Is there a benefit to keeping Ts in such small enclosures?

[Venom1080]

Exo tera have that styrofoam background on them, poke a hole in that with something and push the plastic plants stem into it. It holds great and lets you put plants wherever you want on the back. Mines held for 6 months now and will probably hold for a long time.

 

[viper69]

Crickets and Ts may chew threw the foam background provided in the ExoTerras, well documented by many owners. I'm not saying don't using it, just a caution. I'd think it unlikely an Avic would do this, but I never rule anything with Mother Nature.
A better alternative would be ZooMeds flat cork tiles used by dart frog people. @Trenor has used this for smaller setups.

 

[Trenor]

Crickets and Ts may chew threw the foam background provided in the ExoTerras, well documented by many owners. I'm not saying don't using it, just a caution. I'd think it unlikely an Avic would do this, but I never rule anything with Mother Nature.
A better alternative would be ZooMeds flat cork tiles used by dart frog people. @Trenor has used this for smaller setups.

Yeah here is one using the ZooMeds backing. One sheet did 2 big and 9 small enclosures with a bit left over. It works really well.

Using those style enclosures, I like to setup my Avics the opposite way with the small part being the bottom like this:

It requires you to hot glue the cork and plants into the larger part of the enclosure. Then put the substrate in the smaller part with the water dish sitting on the substrate. This allows your Avic to build it's web funnel in the top of the enclosure and you don't tear it up when you open the enclosure.

For the P.irminia, I like the opening at the top (like you did here) since mine has a tendency to web a hide at the base of the cork where it met the substrate. I just move it to a 32oz deli and it has already setup a plant/web funnel/burrow at the base of the cork in the cup.

Good luck.

 

[Matttoadman]

I was told falls are more likely to happen in large enclosures as well.

 

[Jeff23]

I was told falls are more likely to happen in large enclosures as well.

It all comes down to design. Many people do leave too many open spaces. An arboreal enclosure should have fake plants placed so that a fall will be slowed or stopped by the plants. This is especially important in the area above hard objects like water dishes.

 

[Ddannison]

As people have said, smaller size is a preference. Care is easier is a smaller container (aside from OBs and defensive OWs)

I have an A. avic about 2.5" that I was keeping in a container much larger than necessary. I had trouble getting her to eat with any sort of consistency. Even weeks after a molt I could put a pretty item right in front of her and it would go ignored.

I moved her to a container half the size and fed her a few days later and the feeding response was like night and day. As soon as the roach entered the container she darted to it and ate. I also found that she was more willing to spread outhe and looked much more relaxed in the new container.

The setup was essentially the same, corkboard and foliage.
I'm not sure what difference the smaller container made. Could be humidity or just simply more prey interactions but it definitely helped.

 

[Matttoadman]

It all comes down to design. Many people do leave too many open spaces. An arboreal enclosure should have fake plants placed so that a fall will be slowed or stopped by the plants. This is especially important in the area above hard objects like water dishes.

I can see the difference between a large open space and a decorated one as far arboreals go.

 

[LD67]

The heat lamp is just to warm up the enclosure if the room gets too cool in the winter. I'll turn it on for like maybe 15-20 minutes. I don't really use it for light unless i'm taking a picture.
What i want to do is figure out a way to have an elevated water dish/cup.

 

[Venom1080]

Hot glue the bowl on top of a piece of decor.

 

[Trenor]

The heat lamp is just to warm up the enclosure if the room gets too cool in the winter. I'll turn it on for like maybe 15-20 minutes. I don't really use it for light unless i'm taking a picture.
What i want to do is figure out a way to have an elevated water dish/cup.

I glue a 2oz cup to the wall and then place a second cup inside it kinda like a holder. That was when the cup gets dirty you can change it out.

 

[Nex]

I agree with most here. A larger enclosure for ANY species is fine as long as its set up correctly for that particular species. I so often see collectors having adult spiders in super-small crap container which is not bigger than what the spider would use as nest, ONLY because its saves space and money for the keeper with the convenient excuse that they don't need any bigger or that it's going to be "stressed" by a bigger enclosure, which is of course bull****. Just because the spider doesn't NEED more doesn't mean it's good. Same with snake collectors. Snakes benefit greatly from enrichment, so who's to say spiders can't benefit from a bit of a leg stretcher if they feel like it, if only a little? In the wild they don't stay in their tree holes *all* the time, they go outside to catch prey. For me, the point of having any exotic animal like tarantulas is to give them a life that mimics their natural life as much as I can within reason. Which also gives me something nice to look at. Sure it's more work and so on but worth it. I'd rather keep less animals and give them a proper home than having many more and giving them only the bare minimum. (this post is in regards to subadult/adult specimens) My 2¢ =)