Help Calming Brachypelma albopilosum

Tobii

Arachnopeon
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Oct 4, 2017
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17
This is my first post so please feel free to redirect me if something similar has been answered.

So Ivy, my sweet curly hair who loves naps and has been held multiple times in the store she's from, is currently acclimating to her new terrarium I set up. Things were going well until the cricket I put in the tank for her to eat got stuck in her water dish (which is incredibly shallow, how it got stuck is beyond me). While trying to get it out I accidentally startled her and she's been hiding her face with her knees ever since. I feel really bad, is there anything I can do to calm her down? Or should I just wait it out? And to prevent from ever scaring her again what should I do next time I need to reach in the tank?

I apologize for my ignorance, she's my very first spider.
 

cold blood

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You're over-thinking this...its not feeling hurt....just leave it be.
 

ErinM31

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This is my first post so please feel free to redirect me if something similar has been answered.

So Ivy, my sweet curly hair who loves naps and has been held multiple times in the store she's from, is currently acclimating to her new terrarium I set up. Things were going well until the cricket I put in the tank for her to eat got stuck in her water dish (which is incredibly shallow, how it got stuck is beyond me). While trying to get it out I accidentally startled her and she's been hiding her face with her knees ever since. I feel really bad, is there anything I can do to calm her down? Or should I just wait it out? And to prevent from ever scaring her again what should I do next time I need to reach in the tank?

I apologize for my ignorance, she's my very first spider.
Yeah, crickets are dumb that way! ;) It would be a good idea to get tongs for removing uneaten prey and boluses from the terrarium. And don't worry, your T will be fine. :) Best to leave her alone for now as any further action would only stress her more. And that is probably good advice in general (even if I don't always follow it myself :bag: ).

Best wishes for your first T! :D My first was a Brachypelma too -- a B. hamorii sling who's grown into quite a handsome young T but such a diva! First it was flicking hairs but now that he's grown in size and confidence it's a threat pose as often as not when I do something offensive like clean or change the water dish! :rolleyes: :happy:
 

sasker

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Oct 9, 2016
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1,091
Calming a B. albopilosum?! o_O They are among the calmest species on the planet! :)

Like @cold blood said, don't sweat it!

Welcome to Arachnoboards and congrats with your first spider! Pet shops are infamously clueless about keeping tarantulas, so there is a big chance that they told you all kind of nonsense about caring for your tarantula. I recommend using a lot of time browsing on this forum to gain some knowledge.

Also, please post a picture of your enclosure with the spider. The people on this forum are more than willing to help you out with tips in case your enclosure requires some adjustments.
 

Tobii

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
17
Yeah, crickets are dumb that way! ;) It would be a good idea to get tongs for removing uneaten prey and boluses from the terrarium. And don't worry, your T will be fine. :) Best to leave her alone for now as any further action would only stress her more. And that is probably good advice in general (even if I don't always follow it myself :bag: ).

Best wishes for your first T! :D My first was a Brachypelma too -- a B. hamorii sling who's grown into quite a handsome young T but such a diva! First it was flicking hairs but now that he's grown in size and confidence it's a threat pose as often as not when I do something offensive like clean or change the water dish! :rolleyes: :happy:
Aw, I love B. hamoriis! Even my friend who isn't a huge fan of spiders likes them.

I do need to invest in some tongs, that's next on my shopping list! I don't have the money right now (I recently had to pay for a lot of stuff), but as soon as I do that's a priority.

Thankfully since then she's out and about in her cage! Been haphazardly decorating, haha. Her abdomen seems a little small though so I've been trying to encourage her to drink some water and she ate a cricket like a champ earlier today. I wasn't prepared for the audible crunch as she took a chunk out of it! She's got a lot of personality that comes out in sudden surprising spurts and I can't wait to see how she decides she wants the final decor of the terrarium to look.
 

Tobii

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
17
Calming a B. albopilosum?! o_O They are among the calmest species on the planet! :)

Like @cold blood said, don't sweat it!

Welcome to Arachnoboards and congrats with your first spider! Pet shops are infamously clueless about keeping tarantulas, so there is a big chance that they told you all kind of nonsense about caring for your tarantula. I recommend using a lot of time browsing on this forum to gain some knowledge.

Also, please post a picture of your enclosure with the spider. The people on this forum are more than willing to help you out with tips in case your enclosure requires some adjustments.
Yeah, I knew they were calm, and Ivy had definitely been friendly with patrons of that store before so it really worried me when I startled her! She seemed so upset about the new cage at first until my mom got her all the way out of the box (a lot more roughly than I was okay with, and I'm definitely going to try to explain how important being careful with these animals is), which she actually took really well. She kinda stared at my mom for a second like she was annoyed then immediately went to web decorating, so it seems like she's doing much better now. She's been mostly exploring and playing with the substrate. Her abdomen is a little small like I mentioned in my reply to ErinM31, so I've been focusing on making sure she has water and food.

Thank you for your warm welcome!! This shop actually didn't tell me much of anything which was a little frustrating and I learned most of what I did from this site and Tarantula Forum because I knew the care sheets I found didn't sound right.

I wasn't able to get the best picture with her in the enclosure, so I have another picture of the terrarium immediately after setup as well (minus tank lid).
 

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sasker

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Hi @Tobii

It's a good sign that your tarantula is eating already, so I wouldn't be too worried about your tarantula. I do not know if my eyes deceive me, but are those tibial hooks on your tarantula? If you look closely at the first two front legs (so not the two pedipalps that look like legs but are in fact a sort of feelers) there seem to be a hook on each on the underside. You can google 'tibial hooks tarantula' and you will see pictures of what I mean. This is an indication that your tarantula is a male. If so, there should also be a sort of 'boxing gloves' on the end of the pedipalps. If you are not sure, just post a close-up picture of the front of your tarantula.

All tarantulas of the Brachypelma genus can get very old (20+ years), but unfortunately this only goes for the ladies. Male spiders do not get much older than 4-5 years and they die about one year after they have reached maturity. If your tarantula is a mature male, it is possible that he is very close to the end of his life cycle. That would be very sad and I would return the spider to the pet shop if that's the case. But first let's see if I am right about the gender first. It would also explain why your tarantula seems a bit malnourished. Males are much more slender than females.

Pet shops are often quite horrible to buy life animals from, especially tarantulas. I see that the shop sold you all kinds of expensive extras that are not necessary.
  • Your tank is what they call a 10 gallon tank at your side of the big lake, isn't it? That is way bigger than your tarantula needs. It is not wrong per sé to house your tarantula in such an enclosure, but he/she would already be happy with a third of the floor space that you currently provide.
  • Floor space is more important than height for a terrestrial tarantula and too much height is even dangerous as the spider may injure itself when it falls. 1.5 times the leg span of your tarantula is about the height that your spider requires, so I think you should add much more substrate to make up for the tall enclosure. Needless to say: never leave your enclosure unattended without a cover on it.
  • The substrate for this particular species should be mostly dry, they dislike moist or damp substrate. As long as you provide a water dish - which you do already :) - you won't have to worry about the humidity. The hygrometer that I see in the picture can be thrown out as well. They are unnecessary and unreliable anyway. It's just a little gadget that the shop owner can sell to drive up the package deal price.
  • Not visible in the picture, but if present: remove any heat mat - and especially heat lamps. You can safely use a heat mat in some cases if you know what you are doing, but most often they are applied wrongly and pose a danger for your spider. Heat lamps are even worse, many tarantulas met their demise through these radiation cannons. I see no safe way of using one. A rule of thumb for how warm a tarantula should be kept: if it is comfortable in the room for you, it will be OK for your tarantula as well.
I advise you to do some more research on keeping tarantulas on this platform and forget what the shop owner said ;)
 

ErinM31

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Aw, I love B. hamoriis! Even my friend who isn't a huge fan of spiders likes them.

