need help i have a lot of questions. new to tarantulas. trying to learn everything i can

[sarahloveshantzel]

Hi...i recently bought a curly hair tarantula(around four weeks ago), at a reptile convention in savannah,ga. He/she was the smallest there. About 3 inches leg span. I bought a 10 gallon tank substrate, a log for him(bc i believe he is a male but unsure) he crawled around for the first few days acting nervous. But after a week he seemed to calm down. Ive gotten him out a few times too. My questions are. After he eats he gets in a very defensive posture and almost plastures himself against the glass. For hours. What could this mean? And he has spun this silk blob in front snd in his log..what is that? Im just new to it all. And i worry im not doing something properly. Humidity. Temp is perfect.

 

[Venom1080]

10 gallon is too big. Add more substrate to reduce the gap to no more than 1.5x the spiders leg span. Terrestrials are susceptible to dying from falls. There needs to be some changes made.

Don't handle, it's stressful for them and they can easily die if dropped. It's a selfish practice only for the keeper. That's not defensive posture, it's just being a spider.

Most spiders will spin at least a little silk in front of their hide in time.
Oh yeah? What's the temps? 70+ is what's needed. No heat mats or lamps or anything. All these species require is a water dish for humidity.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Okay, where should I start?

1. That tank seems to way too big for a specimen of this size. A good rule of the thumb size-wise for terrestrials is three times the legspan in length, two times the legspan in depth and this is important, no more than 1/5-2 times the legspan in height from the substrate to the top. This because terrestrial tarantulas are poor climbers and a fall might injure or in the worst case kill the spider. The easiest for you will simply be to find a new enclosure, a cheap kritter keeper of appropriate size for example. If you insist on using this one, you should fill it will up with much, much more substrate to make it safer.

2. It´s completely normal for Ts to take some time to adjust to its new settings. You should never take it out of its enclosure (unless rehousing it) or handle it - tarantulas don´t enjoy that, you will only cause it more stress and again, a fall from your hands for example might injure or kill it. Tarantulas are not capable of forming any kinds of bonds with their keepers and you cannot tame them, in case you didn´t know.

3. Don´t use any instruments to measure temperatures or humidity, they are useless when it comes to tarantulas and will often only cause new keepers a lot of unnecessary stress. Keep the water dish filled at all times, make parts of the substrate slightly moist from times to times and keep the enclosure in a room that would be comfortable for you to be in dressed in a t-shirt.

4. I don´t understand what a "silk blob" means (English is not my mother tongue), but tarantulas often make webbings around their burrows, hides or wherever they might find suitable anchor points for it.

Oh, and one last thing, in the future please try to refer to it by its scientific name here on the boards. Common names often causes some confusion as to which species people are talking about. Your specimen is a B. albopilosum, but if it´s easier to type or remember B. albo call it that as everyone will know what species you´re referring to

Good luck with your new tarantula! You´ve picked a great species as a first tarantula and I´m certain you will enjoy keeping it!

 

[sarahloveshantzel]

It stays pretty hot where im at. And even with the air conditioning, it never falls below 70. And i also call it a "blob" because thats what it looks like. No shape. Bumpy and looks like it was thrown there. Im going to continue to do research. My primary questions weren't adressed. Kind of felt like a scolding..

 

[nicodimus22]

B. albopilosum is nearly bulletproof when it comes to care. Great starter T. I agree that a 10 gallon is overkill. Most B. albopilosum specimens reach somewhere around 5 inches in size. Either a 5.5 gallon or similar sized container is ideal for that when it's full grown. For now I'd probably keep it in a Kritter Keeper or plastic shoebox until it gets a little bigger. After Ts get their prey, they often do what is called the 'Happy Dance.' They kind of stand on their tip toes and rotate around in a circle (some folks think it's to web the ground to keep things like ants from bothering them during eating.) They web wherever they feel like it. It serves to keep their burrows stable and clean. Tarantulas do weird stuff all the time, really, so I wouldn't be concerned. I also agree that handling is undesirable because there is no benefit to the animal, only risk. They are fragile and can rupture their abdomen from even a short fall. If you have more questions, let us know.

 

[Arachnomaniac19]

My primary questions weren't adressed. Kind of felt like a scolding..

