How to keep tarantulas cold for breeding

[Fitfusion021]

Hey everyone,

So i’ve bred tarantulas before and i had
A room just for them all. Currently, i now live in a house where i have so much that now i’m back to the hobby and trying to breed Xenesthis and Pamphos i’m here trying to figure out how to drop temperatures because i don’t have a room i can control temps anymore and i’d like hear any creative solutions for this before my males are ready to mate, thanks guys!

 

[fcat]

What is winter like where they are from/near the equator? Did you go through the breeding reports to see if it's necessary?

 

[jrh3]

A window unit in the room or a large wine cooler that is modified with ventilation. You can also modify a fridge with a thermostat and a fan to control temps and ventilation. Just get creative.

 

[Fitfusion021]

Yes i did and from what i’ve been told from breeders is i gotta keep pamphos and xenesthis to around high 60’s and low 70’s while breeding but since where i live gets too hot i’ve been having a hard time keeping temps low, any suggestions?

 

[fcat]

Is a window unit not an option? I miss having my tarantulas in my bedroom I installed a window unit that I ran almost incessantly to keep one room cool in my house, because my central AC was due to give out and I work 24 hour shifts. For my cats, before I had Ts. Even though it was 115F outside it kept that room near 80, and only cost me about $30-40 more per month to run WITH my AC. I kept a fan at the entrance to that room blowing out, pointed directly at my thermostat. I kept the thermostat at around 84, which meant the rest of the house was about 90, but my AC never ran long enough to freeze over. Nowadays window units are becoming more energy efficient and come with bells and whistles like a built in thermostat, timers, or wifi control.

When I was younger we would use box window fans to pull cool air in at night, then close up all the windows before the sun came up, with some heavy blackout curtains, bonus points if you have double curtains. Air pockets are excellent insulators. It kept the house tolerable until around 3 or 4 pm. Granted it was only 95 outside.

The lowest shelves are the coolest in any room.

I've heard people putting their females in the garage for the winter ...don't know where they lived...(this was North American Aphonopelma, where it actually freezes, not a temperate climate like Ecuador)

 

[Fitfusion021]

Thanks guys for all the ideas, trust me, i’m trying to be as creative as i can but just because my windows in the house actually open sideways instead of sliding upward and they’re quite small so i’ve been debating on how to install a portable cooling fan but i’m taking all of your suggestions in mind as we speak, i gotta figure this
Out before my males mature.
Althought temps here drop to mid 50’s at nights most of the time but when it gets hot is when i have a hard time keeping this house cold.

What is winter like where they are from/near the equator? Did you go through the breeding reports to see if it's necessary?

I’ve read on google but can’t find the breeding reports on here but only on facebook, can you redirect me to them on here?

 

[Arachnopets]

I’ve read on google but can’t find the breeding reports on here but only on facebook, can you redirect me to them on here?

It's a tab, right at the top of every page.

Breeding Reports

A Category for you to share your breeding experiences.

arachnoboards.com

 

[fcat]

The little window unit I mentioned fit in my side open windows, but it was a much smaller unit than rated for the space I was using. Still worked for me!

 

[Fitfusion021]

The little window unit I mentioned fit in my side open windows, but it was a much smaller unit than rated for the space I was using. Still worked for me!

I’m actually looking for one while i pick up a portable AC before my uncle has at the storage so i’m gonna test this out first or i’ll just try to find a small window unit like you mentioned.

 

[Blue Jaye]

Yes i did and from what i’ve been told from breeders is i gotta keep pamphos and xenesthis to around high 60’s and low 70’s while breeding but since where i live gets too hot i’ve been having a hard time keeping temps low, any suggestions?

I was told to keep Xenesthis cool as well. They did not breed well at lower temps. The day my T room hit 81 my X.intermedia female started drumming like mad. I put my male in with her and very nice pairing and it was the first time she didn’t try to kill him. Go to sac. about two months later. A few months ago my smaller female molted. I waited about a month and a half fed her raised the temps to 81. Couple days later she started drumming put my other male in with her. Again, a very nice pairing couple months later a very nice sack. Unfortunately most of that sack didn’t develop very well. but I got another shot at it again another female has molted. I’ve raised the temperature in my room and I’m waiting for her to drum. So far what I can tell is her drumming is what you want. It’s really helpful to catch her in that window. She will pair well and if conditions are right, she’ll drop a nice sac. That’s been my experience with these guys in the last several years. And what I found is they just didn’t pair as well or drop a sack if I did not hear that female drumming first.

