WOULD worry about of the enclosure: there's a lot of space com the substrate to the lid, the tarantula could easily climb the walls, fall and get injured. I would recommend adding a bunch more substrate so that that's only about the same distance from the substrate to the lid as the tarantula's leg span.

I would also take the piece of cork bark and lean it up against the side of the tank so that the Tarantula can hide behind/under it.

 

[Konstantin Konstantinov]

Hello, I got my first tarantula today! Brachypelma hamorii. As a biologist, I personally believe in a principle that I shall never name my non-mammal creatures of mine because I believe they are nothing more than the part of nature that I happened to copy and pasted into the corner of my room. So, I have never named my insects and reptiles. But this time, I feel the strong urge to name this beauty. That is how excited I am right now. I luckily found a guy near my place who could give me the whole setup. I am planning to do a small terrarium project in the next months. Until then she will live where she is. Her body length is 2.8 inches (Starting from the fangs to the end of her body) And her lag span is about 4-5 inches. However, I have some concerns regarding the health of the spider. The previous owner hasn't given me the information regarding the last time she was fed, and the last time she molted. And he gave me two dubias with the setting but he told me that she is not likely to eat them cause she prefers crickets better. In fact, dubias haven't been eaten yet. And I will have to get rid of them by tomorrow. At that point, I felt a little bit confused and concerned that she might not be eating well, because I would assume he would put some crickets instead of dubias if he knew that she doesn't take dubias. Maybe he was just trying to be extra nice and careful so that the crickets don't hurt the spider in transit; and I am just paranoid.(I am sorry, the previous owner, but I wouldn't be paranoid if you replied to my message asking when was the last time she had eaten!) So I would like to ask you experts and get a sense that I got a nice deal with this guy! Does she look like a healthy female hamorii to you guys? Thank you so much in advance!
View attachment 355744 View attachment 355745 View attachment 355746 View attachment 355747

Hi there.
The tarantula looks is very good shape.It may take a month or two to get used to its new home and settle in.
With tarantulas not eating is rarely an issue.At that size I feed mine once every 2 weeks but if not hungry can go months without eating.Mine are not keen on dubias too especially on their backs with legs up in the air.I always crush their heads before offering them as tbey burrow or play dead. I keep feders in for 24h and remove them if not eaten.
I will recommend to let the enclosure dry out.This species is not keen on moist substrate You can slightly overflow the water bowl and let it dry before you do it again if it makes you feel better but dont over do it.
Reduction of the space between substrate and top is a very good advice you have been given.
Regards Konstantin

 

[viper69]

That T looks fine

 

[jaw6053]

@Selfishphagosome Can you post a pic of the entire enclosure ? It appears you will need to add much more substrate

 

[Selfishphagosome]

Looks well fed to me, I wouldn't worry that it hasn't eaten...
What I WOULD worry about of the enclosure: there's a lot of space com the substrate to the lid, the tarantula could easily climb the walls, fall and get injured. I would recommend adding a bunch more substrate so that that's only about the same distance from the substrate to the lid as the tarantula's leg span.

I would also take the piece of cork bark and lean it up against the side of the tank so that the Tarantula can hide behind/under it.

Thank you so much! I will make sure to add more substrate by today!

@Selfishphagosome Can you post a pic of the entire enclosure ? It appears you will need to add much more substrate

10 gallon tank and I have about 1/3 of the substrate. I was planning on waiting a bit until I make a new terrarium but it seems like I need to deal with this asap! Thank you!

Hi there.
The tarantula looks is very good shape.It may take a month or two to get used to its new home and settle in.
With tarantulas not eating is rarely an issue.At that size I feed mine once every 2 weeks but if not hungry can go months without eating.Mine are not keen on dubias too especially on their backs with legs up in the air.I always crush their heads before offering them as tbey burrow or play dead. I keep feders in for 24h and remove them if not eaten.
I will recommend to let the enclosure dry out.This species is not keen on moist substrate You can slightly overflow the water bowl and let it dry before you do it again if it makes you feel better but dont over do it.
Reduction of the space between substrate and top is a very good advice you have been given.
Regards Konstantin

Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate it !

