Homecoming for Anastasia and questions

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
Yesterday I sent an email to Anastasia @ NETBUG, she answered this morning. I fully intended to order from her and receive next week. On a hunch I called the pet shop, to ask about a Mexican red knee or red leg. They had one and I had to see it. How could i leave her there? Although she looked well cared for.
I brought her home in the carry cage, a bit skittish, didn't like me opening the lid for her photographic debt .
1/2 hour later she made a lap around that carry cage, she knew she was some where new. And i could see the container, I was going to use, was too small. Another trip for a 10 G. tank and more plantation soil. She doesn't want to leave her carry case. She HAIRED me when prodded with a paint brush. Which is less irritating than doing dishes with dawn dish soap.
Now to the question, she's at the mouth of the container and hasn't moved a hair. I don't want to leaver her like that over night-that container weighs more than she I'm sure. I'm thinking drop a cricket in and see if she'll eat, the shop feeds on Friday so she might eat. If not I'll get a glove and brush her some more.
Another thing, there was no water in the cage, the girl who sold me the tank said she sprays them. I put a small jar lid in with wet cotton. Up here in the NW every thing and anything will, grow mold.
Thanks for any help
Hope I can get the vid to load.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
412
Well for starters congrats on your new pet, I will say ditch the cotton in the dish your spider won't drown. Set her up with dry substrate and don't worry about misting her ever. She is an arid climate species and the already higher humidity in the PNW will be more than enough for her. Water dish will also be fine but the cotton will mold and attract bacteria to the water dish. I recomend disposable dishes such as salsa or sauce cups. Once you have the ten gallon set up for her with plenty of substrate just place her in the new enclosure inside the travel enclosure and wait for her to come out on her own.
 

Flexzone

Arachnodemon
Joined
Mar 1, 2015
Messages
721
+1 to what @REEFSPIDER said, I'd ditch the mesh lid and go for acrylic or cheaper plexi as T's are able to chew right through it and if your specimen should decide to climb it can potentially get its tarsal claws stuck onto the mesh groves, with it either dangling in the air and/or needlessly loosing a limb in the process.
 
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14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
Did you get her consent to film in her window like that?


*Edit* Pfft.. With comments like this it's no wonder I'm hated!Lol..
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
HA HA Flexzone
If she chews through that metal mesh lid, I'm getting the shot gun. Not an animal I want to cohabitate with.
But here's the latest, I didn't want to wait till dark, have her out without me noticing. And possibly climbing the carrier and falling. I lifted it a bit and shook her out. She jumped a half inch and took cover in a depression. Not moving for a half hour then turned 45* towards the water dish. Slowly roamed and ended up on the cotton ball. There's a guy on utube that claims cotton balls are the way, I'm undecided about the mold thing.
A question though to make up my mind. The carrier had white "stuff" apeared to be mold, could it be spider poo? And there are clumps of bedding material, don't appear to be wrapped with silk. Are those dead dinners? Do their meals disolve completely? Or are there remains left over?
Thanks Pat
 

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tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
Flexzone
Will she build silk to the top of the tank? If so I'll get plexi glass.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
412
They are able to climb glass and she can very easily lose a limb on that screen lid.
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
OBTW
she's done drinking and she's laying in a low spot right now, there's a cricket loose in there some where, should I worry?
 

DeanK

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jun 16, 2016
Messages
81
Don't listen to people on youtube. Cotton balls will mold and get nasty as heck. T's will do awful things to their water dishes. A lot of mine will drop their bolus(leftover food) in the dish
 

Jones0911

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
406
That tank looks huge if its as tall as it looks and your T climbs the walls and falls it could possibly die and/or injure its self badly.


Please add a lot more substrate or give her a smaller enclosure.
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
Yes it is very tall, I didn't know they could climb glass.
If she makes like that I may unhouse her tonight, that should be fun.
She made another trip to the cotton ball to drink, then off to rest. So I got some more water, as soon as i opened up the top she ran to the water dish got defensive, would not let me get the cotton ball,shot some more hairs when i poured H2O in. I'd say she was dehydrated, al though she looks fit. I closed it up and she went right to drinking. Now i've got to suffer through the night hoping she's not inclind to climb. From what I've observed so far, I think/hope she sticks around the watering hole.
 

mistertim

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
548
Don't wait for her to start climbing as it could be her first and last climb if she falls. Add more sub. There shouldn't be any more than 1.5-2 times the spider's DLS between the top of the sub and the top of the enclosure. Also, you're gonna have to learn to relax a bit (no offense meant). Monitoring your T's every move and worrying what it means is going to drive you absolutely nuts. I say this from experience.
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
Don't wait for her to start climbing as it could be her first and last climb if she falls. Add more sub. There shouldn't be any more than 1.5-2 times the spider's DLS between the top of the sub and the top of the enclosure. Also, you're gonna have to learn to relax a bit (no offense meant). Monitoring your T's every move and worrying what it means is going to drive you absolutely nuts. I say this from experience.
Thanks, yes it's a bit of a strain, but tonight I don't have the sterile substrate. I could bake some dirt, to make it sterile, but it'd be hard as a rock to fall on. I could get her back into her carrier, or i could remove the hide away- wich she's shown no intrest in, and hope she doesn't hook a claw.
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
HA HA HA
I thought I was about through for tonight. I'd turned off all the direct lights, left her alone.
She moved across to the east end, so i thought, this is a good time to remove the cotton ball. HA HA on me, as soon as i raised the lid, she bolted to the water bowl.
She's fast and don't fool around at the east end of the tank.!!!!!!!
Never thought an arachnid could have a personality!
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
Well one more bit, she moved out a bit, thought i'd try again for the cotton ball. Not a chance, so i grabbed the plastic hide-a-way at the other end. It's buy guess and by golly if she's here tomorrow. I'm thinking, the girl has more land than she's ever seen- it's sterile, in the dark no threats, why climb. Maybe wrong and a true misfortune if I'm wrong. Gods will tonight.
 

tapkoote

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
10
Shame on me for quiting so easily
just went back into the living room and she's drinking again.
So for folks new as me -- they may look healthy and act frisky-- they may be thirsty also!!
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
412
It's not a matter of if she will climb it's a matter of when. Tarantulas may never climb in front of you. That doesn't mean you will not wake up to a dead or injured t in the morning. What are you talking about sterilizing your dirt? Is it infected with something? I just use Eco earth right from the block or the bag no baking or sterilization required
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Quite honestly, I would re-house that Theraphosidae into a more little enclosure. That tank is not huge but more, just like the average enemy of "Hokuto No Ken" :-s

 

Estein

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
153
A question though to make up my mind. The carrier had white "stuff" apeared to be mold, could it be spider poo? And there are clumps of bedding material, don't appear to be wrapped with silk. Are those dead dinners? Do their meals disolve completely? Or are there remains left over?
Since I haven't arm an answer for this yet: In my (albeit limited, compared to many others here) experience, the white stuff is probably spider poopies. Is it a chalky white?

As for the clumps of substrate, they could just be lumped together by dampness or hard to see webbing, but upon closer inspection it might be leftover food. The meals don't dissolve completely when the Ts are done--the leftover bundle, or bolus, is made up of the chitinous material that couldn't be digested. You should remove these as you see them to lessen the chances of mold in your enclosure.

As others have said, more substrate it's a necessity.

Congrats on your beautiful new T!
 
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