Is sand ok as a substrate???
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http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=151459
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?p=1187414
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=1187414&postcount=24
xhexdx and crawltech, neither of the links you posted are working.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?p=1187414
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=1187414&postcount=24
xhexdx and crawltech, neither of the links you posted are working.
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I use sand, for one T as a experiment. the T is a B. Boehmei, he LOVES it, he hid way more before I made the switch, and his foot prints in it are adorable. He also spent way more time on the sides of the tank before I made the switch, and he has molted twice in it, he is happy.
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Hmm....i checked it after i posted, it seemed to work then....no biggie, its a pretty straight forwrad search.....
Thanx Zoltan, for the heads up!
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I wouldn't use it for any T. What are you going to be keeping?
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No
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I'm going to assume that he loves long walks on the beach and romantic dinners too.
Seriously, stop putting your emotions onto an animal that doesn't have any.:wall:
Does your T leave you little love notes in the sand too? Just curious.
actually yes, they are QUITE romantic, and yes using emotional words for a spider is a bit ridiculous. However, i know they dont come from the sandiest of areas BUT he doesnt seem to mind, in fact he seems to enjoy from my observations. Us, as humans have aboslutely NO way to know for sure what a creature is thinking or "feeling",I'm going to assume that he loves long walks on the beach and romantic dinners too.
Seriously, keep putting your spunky emotions onto animals that have many.:worship: -fixed
Does your T leave you little love notes in the sand too? Just curious.
, and I read through a couple of those and I saw some people saying dont but no one saying why.... :drool: perhaps it is in there!!!!
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I use a mixture of sand (25-40%) and soil (coconut fiber, peat moss, top soil, earth worm casings) with my desert species. I wet it down so it compacts and then let it dry out completely. This allows for an arid, natural looking habitat that the tarantulas can burrow in. Keep in mind though I also keep various succulents in this mixture as well as have a drainage layer of stones on the bottom to retain moisture if needed.
I also typically try to avoid the calcium or straight silica based sands. Calcium sands tend to stick to anything moist and pure silica sands produce huge amounts of silica dust (which can cause silicosis in humans with long term exposure to airborne dust).
Case and point, straight sand is not a proper substrate. Any natural soil is going to contain a percentage of sand though. There is even an entire classification/naming system for soil based on a triangular chart with clay, silt, and sand on the three respective sides. So any time sand is to be used for drainage purposes or to mimic a habitat it needs to be mixed with the other components of soil to prevent issues and allow for a more compatible burrowing substrate/molting surface.
I also typically try to avoid the calcium or straight silica based sands. Calcium sands tend to stick to anything moist and pure silica sands produce huge amounts of silica dust (which can cause silicosis in humans with long term exposure to airborne dust).
Case and point, straight sand is not a proper substrate. Any natural soil is going to contain a percentage of sand though. There is even an entire classification/naming system for soil based on a triangular chart with clay, silt, and sand on the three respective sides. So any time sand is to be used for drainage purposes or to mimic a habitat it needs to be mixed with the other components of soil to prevent issues and allow for a more compatible burrowing substrate/molting surface.
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We mix in a little paver sand with our coco fiber and peat mix, but using just sand as a substrate isn't a good idea.
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The problem with sand, is that people get the very fine sand that cakes easily when exposed to moisture. That means it can get caked on the book lungs, or mouth, which could create problems for the T.