First T's (A. geniculata and C. cyaneopubescens slings)

[ScorpionEvo687]

Hi my name is Isaac and I'm planning on getting my first t's. I'm considering both a Genic sling and a GBB sling w/ complete beginner packages from Fear Not Tarantulas. The reason I'm considering these 2 species in particular is because they're both attractive, hardy, fast growing and would make good display t's. I do not plan on holding either of these t's and understand that they can be a bit skittish or even defensive but I think I can handle it. I was just wondering if anyone has any care tips for slings of these species or the little B. lateralis roaches that come with them as feeders? They already come with a sling care guide but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask anyways and I have a few more specific questions to ask later then. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Oreo]

Great choices! Hm there are a lot of threads on the basic care of terrestrial Ts. If you have any specific questions, ask away.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Well i suppose one of my questions would be what supplies do I need for the t's other than what comes in the beginner packages (enclosures, substrate, silk foliage/sphagnum moss) and the roaches? I assume I'll need tweezers for feeding, feeder cups/catch cups and maybe some little bottle caps to put water in. Also I'll probably get a large kritter keeper to put the smaller enclosures in whenever I rehouse which I'll do in the bathtub on top of that. For feeding I'll still place the enclosures in the larger kritter keeper but skip the tub. Wanna be extra sure they don't get out since I know slings generally tend to be more finicky than adults do and also harder to find if they do escape. For the roaches I'm thinking I'll need an appropriately sized enclosure, food/water dishes, a mix of cricket and roach chow for food and substrate, and soaked water crystals to keep the roaches hydrated. I'll probably also feed them apples, peaches, pears, oranges etc occasionally. I have a 20 gallon or so (I think) vivarium that I used to keep a lizard in years back and I'm wondering if that would be too large or not? I imagine the roaches will be quite small. Also I know many people stack egg cartons in roach enclosures and I wondered if that's something I should do as well or if that's only really useful for breeding purposes? Did I miss anything?

 

[Vanessa]

Egg cartons are for hiding - all feeders should have them. Tweezers, longer tongs, a syringe, or something small to be able to easily add water. Caps for a water dish. I use a huge plastic bowl from the dollar store to put small enclosures in while feeding/maintaining small spiderlings, in case someone gets out. A small, soft paint/make-up brush in case you have to gently coax them somewhere. A flashlight, so you can check on them without disturbing them.
Watch Tom Moran's videos on tips for trouble free rehousings here: Tom's Big Spiders

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Thanks for the reply. I'll certainly keep all that in mind. I have another important question regarding temperature and humidity. While I know it's not a good idea to stress too much about temp or humidity I live in a house in NE Ohio with no central air and only 1 air conditioner downstairs. I plan on keeping my t's in my upstairs bedroom. The problem is that it can get quite hot and humid in the warmer months and quite cold and dry in the cooler months. In the summer it can sometimes push 90 with humidity around 70% and in the winter it can be in the 60's with humidity around 30% (rough guess since its been a long time since winter and I don't usually pay too much attention). I was just wondering if perhaps I should have an indoor air conditioner and dehumidifier up in my room during the warmer months and a space heater in the cooler months? If I had a dehumidifier would it suck too much moisture out of the enclosures as well or would it be fine so long as they're properly ventilated and have water dishes? I also know that GBBs like it bone dry whereas Genics like a little extra humidity so that's why I'm wondering.

 

[Vanessa]

I'm in Southern Ontario, so I deal with the same fluctuations in heat and humidity as you do.
In the winter months, my place is kept at a pretty steady 'room temperature'. The species that you are getting can tolerate a bit wider ranges in temperature (short term) than others. If you are too cold, then I would suggest that you purchase a small space heater to keep the room a bit warmer. Please do not ever use heat mats or lamps.
As far as humidity goes, I will often overflow the water dishes for all my species during the winter, even the scrub land species. I do not ever overflow the dishes in my Chromatopelma enclosures - those are always kept dry. All my enclosures contain water dishes and some of them have two. My more humidity loving species can have anywhere from 1/3-1/2 of their enclosures wet. I will wet it down pretty thoroughly and let it dry out. I also tape over some of the air holes during the winter for those species who require more humidity. My spiderlings have water trickled down the side until about half of their substrate is damp. I check their enclosures every second day because they are more sensitive to being bone dry.
I rarely use my air conditioner in the summer, not unless it gets to the point that we have had 40C+ temperatures for several days in a row. I will often close the blinds during the hottest part of the day (I have a southern exposure, so that can be the majority) and have the fan going. You can do something like that and also keep their enclosures closer to the floor. I have some species who come from cooler climates and their enclosures are at floor level all year round. I still overflow some water dishes, but do it less often. I still wet down part of the substrate for those who need more humidity.
I sometimes encounter a bit of mould, and the odd mushroom, because I mix black earth in with my coco fiber. When that happens, I will move the water dish to a new location, dig out as much of the mould as I can find with a spoon, and replace it with some drier substrate. I do not normally encounter mould anywhere other than directly under/around the water dish. I have never had a situation where the mould gets so out of control that I would have to rehouse the tarantula.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

So it should be fine then for the most part? No need for an air conditioner or dehumidifier? Also while this won't apply for quite some time would a Jamie's Tarantulas 8x8x14 enclosure be big enough for an adult Genic and a 7x7x11 enclosure be big enough for an adult GBB or would they be too small?

