Going out of town

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
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280
Wednesday I'm going out of town and need to figure out how to set up a drip system that will last for both my T's and don't really want to spend $40 for 2 drip systems at petsmart.. Any ideas? The drip systems aren't for misting purposes but for the water dishes
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
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Dec 29, 2002
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How long are you going to be gone? I don't mean to be rude but a drip system seems excessive?
 

Ictinike

Arachnobaron
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Aug 30, 2009
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How long are you leaving for?

Just make sure dishes are overflowed and feed them, if you haven't already, right before you leave and they'll be fine.

I left my 10, slings included, for a week's vacation this year and while I had my mother-in-law come and syringe in some water on the slings only once they all survived without incident.

They can go awhile without food and water in most circumstances.. Again it's how long you'll be gone from them is the key. A few days, you'll be fine, and even in upwards of a week unless you have such hot conditions that the water in the dishes evaporates within that time they should be fine.

[Edit] Oh and to add in I only had my mother-in-law do the slings because at the time it was about 98F here and I was more worried about the heat (no A/C) than anything honestly..
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Feb 12, 2008
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I'm feeding the OBT a mouse tomorrow, and the Rosea seems to be in a fasting phase or premolt
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Feb 12, 2008
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Umm... Yeah, dont know if you know, but you shouldn't feed your Ts vertebrates.
I know that.. From what I've read/heard it's more of a once in a while thing. They're both on a cricket diet.. I just like to mix it up every so often.
 

AbraxasComplex

Arachnoprince
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Oct 23, 2007
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Seriously? Just a week?

1. Fill water dish, though this probably doesn't matter. I don't use any water dishes in any of my enclosures... years of no water dish, years of no problems.

2. Mist if need be. You can even cover a large part of the ventilation with plastic wrap if you want. Shouldn't cause any issues and keep in more humidity.

3. Feed once a week like you normally should for tarantulas. Do this the day before you go.

Edit: You can even skip feeding for a week with no harm.


I leave every week for my job for 5-6 days. No problems.




Do not worry about your tarantulas. They will be fine.
 

AbraxasComplex

Arachnoprince
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Oct 23, 2007
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There is no need to baby your tarantulas. These animals are incredibly low maintenance and easy to take care of.

The risk is no greater than if you were home.
 

aquaArachnid

Arachnoknight
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Feb 12, 2008
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280
yea, my bad.. just one of those people who worries about everything.. need to keep working on that
 

jebbewocky

Arachnoangel
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Oct 1, 2009
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909
A week? They'll be perfectly fine.
And another reason not to feed that OBT a mouse--you'll be gone all week, and mice rot.
 

Harlock

Arachnosquire
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Mar 25, 2009
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148
Man, I left my collection a month without care. Just feed like double the crickets and mist heavily before you leave. Everything was fine when I got back.
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
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Dec 29, 2002
Messages
715
A week is hardly anything for a tarantula, especially non-slings. With a few exceptions, I normally feed mine one roach a month and water twice a month and they have been doing fine for the last few years on that schedule.
 

curiousme

Arachnoprince
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Dec 11, 2008
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We left all 22 of our tarantulas at home for 2 1/2 weeks this summer when we trekked back to OK to visit my family. All we did was feed all that would eat, humidify by wetting a portion of the substrate/ filled the water dishes, gathered all the slings and juvies into a box and moved them to the basement(for better temps) before we left. We came back, brought them upstairs, all were accounted for and just fine and dandy. We didn't develop mold in any of the enclosures either.

Ts almost thrive on neglect and it is the over worrying and babying that can cause problems some of the time. Ts can go for months without food, even the little ones.

For example, when you have Aphonopelma species, they will often burrow down for the winter and go for around 3 months without food. We had a pretty small A. hentzi spiderling pull this trick our first winter as tarantula keepers. And I was pretty worried that it was going to starve/ dehydrate/ unknown problem that I wouldn't know it needed help with, and would therefore fail as a tarantula keeper when it died. :eek: I listened to people though and didn't dig it up and just trusted that it knew what it was doing. It went for almost 3 months without food or drink, so yours should be just fine for a week.:)
 
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