How do I raise the humidity in my Brachypelma smithi's terrarium?

[Hobo]

I've found my smithis (and my other "arid" spiders in general) tolerate ambient humidity much more readily than moist and or wet substrate/cage furnishings/walls.
It can get as high as 80%+ in the room (rainy Vancouver) for a long while and they'd be fine, but when I used to "overfill" the waterdish, mist or moisten the sub, they would always display stressed behaviors like wandering, climbing up the walls, and "pouting". I'm guessing it's the sharp and fast spikes in humidity that set them off. It's probably a response to a "rain" - making for higher ground in their burrows in case it gets flooded.

TO THE OP

I think the point here is if you need to raise the humidity (IMHO, it would be pointless with hardy, adaptable species like smithis...), it's almost always better to do so without "misting" or moistening the sub, and instead, just using a waterdish, and retarding ventilation. Honestly, you are just better off not worrying about the humidity with these guys. As stated, just keep a filled waterdish, and you will be set. If your spider spends a lot of time on or very close to the waterdish, you can try retarding the ventilation a bit until she returns to her normal activity.

Also, depending on the Hydrometer you are using, you may not be getting an accurate reading at all. Those "dial" types you see in petstores are pretty bad, and have a tendancy to drift from the true values over time. I wouldn't trust 'em!

 

[xhexdx]

I haven't had any of the issues you experienced.

Maybe not, but you've certainly had (tarantula keeping) issues that many of us do not.

 

[Draiman]

Wow! And you still mist!?!?! :? Why do you even bother?

I don't mist; and I don't remember saying anywhere that I mist my enclosures. What I do is, I make sure the water dish is filled with water at all times, and occasionally allow it to overflow, to get some moisture into the substrate. That's all. This ensures that humidity levels inside the enclosure remain consistent and also that the spider always has a water source if necessary.

MAYBE, just maybe that is exactly the problem with mould. Mould here might take every little chance to sprout if it finds a spot that's only a little more moist because it's usually pretty dry here. Maybe in your place the soil is already so empty of nourishment from other mould that you just don't get it there?

I think it is simply because the various species of mould I have here are - obviously - different from the ones you have in Europe. Since the ones over here are tropical, and are used to tropical conditions, I suppose perhaps they only grow when conditions become even more moist than normal, which doesn't happen in my enclosures. And since the types of mould you have over there naturally occur in drier conditions, I suppose then they would make use of the slightest hint of moisture to grow. Which is probably why you guys seem more susceptible to mould.

To the OP: sorry for the derailment, I'll stop here.

Edit:

Maybe not, but you've certainly had (tarantula keeping) issues that many of us do not.

Lol, I get the reference.

Anyway - yeah that, unfortunately, is true. Since I live in a tropical country, the same pathogens that afflict tarantulas in their natural habitat could enter my home and do the same with the ones I keep, and that certainly seems to have happened to me already. Oh well.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

I don't mist


I think it is simply because the various species of mould I have here are - obviously - different from the ones you have in Europe. Since the ones over here are tropical, and are used to tropical conditions, I suppose perhaps they only grow when conditions become even more moist than normal, which doesn't happen in my enclosures. And since the types of mould you have over there naturally occur in drier conditions, I suppose then they would make use of the slightest hint of moisture to grow. Which is probably why you guys seem more susceptible to mould.

Oops, sorry for the misunderstanding.

And... kinda what I said

 

[Scorpionking20]

I agree on keeping it dry and offering a water bowl. If your' ambient humidity is that high, there's really nothing you can reliably do to keep it lower. I'd second the advice on not upping the humidity.

 

[WARPIG]

Don't listen to all the great arid advice being advocated and provide your smithi with a swimming pool, now thats humid


PIG-

 

[PhobeToPhile]

But where is he going to get a tarantula-sized bathing suit for it?

And B smithi do well in arid setups, with a water dish.

 

[Stan Schultz]

Where did you get that information?

According to this paper:

Deciduous tropical forests are far from bone dry. Contrary to popular belief, this species does not live in arid desert habitats.

Up to a point you are absolutely correct. B. smithi and a lot of other tarantulas do not live in arid environments in nature, but we still keep them in arid environments in captivity.