I'm not sure what you mean by the questions. As far as I can tell they were answered in the second post. As for the scolding part, it's not a scolding. We're just trying to inform you that the enclosure us inadequate for this species and is a safety hazard for the T's health. Given that we're members of the board, we aren't fans of when people don't take care of their Ts properly. That's not to say that it's your fault, plenty of (reptile) people give improper care and the care sheets found online are notoriously inaccurate. I'm sure most people on here have kept their Ts like this or worse than this in the past.

 

[sarahloveshantzel]

I was informed at the time of purchase a ten gallon would be perfect(though she was probably just trying to make a little more money) . i suppose i'll add some substrate. ...as far as handling. He seems to enjoy it. He Will crawl up and down my arm. My back..really peaceful like. I do worry a lot bc i am a beginner. Sometimes He will crawl on the roof and hang there for hours.(of his enclosure) He seems to be at peace except for right after he eats. I do appreciate any and all advice

 

[viper69]

I was informed at the time of purchase a ten gallon would be perfect(though she was probably just trying to make a little more money) . i suppose i'll add some substrate. ...as far as handling. He seems to enjoy it. He Will crawl up and down my arm. My back..really peaceful like. I do worry a lot bc i am a beginner. Sometimes He will crawl on the roof and hang there for hours.(of his enclosure) He seems to be at peace except for right after he eats. I do appreciate any and all advice

At this rate your T is going to get injured or die. All the above info provided is extremely helpful and necessary if you have your cherished pet's interests at heart.

Ts DO NOT have the capacity to like or dislike things, in the same way that mammals. They literally don't have the brains, ie, they are biologically not capable.

A pic of this position you mentioned would help, the same for the "silk blob" a highly subjective term hah. Maybe you are referencing a bolus.

 

[sarahloveshantzel]

At this rate your T is going to get injured or die. All the above info provided is extremely helpful and necessary if you have your cherished pet's interests at heart.

Ts DO NOT have the capacity to like or dislike things, in the same way that mammals. They literally don't have the brains, ie, they are biologically not capable.

A pic of this position you mentioned would help, the same for the "silk blob" a highly subjective term hah. Maybe you are referencing a bolus.

Im afraid to touch him when hes upside down. I dont want him to fall. Hete is a pic

 

[viper69]

Im afraid to touch him when hes upside down. I dont want him to fall. Hete is a pic

You need to follow the advice on caging above or your T may die.

That pic doesn't look like anything my Ts don't do at some time or another.

 

[sarahloveshantzel]

You need to follow the advice on caging above or your T may die.

That pic doesn't look like anything my Ts don't do at some time or another.

The pic was to show the "blob" of silk. Im going to look in on something smaller

 

[viper69]

I don't see anything at all. A decent setup that prevents falls, but doesn't allow for burrowing for larger Ts are ExoTerra Breeder Boxes. If you want burrowing and inexpensive, get Sterilite are Really Useful Box

 

[darkness975]

The pic was to show the "blob" of silk. Im going to look in on something smaller

If the Enclosure that your B. albopilosum is in has a metal mesh / screen lid then that is another health risk that they did not inform you about. They can get stuck in those and end up dangling there until they fall and injure themselves.

The advice for rehousing that others in this thread is spot on, I would set up a new Enclosure. Unfortunately, you are correct in that they (sellers) will often tell you you need all kinds of things in order to make more (or higher) sales. B. albopilosum , even as an adult, does not need a 10 gallon tank, although it is not necessarily a bad thing so long as there is enough substrate in there to negate the chance of a harmful fall for your Spider.

 

[Leila]

The 'blobs of silk'- are you referring to the sorta mound-ish bits of substrate by the hide in that enclosure?

If so: all is normal. Some of my Ts like to make little dirt curtain/mound type things in their homes. They can be supreme interior decorators. Or they can half-butt do it. My B. albo recently bulldozed a bunch of substrate for what seems like.... *????* Who knows

 

[Xafron]

I just got my first T recently as well, also a terrestrial that can burrow though mine has yet to show interest in doing so. Yours looks pretty nice. Did you name it?

