Heat source for my tarantula?

[Fran]

Pay attention to your animal and ignore the experts. I use a heat cable on my tarantula cages because I keep my house around 73-74 degrees. ( I raise dart frogs and try to keep things cool enough so they won't overheat)

I used to follow the *expert* advice and kept all my T's according to what I read was the proper conditions for each species. When I became confident enough to ignore the experts my T's became much happier and healthier. I added a clump of damp sphagnum moss to each cage, even for the ones who supposedly need dry conditions, and ran a heat cable across the backs of all the cages. My T's are much more active and plump now. You have to pay attention to your animals and take into account your individual conditions. If your house is very dry, as mine is, add humidity, even to the cages of the T's who usually want dry conditions. If your house is on the cool side, give the T a choice of whether to be near a heat source or not.

In other words, pay attention to your animal and follow your instincts instead of some *experts* generic advice.

Pay attention to your animal; If the t flipps you the bird, try to lower the temps, actually if you see them with a scarf you might want to raise them too.
Water is fine for T's but Ginger ale will make them funnier.

 

[KoriTamashii]

Here are some pics of said cabinets. After some room renovations, forward then back again, I only had time to wire up the one cabinet.

Where did you get that cabinet? I've been trying to find one like that FOREVER. Must have. Do want.

 

[Rayven]

You dont make much sense. So you keep all your Ts on wet sub? Why? I give all my Ts dry substrate and a water dish except my swamp dwellers. They are extremly well fed. Wet substrate is an invitation for a mite infestation. And desert dwelling Ts dont need dry sub or any extra humidity to thrive. The natural habitat they live in has neither. Do what you want with your Ts but that additude will get you no where in this hobby.

I didn't say I keep them on wet substrate, I put a small clump of damp moss in one corner to raise the humidity inside the cages. In the *dry* cages the clump is the size of a small apple. The adults live in ten to twenty gallon enclosures, so they aren't forced to walk around on wet substrate. My house is extremely dry, to the point that I will get nose bleeds if I don't run humidifiers. Even my dry tanks need extra humidity. When I stopped listening to people like you my tarantulas stopped suffering. Like I said, a person should pay attention to their animal and take into account their individual conditions.

A newbie shouldn't be bullied into following some strict set of rules. I have the feeling that's why a lot of T's die. Newbies who come here get bullied and are too afraid to experiment to find out what their animals really need. People should research the animal, find out what they can about their natural conditions and then observe their particular animals to see if they appear to be happy. If they don't seem to thrive, start experimenting until you find conditions they seem to like. They should ignore people who abuse them if they don't follow some strict set of rules.

Animals are just like people, some may have medical conditions that would dictate they be kept in abnormal conditions. You never know, a T could have a genetic disorder that causes them to dehydrate quicker than the average whatever-they-are, or the opposite; they could retain too much water and need drier conditions than normal. Pay attention to the individual animal and you will figure out what they need.

As for "attitude", yours needs some adjusting. Why do you feel the need to insult and abuse total strangers? I have noticed that there are quite a few jerks who frequent these boards but luckily there are enough good people here to balance things out. I hope newbies who get attacked by arrogant, abusive jerks realize that not all T keepers behave like that.

 

[Ictinike]

Where did you get that cabinet? I've been trying to find one like that FOREVER. Must have. Do want.

Walmart .. Bought one about 6-8 months ago and thought they didn't have it anymore but finally it showed back up and it's the same ones I have here. Work well and I like it has doors that can close.

$59.00 roughly but we found it cheaper locally about $52.00

You'll have to put it together but it's easily done and doesn't weigh a ton. I've seen better but for the price and it's function it's spot on for my use.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Storage-Cabinet-Alder/11061206

Cheers,

 

[AmbushArachnids]

As for "attitude", yours needs some adjusting. Why do you feel the need to insult and abuse total strangers?

I missed the part where i insulted or abused you. Where did i do that? Sorry i didnt offer you a lolly pop.