The reason behind this is that comparatively speaking, tarantulas are rather large invertebrates with comparatively large water reserves in their bodies, and an exoskeleton that is almost completely impervious to water loss (much more so then humans, for instance). However, virtually all the vermin and disease organisms that plague tarantulas in cages are much smaller, have much smaller water reserves, and exoskeletons or other body coverings that are much, much less impervious to water loss than tarantulas. While almost all tarantulas can easily tolerate arid conditions, their pests cannot. It's an easy way to keep them healthy, pure and simple. And, it has been proven to be so by over 50 years of experience keeping hundreds of thousands of individuals of several hundred different kinds of tarantulas in captivity by literally thousands of enthusiasts.

In effect, the tarantula's natural habitat, while intellectually interesting, is almost irrelevant to those of us keeping them in captivity. The tarantulas are resilient and robust enough to thrive in spite of it. The big mystery is why this simple fact, after all these years, is still such a surprise to so many enthusiasts!

It is easily possible to keep your tarantula in a wide range of conditions. They are so adaptable that they will survive and thrive in almost any circumstances UP TO A POINT. However, if you choose to depart from the traditional, arid method of keeping them you must also be aware of the consequences, and be ready with a "Plan B" for when things go terribly wrong.

Unfortunately, having and using a "Plan B" requires a depth of understanding of tarantula physiology, medicine, and husbandry that most enthusiasts don't acquire until they've managed to kill off several (or several dozen!) tarantulas from mis-care, and then managed to keep a number of the survivors for several years. We hope to reduce the fatalities and shorten this learning curve with good books, and by constantly driving home the basic principles on these forums, but even under the best of circumstances we can only improve the situation, not entirely cure the problem.

So, the bottom line is that under almost all circumstances, where the tarantula came from doesn't matter a whole lot. The only time we need to intensely study their native habitat is when we find we're having trouble keeping them alive in captivity, or are having trouble breeding them in cages. Then we go back to their native habitat and look for clues to the problem and the solution.

Thus, we've learned the hard way that we must keep wild caught Theraphosa blondi (goliath birdeater tarantula) in damp, humid, swamp cages for at least the initial acclimatization to cage life, and often for the rest of their lives as well. (There is good evidence that cage raised goliaths may not need a swamp cage after they reach a certain size or age.)

And, on the other end of the spectrum, we've learned that Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (greenbottle blue tarantula) initially came from a small patch of desert in Venezuela, not the hot, humid, rain forest. And, they died like flies when we tried to keep them in a swamp cage!

But, these are rather exceptional examples, and the good news is that we can keep Grammostola pulchra (Brazilian black tarantula), Phormictopus cancerides (Haitian brown tarantula), Heteroscodra maculata (Togo starburst baboon tarantula), and a whole bunch of others just like G. rosea (Chilean rose tarantula), Aphonopelma anax (Texas tan tarantula), and Pterinochilus murinus (Usumbura baboon or "OBT"), and they'll do just fine.

Having said all this, if you keep your tarantulas differently and have had what we might consider exceptional success with them, we need to know about it (like, for instance, keeping isopods with the tarantulas that do best in damp cages). That's how this hobby progresses.

But, on the other hand, we must be very careful about recommending largely unproven methods to rank beginners and relative novices lest we suddenly be presented a bill for a bunch of dead tarantulas!

Enjoy your 8-legged little wonders!

 

[Stan Schultz]

No matter what I do the hygrometer reads a moderate 60% and nothing seems to be working. I looked up a few websites and they all say it should range anywhere from 65-80%. Help please!

If you're keeping spiderlings of just about any species you should keep them in relatively closed containers with little ventilation and with a layer of damp peat or shredded coconut husk (of whatever commercial name) to maintain an even, high humidity. Exactly what that humidity is would be almost impossible to measure, so the exact number is probably not available. It just has to be a little higher than room air.

At about the 1-1/2 to 2 inch leg span size you should gradually acclimatize (over two or three molts) the spiderling to living in a basically arid cage. Just make absolutely certain that it has a water dish for when it gets thirsty. DO NOT use a sponge or wad of cotton like the pet shop told you. Use a small chip of slate or a small rock that protrudes above the water as an escape ramp for the crickets.

