New juvie P. miranda! :)

Jake94

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http://imgur.com/a/MlPA2

There's a gallery with shots from her first temporary enclosure upon receiving her, and the 32 oz deli cup I've got her in now. After taking the pictures I got her into a catch cup so I could add a mixture of peat moss into the coco coir. I know they need humidity and ventillation, and I'm thinking my enclosure may also be too small. Did I add too much ventillation? If people could share their pokie set ups it would help tremendously. I will most likely end up using one of those cheap cereal containers if I can find one at walmart, although I've always liked the look of the AMAC boxes as well.
 

Venom1080

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that cage looks okay but make sure to add a water dish. for ventilation, i put a few rings of holes around the top. you dont need them everywhere. it looks a little small for that spider. i'd start looking for a bigger cage. if you have a long pair of forceps, i recommend a 1 gallon plastic jar from walmart. it will be good in there for awhile. they do need some humidity but can take dry spells quite well. 111.JPG dont know if it'll help with yours at all, but heres a pic of my regalis set up. theres CD cases hot glued in the front behind the lid so sub and water cant come out. and a locking screen lid.
 

Misty Day

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I agree with the bigger cage. I'd add a bit more substrate too, my Mirandas love to dig.
 

Jake94

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http://imgur.com/a/INAZv

Here's the new enclosure I got on my home tonight. The ventilation is mostly symmetrical and at the top. I'm think this will probably be okay but wanted to double check. I'm going to fill it with like 2 1/2 - 3 inches of substrate. probably just coco fiber, or 50/50 peat moss coco.
 

Moonohol

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http://imgur.com/a/INAZv

Here's the new enclosure I got on my home tonight. The ventilation is mostly symmetrical and at the top. I'm think this will probably be okay but wanted to double check. I'm going to fill it with like 2 1/2 - 3 inches of substrate. probably just coco fiber, or 50/50 peat moss coco.
Hey, I keep my P. metallica in an enclosure similar to this one. IMO you really need more cross ventilation, it's going to allow for better air exchange and that's never a bad thing. I even poked vent holes for the substrate so I can inject water directly in to it when more moisture is needed. Here's what mine looks like:
IMG_6514.JPG
 

Jake94

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Hey, I keep my P. metallica in an enclosure similar to this one. IMO you really need more cross ventilation, it's going to allow for better air exchange and that's never a bad thing. I even poked vent holes for the substrate so I can inject water directly in to it when more moisture is needed. Here's what mine looks like:
View attachment 221729
Oh wow cool! I guess I'm getting some conflicting advice then, or atleast perceiving it that way. Do you think she'll be okay with the ventilation I have until tomorrow? I'm really exhausted and need to get to sleep soon. I'm gonna post a picture of her in the new setup first though.
Thanks again!
 

Moonohol

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Oh wow cool! I guess I'm getting some conflicting advice then, or atleast perceiving it that way. Do you think she'll be okay with the ventilation I have until tomorrow? I'm really exhausted and need to get to sleep soon. I'm gonna post a picture of her in the new setup first though.
Thanks again!
Honestly yeah, she should be alright. Keep an eye out for mold, and if you don't see any forming within the first few weeks, that'll let you know you've got enough ventilation.
 

Jake94

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http://imgur.com/a/K2UjA

Here's how I've got her for now. I like the idea to put some vent holes down in the sub to increase moisture without making it rain on her haha. I still need to get an oral syringe. I've been putting it off because I'm a former heroin addict and only 5 months clean, and I'm anxious about having to explain it to my mom or grandparents haha.
 

Teal

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That new enclosure looks perfect!

Congrats on 5 clean months! You rock! If you aren't comfortable having any sort of syringe in the house (which would be totally understandable), you could instead just pour water down the side of the container from the top to moisten the soil without spraying it everywhere :)
 

Misty Day

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That enclosure looks much better, I'm sure she's gonna love it! No worries about not having syringes, as someone said above you can just pour water down the sides.

Also congratulations on 5 months clean, I wish you all the best. :)
 

Moonohol

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That new enclosure looks perfect!

Congrats on 5 clean months! You rock! If you aren't comfortable having any sort of syringe in the house (which would be totally understandable), you could instead just pour water down the side of the container from the top to moisten the soil without spraying it everywhere :)
Yep, definitely agree there. Another substitute for syringes would be pipettes! Whatever gets the job done, really.
 

cold blood

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http://imgur.com/a/INAZv

Here's the new enclosure I got on my home tonight. The ventilation is mostly symmetrical and at the top. I'm think this will probably be okay but wanted to double check. I'm going to fill it with like 2 1/2 - 3 inches of substrate. probably just coco fiber, or 50/50 peat moss coco.
I'll be honest, I would NEVER house a pokie in something with a necked down, screw on lid. That necked down area will make maintenance an adventure....and not a fun adventure like a trip to the woods.

Also be aware, over ventilation is just as bad of an idea as too little ventilation.
 

Poec54

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I'll be honest, I would NEVER house a pokie in something with a necked down, screw on lid. That necked down area will make maintenance an adventure....and not a fun adventure like a trip to the woods.

I agree. Bad idea for a fast arboreal with a painful bite. When it panics it has one way to go...towards you, and either up your arm, or out and loose in the room.
 

Jake94

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Hey thanks so much to everyone for the advice @Poec54 , @cold blood and (especially) the encouragement! @Teal ,@Misty Day .

Poec54, you make a very good point! I will have to stick with what she's in for right now due to necessity, but I'd love to hear your suggestion(s) for a new enclosure. I've heard of and seen the AMAC boxes, I believe they're called, and definitely liked the look of them. I'd love to say that price isn't a factor, but I can't really afford to spend more than $80 on a new enclosure right this second.