I have noticed that there are quite a few jerks who frequent these boards but luckily there are enough good people here to balance things out. I hope newbies who get attacked by arrogant, abusive jerks realize that not all T keepers behave like that.[/QUOTE]

You came off a bit arrogant in your post. "ignore the experts is a pretty broad statment" Maybe you should of said "elitist". When i think experts i think about people who have spent alot of time feild work, researching, documenting and writing articles or books. Thats my definition of an "expert". Im not sure what yours is, but it seems alot different and you seem to know better.

 

[KoriTamashii]

Walmart .. Bought one about 6-8 months ago and thought they didn't have it anymore but finally it showed back up and it's the same ones I have here. Work well and I like it has doors that can close.

$59.00 roughly but we found it cheaper locally about $52.00

You'll have to put it together but it's easily done and doesn't weigh a ton. I've seen better but for the price and it's function it's spot on for my use.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Storage-Cabinet-Alder/11061206

Cheers,

You're my hero. <3 :worship:

 

[TigerLily87]

I use a mini Zoo Med heat pad, everyones right they are crap especially for the price, but they gave my T the extra warmth it likes without getting too hot.

 

[Rayven]

I use a mini Zoo Med heat pad, everyones right they are crap especially for the price, but they gave my T the extra warmth it likes without getting too hot.

I use the zoomed heat cable, which is also crap but works well for what I need. I have cages on metal rack shelves and string the cable across a section of each cage so the T's can choose to be near the heat or not. I bought the longest heat cable, which is 35 feet or so, and use one per rack. Some of it is wasted, like the section that has to travel from one shelf to the next, but it's the easiest way to heat the whole rack using only one plug.

One thing you have to take into account using the heat cables is that the first six feet is dead. I had to take it off and restring it when I realized the bottom shelf wasn't getting heat. That could be a problem if you buy the short cables, half the cable may be useless.

 

[Factanonverba]

I've been keeping my T on my DVR at least a couple weeks now and gradually its been laying more webs around its enclosure, around the walls, on substrate, around the water dish. And then tonight I noticed that it created a web barrier and barricaded itself in a corner of the enclosure under a ramp of cork bark, where the warmest spot is.

It never webbed or bothered to use the cork bark hide much before being given supplemental heat. And the container it lived in and came with (when it was at the pet shop) didn't have any noticeable webbing in it either. What does this usually mean?

 

[Rayven]

I've been keeping my T on my DVR at least a couple weeks now and gradually its been laying more webs around its enclosure, around the walls, on substrate, around the water dish. And then tonight I noticed that it created a web barrier and barricaded itself in a corner of the enclosure under a ramp of cork bark, where the warmest spot is.

It never webbed or bothered to use the cork bark hide much before being given supplemental heat. And the container it lived in and came with (when it was at the pet shop) didn't have any noticeable webbing in it either. What does this usually mean?

Maybe it means that it is more content and is now warm enough to make webs. I think many T's prefer a little heat. Yes, they can survive at room temperatures but it seems to me like they are happier at temps warmer than what we humans prefer our houses to be at.

If it barricaded itself into a webbed area, it may be about to lay and eggsac or molt. That's not always the case when they barricade themselves away but some times it is.

 

[Factanonverba]

Wow, this is what its web hideout looked like when I posted about it:



And I came home late tonight to find this:

I have more pics under my images gallery.

Does this mean a molt is coming? If so, should I be worried that the spot shes in is above solid plastic and not on bedding? The spot also doesn't have a lot of room to move around in, but I guess the T knows what its doing... Anyway, I thought g.rosea go on a couple week to month fast before a molt? She fed last Saturday morning and was due for another feeding later today. Should I still try feeding?

 

[Ictinike]

It's been busy

 

[Factanonverba]

Wow!! I woke up today and I see now why shes been so busy!!!!



Her abdomen had noticeably deflated.