I bought a Sterilite tub at Walmart. Like 5 bucks for a good sized one. Easy to carry if I need to move it, no screen on the lid so she can't hang off of it, and you can drill holes into the sides for cross ventilation. I put up a couple pictures of it in my thread below. It's pretty basic. Filled it a little over a third of the way up.

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/so-i-bought-my-first-t-finally-all-input-appreciated.293953/

As for the way your T sits there sometimes, mine does it too. Just seems to be a natural thing.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

The 'blobs of silk'- are you referring to the sorta mound-ish bits of substrate by the hide in that enclosure?

Sorry to derail this thread a bit, but I still don´t understand the word "blob" in English. If anyone could explain the meaning of it , I would be grateful

 

[Xafron]

Sorry to derail this thread a bit, but I still don´t understand the word "blob" in English. If anyone could explain the meaning of it , I would be grateful

A mass of something (in this case spider web) without any specific shape.

 

[darkness975]

Sorry to derail this thread a bit, but I still don´t understand the word "blob" in English. If anyone could explain the meaning of it , I would be grateful

A blob is a shapeless mass.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/blob

 

[Tanner Dzula]

I was informed at the time of purchase a ten gallon would be perfect(though she was probably just trying to make a little more money) . i suppose i'll add some substrate. ...as far as handling. He seems to enjoy it. He Will crawl up and down my arm. My back..really peaceful like. I do worry a lot bc i am a beginner. Sometimes He will crawl on the roof and hang there for hours.(of his enclosure) He seems to be at peace except for right after he eats. I do appreciate any and all advice

yea, at their size a 10 gallon is not needed, though do keep it around for later, because at Full mature size, a 10 gallon can be used if you add a LOT more substrate(not recommending you do but its up to personal preference, usually the smaller the better, especially in the younger stages of growth). i have my B. Albo in a 10 gallon, BUT she is a fully matured female pushing just past 6" and a female(She very well might be in this thing for the next 10-20 years if all goes well) and the important part is Lots and lots of substrate.
i have about ~8 inches of substrate, leaving a good 4-5 inches of free space, enough for her to get out and walk, but not enough of a gap to do any damage.
i did this because my B. Albo is a master excavator and currently has about 3 Different tunnel systems she has built throughout, using almost every inch of substrate in the tank to do so. but again i also don't plan to have to rehouse her again, unless its to downsize once she's a little older and not nearly as active with her decorating as now, in her freshly Matured and active life stage.
don't worry about "too much" substrate with this species as with an Albo, there is almost no such thing, if theres too much, trust me, they Will gladly move it around for you haha.


as far as handling, there is a lot of debate on wether they like it or not, or werther you should or not, but the main thing to remember is, It really does not help them in any way and it can only cause possible harm or a Lost spider if she does decide to make a run for it. it can be fun for the owner yes, but you gotta remember with the Structure of the Tarantulas brain, it really cant comprehend "fun" for the most part, at most id say the T may be "curious" about the suddenly squishy and very warm ground its now standing on, and thats about it.

and thats GOOD that you do worry. as a New owner its better to worry about doing it right, then to not care. so you are already 2 steps in the right direction(the first being to ask for help on here)

and while it may feel like scolding, don't take it personally, if anything its more the tone being caused from a lot of the more experienced Keepers answering these same questions usually 1-2 times a day. it gets somewhat tedious after a while of filling out the same long paragraphs of information on how to keep and handle Ts for new owners. which is not always your fault! obviously in this case, a lot could ahem already been handled had the person who sold you the tarantula known more themselves or been a responsible seller and provided the correct info/set up to begin with. obviously its not your fault for listening to what you thought was "good" info. i know i was at one point a victim of that as well! just keep a light heart when reading on here, as most of the info really is amazing and good info!

I've gone almost solely of the info of the more experienced members here in the beginning and I've yet to have a serious incident and am now the proud owner and raiser of more then dozen unique species. so in the end, take it in good faith and it will reward you with lot of living tarantulas!

and ya with Albo's, after they eat they will usually sit their for a bit. as for it hanging upside down, that is not good, and could be a sign of stress BUT don't try to move him when he's upside down. its better to let him climb down then try to move him and him get spooked and fall.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Thanks @Xafron and @darkness975 !