I do need to invest in some tongs, that's next on my shopping list! I don't have the money right now (I recently had to pay for a lot of stuff), but as soon as I do that's a priority.

Thankfully since then she's out and about in her cage! Been haphazardly decorating, haha. Her abdomen seems a little small though so I've been trying to encourage her to drink some water and she ate a cricket like a champ earlier today. I wasn't prepared for the audible crunch as she took a chunk out of it! She's got a lot of personality that comes out in sudden surprising spurts and I can't wait to see how she decides she wants the final decor of the terrarium to look.
You misunderstand, I love my beautiful boy, attitude and all! :happy:

I'm glad to hear that your T seems to be settling in to their new home! :) I must agree with @sasker -- those do look like tibial hooks and the legginess combined with a smaller abdomen says mature male. Hopefully you will still be able to enjoy them for many months -- one of my Aphonopelma chalcodes males is now 14 months mature and still going!
 

sasker

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 9, 2016
Messages
1,091
Hopefully you will still be able to enjoy them for many months
True, it could be that your spider lasts a bit longer than a few months and it is entirely up to you what you will do. However, it could be that your tarantula hooked out (became mature) like 9 months ago and you only have 3 more months to go. If I paid good money for a tarantula, I would expect to enjoy its presence a bit longer than that. The pet shop owner should know what he is selling (he probably doesn't, but okay) and if he knowingly sells an animal on its last legs I think you have reason enough to make use of the legal return policy.

But again, it's entirely up to you :)
 

Tobii

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
17
Hi @Tobii

It's a good sign that your tarantula is eating already, so I wouldn't be too worried about your tarantula. I do not know if my eyes deceive me, but are those tibial hooks on your tarantula? If you look closely at the first two front legs (so not the two pedipalps that look like legs but are in fact a sort of feelers) there seem to be a hook on each on the underside. You can google 'tibial hooks tarantula' and you will see pictures of what I mean. This is an indication that your tarantula is a male. If so, there should also be a sort of 'boxing gloves' on the end of the pedipalps. If you are not sure, just post a close-up picture of the front of your tarantula.

All tarantulas of the Brachypelma genus can get very old (20+ years), but unfortunately this only goes for the ladies. Male spiders do not get much older than 4-5 years and they die about one year after they have reached maturity. If your tarantula is a mature male, it is possible that he is very close to the end of his life cycle. That would be very sad and I would return the spider to the pet shop if that's the case. But first let's see if I am right about the gender first. It would also explain why your tarantula seems a bit malnourished. Males are much more slender than females.

Pet shops are often quite horrible to buy life animals from, especially tarantulas. I see that the shop sold you all kinds of expensive extras that are not necessary.
  • Your tank is what they call a 10 gallon tank at your side of the big lake, isn't it? That is way bigger than your tarantula needs. It is not wrong per sé to house your tarantula in such an enclosure, but he/she would already be happy with a third of the floor space that you currently provide.
  • Floor space is more important than height for a terrestrial tarantula and too much height is even dangerous as the spider may injure itself when it falls. 1.5 times the leg span of your tarantula is about the height that your spider requires, so I think you should add much more substrate to make up for the tall enclosure. Needless to say: never leave your enclosure unattended without a cover on it.
  • The substrate for this particular species should be mostly dry, they dislike moist or damp substrate. As long as you provide a water dish - which you do already :) - you won't have to worry about the humidity. The hygrometer that I see in the picture can be thrown out as well. They are unnecessary and unreliable anyway. It's just a little gadget that the shop owner can sell to drive up the package deal price.
  • Not visible in the picture, but if present: remove any heat mat - and especially heat lamps. You can safely use a heat mat in some cases if you know what you are doing, but most often they are applied wrongly and pose a danger for your spider. Heat lamps are even worse, many tarantulas met their demise through these radiation cannons. I see no safe way of using one. A rule of thumb for how warm a tarantula should be kept: if it is comfortable in the room for you, it will be OK for your tarantula as well.
I advise you to do some more research on keeping tarantulas on this platform and forget what the shop owner said ;)
Oh hmm, that image does make it look like there are hooks. There actually aren't that I can see (image attached, got a very helpful pose for this pic). Right as I was about to post this, my T sucked down a bunch of water from the dish! So that's hopeful. I'm wondering if she was recently recovering from a molt and hadn't yet eaten or drank when I got her, but I didn't get any info like that from the store. Really sad, because info like that would save me so much stress to know when she last ate.

As for housing:

  • Unfortunately the tank is a suggestion I got from a thread on here with most of the people seeming to agree 10 gal. was appropriate for a spider of this species (I can try to hunt down that thread if needed)
  • However, that falling risk definitely does worry me, and I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on the terrarium and attempt to adjust substrate. Unfortunately that tank was the best I could get that wasn't obscenely overpriced. I'll try to get a shorter enclosure as soon as I can, but tank prices are terrible here. Your advice is duely noted, however.
  • The substrate was slightly damp (not overly so) and dried out quite a bit after first use so that's helpful on that end. That hygrometer actually came with the tank (the most reasonably priced tank came with a hygrometer and a heat lamp which is strange, but my friend bought the spider for me suddenly because of how much I was looking at it and I needed a tank ASAP, sometimes early gifts can be a semi-curse). I mostly use the hygrometer because it's also a thermometer and my room does get pretty frigid in winter; and while I know spiders can survive a lot, I don't want it to be obscenely under temp either.
  • There was a heat pad and I unfortunately learned the red light I had doubled as a heating lamp so I immediately unplugged the pad (I didn't plug it in myself, my mom was trying to help and ended up causing more harm than good unintentionally) and removed the lamp. Not taking any chances with that.
 

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Tobii

Arachnopeon
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Oct 4, 2017
Messages
17
You misunderstand, I love my beautiful boy, attitude and all! :happy:

I'm glad to hear that your T seems to be settling in to their new home! :) I must agree with @sasker -- those do look like tibial hooks and the legginess combined with a smaller abdomen says mature male. Hopefully you will still be able to enjoy them for many months -- one of my Aphonopelma chalcodes males is now 14 months mature and still going!
Oh whoops, I meant that "aw" as in he's really cute! Sorry, that wasn't very clear in text.

Like I said in my last reply the picture seems very misleading actually from when I looked closely at it. There doesn't appear to be hooks on closer inspection, so there's still hope it's a female! :D
 

The Grym Reaper

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The substrate for this particular species should be mostly dry, they dislike moist or damp substrate.
You can keep them dry and have no issues (they're pretty much bulletproof care-wise) but they do actually prefer slightly moist substrate, they don't like it sopping wet though.
 

sasker

Arachnoprince
Joined
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Messages
1,091
Your spider does indeed not appear to be a mature male, for as far as I can see. It is good that your spider started drinking. You can feed your tarantula a bit more (as much as it wants) until its abdomen are a bit bigger.

Unfortunately the tank is a suggestion I got from a thread on here with most of the people seeming to agree 10 gal. was appropriate for a spider of this species (I can try to hunt down that thread if needed)
Well, it's not wrong to keep it in that enclosure. And if this is your only spider, there is no need to replace it with a smaller enclosure if you are not running out of space. But if you enjoy your B. albopilosum, chances are that you will run out of space soon because of all the other spiders you will buy :)

However, that falling risk definitely does worry me, and I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on the terrarium and attempt to adjust substrate. Unfortunately that tank was the best I could get that wasn't obscenely overpriced. I'll try to get a shorter enclosure as soon as I can, but tank prices are terrible here. Your advice is duely noted, however.
Just a tip, you can go for kritter keepers (acrylic plastic, various sizes). They are quite cheap and not to bad to keep tarantulas in. But I would hold on to this tank. If not for this species, perhaps for a bigger tarantula in the future.