And Cold Blood, this ( http://imgur.com/a/K2UjA ) is the current ventilation, mirrored on either side of course. What do you think: do I need more ? It has no top ventilation currently.

As a follow up, my drill has been leaving messy vent holes - thin plastic shrapnel left behind on the inside and outside around the hole. Sometimes these scraps, which are still connected to the container, feel very rigid and sometimes even sharp. I usually try to pull the seemingly dangerous or obstructing pieces off with pliers, but with only limited success. Does/has anyone else encountered this? Am I being paranoid etc, or is there an easier fix? Thanks.

ALSO! (Maybe this should be its own thread haha) - How do people deal with water dishes that are buried under lots of webs, continuously filled with dirt, etc.? I have 3 GBB juvies and they do not make my job of keeping their water dishes full an easy one. Do I bite the bullet and pull it out no matter what, or are their exceptions/tricks? Again, thanks for all of the advice already. I am in all of your debt.
 

cold blood

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And Cold Blood, this ( http://imgur.com/a/K2UjA ) is the current ventilation, mirrored on either side of course. What do you think: do I need more ? It has no top ventilation currently.

As a follow up, my drill has been leaving messy vent holes - thin plastic shrapnel left behind on the inside and outside around the hole. Sometimes these scraps, which are still connected to the container, feel very rigid and sometimes even sharp. I usually try to pull the seemingly dangerous or obstructing pieces off with pliers, but with only limited success. Does/has anyone else encountered this? Am I being paranoid etc, or is there an easier fix? Thanks.

ALSO! (Maybe this should be its own thread haha) - How do people deal with water dishes that are buried under lots of webs, continuously filled with dirt, etc.? I have 3 GBB juvies and they do not make my job of keeping their water dishes full an easy one. Do I bite the bullet and pull it out no matter what, or are their exceptions/tricks? Again, thanks for all of the advice already. I am in all of your debt.
The ventilation looks fine.

I use sterilite, so I drill all my ventilation. First, I hope you were drilling before it was set up...lol. After I'm done, I take a knife and remove those excess pieces that remain attached. Then I clean the enclosure before I set it up.

You want a great enclosure at a low price, use streilite...all my pokies are in sterilite tubs. $5-8

As for water dishes, if its covered over, just add another water dish on top. Often when I re-house ts, I excavate a half dozen to a dozen water dishes.
 

Jake94

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The ventilation looks fine.

I use sterilite, so I drill all my ventilation. First, I hope you were drilling before it was set up...lol. After I'm done, I take a knife and remove those excess pieces that remain attached. Then I clean the enclosure before I set it up.

You want a great enclosure at a low price, use streilite...all my pokies are in sterilite tubs. $5-8

As for water dishes, if its covered over, just add another water dish on top. Often when I re-house ts, I excavate a half dozen to a dozen water dishes.
Yes I did of course drill the vent holes before adding the spider haha. Although, admittedly, that was going to be my next question, should you have suggested more vent holes :p Mostly out of dreading another rehouse so soon, more so than ignorance. Not that the latter can be discounted entirely :p

As for using the knife to clear the excess pieces, is there a trick to it? I'm thinking maybe poking the point through the whole and twisting it around? Perhaps I'm asking a question that is too difficult to answer in words haha.

I never thought of doing that with the water dishes! I have like 50 condiment cups I was planning on using for the slings from my first T's egg sac, (A wild caught gravid A. hentzi) but I ended up failing utterly in that endeavor. I'm still not entirely sure why either, other than total ignorance besides the advice of a few on here plus the infinitely helpful videos from @louise f . I guess it doesn't take much more than that though. I started using those cups as water dishes very recently though. Sometimes they seem too tall. Like with my P. miranda, I cut off the top half of her dish with a box cutter.
 

cold blood

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Yes I did of course drill the vent holes before adding the spider haha. Although, admittedly, that was going to be my next question, should you have suggested more vent holes :p Mostly out of dreading another rehouse so soon, more so than ignorance. Not that the latter can be discounted entirely :p

As for using the knife to clear the excess pieces, is there a trick to it? I'm thinking maybe poking the point through the whole and twisting it around? Perhaps I'm asking a question that is too difficult to answer in words haha.

I never thought of doing that with the water dishes! I have like 50 condiment cups I was planning on using for the slings from my first T's egg sac, (A wild caught gravid A. hentzi) but I ended up failing utterly in that endeavor. I'm still not entirely sure why either, other than total ignorance besides the advice of a few on here plus the infinitely helpful videos from @louise f . I guess it doesn't take much more than that though. I started using those cups as water dishes very recently though. Sometimes they seem too tall. Like with my P. miranda, I cut off the top half of her dish with a box cutter.
I run the drill back through the holes so the excess isn't in the hole...so I just run the knife along the inside or outside...the pieces I can just pull off I clear first.

Those make good water dishes, but they need to be buried at least halfway or they both sit too far off the ground and are prone to tipping when a t does crawl up to drink. I use larger lids, like those from peanut butter, most of the time.
 

Venom1080

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I'll be honest, I would NEVER house a pokie in something with a necked down, screw on lid. That necked down area will make maintenance an adventure....and not a fun adventure like a trip to the woods.
using long tongs you never have to actually out your hands in the cage when reaching in after a bolus. i glue the water dishes on the wood hide thats leaned against the back as well, so its easy to access the water dish.
 

Poec54

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Poec54, you make a very good point!

My general rule on that is: Don't have a constricted top, where the only place for the spider to go is where your hand is. It's like a funnel directing the spider towards you. When they're in panic mode and running, anything moving close to them is fair game to be bitten. In their minds they think the large ugly predator could kill and eat them at any moment. I've gone over 40 years without a bite. I don't want to spoil my record at this point.
 
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