I'm going to order a baby Paraphysa Scrofa as my first tarantula from Swiftsinverts. I would rather him come as an adult, because I'm not sure how to care for a baby, so can someone help me out. Also, how could I get an adult one, if possible? Prefrebly male.
How do you care for a baby tarantula?
- Thread starter DannyH
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Why do you want an adult male?
I heard that they are more mild tempered, and they live shorter and I don't want to make a 20 year comintment with a female spider.
I've only had tarantulas for a couple of months, but all of mine have been (and still are) slings. My largest right now is a B. smithi who's only a little over 1". The biggest thing that come to mind from what I've learned so far is to make sure the enclosure you're keeping it in is small enough that the sling doesn't get lost and can find its food. It can be shocking how small slings can be. Make sure you have an appropriate substrate (Coconut coir, peat moss, potting soil, all viable options which different people will give different opinions on). Make sure to get tiny feeders for the sling, I generally go for smaller than the body of the spider (carapace+abdomen). If you can't find something small enough, feel free to pre-kill it. Do a lot of reading on here and you'll find all the information you need. Good luck :razz:
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Slings aren't that difficult to care for at all. Only thing is they eat more and molt more often.
What would be a good sized enclosere for a sling thats about 1/2"
Doubtful on the substrate. Probably the sling will be in a paper towel. I'd give a molt or two in the vial. If he's touching all the sides as he stands on the bottom of it it's definitely too small. After that, containers like baby food jars, small deli cups, small tupperware containers, etc will work (Obviously make sure there are holes drilled or melted into the containers)
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OP,just so you know,an adult male spider is just going to wander his enclosure searching for a mate until he dies.
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Also, if you're looking for lots of info, utilize the search functionality of this site. There is a link to a tutorial in my signature, hopefully that'll help you out as well.
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Better off with the female. Once males mature,they only have one thing on their minds....Mating......If you are looking for something that will not be around for 20+ years,most terrestrials like the one you mentioned just do not fit the bill.Most have quite long lifespans as far as we know. Most arboreals( mainly Avicularia) are quite a bit shorter lived than terrestrials,but can still live for a long time(8+ years)Just food for thought.....Well, thats deppresssing.
Maybe a female than.
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Get an arboreal if you want something that won't live as long.
Worst case, you get sick of it and sell it to one of us at an extremely discounted rate.
Worst case, you get sick of it and sell it to one of us at an extremely discounted rate.
PhobeToPhile
Arachnoknight
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Like other people here have been saying, get an Avic. Not as long lived, but still very enjoyable spiders I hear. Also, they are beautiful spiders as well. Keep in mind most Avics are docile, but a few species species can be defensive.
Spidershane1
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I like this idea :clap:Get an arboreal if you want something that won't live as long.
Worst case, you get sick of it and sell it to one of us at an extremely discounted rate.
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We call baby tarantulas spiderlings (slings for short) and they are not very difficult to take care of.
I would recomend a species from the Avicularia genus. Avicularia avicularia is one of the cheapest ones and is great for beginers. I keep my avic spiderlings in jars. A small jelly jar or something of the sort will work well. Just make sure that the ventalation holes are not to big! A spider can squeze through holes if they are smaller than the caraprace (head) of the spider.
Keep avics moist, give them stuff to climb on, watch out for mold, and your prety much good to go.
I would recomend a species from the Avicularia genus. Avicularia avicularia is one of the cheapest ones and is great for beginers. I keep my avic spiderlings in jars. A small jelly jar or something of the sort will work well. Just make sure that the ventalation holes are not to big! A spider can squeze through holes if they are smaller than the caraprace (head) of the spider.
Keep avics moist, give them stuff to climb on, watch out for mold, and your prety much good to go.
Of course I would.Get an arboreal if you want something that won't live as long.
Worst case, you get sick of it and sell it to one of us at an extremely discounted rate.
Anyway, one more unrelated question. I read here on http://www.tarantulaguide.com/pet-tarantula-cage-and-habitat/ that tarantulas just exrete a clear, odorless fluid, but on the wikipedia page for Tarantulas, it says they make balls of their food and store them in the corner, which is correct?---------- Post added at 12:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 PM ----------
oops wrong boards. :?Of course I would.
---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 PM ----------
Of course I would.Get an arboreal if you want something that won't live as long.
Worst case, you get sick of it and sell it to one of us at an extremely discounted rate.
Anyway, one more unrelated question. I read here on http://www.tarantulaguide.com that tarantulas just exrete a clear, odorless fluid, but on the wikipedia page for Tarantulas, it says they make balls of their food and store them in the corner, which is correct?
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Both.Of course I would.
The clear, odorless fluid is their equivalent of saliva. It's completely separate from their eating habits and the bolus (food remains) they leave behind when they're done eating.
So yeah, they do both.