The substrate was slightly damp (not overly so) and dried out quite a bit after first use so that's helpful on that end. That hygrometer actually came with the tank (the most reasonably priced tank came with a hygrometer and a heat lamp which is strange, but my friend bought the spider for me suddenly because of how much I was looking at it and I needed a tank ASAP, sometimes early gifts can be a semi-curse). I mostly use the hygrometer because it's also a thermometer and my room does get pretty frigid in winter; and while I know spiders can survive a lot, I don't want it to be obscenely under temp either.
Slightly damp is good. It's alright if its dries out, usually I overflow the water dish so there is a dry and a damp area in the terrarium. You can leave the hygrometer in, just don't be to bothered by the humidity values. And hold on to that friend. Friends who buy other people spiders are rare and very valuable ;)

There was a heat pad and I unfortunately learned the red light I had doubled as a heating lamp so I immediately unplugged the pad (I didn't plug it in myself, my mom was trying to help and ended up causing more harm than good unintentionally) and removed the lamp. Not taking any chances with that.
If it really gets cold in your room, you could use the heat pad. Just make sure you don't stick it right under the terrarium where it can quickly overheat. Warmth should be allowed to dissipate. I am sure there are threads on this platform on the matter. It is better to increase the ambient temp than to locally increase the temp. I do a combination of both by putting my terrariums in a cabinet with a glass door. The heat pad increases the warmth in the entire cabinet.
 

Tobii

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
17
Your spider does indeed not appear to be a mature male, for as far as I can see. It is good that your spider started drinking. You can feed your tarantula a bit more (as much as it wants) until its abdomen are a bit bigger.



Well, it's not wrong to keep it in that enclosure. And if this is your only spider, there is no need to replace it with a smaller enclosure if you are not running out of space. But if you enjoy your B. albopilosum, chances are that you will run out of space soon because of all the other spiders you will buy :)



Just a tip, you can go for kritter keepers (acrylic plastic, various sizes). They are quite cheap and not to bad to keep tarantulas in. But I would hold on to this tank. If not for this species, perhaps for a bigger tarantula in the future.



Slightly damp is good. It's alright if its dries out, usually I overflow the water dish so there is a dry and a damp area in the terrarium. You can leave the hygrometer in, just don't be to bothered by the humidity values. And hold on to that friend. Friends who buy other people spiders are rare and very valuable ;)



If it really gets cold in your room, you could use the heat pad. Just make sure you don't stick it right under the terrarium where it can quickly overheat. Warmth should be allowed to dissipate. I am sure there are threads on this platform on the matter. It is better to increase the ambient temp than to locally increase the temp. I do a combination of both by putting my terrariums in a cabinet with a glass door. The heat pad increases the warmth in the entire cabinet.
Thank you for all your help!! It's really helped me calm down and informed me a lot.

Although, all day since about 8 AM she's been wandering around nonstop. I put a cricket in and she seemed to totally ignore it. I've heard for some tarantulas this is completely normal, but for others it can mean something's up. I imagine it's something I should probably wait out, but how long would this behaviour have to presist in order to become a concern?

Sorry for all my questions, I wish caresheets actually had, you know, accurate information like they're supposed to. :drunk:
 

Devin B

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 30, 2016
Messages
326
Oh hmm, that image does make it look like there are hooks. There actually aren't that I can see (image attached, got a very helpful pose for this pic). Right as I was about to post this, my T sucked down a bunch of water from the dish! So that's hopeful. I'm wondering if she was recently recovering from a molt and hadn't yet eaten or drank when I got her, but I didn't get any info like that from the store. Really sad, because info like that would save me so much stress to know when she last ate.

