Is My Brachypelma Smithi Safe At 64 Degrees Fahrenheit?

[Mashizi]

Greetings Arachnoboards!

Unfortunately I am only able to heat my home to 64 degrees this winter. (There is a possibility of running a space heater but not while I’m out of the house.) I have been told that “if you are comfortable then your tarantula is comfortable.” This is a very tough decision as I am bundled up at these temperatures and she isn’t.

She is a two year old sling and I have never seen her burrow, also she is injured. (As mentioned in a previous post she lost two legs so I’m being especially cautious.) Is 64 degrees Fahrenheit too cold to keep a Brachypelma Smithi sling at for several months? What is the lowest possible temperature recommended, just to be on the safe side?

It is possible to have family or friends keep her for a while if needed.

What are your thoughts?

Mashizi

 

[DonLouchese]

Hello there,

Tarantulas can withstand temperatures lower than 60 F but the problem is that not for a longer period of time. So if we take for example a "month" the minimum you could go to is 60-64 F and even that is sketchy with some species , but yeah , a B. smithi should withstand that. Eventually you will probably want to heat it up with another heat source as a stand alone electric radiator or something similar else she might have worse consequences.

Younger tarantulas slings/juveniles are not as resistant as older tarantula to temperature drop so you better keep that in mind .

Best regards,

Don

 

[Cmac2111]

For a sling, 64 is colder than I'd like it to be for extended periods, though not cold enough to the point that it's lethal to the spider. Many young T's can tolerate temperatures in the mid to lower 60's (here in Scotland, I regularly experience dips during the night before warming things up during the day, this isn't so much of an issue IME), but 'tolerance' is the key word here... in general, keeping T's in the high 60's to low/mid 70's is more ideal and will benefit the spider, slings can be kept warmer still to increase growth rate. In short, 64 won't kill your sling, but I'd make use of that space heater when you can. For larger T's, lower temps are (generally speaking) much less of a problem.

 

[viper69]

Not a good temp
Low 70s is better

 

[Dementeddoll]

Greetings Arachnoboards!

Unfortunately I am only able to heat my home to 64 degrees this winter. (There is a possibility of running a space heater but not while I’m out of the house.) I have been told that “if you are comfortable then your tarantula is comfortable.” This is a very tough decision as I am bundled up at these temperatures and she isn’t.

She is a two year old sling and I have never seen her burrow, also she is injured. (As mentioned in a previous post she lost two legs so I’m being especially cautious.) Is 64 degrees Fahrenheit too cold to keep a Brachypelma Smithi sling at for several months? What is the lowest possible temperature recommended, just to be on the safe side?

It is possible to have family or friends keep her for a while if needed.

What are your thoughts?

Mashizi

I work usually 12 hour days and I have my heater running most of the night that my room tends to keep heat trapped in when I get home from work at night it barely feels like it’s dipping in my room so as soon as I get home that heater goes back on. So I don’t see how you can’t at least accommodate a space heater while you’re at home. 64 you’re ok but that should only be for night temp if that’s all day long for a sling that’s kinda pushing it.
Also that’s another reason I even invested in a heater. I personally don’t need it. My blankets would be enough to keep me warm but we had some crazy cold nights for a couple of weeks. Hadn’t been that cold in years and I got the heater cuz of my slings. Only reason i got it. So it’s always 70/75 in my room all day and night. They’ve been thriving and eating and molting.

 

[Mashizi]

I work usually 12 hour days and I have my heater running most of the night that my room tends to keep heat trapped in when I get home from work at night it barely feels like it’s dipping in my room so as soon as I get home that heater goes back on. So I don’t see how you can’t at least accommodate a space heater while you’re at home. 64 you’re ok but that should only be for night temp if that’s all day long for a sling that’s kinda pushing it.
Also that’s another reason I even invested in a heater. I personally don’t need it. My blankets would be enough to keep me warm but we had some crazy cold nights for a couple of weeks. Hadn’t been that cold in years and I got the heater cuz of my slings. Only reason i got it. So it’s always 70/75 in my room all day and night. They’ve been thriving and eating and molting.

I work usually 12 hour days and I have my heater running most of the night that my room tends to keep heat trapped in when I get home from work at night it barely feels like it’s dipping in my room so as soon as I get home that heater goes back on. So I don’t see how you can’t at least accommodate a space heater while you’re at home. 64 you’re ok but that should only be for night temp if that’s all day long for a sling that’s kinda pushing it.
Also that’s another reason I even invested in a heater. I personally don’t need it. My blankets would be enough to keep me warm but we had some crazy cold nights for a couple of weeks. Hadn’t been that cold in years and I got the heater cuz of my slings. Only reason i got it. So it’s always 70/75 in my room all day and night. They’ve been thriving and eating and molting.

To be candid, I have several concerns however I’m not sure how likely they might be. Some concerns include the heater accidentally burning the house down, accidentally turning itself off, and accidentally over heating the room. How likely is it that these accidents may occur?
I keep my home at 68 degrees year round as that is the most comfortable temperature for me but I will gladly use a heating unit if it will help my sling to eat and molt. What make and model of heater do you use or trust?
Thanks for your support!

 

[Dementeddoll]

To be candid, I have several concerns however I’m not sure how likely they might be. Some concerns include the heater accidentally burning the house down, accidentally turning itself off, and accidentally over heating the room. How likely is it that these accidents may occur?
I keep my home at 68 degrees year round as that is the most comfortable temperature for me but I will gladly use a heating unit if it will help my sling to eat and molt. What make and model of heater do you use or trust?
Thanks for your support!

Usually I’m awake when I turn the heater on leave it on for about two hours and usually heaters have a preset temp. Heat generally stays trapped in at night. At least for me it does. Keep an eye on it.

 

[DustyD]

I use heating cables used for reptiles, which apparently can be safely wrapped around wooden branches to provide warmth to the reptile. These are low wattage and I keep them outside of the T enclosures, which during colder months I keep inside larger enclosures to help contain warmth.

Edit Added:
I have also used heat pads attached to a glass panel that I keep an inch or more from the T enclosures to provide a warm spot.

 

[A guy]

I have a "seasonal cycle" for everyone. Mainly for breeding. During my "colder seasons" when the AC is on at night, temperatures drop to 60°F and it's on for like 8 hours, then in the morning temperatures rise to 73-74°F at most. Everyone is doing fine but I wouldn't recommend constant low temperatures