high humidity small tarantula species

sourpatchkid

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Hello everyone. I have an exoterra nano setup for my orchids with humidity level ~75%. I was wondering if there are any small tarantula species with minimum webbing that might be suitable for these conditions. Also, the tarantula would ideally not be shy to moderate lighting. Thanks for any insight.
 

EulersK

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Well, no tarantula appreciates lighting, so be aware of that.

Regardless, I'd say N. incei would be a good pick. They often burrow as slings, but are out quite a bit as adults. They also web heavily, which is a bonus. The only possible downside is that they are indeed dwarf tarantulas, maxing out at ~3.5". For something bigger, perhaps a C. fimbriatus, although they're not a beginner species at all. Bad venom, fast, and defensive. Much more reclusive than N. incei as well, you'll mainly see the webbing (which is very, very extensive).

Before housing any tarantula in your setup, please post pictures. There may be something inconsistent with tarantula husbandry.
 

Thistles

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Avicularia minatrix! Just be sure it's ventilated well to go with that humidity.
 

sourpatchkid

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For something bigger, perhaps a C. fimbriatus, although they're not a beginner species at all. Bad venom, fast, and defensive. Much more reclusive than N. incei as well, you'll mainly see the webbing (which is very, very extensive).

Before housing any tarantula in your setup, please post pictures. There may be something inconsistent with tarantula husbandry.
Is C. fimbriatus exclusively ground dwelling? If so, how many inches of substrate would be required?
 

Andrea82

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Is fimbriatus exclusively ground dwelling? If so, how many inches of substrate would be required?
I thought your post said minimum webbing?
Also, if you dont have experience with tarantula, C.fimbriatus is not the best option due to what EulersK said.
Does it have to be a tarantula? Because i know of a lot of mantid species who would absolutely love that set up. Hymenopus coronatus being an exellent example, tge orchid mantis. :)
 

EulersK

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Is C. fimbriatus exclusively ground dwelling? If so, how many inches of substrate would be required?
Again, I have no idea what your experience with T's is. This is an advanced species - you do not want to get bit by this thing. It is a terrestrial spider though, yes.

EDIT: This is why you don't post and drink, kids. I just saw that you want minimum webbing. Don't go with N. incei or C. fimbriatus, they both web like mad. I'd suggest looking into an avic - they web, but not nearly as much.

@viper69 @cold blood Any suggestions on an avic that could withstand that humidity?
 
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Thistles

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Any suggestions on an avic that could withstand that humidity?
Avics do fine with humidity. They just don't do well with stagnant air. Think of them like chameleons. The reason that the dreaded avic care sheets say to keep high humidity is because that's what their natural environment has and that's how people usually keep them. This low humidity thing seems to be a case of best practices for a novice being parroted to the point of being thought of as the exclusive way to keep them, localized to this particular forum.

Going back to my suggestion, A. minatrix, look around the web and you'll see examples of people breeding them with humidity levels between 40 and 90%. They are from high humidity. It's just harder for the keeper to keep things fresh and clean.
 

sourpatchkid

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I thought your post said minimum webbing?
Also, if you dont have experience with tarantula, C.fimbriatus is not the best option due to what EulersK said.
Does it have to be a tarantula? Because i know of a lot of mantid species who would absolutely love that set up. Hymenopus coronatus being an exellent example, tge orchid mantis. :)
Minimum webbing would be ideal, but if the webbing stays on the substrate floor, then it's no problem. It's the heavy webbing arboreal species that would be a problem.

I have some experience, have 3xGBB slings, 3xP.Metallica, and 1 tiny B.Smithi that I've had for 9 months now. All eating regularly except for the B.Smithi which has buried itself.

Orchid mantis would be awesome but I think their lifespan is only 1-2 years max. I'm not comfortable keeping pets with those short lifespan, otherwise I agree it would be ideal and awesome.
 

sourpatchkid

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"Again, I have no idea what your experience with T's is. This is an advanced species - you do not want to get bit by this thing. It is a terrestrial spider though, yes."

@EulersK If the webbing stays on the ground floor then it's fine. Excess webbing on the hanging plants would be problematic.

I have 3xP.Metallica and 3xGBB slings for 9-months now and all of them are eating and molting frequently. I'm not bothered by aggressive species, it's husbandry compatibility that concerns.

Do you know if C. fimbriatus burrows or can I add a hide-out? If the fluorescent light is only on for 8 hrs/day, would that be OK or would the spider be stressed?
 

sourpatchkid

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Avics do fine with humidity. They just don't do well with stagnant air. Think of them like chameleons. The reason that the dreaded avic care sheets say to keep high humidity is because that's what their natural environment has and that's how people usually keep them. This low humidity thing seems to be a case of best practices for a novice being parroted to the point of being thought of as the exclusive way to keep them, localized to this particular forum.