As for housing:

  • Unfortunately the tank is a suggestion I got from a thread on here with most of the people seeming to agree 10 gal. was appropriate for a spider of this species (I can try to hunt down that thread if needed)
  • However, that falling risk definitely does worry me, and I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on the terrarium and attempt to adjust substrate. Unfortunately that tank was the best I could get that wasn't obscenely overpriced. I'll try to get a shorter enclosure as soon as I can, but tank prices are terrible here. Your advice is duely noted, however.
  • The substrate was slightly damp (not overly so) and dried out quite a bit after first use so that's helpful on that end. That hygrometer actually came with the tank (the most reasonably priced tank came with a hygrometer and a heat lamp which is strange, but my friend bought the spider for me suddenly because of how much I was looking at it and I needed a tank ASAP, sometimes early gifts can be a semi-curse). I mostly use the hygrometer because it's also a thermometer and my room does get pretty frigid in winter; and while I know spiders can survive a lot, I don't want it to be obscenely under temp either.
  • There was a heat pad and I unfortunately learned the red light I had doubled as a heating lamp so I immediately unplugged the pad (I didn't plug it in myself, my mom was trying to help and ended up causing more harm than good unintentionally) and removed the lamp. Not taking any chances with that.
If a cheap enclosure is on your mind, then I would suggest making your own. That is as long as you have access to a drill and a hot glue gun.

At hobby lobby they sell nice display cases that I buy when I make an enclosure then all you need to do is drill a few holes in the sides and hot glue some fake plants in. The whole enclosure can be made for less than $30.
 

cold blood

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The substrate for this particular species should be mostly dry, they dislike moist or damp substrate
As mentioned, they do prefer an area of damp sub, especially when the air is drier, like winter.
Oh hmm, that image does make it look like there are hooks. There actually aren't that I can see
The whole hook comment was very misleading...when looking at a t to determine of its a MM, look at the emboli (not hooks), which will be located at the ends of the pedi-palps....hooks aren't present on all species and even when they are, they don't always stand out as obvious....emboli are always on the same place on every MM.
However, that falling risk definitely does worry me, and I'm definitely going to keep a close eye on the terrarium and attempt to adjust substrate. Unfortunately that tank was the best I could get that wasn't obscenely overpriced. I'll try to get a shorter enclosure as soon as I can, but tank prices are terrible here. Your advice is duly noted, however
Hold on, tank prices are horrible here??...it says you live in the US...tanks here are very cheap, especially if you search craigslist....on top of that, there is a bevy of inexpensive options available....like the aforementioned Kritter Keepers....Sterilite tubs are also a cheap alternative and actually IMO they provide the best homes for the t (as they are easily ventilated on ways other enclosures cannot or won't be)....many don't like them because visibility isn't as good, but its never been an issue for me, my old eyes have no problem seeing through.


That said, what you have is just fine, all you need is to fill it 2/3 of the way up with substrate. You can go to home depot and get a 40lb bag of topsoil for less than $1.50 and fill it up...cheap and easy....the brands to look for are Earthgro and timberline....they're basic and cheap, not sold for plants, but rather for filling holes and leveling ground.

The one thing you should do though is head to a hardware store and get them to cut a piece of plexi glass or acrylic to use as a top....you can drill ventilation out very easily and quickly. Screens present problems, from ts getting claws stuck in them to the over-ventilation that a screen provides that will dry the enclosure unnaturally fast.

That hygrometer actually came with the tank (the most reasonably priced tank came with a hygrometer and a heat lamp which is strange, but my friend bought the spider for me suddenly because of how much I was looking at it and I needed a tank ASAP, sometimes early gifts can be a semi-curse). I mostly use the hygrometer because it's also a thermometer and my room does get pretty frigid in winter; and while I know spiders can survive a lot, I don't want it to be obscenely under temp either.
Heat pads can be bad, lamps are far worse, do not use heat lamps, they significantly dry the air....both lamps and pads are not designed for arachnids, but rather reptiles, which have vastly different heat requirements, its just too much for a t unless modified....the best (and IMO only) way to use a pad is to heat a larger enclosure and place the enclosure with the t inside that heated one, thereby turning the direct heat into a safer secondary heat.

Many suggest placing the pad just away from the glass, but the fact is that they are designed to be placed directly on things, and by placing it away from the glass, you are basically reducing the effectiveness to the point of uselessness as 99.99% of that heat will be dissipated into the air before ever heating the enclosure....its the very definition of inefficient heating IMO.

To do things properly, its best to utilize a space heater and heat the room, or the closet or whatever. Night temps in the 60's are fine, as are temps into the mid 90's....there's a ton of leeway, so concerns for heat are often very much over-blown.

There was a heat pad and I unfortunately learned the red light I had doubled as a heating lamp so I immediately unplugged the pad (I didn't plug it in myself, my mom was trying to help and ended up causing more harm than good unintentionally) and removed the lamp. Not taking any chances with that.
perfect.

usually I overflow the water dish so there is a dry and a damp area in the terrarium
A common suggestion...and not a bad one, its just that long term, its not the best method, as now you have one area perpetually damp...which is an open invitation to molds and pests. A better solution is to dampen an area and rotate that damp area, always letting these areas dry thoroughly before re-moistening.
I've heard for some tarantulas this is completely normal, but for others it can mean something's up
Not eating is almost never a concern...all tarantulas have the same life cycle...they molt, at which point they are thin and hungry...then they fatten and there comes a point where they have enough nutrients for the next molt...in time they molt, and the process starts over again...freshly molted ts should be thin and pre-molt ts should be plump and pre-molt fasting is a normal thing for plump ts...and the faster they are plumped, the longer they tend to fast....so if you favor a heavy feeding schedule, you will deal with a lot longer and more frequent fasting.
 

cold blood

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The whole enclosure can be made for less than $30.
Nice option...but if cost is paramount...the fact is that sterilite is still about 8-10 times cheaper....and a KK is 1/3 the cost with zero modifications.
 

Tobii

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
17
As mentioned, they do prefer an area of damp sub, especially when the air is drier, like winter.

The whole hook comment was very misleading...when looking at a t to determine of its a MM, look at the emboli (not hooks), which will be located at the ends of the pedi-palps....hooks aren't present on all species and even when they are, they don't always stand out as obvious....emboli are always on the same place on every MM.

Hold on, tank prices are horrible here??...it says you live in the US...tanks here are very cheap, especially if you search craigslist....on top of that, there is a bevy of inexpensive options available....like the aforementioned Kritter Keepers....Sterilite tubs are also a cheap alternative and actually IMO they provide the best homes for the t (as they are easily ventilated on ways other enclosures cannot or won't be)....many don't like them because visibility isn't as good, but its never been an issue for me, my old eyes have no problem seeing through.


That said, what you have is just fine, all you need is to fill it 2/3 of the way up with substrate. You can go to home depot and get a 40lb bag of topsoil for less than $1.50 and fill it up...cheap and easy....the brands to look for are Earthgro and timberline....they're basic and cheap, not sold for plants, but rather for filling holes and leveling ground.

The one thing you should do though is head to a hardware store and get them to cut a piece of plexi glass or acrylic to use as a top....you can drill ventilation out very easily and quickly. Screens present problems, from ts getting claws stuck in them to the over-ventilation that a screen provides that will dry the enclosure unnaturally fast.


Heat pads can be bad, lamps are far worse, do not use heat lamps, they significantly dry the air....both lamps and pads are not designed for arachnids, but rather reptiles, which have vastly different heat requirements, its just too much for a t unless modified....the best (and IMO only) way to use a pad is to heat a larger enclosure and place the enclosure with the t inside that heated one, thereby turning the direct heat into a safer secondary heat.

Many suggest placing the pad just away from the glass, but the fact is that they are designed to be placed directly on things, and by placing it away from the glass, you are basically reducing the effectiveness to the point of uselessness as 99.99% of that heat will be dissipated into the air before ever heating the enclosure....its the very definition of inefficient heating IMO.