 

[EpicEpic]

Hmmm....I would imagine dog + cat breeds that have been "designer created" to fit each persons needs, and have not been on this earth very long at all, and never would have been naturally were more of a copy × paste project.

Especially since almost all breeds have been created to have health disadvantages just to make humans happy.

But to each their own.

 

[Selfishphagosome]

Hmmm....I would imagine dog + cat breeds that have been "designer created" to fit each persons needs, and have not been on this earth very long at all, and never would have been naturally were more of a copy × paste project.

Especially since almost all breeds have been created to have health disadvantages just to make humans happy.

But to each their own.

Right! it just depends on how you look at it. I mean cat, dogs, geckos, fish and more. Many of them were so called “created” due to fulfill humans need. And as a result of excessive inbreeding many species are born with or develop genetic diseases in later their life. It is somewhat unfair for the animals but the ignorance could be virtue and the knowledge could be a poisoned chalice depending on the situation. I am glad these “created” animals are not capable of knowing that they are sick because of us. Anyways when I said copy and paste, I meant more like bringing the physical nature into my room rather than making these animals accustomed to my world, my house. And in my principle these animals are still part of the nature whether they are designer created or not. In my mind whatever we do is still part of the nature, because within the planet earth nothing is above the nature. According to my book, humans are the result of natural selection just like any other animals. Although these colorful geckos might seem unnatural, at the end of they day they are still genetically 100 % geckos despite having unfavorable traits in the wild. So I try my best to simulate where they are supposed to be even if this could mean not being able to handle my geckos as often as I wish to. Cat and dogs are actually different story to me because I believe I can emotionally connect with these animals and our relationship with the cat and dogs date back to a long long time ago despite making new “breeds” of dogs nowadays. So their environment is where we belong. Just as if genetically engineered person still belongs to the human society. If your personal beliefs tell you that all the animals deserve the name to be called, that is also very natural. Naming things, definitely human doing human things! I just happen to believe their scientific names are more then enough to suit their needs personally. Its just my corky principle that I don't expect any other people to follow

 

[EpicEpic]

Right! it just depends on how you look at it. I mean cat, dogs, geckos, fish and more. Many of them were so called “created” due to fulfill humans need. And as a result of excessive inbreeding many species are born with or develop genetic diseases in later their life. It is somewhat unfair for the animals but the ignorance could be virtue and the knowledge could be a poisoned chalice depending on the situation. I am glad these “created” animals are not capable of knowing that they are sick because of us. Anyways when I said copy and paste, I meant more like bringing the physical nature into my room rather than making these animals accustomed to my world, my house. And in my principle these animals are still part of the nature whether they are designer created or not. In my mind whatever we do is still part of the nature, because within the planet earth nothing is above the nature. According to my book, humans are the result of natural selection just like any other animals. Although these colorful geckos might seem unnatural, at the end of they day they are still genetically 100 % geckos despite having unfavorable traits in the wild. So I try my best to simulate where they are supposed to be even if this could mean not being able to handle my geckos as often as I wish to. Cat and dogs are actually different story to me because I believe I can emotionally connect with these animals and our relationship with the cat and dogs date back to a long long time ago despite making new “breeds” of dogs nowadays. So their environment is where we belong. Just as if genetically engineered person still belongs to the human society. If your personal beliefs tell you that all the animals deserve the name to be called, that is also very natural. Naming things, definitely human doing human things! I just happen to believe their scientific names are more then enough to suit their needs personally. Its just my corky principle that I don't expect any other people to follow

Like I said to each their own and maybe the dog doesn't know it (though I think they are more then smart enough to realize pain and suffering!) but I sure do. I've had 2 AKC bred dogs from championship winning bloodlines. 2 dobermen from different breeders. They both died due to genetic diseases..it was incredibly tough to watch and they both died way too young. Both Doby's suffered for quite a while. Starting at a very young age and eventually died from wobblers syndrome. I watched these big beautiful guard dogs, known for their gorgeous gait, barely able to walk because humans decided to play with their genetics. A horrific thing to watch. Your best pal suffering. From the passing of my 2nd dog, I've come to the conclusion that breeders are just bullies in it for the $. From thst point on I have gotten 3 mixed breeds from shelters and guess what? Absolute oxes.