At that point, if you believe that the humidity in the tarantula's cage is still too low, you can raise it reliably by merely covering almost all of the open part of the cage with plastic food wrap to reduce ventilation. The water that evaporates from the water dish will automagically raise the humidity somewhat. To what degree is largely irrelevant, again, partly because humidity in a cage is difficult to measure accurately, partly because tarantulas are so resilient and adaptable that humidity is almost a non-issue.

May I suggest that you use the Search link in the gray bar across the top of all pages on this forum? Use the "Keyword:" humidity and in the "User name:" field use Pikaia. I've been pontificating on this subject for a couple of decades already, and offer a lot of peripheral material over time. You may want to put on another pot of coffee or pour yourself another glass of your favorite carbonated beverage.

Forgive me for being too presumptuous, but if you're a relative novice you might benefit from reading and heeding Stan's Rant at http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/stansrant.html.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

 

[AmbushArachnids]

If you're keeping spiderlings of just about any species you should keep them in relatively closed containers with little ventilation and with a layer of damp peat or shredded coconut husk (of whatever commercial name) to maintain an even, high humidity. Exactly what that humidity is would be almost impossible to measure, so the exact number is probably not available. It just has to be a little higher than room air.

At about the 1-1/2 to 2 inch leg span size you should gradually acclimatize (over two or three molts) the spiderling to living in a basically arid cage. Just make absolutely certain that it has a water dish for when it gets thirsty. DO NOT use a sponge or wad of cotton like the pet shop told you. Use a small chip of slate or a small rock that protrudes above the water as an escape ramp for the crickets.

At that point, if you believe that the humidity in the tarantula's cage is still too low, you can raise it reliably by merely covering almost all of the open part of the cage with plastic food wrap to reduce ventilation. The water that evaporates from the water dish will automagically raise the humidity somewhat. To what degree is largely irrelevant, again, partly because humidity in a cage is difficult to measure accurately, partly because tarantulas are so resilient and adaptable that humidity is almost a non-issue.

May I suggest that you use the Search link in the gray bar across the top of all pages on this forum? Use the "Keyword:" humidity and in the "User name:" field use Pikaia. I've been pontificating on this subject for a couple of decades already, and offer a lot of peripheral material over time. You may want to put on another pot of coffee or pour yourself another glass of your favorite carbonated beverage.

Forgive me for being too presumptuous, but if you're a relative novice you might benefit from reading and heeding Stan's Rant at http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/stansrant.html.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

I think my keeping methods will be drastically changing now. I have had mite troubles for some time. I understand the logic here and agree that once a certain size is reached its ok to go with just a water dish for most. :worship:
Your post was a great eye opener for me. Man i got alot of debating to do for each T i own..

 

[Irene B. Smithi]

My very happy fat B. Smithi likes it bone dry, nothing wet or she'll climb the cage. She's has a small water dish and loves to chow down on a cricket or two everynight!!! NOT MISTING, they like it dry

 

[darkart82]

in all of my brachy cages , i have a dry side and a moist side , my emillias would burrow in the moist side as well as my vagans:? , my smithis i have had two , my big female had two hides one was buried and kept kinda moist , with the water bowl near, the other was dry and out in the open and she always used the moist side:? , the small one i had stayed in the middle of her cage , my klassi and auratum did the same:? ,if you keep brachys and keep them "bone dry and it works for you and they dont burrow" thats cool , if they do burrow their seeking moisture:}, if you feed them often enough they wont do anything but stay in the open, all of this is from my personal exp. with the species ,
agian my best advise to everyine is to do a region search on them , then read about the climate all year around on the area , then try to apply it to the cage

 

[curiousme]

My very happy fat B. Smithi likes it bone dry, nothing wet or she'll climb the cage. She's has a small water dish and loves to chow down on a cricket or two everynight!!! NOT MISTING, they like it dry

A cricket or 2 every night is a bit nuts! 1 or 2 a week is more than normal! Even for powerfeeding that amount is a bit much.

 

[AmbushArachnids]

A cricket or 2 every night is a bit nuts! 1 or 2 a week is more than normal! Even for powerfeeding that amount is a bit much.

I believe power feed is giving your T as much as it wants to eat. Dont see the problem with it, seeing as they grow super fast. But lets not make this a power feeding thread:barf: