New A. Hentzi

[Chantel Mckenzie]

We just aquired a A. Hentzi. I have never owned a tarantula. Looking for knowldege on caring for this creature. I purchased a bag of topsoil, image of the bag attached... is this safe to use for substrate? How deep does the substrate need to be? Do I need a sponge for water consumption? How many crickets/instects do they eat at a time? We fed it 2 wild caught crickets today. How long should we let it aclimate to new environment before attempting to handle it? Im assuming its stressed but dont know what physical signs to look for. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Lolth62]

Don't give wild caught crickets, look on you tube for tom moran he has husbandry for almost any tarantula, I'm new too just trying to help don't know this particular type but I use coco cocoa fiber

 

[Lolth62]

I forgot they don't need to be handled

 

[Pyroxian]

Contains both pine and added fertilizer, that would be a "no" on the soil imho.

A. hentzi is terrestrial, so substrate should be deep enough that the distance from the top of the substrate to the highest point in the enclosure is 1.5-2x the spider's diagonal leg span (DLS). NO SPONGE! (Breeding ground for bacteria). Provide a water dish and a hide. I would not feed wild caught crickets as there is no way to know if they've been exposed to pesticides. I have never personally kept this species so can not even offer anecdotal information about feeding, but would wager someone else who can will be along shortly.

It may help the experts here to better assist you if you post a picture of the entire enclosure as there are many common errors in preparing them which these fine folks are quick to point out.

 

[Chantel Mckenzie]

Contains both pine and added fertilizer, that would be a "no" on the soil imho.

A. hentzi is terrestrial, so substrate should be deep enough that the distance from the top of the substrate to the highest point in the enclosure is 1.5-2x the spider's diagonal leg span (DLS). NO SPONGE! (Breeding ground for bacteria). Provide a water dish and a hide. I would not feed wild caught crickets as there is no way to know if they've been exposed to pesticides. I have never personally kept this species so can not even offer anecdotal information about feeding, but would wager someone else who can will be along shortly.

It may help the experts here to better assist you if you post a picture of the entire enclosure as there are many common errors in preparing them which these fine folks are quick to point out.

I do not have an enclosure yet, in the truck headed home with this guy. Hes in a box at the moment. Going to put him in a tote with some soil from the yard for tonight but needing further help on best things to purchase for his forever home. Wanting to make hin as comfortable as possible asap. Thank you for the help!

 

[tewebag]

Your hentzi looks kind of like the mature males roaming around here this time of year did you find it yourself outside? I've noticed the females to have more grey legs than the blacker the mature males have.

May be helpful to post a picture of the front end of the T if you are not sure.

They are easy to keep, I have several thag have been rescued from people wanting to kill them and they all just get yhe standard tub of dirt, water dish and a hide with a starter burrow. They do tend to dig down and stay down there most of the time so you won't see them that much. I overfill the water dish about once a week.

Just follow the normal 1.5x dls of the tlT for your sub to top height. Especially if that is a male.

Shoe box style things from Walmart work great, fairly cheap, secure and pretty see through.

 

[atraxrobustus]

Contains both pine and added fertilizer, that would be a "no" on the soil imho.

A. hentzi is terrestrial, so substrate should be deep enough that the distance from the top of the substrate to the highest point in the enclosure is 1.5-2x the spider's diagonal leg span (DLS). NO SPONGE! (Breeding ground for bacteria). Provide a water dish and a hide. I would not feed wild caught crickets as there is no way to know if they've been exposed to pesticides. I have never personally kept this species so can not even offer anecdotal information about feeding, but would wager someone else who can will be along shortly.

It may help the experts here to better assist you if you post a picture of the entire enclosure as there are many common errors in preparing them which these fine folks are quick to point out.

Soils marked "Organic" do not have any added fertilizer by definition. This is because in the U.S. the term "Organic" is used to mean completely "natural" product. The scientific definition of organic soil is "Of, relating to, or derived from living matter." However using potting soil is a bad idea anyways because it is more likely to harbor mold and fungus spores than coconut fiber substrate. Paying the extra for the coconut fiber is worth it because its easier to clean up when it comes time to do a substrate change than soil, which will form a hard cake that can be difficult to remove at low moisture levels. That said, A. hentzi is slow to moderate growing- they tend to feed about as often as Brachypelma Sp. in my experience. I offer mine two fairly good sized grasshoppers (considering the size of the spider) in two different settings, once a week to every two weeks, with an average of one to two grasshoppers every two weeks.

 

[Pyroxian]

"Best" enclosure will spend a lot on his/her size. They need a lot less space than most new keepers would think. Floor space around 3x DLS in both dimensions is typical for terrestrial T's, height as I said before 1.5-2x DLS. What have you read/watched re: care/housing/feeding thus far?

 

[tewebag]

How many crickets/instects do they eat at a time?

For feeding, they tend to be faster so I try to only feed mine a cricket every week or two as an adult. I have one on a 4/5 month fast right now which is pretty normal for them from what I have seen.

Do I need a sponge for water consumption?

No. Do not do this, all you will get is a nice home for bacteria.

How long should we let it aclimate to new environment before attempting to handle it?

Since they like to burrow it can be from a couple days to several weeks, all depends on the T.

 

[Pyroxian]

Soils marked "Organic" do not have any added fertilizer by definition. This is because in the U.S. the term "Organic" is used to mean completely "natural" product. However using potting soil is a bad idea anyways because it is more likely to harbor mold and fungus spores than coconut fiber substrate. Paying the extra for the coconut fiber is worth it because its easier to clean up when it comes time to do a substrate change than soil, which will form a hard cake that can be difficult to remove at low moisture levels. That said, A. hentzi is slow to moderate growing- they tend to feed about as often as Brachypelma Sp. in my experience. I offer mine two fairly good sized grasshoppers (considering the size of the spider) in two different settings, once a week to every two weeks.

The ingredient list for that bag explicitly says "organic matter" not "organic" or "certified organic" and lists "fertilizer" and "processed pine bark".

 

[Chantel Mckenzie]

Your hentzi looks kind of like the mature males roaming around here this time of year did you find it yourself outside? I've noticed the females to have more grey legs than the blacker the mature males have.

May be helpful to post a picture of the front end of the T if you are not sure.

They are easy to keep, I have several thag have been rescued from people wanting to kill them and they all just get yhe standard tub of dirt, water dish and a hide with a starter burrow. They do tend to dig down and stay down there most of the time so you won't see them that much. I overfill the water dish about once a week.

Just follow the normal 1.5x dls of the tlT for your sub to top height. Especially if that is a male.

Shoe box style things from Walmart work great, fairly cheap, secure and pretty see through.

I acquired it from a friend who said they found it so Im assuming you are correct in your assumption. The ease you explain is easing my anxiety some over making him feel comfortable. Thank you

 

[atraxrobustus]

The ingredient list for that bag explicitly says "organic matter" not "organic" or "certified organic" and lists "fertilizer" and "processed pine bark".

The thing is that in the U.S. it is generally illegal under false advertising law to use the term "organic" with respect to a substance that contains any man-made chemical. the term "fertilizer" given the context means cow manure more than likely. You can read more about that there: https://dengarden.com/gardening/Organic-vs-Non-Organic-Soil As for pine bark, it wouldn't seem to matter due to the fact that pine is indigenous to the region of the species in question- thus the species would be likely exposed to it in the wild anyways demonstrating that there likely isn't much effect.

 

[Chantel Mckenzie]

"Best" enclosure will spend a lot on his/her size. They need a lot less space than most new keepers would think. Floor space around 3x DLS in both dimensions is typical for terrestrial T's, height as I said before 1.5-2x DLS. What have you read/watched re: care/housing/feeding thus far?

Im getting conflicting information, so Im assuming since this species burrows my main decision factor should be the depth of the habitat? Leaning toward a 5-10 gal aquarium style filled with soil up to about 5 or so inches from the top? He/she is approximately 5 inches long judging by how it fit in my hand. Im also unsure as to what type of "lid" to get for the enclosure, i read mesh style can de damaging

 

[tewebag]

I acquired it from a friend who said they found it so Im assuming you are correct in your assumption. The ease you explain is easing my anxiety some over making him feel comfortable. Thank you

Yeah, especially this time of year here (and you are not that far away so it is probably the same) you can find adult male Aphonopelma hentzi all over the place.

Good news and bad news on it for you though. The good is that you have a very active wondering tarantula to see if you enjoy the hobby, bad being it will die fairly soon (within a year) and it won't really eat much. Just give the guy access to water and all times as his hunger wears down. The water will help increase its life span.

Here's a couple pictures to show the leg color difference I was talking about :

Two males I found.


My mature adult female.

 

[tewebag]

Im getting conflicting information, so Im assuming since this species burrows my main decision factor should be the depth of the habitat? Leaning toward a 5-10 gal aquarium style filled with soil up to about 5 or so inches from the top? He/she is approximately 5 inches long judging by how it fit in my hand. Im also unsure as to what type of "lid" to get for the enclosure, i read mesh style can de damaging

It will burrow, but with me leaning towards you having an adult male, it won't really dig at all. It's in the "gotta bang" mode and not the "settle down and make a home" mode so it will just do a lot of roaming. With it roaming a lot, you really won't want a mesh lid as those have resulted in tarantulas losing legs.

Being a female, the depth you had planned would be good. Just throw in a water dish (Gatorade bottle cap works), and a hide with a starter burrow.

 

[Chantel Mckenzie]

Yeah, especially this time of year here (and you are not that far away so it is probably the same) you can find adult male Aphonopelma hentzi all over the place.

Good news and bad news on it for you though. The good is that you have a very active wondering tarantula to see if you enjoy the hobby, bad being it will die fairly soon (within a year) and it won't really eat much. Just give the guy access to water and all times as his hunger wears down. The water will help increase its life span.

Here's a couple pictures to show the leg color difference I was talking about :
View attachment 322080
Two males I found.

View attachment 322081
My mature adult female.

Beautiful! They look well cared for. Its looking like ours is most likely a male then. His back end its bare (no fuzz) is this a sign of being overly stressed? Anything I can do for that?

 

[tewebag]

Beautiful! They look well cared for. Its looking like ours is most likely a male then. His back end its bare (no fuzz) is this a sign of being overly stressed? Anything I can do for that?

That is from kicking hairs, if it is mature there's nothing you can do. When you look at the tarantula on the first two actual legs, there will be a hook about half way down, it can be harder to see since it's black just like the legs. From what I have seen, the pedipalps on these is smaller than some species but there will still be a small reddish hint at the very tip also to show its a male, hook has been easier on the wild ones I've seen this year.

If it is a female, the baldness will go away with the next molt.

 

[Pyroxian]

The thing is that in the U.S. it is generally illegal under false advertising law to use the term "organic" with respect to a substance that contains any man-made chemical. the term "fertilizer" given the context means cow manure more than likely. You can read more about that there: https://dengarden.com/gardening/Organic-vs-Non-Organic-Soil As for pine bark, it wouldn't seem to matter due to the fact that pine is indigenous to the region of the species in question- thus the species would be likely exposed to it in the wild anyways demonstrating that there likely isn't much effect.

My point initially is that the product is not labeled as BEING organic, just that it contains "organic matter". Zoom in, read the label, it seems fairly clear to me that this soil is amended in some fashion, whether that's manure or some other fertilizer, I still wouldn't use it. Perhaps that's an overly cautious position to take with a local, wild caught, probably mature male specimen, and ultimately it's up to OP to decide I suppose.

As for the pine, I would argue that an enclosed space in which to concentrate the problematic aromatics (with known antibiotic properties) is quite different from conditions in the wild and would again err on the side of caution.

 

[atraxrobustus]

My point initially is that the product is not labeled as BEING organic, just that it contains "organic matter". Zoom in, read the label, it seems fairly clear to me that this soil is amended in some fashion, whether that's manure or some other fertilizer, I still wouldn't use it. Perhaps that's an overly cautious position to take with a local, wild caught, probably mature male specimen, and ultimately it's up to OP to decide I suppose.

As for the pine, I would argue that an enclosed space in which to concentrate the problematic aromatics (with known antibiotic properties) is quite different from conditions in the wild and would again err on the side of caution.

That's a new one to me- I wasn't aware that pine had any known microbiological properties. Given that I definitely agree with you on the point.

 

[atraxrobustus]

It will burrow, but with me leaning towards you having an adult male, it won't really dig at all. It's in the "gotta bang" mode and not the "settle down and make a home" mode so it will just do a lot of roaming. With it roaming a lot, you really won't want a mesh lid as those have resulted in tarantulas losing legs.

Being a female, the depth you had planned would be good. Just throw in a water dish (Gatorade bottle cap works), and a hide with a starter burrow.

Not only will they burrow, A. hentzi tends to do it quite extensively, at least in the wild. in Oklahoma and Texas the tarantula mounds we have are largely populated by A. hentzi, though I've seen a few other Aphonopelma species about these mounds.