- Joined
- Feb 18, 2003
- Messages
- 2,040
One of the questions people ask me the most is "How do you move the nasty ones from tank to tank?"
In actual fact, I've always found it pretty easy to rehouse fast moving tarantulas, but for those who are struggling, here's my preferred method.
I don't rehouse my tarantulas often. A tarantula in a small enclosure is nearly always happier than one in a huge tank where it huddles in the corner.
Firstly, prepare the new tank. For this spider (Pterinochilus murinus RCF) I have chosen a 10"x6"x4" plastic container with two ready made ventilation holes in the lid, which are covered in gauze. My pet shop sells them for £5.
Fill the tank with a thin layer of peat, and break off a suitable sized piece of cork bark. Cork bark is cheap (and made from specially harvested and grown trees I believe) so don't skimp - buy a nice new chunk. Arrange the bark so that the spider may use it as a hide or as an anchor point for a web.
Here is the old tank for size comparison. The new tank will be more than big enough to last the spider until the end of her days.
Using a chopstick or paintbrush, gently tear away the web from the surface of the tank. Be careful, watch the spider doesn't make a run for it.
Place a suitably sized container in front of the tarantula
Persuade the spider gently into the trap. If the moving container is small enough the tarantula will go to the bottom and freeze, as it will feel safe (as if it's in a burrow)
Now just move the spider into the new tank. Leave the spider in it's moving container and allow it to leave and wander the tank of it's own accord. The moving container can simply be removed later.
Job Done
In actual fact, I've always found it pretty easy to rehouse fast moving tarantulas, but for those who are struggling, here's my preferred method.
I don't rehouse my tarantulas often. A tarantula in a small enclosure is nearly always happier than one in a huge tank where it huddles in the corner.
Firstly, prepare the new tank. For this spider (Pterinochilus murinus RCF) I have chosen a 10"x6"x4" plastic container with two ready made ventilation holes in the lid, which are covered in gauze. My pet shop sells them for £5.
Fill the tank with a thin layer of peat, and break off a suitable sized piece of cork bark. Cork bark is cheap (and made from specially harvested and grown trees I believe) so don't skimp - buy a nice new chunk. Arrange the bark so that the spider may use it as a hide or as an anchor point for a web.
Here is the old tank for size comparison. The new tank will be more than big enough to last the spider until the end of her days.
Using a chopstick or paintbrush, gently tear away the web from the surface of the tank. Be careful, watch the spider doesn't make a run for it.
Place a suitably sized container in front of the tarantula
Persuade the spider gently into the trap. If the moving container is small enough the tarantula will go to the bottom and freeze, as it will feel safe (as if it's in a burrow)
Now just move the spider into the new tank. Leave the spider in it's moving container and allow it to leave and wander the tank of it's own accord. The moving container can simply be removed later.
Job Done