This obviously isn't spider related, but it did bring up some bad memories and I felt like sharing is all.

 

[DaveM]

Congratulations on your new spider, and welcome to the club!
You can judge how well-fed it is by looking at the size of the abdomen -- it's good now. You don't ever want to feed so that the abdomen gets much bigger than that, or it would increase the risk of injury from abrasion with dragging on the ground or of rupture from a fall, especially as it is housed now with too far to fall from the lid to the substrate.
The metabolism of these creatures is incredibly slow. And since you're a biologist, you know that a little bit of autophagy is good for everyone!
Selfish phagosome... hmmm... does that mean you eat without regard for others? Like you go on a dinner date, but eat your date's meal too? nice guy!

 

[Dorifto]

you know that a little bit of autophagy is good for everyone!

That sounds pretty bad, at leats in my country


Welcome to the you need more substrate forum!!

 

[Selfishphagosome]

Like I said to each their own and maybe the dog doesn't know it (though I think they are more then smart enough to realize pain and suffering!) but I sure do. I've had 2 AKC bred dogs from championship winning bloodlines. 2 dobermen from different breeders. They both died due to genetic diseases..it was incredibly tough to watch and they both died way too young. Both Doby's suffered for quite a while. Starting at a very young age and eventually died from wobblers syndrome. I watched these big beautiful guard dogs, known for their gorgeous gait, barely able to walk because humans decided to play with their genetics. A horrific thing to watch. Your best pal suffering. From the passing of my 2nd dog, I've come to the conclusion that breeders are just bullies in it for the $. From thst point on I have gotten 3 mixed breeds from shelters and guess what? Absolute oxes.

This obviously isn't spider related, but it did bring up some bad memories and I felt like sharing is all.

I totally get you. I just wanted to explain my beliefs in slightly more detail so that there isn't any misunderstanding. I am sorry that happened to your dog. Now I know we were talking about slightly different things in the beginning. When I talked about my geckos, I wasn't referring to their health, since not many designer geckos exhibit genetic disorder. But don't get me wrong, some designer gecko species do get sick, and I am very opposed to it! Yes, I agree that this is a sad reality that we are facing in the pet industry. However, I do have some different thoughts. I am not trying to convince you are anything but I am just sharing my feelings after hearing your unfortunate stories. You can simply ignore what you read if I am giving causing you more pain by any means. I oppose that all dog breeders are just bullies. And I believe generalization might lead you to see this problem not clearly. Not that I am a breeder myself, but as you know, not so many people are educated regarding the genetic diseases of the designer species. If you look back, you probably got your dogs not knowing that they will be sick in the long run. You were simply ignorant back then. I myself was also ignorant about this matter before I came to college. But now you and I both know what is the deal, and we both strongly agree that designer dog species are not good for the animals' health. In order to get rid of the breeders who are kept producing the designer species, we need to educate the general public regarding the circumstances of the smaller gene pool in these designer species. Once the general public is educated regarding this matter, the number of these breeders will get lowered automatically. Not all, but Humans do tend to get attracted to exotic things, whether its a pet, car or pretty much anything you can name. And it is hard to deny the fact that money is a very strong driving force for pretty much anything in our society. Some bad dog breeders might be well aware that these dogs might get sick in the wrong run. However, we never know every story behind these dog breeders. These dog breeders who you call bullies might be just working his/her ass off to feed there family this way. Or their family might be doing this for generations that it is so hard to just stop and do something else for living. And some people around the world might start breeding dogs without even knowing the circumstances. So I believe pointing fingers only at the breeders for our sad reality is invalid. This designer dog problem in the pet industry is a lot more than this one group of people, breeders. In fact, if you really dig into it, it is a very complicated problem. That's why I say the general public needs to be educated, just like you and me. I know it is a very off-topic discussion, but I am glad I got to exchange my thoughts with someone very considerate regarding these animals. And thank you for making me think about this matter once more. I really hope I didn't make your day worse. And let's hope that these dogs will no longer suffer from these genetic disorders in the near future. I wish you the best for your current dog!