 

[Fitfusion021]

I was told to keep Xenesthis cool as well. They did not breed well at lower temps. The day my T room hit 81 my X.intermedia female started drumming like mad. I put my male in with her and very nice pairing and it was the first time she didn’t try to kill him. Go to sac. about two months later. A few months ago my smaller female molted. I waited about a month and a half fed her raised the temps to 81. Couple days later she started drumming put my other male in with her. Again, a very nice pairing couple months later a very nice sack. Unfortunately most of that sack didn’t develop very well. but I got another shot at it again another female has molted. I’ve raised the temperature in my room and I’m waiting for her to drum. So far what I can tell is her drumming is what you want. It’s really helpful to catch her in that window. She will pair well and if conditions are right, she’ll drop a nice sac. That’s been my experience with these guys in the last several years. And what I found is they just didn’t pair as well or drop a sack if I did not hear that female drumming first.

Oh yes, the drumming is always a great sign, although now reading your reply makes me wanna try raising the temperature then while i get them ready, now, i’m not sure if it really helps putting the male’s enclosure next to the female but that’s something i used to do back in the day, does that really help?

 

[Blue Jaye]

it would be good to raise the temps. Sometimes it does help to put the male next to her and also put some of his webbing in her enclosure. From what I’ve witnessed with this species is her drumming is more important than him being close . if I do put the male next to her it’s only for a day or 2 . I find keeping males in very close proximity for to long . The females get used to his drumming and starts to ignore it or him . Keep vigilant while pairing and be ready to save him if she decides to eat him. This can be quite the fight and she could get hurt in the process. Several years ago I was pairing these guys and she got aggressive she was 8 in he was 7.5 it was a serious fight. I ended up grabbing both and separated them.( grabbing not advised ) but they were okay. That was before I learned it was better with this species if you hear the female drum. Much nicer pairing. But if she’s big there’s still a chance she will be a jerk. . Btw the drumming is quite loud from her. He doesn’t drum fyi . Here’s the female I’m about to pair . Oh also large enclosure deep sub deep hide. Let me know if I can help more.

 

[Fitfusion021]

it would be good to raise the temps. Sometimes it does help to put the male next to her and also put some of his webbing in her enclosure. From what I’ve witnessed with this species is her drumming is more important than him being close . if I do put the male next to her it’s only for a day or 2 . I find keeping males in very close proximity for to long . The females get used to his drumming and starts to ignore it or him . Keep vigilant while pairing and be ready to save him if she decides to eat him. This can be quite the fight and she could get hurt in the process. Several years ago I was pairing these guys and she got aggressive she was 8 in he was 7.5 it was a serious fight. I ended up grabbing both and separated them.( grabbing not advised ) but they were okay. That was before I learned it was better with this species if you hear the female drum. Much nicer pairing. But if she’s big there’s still a chance she will be a jerk. . Btw the drumming is quite loud from her. He doesn’t drum fyi . Here’s the female I’m about to pair . Oh also large enclosure deep sub deep hide. Let me know if I can help more.

Beautiful female, it’s crazy to think how every genus is different cuz i did not know this male species don’t drum, i’m surprised.
but i think i did see a few pairing videos. My female is now 8” freshly molted and now waiting for my male to mature but he’s only 5” so i’m powerfeeding him although i’m also currently looking for a younger female i can easily synchronize with him. I’ll then raise my temps, thanks for the advise. I’ve also been doing research of what their dry and wet seasons are like so i can imitate that as well. Here are pics of my current pair.

 

[Blue Jaye]

I part of my sentence got cut off when I said the males don’t drum. It was supposed to say lol. Males don’t drum very loud and usually only when in the females enclosure. It’s more fluttering , tapping and reaching . After pairing what phone works best is doing a decent soak on the enclosure not terribly moist mind you but like a good rain. And then let it dry out from there during that time she’ll find what’s right for her to drop. Once she does that try to keep it at that stage don’t give it a lot more moisture or anything like that don’t let it dry out too much. Feed her well. If he’s 5 in it might be at least 1 -2 more molts for him. I don’t necessarily find that feeding heavy, will push them to molt sooner, but can keep them in premolt longer.. because he’s not mature, yet keeping him close to the female should be okay as he won’t be drumming at her and smelling her might make him mature a bit faster. I’ve actually tried that with a couple of different species and there does seem to be something to it. Or it could just be timing.. I spend a ridiculous amount of time watching and researching behavioral patterns in my tarantulas. So it’s tend to see some very interesting behaviors. Last thought keep you male well hydrated especially after he matures and keep his feedings up. With good care they can be viable for quite some time. Most of my mms live several years after maturity. I know you’re not new but this is just some observations I’ve had over the years that works really well for me and I get good results out of them. I will also look through my pairing videos. I believe I have a couple decent ones I could share with you.