To do things properly, its best to utilize a space heater and heat the room, or the closet or whatever. Night temps in the 60's are fine, as are temps into the mid 90's....there's a ton of leeway, so concerns for heat are often very much over-blown.

perfect.


A common suggestion...and not a bad one, its just that long term, its not the best method, as now you have one area perpetually damp...which is an open invitation to molds and pests. A better solution is to dampen an area and rotate that damp area, always letting these areas dry thoroughly before re-moistening.


Not eating is almost never a concern...all tarantulas have the same life cycle...they molt, at which point they are thin and hungry...then they fatten and there comes a point where they have enough nutrients for the next molt...in time they molt, and the process starts over again...freshly molted ts should be thin and pre-molt ts should be plump and pre-molt fasting is a normal thing for plump ts...and the faster they are plumped, the longer they tend to fast....so if you favor a heavy feeding schedule, you will deal with a lot longer and more frequent fasting.
I do apologize, tank prices aren't that bad in the US in general, but I should specify my area has seemingly pricier tanks at the stores around here than some other places (northern Illinois is where I'm at).

For example, that tank was 50 dollars full price, and that was the cheapest one I could find! I hope that clarifies what I meant by "here." It may just be my area has poor selection because it's a more rural area.

I will definitely look into plexiglass/acrylic when I can. Like I said before I'm a little tight (read: really tight) on money for a little while, but I definitely plan to improve this enclosure as I can. I just needed the cheapest option (while keeping animal needs in mind) I could to start with. I will be getting money soon though and most of that will immediately go to improving this tank (since multiple people now have said the tank itself is fine) and getting the rest of the helpful supplies.

Also I apologize again for lack of clarity, I was more concerned about her wandering constantly as I've heard some tarantulas only do that when stressed but for others it's totally normal and I wasn't sure how to determine between normal and abnormal for this sort of thing.

All of your suggestions are very helpful and I'm making a list of the things I should look into and modify when I get paid.
 

ErinM31

Arachnogoddess
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Feb 25, 2016
Messages
1,217
I do apologize, tank prices aren't that bad in the US in general, but I should specify my area has seemingly pricier tanks at the stores around here than some other places (northern Illinois is where I'm at).

For example, that tank was 50 dollars full price, and that was the cheapest one I could find! I hope that clarifies what I meant by "here." It may just be my area has poor selection because it's a more rural area.

I will definitely look into plexiglass/acrylic when I can. Like I said before I'm a little tight (read: really tight) on money for a little while, but I definitely plan to improve this enclosure as I can. I just needed the cheapest option (while keeping animal needs in mind) I could to start with. I will be getting money soon though and most of that will immediately go to improving this tank (since multiple people now have said the tank itself is fine) and getting the rest of the helpful supplies.

Also I apologize again for lack of clarity, I was more concerned about her wandering constantly as I've heard some tarantulas only do that when stressed but for others it's totally normal and I wasn't sure how to determine between normal and abnormal for this sort of thing.

All of your suggestions are very helpful and I'm making a list of the things I should look into and modify when I get paid.
I purchase most of the enclosures that I use through Amazon. :D

I'm afraid I can't answer your question about the wandering. Maybe it's still settling in and adjusting to it's new environment. One if my Aphonopelma chalcodes began to wander and climb all over her enclosure after her last molt. I didn't think female tarantulas had a period of being in heat but I don't know... In any case, I don't think it's anything to worry about, especially if you're following the expert advice given above by keepers far more experienced than I. :)
 

BC1579

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 17, 2017
Messages
321
Sorry for all my questions, I wish caresheets actually had, you know, accurate information like they're supposed to. :drunk:
Check out https://tomsbigspiders.com/. He’s a wonderful keeper and well respected in the hobby. He’s got a lot of proper care sheets and booklets and even lots of husbandry videos on YouTube.
 
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