Congratulations on your new spider, and welcome to the club!
You can judge how well-fed it is by looking at the size of the abdomen -- it's good now. You don't ever want to feed so that the abdomen gets much bigger than that, or it would increase the risk of injury from abrasion with dragging on the ground or of rupture from a fall, especially as it is housed now with too far to fall from the lid to the substrate.
The metabolism of these creatures is incredibly slow. And since you're a biologist, you know that a little bit of autophagy is good for everyone!
Selfish phagosome... hmmm... does that mean you eat without regard for others? Like you go on a dinner date, but eat your date's meal too? nice guy!

Yes, I imagine overfeeding might be a problem for these huge spiders. And I would think they would have mechanism to prevent eating more than they need to, but who knows what happens in the wild!. They might not get an ample amount of chance to hunt in the wild to develop such mechanisms! I used to name the cellular components by giving them human characteristics to memorize the terms for the exams long ago hahaha. Thank you!!

That sounds pretty bad, at leats in my country


Welcome to the you need more substrate forum!!

Oh yeah I mean what is good is good, but I don't think I can starve myself to trigger autophagy hahahaha. It should be different by species, but regarding the fact that the Ts eat once in a while, I suspect autophagy might play differently in the spiders compared to that of humans haha. Thank you so much! I already added more substrates after hearing from this forum

 

[DaveM]

Yes, I imagine overfeeding might be a problem for these huge spiders. And I would think they would have mechanism to prevent eating more than they need to, but who knows what happens in the wild!. They might not get an ample amount of chance to hunt in the wild to develop such mechanisms! I used to name the cellular components by giving them human characteristics to memorize the terms for the exams long ago hahaha. Thank you!!

Excellent idea! Here are some of my quick attempts:

Medusa the Gorgon Gorgonzola Golgi
Ribald Somalian Ribosome
Minty Thy Altoid Thylakoid
Miter Saw Hyperchondriac Mitochondrion
Endemic Spasmodic Reticulated Python Endoplasmic Reticulum
Baby Duke Nukem Nucleolus

But this forum is about spiders, and yours is a nice one. Now if you notice her rear legs give a fast, twitching brush-brush, take care not to look closer nor to inhale deeply over her cage, or your phagosomes will take a couple of weeks to clean up the resulting carnage.

 

[Selfishphagosome]

Excellent idea! Here are some of my quick attempts:

Medusa the Gorgon Gorgonzola Golgi
Ribald Somalian Ribosome
Minty Thy Altoid Thylakoid
Miter Saw Hyperchondriac Mitochondrion
Endemic Spasmodic Reticulated Python Endoplasmic Reticulum
Baby Duke Nukem Nucleolus

But this forum is about spiders, and yours is a nice one. Now if you notice her rear legs give a fast, twitching brush-brush, take care not to look closer nor to inhale deeply over her cage, or your phagosomes will take a couple of weeks to clean up the resulting carnage.

HAHAHAHA you are something else. I love it. Oh yeah, I learned that in a hard way. I knew they would flick hairs but what I didn't know was that it would be itchy! I got small rashes on my hand, face, neck, and pretty much everywhere that I happened to touch with the "hair infected" hands. I am so glad I didn't rub my eyes right after hahaha. What an amazing ability they got Thank you !!!!!!