Going back to my suggestion, A. minatrix, look around the web and you'll see examples of people breeding them with humidity levels between 40 and 90%. They are from high humidity. It's just harder for the keeper to keep things fresh and clean.
Thank you for the suggestion, I'll keep this species in mind.
 

EulersK

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"Again, I have no idea what your experience with T's is. This is an advanced species - you do not want to get bit by this thing. It is a terrestrial spider though, yes."

@EulersK If the webbing stays on the ground floor then it's fine. Excess webbing on the hanging plants would be problematic.

I have 3xP.Metallica and 3xGBB slings for 9-months now and all of them are eating and molting frequently. I'm not bothered by aggressive species, it's husbandry compatibility that concerns.

Do you know if C. fimbriatus burrows or can I add a hide-out? If the fluorescent light is only on for 8 hrs/day, would that be OK or would the spider be stressed?
Take C. fimbriatus out of the mix entirely, this is one of the heaviest webbing T's in the hobby. I thought you wanted that when I suggested it, I misread.

A species from the Avicularia genus would likely be the best for you. They tend to make a simple web tube, so as long as you plant can handle that, you should be golden. I'm more of a terrestrial guy myself, so I can't really give much advice on Avicularia.

H. incei is actually still not a bad pick, so long as webbing along the base of the plant isn't an issue. Whereas C. fimbriatus webs anything it can reach, H. incei usually sticks to only a couple inches above the substrate for webbing. But again, it's a pretty heavy webber for those couple of inches. You could also look into almost any Lasiodora species, but they will very quickly outgrow that enclosure.

From what you're saying, A. seemanni might be a great choice. It doesn't grow to be very large, it's quite active, it webs very little (if at all), and actually makes shallow burrows. It's one of my favorite species, and best of all, it's a beginner species. Look into them, I think it might be your golden ticket.
 

sourpatchkid

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From what you're saying, A. seemanni might be a great choice. It doesn't grow to be very large, it's quite active, it webs very little (if at all), and actually makes shallow burrows. It's one of my favorite species, and best of all, it's a beginner species. Look into them, I think it might be your golden ticket.
I agree! I found one vendor that's offering a female. The other species that looks promising is Hapolopus sp. Large (Pumpkin patch). I browsed through the forums and it seems the pumpkin patch might work also. What do you think?
 

EulersK

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I agree! I found one vendor that's offering a female. The other species that looks promising is Hapolopus sp. Large (Pumpkin patch). I browsed through the forums and it seems the pumpkin patch might work also. What do you think?
Not if you don't want webbing. They're a great species, but they've got two big strikes against them. They're very fast and quite skittish, and they lightly web everything. If those two things are alright, then they're great. It's actually a very fun species to have, although they're not the best display tarantula.

I personally prefer A. seemanni in terms of enjoyment, but that's purely preference.
 

Biollantefan54

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My first thought was Cyriocosmus, they stay small and don't web a ton but they do burrow a bit so a few inches of substrate will be needed.
 

Toxoderidae

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Sorry to get super offtopic, but be very careful with that orchid. 1. They can suffer from bloating due to eating bluebottle flies pre 4th instar, and have some heating and humidity requirements
And 2. If you are in the US, never buy a mantid from an expo again, they are illegal to sell and keep in the US, but as long as you get them online and keep it low, no one will really care.
 

Chris LXXIX

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Is C. fimbriatus exclusively ground dwelling? If so, how many inches of substrate would be required?
I say at least a good 6/7 inches of moist substrate, and a piece of cork bark, with a starter hole near/under, maybe? Better.

They web like crazy. Fast as hell, the bite is brutal, their venom (a very underrated one) could lead even to heart problems after.

Take those issues in consideration... overall, great T's (0.1 especially, 1.0 not so much, too little IMO) and IMO easy to care for.
 

Andrea82

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Sorry to get super offtopic, but be very careful with that orchid. 1. They can suffer from bloating due to eating bluebottle flies pre 4th instar, and have some heating and humidity requirements
And 2. If you are in the US, never buy a mantid from an expo again, they are illegal to sell and keep in the US, but as long as you get them online and keep it low, no one will really care.
You guys in US just cant have or sell anything now do you??? Laes and regulations everywhere it seems..
Orchid mantids are not that hard, if the environment is suitable for orchids to thrive, it is suitable for the mantis as well. Just be careful with feeding, agreed.
 

sourpatchkid

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Sorry to get super offtopic, but be very careful with that orchid. 1. They can suffer from bloating due to eating bluebottle flies pre 4th instar, and have some heating and humidity requirements
And 2. If you are in the US, never buy a mantid from an expo again, they are illegal to sell and keep in the US, but as long as you get them online and keep it low, no one will really care.
Orchid mantis' are stunning and would be an ideal addition to my collection if not for their very short lifespan. I have a tendency to get attached to my pets...
 
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