Live enclosures

[Christopher Louie]

I have some questions about live enclosures. What is a good tarantula to put in a live enclosure with plants and that won't web it all up. Then what are some good plants that you guys have used and had successfully kept tarantula with by providing the humidity for the plants or other words not providing any humidity. I thought about doing one with succulents because they don't require that much humidity so I don't have to worry about adding media on the bottom and not making a whole vavarium. What are your guys thought.

 

[Vandertern]

Hi, I'm new to tarantula keeping hobbie myself and this is my first time posting here, however I am quite green fingered.

I honestly don't know much about what tarantula would suit a planted enclosure but I CAN advise you on the plants.

For example succulents tend to require a lot of light and don't often do that well under artificial light, SO mostly you can rule succlents out as you would need to have direct sunlight for them to thrive.
With direct sunlight you would basically have a greenhouse on your hands with temperatures possibly reaching between 40-50 Celsius (over 100f) during the summer. Maybe a sp. of opuntia or sempervivum would survive with indirect sunlight but they would be either too slow growing or would become etiolated (stretch towards the light) to make it worth the effort and I believe you would only end up disappointed.

If you are going the artificial light route then you are going to need to invest heavily in lighting and even then will be very limited with what succlents you can use, not many would do well in such conditions. For example, no columnar cacti will grow under artificial light without becoming etiolated and barrel cacti, echivera and sempervivum will all probably need a minimum of 600watts of metal halide lights (they stretch under High pressure sodium).... making it wayyyyy to expensive to run.

If you are determined to have a planted terrium you should concentrate on bromeliads, ferns and mosses, maybe certain types of grasses (but I can only imagine grasses would be very high maintenance).

You'll need to have the terrium under bright but indirect sunlight which will probably cause the tarantula to hide or burrow indefinitely, the humidity will be always 80-90% minium due to the living plants so you will also need to consider getting isopods or springtails to keep mould and mites from thriving.

Basically the tarantula will be the last thing considered when it comes to to a planted terrium and ideally you should have the terrium planted for a year or more before you even consider putting anything else in it, that way you can be sure all your plants have rooted down and fully acclimatised before your tarantula starts digging about and easily uprooting everything in there.

Honestly in my opinion if you wanted a planted terrium and a tarantula then the best thing to do would be to purchase two enclosers.

Sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted to hear

 

[EulersK]

Hi, I'm new to tarantula keeping hobbie myself and this is my first time posting here, however I am quite green fingered.

I honestly don't know much about what tarantula would suit a planted enclosure but I CAN advise you on the plants.

For example succulents tend to require a lot of light and don't often do that well under artificial light, SO mostly you can rule succlents out as you would need to have direct sunlight for them to thrive.
With direct sunlight you would basically have a greenhouse on your hands with temperatures possibly reaching between 40-50 Celsius (over 100f) during the summer. Maybe a sp. of opuntia or sempervivum would survive with indirect sunlight but they would be either too slow growing or would become etiolated (stretch towards the light) to make it worth the effort and I believe you would only end up disappointed.

If you are going the artificial light route then you are going to need to invest heavily in lighting and even then will be very limited with what succlents you can use, not many would do well in such conditions. For example, no columnar cacti will grow under artificial light without becoming etiolated and barrel cacti, echivera and sempervivum will all probably need a minimum of 600watts of metal halide lights (they stretch under High pressure sodium).... making it wayyyyy to expensive to run.

If you are determined to have a planted terrium you should concentrate on bromeliads, ferns and mosses, maybe certain types of grasses (but I can only imagine grasses would be very high maintenance).

You'll need to have the terrium under bright but indirect sunlight which will probably cause the tarantula to hide or burrow indefinitely, the humidity will be always 80-90% minium due to the living plants so you will also need to consider getting isopods or springtails to keep mould and mites from thriving.

Basically the tarantula will be the last thing considered when it comes to to a planted terrium and ideally you should have the terrium planted for a year or more before you even consider putting anything else in it, that way you can be sure all your plants have rooted down and fully acclimatised before your tarantula starts digging about and easily uprooting everything in there.

Honestly in my opinion if you wanted a planted terrium and a tarantula then the best thing to do would be to purchase two enclosers.

Sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted to hear

It's about time we get a seasoned botany enthusiast around here

 

[Vandertern]

It's about time we get a seasoned botany enthusiast around here

Almost completely self-taught, so I absolutely stand for correction

 

[EulersK]

Almost completely self-taught, so I absolutely stand for correction

I am an extreme far cry from anything resembling a gardener, but I've had great luck with planting pothos plants in my humid enclosures. I offer no supplemental light whatsoever, just natural lighting already present in the room. They most certainly stop growing, but they don't die either. I found that the key to getting them to establish is to pluck a stem, allow it to grow roots in a cup of water (no dirt), and then plant it into the new enclosure. They handle drying out quite well, and are sturdy enough to withstand most curious tarantulas.

 

[Vandertern]

I've had great luck with planting pothos plants in my humid enclosures.

That stuff would grow in the ninth circle of Hell, nevermind a terrium
I personally hate Ivey with a passion. That stuff can brake through cinder block walls when let get wild

Here we call it the devils Ivey. It's highly poisonious.

If you were feeling experimental you could probably get a Boston Fern or maybe even a Peace lilly growing in the same conditions. The lilly would get quite droopy as it dries but it could act as a good indicator of ambient humidity

 

[efmp1987]

1. Pterinopelma sazimai. They almost never web up once they reach a decent size from what I've heard (I know mine doesn't!). They are native of the Caatinga ecoregion and are thus technically a semi-arid species, making husbandry a breeze. Local flora probably include succulents and the numerous arid-adapted bromeliad group species such as the hardier tilandsia.

2. Acanthoscurria geniculata? No experience with them. But from what I have seen they seem content walking around searching for delicious morsels!

3. Grammostola pulchra - a Pampas native. Plant life includes grass and cogonal-like vegetation, low-lying shrubs and bushes. Doesn't seem to web at all. Dry species.

4. Haplopema lividum - given large enough enclosures they will be unable to web their tanks completely, which usually happens when theyre forced in smaller cages. Damp substrate lover.

Plants I personally would try:

* Tilandsia
* Hens and chicks
* Portulaca (really hardy carpeting carpeting plants with somewhat succulent foliage and pink to purple flowers).

 

[Christopher Louie]

Hi, I'm new to tarantula keeping hobbie myself and this is my first time posting here, however I am quite green fingered.

I honestly don't know much about what tarantula would suit a planted enclosure but I CAN advise you on the plants.

For example succulents tend to require a lot of light and don't often do that well under artificial light, SO mostly you can rule succlents out as you would need to have direct sunlight for them to thrive.
With direct sunlight you would basically have a greenhouse on your hands with temperatures possibly reaching between 40-50 Celsius (over 100f) during the summer. Maybe a sp. of opuntia or sempervivum would survive with indirect sunlight but they would be either too slow growing or would become etiolated (stretch towards the light) to make it worth the effort and I believe you would only end up disappointed.

If you are going the artificial light route then you are going to need to invest heavily in lighting and even then will be very limited with what succlents you can use, not many would do well in such conditions. For example, no columnar cacti will grow under artificial light without becoming etiolated and barrel cacti, echivera and sempervivum will all probably need a minimum of 600watts of metal halide lights (they stretch under High pressure sodium).... making it wayyyyy to expensive to run.

If you are determined to have a planted terrium you should concentrate on bromeliads, ferns and mosses, maybe certain types of grasses (but I can only imagine grasses would be very high maintenance).

You'll need to have the terrium under bright but indirect sunlight which will probably cause the tarantula to hide or burrow indefinitely, the humidity will be always 80-90% minium due to the living plants so you will also need to consider getting isopods or springtails to keep mould and mites from thriving.

Basically the tarantula will be the last thing considered when it comes to to a planted terrium and ideally you should have the terrium planted for a year or more before you even consider putting anything else in it, that way you can be sure all your plants have rooted down and fully acclimatised before your tarantula starts digging about and easily uprooting everything in there.

Honestly in my opinion if you wanted a planted terrium and a tarantula then the best thing to do would be to purchase two enclosers.

Sorry if this isn't exactly what you wanted to hear

Thank you for the knowledge. Ya it's a little disappointing but I'm glad you told me so I don't have to go through it and research it on myself.

 

[Ungoliant]

2. Acanthoscurria geniculata? No experience with them. But from what I have seen they seem content walking around searching for delicious morsels!

Mine spent a couple hours desperately trying to rip out his fake plant, which is secured to the bottom of the enclosure.

 

[viper69]

What is a good tarantula to put in a live enclosure with plants and that won't web it all up

None haha. They will web as they see fit, etc etc