 

[draconisj4]

As far as the roaches go if you are only getting a small amount you can just keep them in a plastic container. This is what I keep my small feeders in,egg crate, no substrate,just enough dry roach food for them to eat in 2 days on the bottom on one end and a small piece of orange that is changed out every other day ( I also wipe out the old juice)on the other end. I am careful not to let the orange touch the egg crate because it will get damp and gross. There are holes punched in the top and I keep them at room temperature on a dark shelf. They do quite well and some lucky ones have even grown into adults and been transferred to my larger starter breeding colony.

 

[Olan]

Genics are from the amazon rainforest, where 90 degrees and 70+% humidity are the norm. No problems there.
7x7x11 is probably good for the GBB, but the genic might need a bit more space once it’s full grown. My big terrestrials get 10x12 of floor space. I guess that’s only 8 square inches more than 8x14. So maybe the 8x14 is fine

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

I appreciate the help. I think I'll likely still get a space heater for the winter and a dehumidifier for the summer but skip the portable indoor air conditioner. They're kinda expensive and a lot of people judging by the reviews seem to think they suck anyways. I could change my mind if I feel it gets too hot but thankfully the heat is beginning to die down around here and it'll be Fall soon so not something to worry about for quite some time. I've got one last question to ask at least for now. B. lateralis roaches can't infest in a climate such as mine or at least are unlikely to right? I've heard mixed reports with some saying they can but most saying it's nothing to worry about so i'm not too concerned about it. If it becomes too big of a concern at some point I'll likely switch to B. dubia since I know for sure they can't infest.

 

[cold blood]

unless you have 20-30 ts, you do not need a roach colony.

And no, lats cant infest Ohio, but if you have a furnace and climate control in your house, which you almost certainly do, then they can infest a home....so it is possible....dubia however, would not.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

I don't plan on having a colony of any sorts if hundreds or thousands of roaches is what you mean when you say colony but I do plan on having maybe 20-30 roaches handy at any one time to feed my t's when need be. Would they likely breed at room temperature and if so is there anything to stop them from breeding? I guess the question isn't so much whether they can infest but how likely they are to as in should I be concerned about it? Obviously I plan on keeping the roaches securely locked up in a cage but there's always a risk of B lats escaping as they're quite fast from what I've heard.

 

[cold blood]

20 or 30 lats would turn into a big colony quicker than you would think....without a lot of mouths to feed, you wouldnt be able to make a dent in a lat population.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Yeah you've got a good point there. I think I may switch over to B. dubia roaches after the B. lateralis roaches run out in that case. I don't really wanna have to deal with hundreds or thousands of roaches when I'm only getting 2 t's for now.

 

[Storm76]

Acanthoscurria geniculata are FUN! One of the T species that will (usually) attack immediately sensing movement - they think everything is food! That does includes tongs, waterdish, waterstream filling the waterdish and - of course: Your fingers!

They grow very fast, they become LARGE and their urticating hairs can be a pain to some (myself included!). But those T's have a great character usually. Others would probably say they're nuts - and I wouldn't correct that - they are to a degree! But on the funny side. Bonus points for being out in the open and visible for the majority of time.

Slings of Acanthoscurria usually easily take down prey twice their size - thinking about it that's actually true for them in general . These are eating machines - so do not overfeed them. Mine even ate 1 day before she molted.


GBBs can be pretty skittish. But they're both easy to raise. Provide a waterdish of some sort, dry (!) substrate for the GBB and a wet-spot for the Acanthoscurria and you'll be fine. Good choices actually! Enjoy them!

Sadly, I lost this girl but she reached a whopping 8". Raised her from a tiny 2" myself. Awesome T! This is what you can look foreward to. Enclosure changes will likely happen more often than you expect

 

[korlash091]

My Acanthoscurria geniculata sling having a meal

They're so hungry!

 

[ChanTheMan]

I gotta get a geniculata soon. If I do I'm gonna name him/her Marshmallow cuz of the white "knees".

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

Yeah I know that's exactly why I picked these 2 species of t's. Some of the most gorgeous and active nw t's out there. I love how the Genics get big and eat like machines and how the GBBs web everything up.

Thanks for all the help everyone. I'll be sure to post pictures once I get them.

 

[ScorpionEvo687]

I changed my mind. This year i'm only getting a Genic. Next year i'll probably get an LP and a GBB. Considering I've never owned any t's or other inverts before I just don't wanna risk getting overwhelmed lol.

 

[lostbrane]

This year i'm only getting a Genic.

Good luck on restraining yourself heh