I just got my new (first) T - P. Metallica

[Noiselessx]

Since I found something that could work I did the following:

1. I froze the bark for 12 hours in -18c

2. Boiled it for around 40 minutes

3. It was in the oven (200 C) for around 18 minutes

can you please tell me if this guarantees that everything is dead or should I just get something artificial instead?

 

[Dorifto]

Since I found something that could work I did the following:

1. I froze the bark for 12 hours in -18c

2. Boiled it for around 40 minutes

3. It was in the oven (200 C) for around 18 minutes

can you please tell me if this guarantees that everything is dead or should I just get something artificial instead? View attachment 402579 View attachment 402577 View attachment 402578

You need to blast it with a nuckear bomb to make it even cleaner.

Let it dry, it's perfectly fine, if not, if you feel doubious, buy a piece of cork bark

The magic word is dried up river beds. The one time I used driftwood taken from a river (dried out at home) I managed to cultivate an i impressive patch of luminous green mould. Had to rehouse as it was too much to scoop out, plus the wood itself was half buried in the coco fibre. The other way I went wrong was that it was a moist enclosure. Maybe it would have been fine in a dry environment.

I keep mine in a moist enclosures without a single issue. The trick is to find the right one.

Was your wood heavy after drying it? The more solid it is the better.

 

[Jess S]

I keep mine in a moist enclosures without a single issue. The trick is to find the right one.

Was your wood heavy after drying it? The more solid it is the better.

No to be honest it was quite light.
I basically left it in a crate in my shed for months (that was my lazy attempt at a drying process!) . It was bone dry when I used it, or so I thought.
I have other pieces that are really interesting shapes that I would love to use in some upcoming rehouses , but haven’t dared to since. You guys give me hope that maybe it’s worth trying again.

 

[Noiselessx]

You need to blast it with a nuckear bomb to make it even cleaner.

Let it dry, it's perfectly fine, if not, if you feel doubious, buy a piece of cork bark

I've removed it from the oven around 1h ago, I guess it is as dry as it can be, right?

 

[cold blood]

2. Boiled it for around 40 minutes

NEVER do this...as i explained, moisture is the #1 clear cut enemy of wood to be used in an enclosure...boiling wood is the polar opposite of what is needed....take that boiled wood, toss it in the yard and start over....without boiling.

Sterilization is NOT a necessary process, in fact it works against you as now the first things to colonize it have it all to themselves. You do not need everything dead....tarantulas do not live in sterile environments, and they certainly dont require or even do better in sterile places.

 

[Wolfram1]

Wow, that is bonkers to me, i always put my bought cork-bark into my garden for a few weeks, covered by leaves to make sure it has "microbial-life" on it. The stuff i collect wet i use as is. Then again i also use forest dirt and not store bought substrate. Rotting wood/bark doesn't seem to go well with almost sterile coco fibre. Driftwood always molds for me so i don't like it very much, i prefer bark straight from rotting logs, i seem to have more luck with those. Might be a coincidence.

On accident i have had small colonies of some ants (a Themnothorax sp.) in some of my setups that probably never had more than 10 workers as the maximum number i ever saw at once was 4 and i always removed them right away. They scavenge on the boluses.

Then again i live in central Europe were there are no parasites or parasitic mushrooms that i am aware of that specifically target our foreign 8-legged friends.

An exception maybe, the larvae of of Trombidium holosericeum (Rote Samtmilbe) which can sometimes be seen on leg joints of various daddy-long-leg species but i don't think they can parasitise Theraphosidae sp. past their first Larval stages simply because of the thickness of their exoskeleton. Maybe not even those.

I am aware that my preferences somewhat diverge from the common practice, which others pointed out and that work for them, so i just want to say, you can do it this way too.

I should also point out that if you are keeping some other pets like amphibians or fish it is much more important to ensure no contamination with various parasites or even bacteria or viruses occur.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Hey guys! I just found this cool forum and I am more than happy to become a part of it ))

I used to own a B.Smithi around 10 years ago and I like it a lot, so I decided to get back into the hobby. However, this time I went for something more ... interesting, at least for me. I've just purchased this juvenile P. Metallica and the terrarium today, so I am more than happy to share it with you. I assume that it is probably too big for it right now, but I don't plan on rehousing her (hopefully it is her) in the future.

Nice....I hope you enjoy your new T. Just do all your homework on this tarantula. Just use the search feature at the top of the page and search away.

Out of curiosity how much did a P. metallica cost you in Bulgaria?

 

[Noiselessx]

Nice....I hope you enjoy your new T. Just do all your homework on this tarantula. Just use the search feature at the top of the page and search away.

Out of curiosity how much did a P. metallica cost you in Bulgaria?

The T and the enclosure came in at 250 LEV, which is 125 EUR. The T is around 8 CM, including the leggs.

NEVER do this...as i explained, moisture is the #1 clear cut enemy of wood to be used in an enclosure...boiling wood is the polar opposite of what is needed....take that boiled wood, toss it in the yard and start over....without boiling.

Sterilization is NOT a necessary process, in fact it works against you as now the first things to colonize it have it all to themselves. You do not need everything dead....tarantulas do not live in sterile environments, and they certainly dont require or even do better in sterile places.

Thanks for the tip, I will star all over again.

 

[Dorifto]

No to be honest it was quite light.
I basically left it in a crate in my shed for months (that was my lazy attempt at a drying process!) . It was bone dry when I used it, or so I thought.
I have other pieces that are really interesting shapes that I would love to use in some upcoming rehouses , but haven’t dared to since. You guys give me hope that maybe it’s worth trying again.

Usually light woods decay way faster that heavier ones, being both the same size. So if you have good pieces, I'd give them a try.

I've removed it from the oven around 1h ago, I guess it is as dry as it can be, right?

Depending on the moisture inside, but keep in mind that it will absorb moisture as soon as it is in the enclosure, so I wouldn't worry about.

But for the next time, there is no need to sterilize anything.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

The T and the enclosure came in at 250 LEV, which is 125 EUR. The T is around 8 CM, including the leggs.

125 euro is about $145 u.s. dollars and 8cm is about 3.15 inches. That seems to be a great deal would cost more at that size in the U.S.

 

[Noiselessx]

125 euro is about $145 u.s. dollars and 8cm is about 3.15 inches. That seems to be a great deal would cost more at that size in the U.S.

Yes, I think the price was fair, but it wasn't the reason why I got it, I am just fascinated by the species. I respect it and its venom potency, which is why I have taken a lot of measures to make sure that everything is okay (this was one of the reasons why I got the larger enclosure - I know that I am not experienced enough to do a proper rehousing). I just wanted to make sure that I won't have to interact with the spider (needless to say, I won't be playing with it outside its enclosure).