help with pink toed tarantula

grxfitti

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 14, 2017
Messages
2
so i'm purchasing a pink toed tarantula and i have a few questions for its care. does it need a heat lamp? If i were to transport it or carry it around for a new place to live, can i carry it in a deli container? could i put a regular thick branch in its habitat to climb? should i lightly spray the inside of the habitat once every few days with water? how frequently should i feed it? when i clean it should i avoid its webs? can i pick up the tarantula directly to remove it so i can clean its habitat? is there anything majorly important i should be aware of with the pink toed tarantula? also what should the bottom of the habitat contain?
 

BobBarley

Arachnoprince
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Messages
1,486
Before, I start, this is the most important thing you need to know about your Avic:


IT NEEDS LOTS VENTILATION!!!!
I recommend tons of cross-ventilation (ventilation holes on the sides of the enclosures)


1.) No heat lamp, room temp is fine.

2.) Depends on how far you are transporting it and for how long it will be transported.

3.) You can, but I would recommend very lightly dripping water on its webbing every week or two. Make sure it has a waterdish, don't worry it cannot drown.

4.) Feeding depends on abdomen size and size of the specimen. If it is a sling, feed it as much as it'll eat. If it is an adult, just make sure that the abdomen is about 1.25-1.5x the carapace's size.

5.) You only really have to clean boluses. If you would like, go ahead and clean the poop, but that is not necessarily needed. Don't completely wreck it's web, but messing with some parts of it is fine.

6.) Do not pick up the tarantula and move it to clean. The enclosure NEVER needs to be totally cleaned out unless some sort of infestation of some sort occurs. Generally, only rehouse if the tarantula gets too big for its enclosure.

7.) Don't freak out when it molts. It will cease to eat for a while and seal off its webbed hideout. DO NOT DISTURB!

8.) Substrate. Coconut fiber will work to get you started. About an inch of it will work.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
so i'm purchasing a pink toed tarantula and i have a few questions for its care. does it need a heat lamp? If i were to transport it or carry it around for a new place to live, can i carry it in a deli container? could i put a regular thick branch in its habitat to climb? should i lightly spray the inside of the habitat once every few days with water? how frequently should i feed it? when i clean it should i avoid its webs? can i pick up the tarantula directly to remove it so i can clean its habitat? is there anything majorly important i should be aware of with the pink toed tarantula? also what should the bottom of the habitat contain?
-no, heat sources aside from space heaters are bad.
- yes, thats fine.
- yes, and plenty of plastic plants, these guys love to web.
- no, provide a water dish. mist occasionally after a molt (lightly) to make sure it has access to water. i do this till they start eating again.
- depends on the size. they eat a lot less then we humans do. a adult is fine a couple times a month. slings and juvis can be fed a couple times a week.
- you should never clean its cage unless there s a mold or mite problem. which there shouldnt be cause the cage should have very high ventilation.
- no, thats a good way to get bit. dont handle, it does nothing for your spider and only stresses it. Avics are also known to jump when they feel threatened. thats a good way for a spider to die.
- yes, many people lose their first pinktoe to online care sheets. they require high ventilation, low humidity, and plenty of anchor points to attach webs to. dry sub and a water dish sa well.
- peat moss, eco earth, topsoil.
lastly, read this and come back with any questions.
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-husbandry.282549/#post-2461399
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
This is pretty much echoing what's already been said but in answer to your questions:

- No to heat lamps/heat mats, if your room is cold then buy a small space heater to heat the room.
- That should be fine, depending on how far you need to travel you may want to line the container with tissue to reduce the chance of injury to the Tarantula.
- Yes, use branches and fake plants to provide plenty of anchor points for webbing (if you collect branches from outside then bake them in the oven to remove any moisture/bacteria/parasites/mould).
- No, I never mist my Tarantula's enclosures, it serves no purpose other than to annoy the Tarantula, just give them a water dish and maybe put a couple drops of water on the webbing now and again using a pipette.
- Feeding frequency depends on size, I feed small slings every 3 days, larger slings every 5 days, juveniles every 7 days and subadults/adults every 10-14 days, wait a few days to a week after rehousing to feed a T and don't stress if your T doesn't eat.
- You only really need to pick out food boluses, a lot of arboreal species tend to dump them in their water dishes which makes cleaning easier, try to avoid messing with their webbing unless absolutely necessary.
- Handling Tarantulas is actively discouraged (for both your and the Tarantula's safety) and, if you keep on top of spot cleaning, you won't need to deep clean enclosures that often if at all.
- Yes, ignore online care sheets, they are garbage and will kill your Tarantula. The importance of adequate cross-ventilation can not be stressed enough, if you do not provide this then your Avic will die. There are plenty of threads on here about proper Avicularia husbandry full of advice from keepers with decades of experience so please take the time to read them.
- A 2" layer of substrate (coco fibre, peat moss, topsoil or a mix of any of those) and a water dish.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
Handling an Avic is a great way to kill it. BTW, they will jump 6 feet to their death off of anything.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
Handling an Avic is a great way to kill it. BTW, they will jump 6 feet to their death off of anything.
I just need to point this out.

Like @viper69 said. They can jump and they will. Please be very careful when rehousing and handling if you must. Keep it all low and slow.

I can understand the desire to handle yet it doesnt justify doing so. Its only for your entertainment and if something goes wrong then it could be game over for your T.

.. nobody wants that.
 

Rob1985

This user has no status.
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
866
It sounds like you're set on getting an Avic (pink toe), but being a long time T owner, I used to include Avics in my beginner species list, but have sense removed them. I would suggest looking at a non-fossorial slower dry/arid climate terrestrial species like a Brachypelma or Grammastola before getting into an New World arboreal (Just be mindful of the often wonky temperament of the G. rosea and G. porteri).

That being said, Avics require a humid climate and this is often challenging to newbies. Also, as others have said, they are jumpy little critters and can be unpredictable in that sense. They also are also crazy webbers and often hide in the web hammock and can started new T owners when they bolt around.

So, to sum it up, I really prefer to suggest a non-fossorial slower dry/arid climate terrestrial species for newbies, because it offers a large enclosure to work around and become acclimated to T's, but it also allows for you to understand their behavior and get into the swing of basic T maintenance.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby!
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
It sounds like you're set on getting an Avic (pink toe), but being a long time T owner, I used to include Avics in my beginner species list, but have sense removed them. I would suggest looking at a non-fossorial slower dry/arid climate terrestrial species like a Brachypelma or Grammastola before getting into an New World arboreal (Just be mindful of the often wonky temperament of the G. rosea and G. porteri).

That being said, Avics require a humid climate and this is often challenging to newbies. Also, as others have said, they are jumpy little critters and can be unpredictable in that sense. They also are also crazy webbers and often hide in the web hammock and can started new T owners when they bolt around.

So, to sum it up, I really prefer to suggest a non-fossorial slower dry/arid climate terrestrial species for newbies, because it offers a large enclosure to work around and become acclimated to T's, but it also allows for you to understand their behavior and get into the swing of basic T maintenance.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby!
I keep all my avics dry. Nearly as much as my Brachypelma. Ive noticed they don't mind humid or dry conditions though, vent is the important thing.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
I keep all my avics dry. Nearly as much as my Brachypelma. Ive noticed they don't mind humid or dry conditions though, vent is the important thing.
I've been keeping my two Avics dry (with just a large water dish) for years, and they're fine.

However, I do live in a warm climate with higher humidity than many other parts of the country. Do Avics do well in an arid climate with just a water dish, or is it better to moisten their substrate a bit?
 

ChrisTy

Arachnoaddict
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
47
However, I do live in a warm climate with higher humidity than many other parts of the country. Do Avics do well in an arid climate with just a water dish, or is it better to moisten their substrate a bit?
There's pretty low humidity where I am, especially during the winter. My avics do just fine with a water dish and dry substrate. If the heater has been running a lot and I can feel the air getting drier I either run a humidifier in my room for maybe 30 min or I wet the substrate just a bit in my avic enclosures.
 
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