I didn't even know if this T was a mature adult, her body length is barely 2.5" from fangs to spinnerets. is it possible the egg sack is infertile? I also didn't think mine was WC (if its possible it was fertilized in the wild), the store I bought it from regularly breeds their own stock, so I assumed she was CB as well as the g.rosea slings they had. Maybe she was fertilized at the store? Wow.., now I have to learn to care for these if they do hatch...

 

[Ictinike]

It's possible but depends on the last molt.

If she was "tagged" in the wild and has yet to molt then yes it's possible it's fertile however if she's molted in their or your care then no it's not.

They sometimes produce "dud sacs" for some reason. I would ask the place you got her from and try to determine her WC/CB status and last molts if they've recorded any.

Good luck and she was busy with purpose!

 

[NikiP]

Lol, when you posted the first picture of webbing, my first thought was it looked like more egg sac webbing then molt webbing Congrats!

 

[MS6582]

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question, I can make my own thread if needed since this thread has gone in a different direction but....

I got two GBB slings today, they are about .5-.75" they live in little salsa cups right now, the person I bought them from was feeding them quite often to keep them fat (not too fat) and I would like to continue this but my house is cold. During the day it is in the low 60's high 50's and in the night we are getting below 50. Since they are in little salsa cups I'm not sure the best way to heat them... I don't really have tarantula room or cabinet dedicated to them, just some extra space on my desk next to my printer. What I have done for now is I took a 40w red heat bulb, put in to a clamp lamp, put the bulb about 18" away, and the temp is reading 73deg on TOP of the cup.... is this OK? will the heat build up inside you think? Any other suggestions would be helpful, I just don't really feel like building them a heater box.

Thank you!

 

[Factanonverba]

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question, I can make my own thread if needed since this thread has gone in a different direction but....

I got two GBB slings today, they are about .5-.75" they live in little salsa cups right now, the person I bought them from was feeding them quite often to keep them fat (not too fat) and I would like to continue this but my house is cold. During the day it is in the low 60's high 50's and in the night we are getting below 50. Since they are in little salsa cups I'm not sure the best way to heat them... I don't really have tarantula room or cabinet dedicated to them, just some extra space on my desk next to my printer. What I have done for now is I took a 40w red heat bulb, put in to a clamp lamp, put the bulb about 18" away, and the temp is reading 73deg on TOP of the cup.... is this OK? will the heat build up inside you think? Any other suggestions would be helpful, I just don't really feel like building them a heater box.

Thank you!

I'd probably keep them (in their cups) in a bigger container with plenty of air holes, then place a heat source over that and measure the ambient temp within the larger container. ambient temp would be a little more consistent that way, with less risk of cooking them. Sort of like a mini cabinet.

 

[Factanonverba]

Well, I'm preparing for new arrivals. I've decided NOT to artificially incubate the eggs and leave them with the mother. I know yield probably wont be as great (assuming they're fertile), so it will be less headache for me in the end if I let nature take its course.

BTW, I spoke with the pet shop owner/manager and he wasn't much help on finding out whether my T was paired at the shop or WC that way. No record on molts either. :wall:

Guess I will just have to make a small investment in preparation.

I'm thinking about getting an order of these vials: http://www.thorntonplastics.com/index.php/plastic-vial/assembled/partial-case/8oz-plastic-vial-capped-100-case.html

I'm not sure how many she will have though, shes relatively small (2 1/4-5"), I don't think it can be in the 200-300's could it?

 

[pok2010]

i use 2 items

central heating, amazing this is lol

and if neccesary, a nice little electric fire, works wonders .. plus you aint gt to worry about cooking your T's or setting the place on fire

 

[Ictinike]

central heating, amazing this is lol

and if neccesary, a nice little electric fire, works wonders .. plus you aint gt to worry about cooking your T's or setting the place on fire

Unsure about everyone else but I don't like to sleep in 80F+ heat.

I prefer in the lower 70's if not mid 60's which is why I use the heat tape. I can adequately heat my home to provide the temps for the T's but again I'm not going to give up my comfort to suit them. The heat tape provides both.