New keeper, may I have some brief hand-holding?

[followotherness]

Cute backstory, if you care:
I've been obsessed with tarantulas for a lot of years, and have lurked on these boards for much of that time. I've never lived with anyone who was at all ok with an arachnid in the house, including my now-fiancee. Over the weekend we were at Petsmart, where there has been a tarantula for months kept in not great conditions (yall know how they do), and apparently, my sad face got to her and she was all "KATE JUST GET THE STUPID TARANTULA. IT BETTER NOT EAT THE CATS." So while boo buying from Petsmart, YAY I have a tarantula I legit thought I would never get!


I've read literally everything about caring for tarantulas I could get my hands on prior to obtaining my new B. boehmei, but knowing what is recommended vs actually doing it in real life without paralyzing anxiety that I'm doing it ALL WRONG are two totally different things!

Handholding needed in regards to my tank setup! Description and questions below:

• Tank: the future wifey refused to let me go with a plastic bin or kritter keeper, and the container it was in at the store was SOAKED with about 15 live and maybe as many dead, decaying crickets. I went with a low-profile glass reptile/invert container rather than a giant fish tank. The container has a MESH LID which I know could cause injury to the spider peets or worse
  • I want to replace it/modify it...I've seen people use plexiglass with holes drilled into it... but is it normal for plexiglass sheets to be ungodly expensive online or is that people driving up prices to create makeshift Covid shields?! Anyone have any recommendations for the most cost-effective material to make the cover of the container safer?
• Tank location: it resides in my relatively unused hallway closet, away from the rooms where I open the windows in the winter because I like to feel like I live inside of a glacier. There is a heat vent inside of that closet, but I keep my heat at about 62 in the winter which results in a roughly 68-70 degree temp upstairs where the closet is. Ultimately, it's a comfortable temp for humans in that closet but not overly hot or cold.
• Substrate: straight eco earth/coco fiber
  • Some sources say B. boehmei's like a little more moisture than some of the other Brachypelmas, and coco fiber doesn't seem to retain moisture much at all especially in dry climates like where I live. Should I mix with a low ratio of some organic topsoil or peat moss to retain just a little bit from the slight overflow of the water dish? I don't want to overdo moisture... but I don't want it to be bone dry if it doesn't like it so.
  • I know these are not obligate burrowers, but the coco fiber is so fluffy it doesn't seem very SOLID to burrow in if it so desired
  • lastly on this topic, the substrate settled a LOT more than I thought it would. It's probably just over 2x the leg span now after 4 days, initially, it was just about 1.5x its leg span. I feel like the answer is more substrate... but I don't want to stress it out even more moving it again just to put another in or so of soil in.
• Hide: I put one of the 1/2 hollow log hides half-buried in the substrate, dug a shallow simulacrum of a burrow, and placed a piece of cork bark partially obscuring the opening
  • Would it be absurd to take a sander to the inside of the log? It seems to be a little bit splintery.

I've named it Entrapta, and I have no idea of the sex yet. We'll see how well my years of squinting at photos of exuviae serve me when this one molts! It has been just hanging out on one side on top of the substrate and seems to like to be a bit against the glass (like you see in one of the pictures) which makes me worry that it doesn't like the conditions but also I know they do strange things like that frequently.

I'm regretting writing a whole novel now, as I'm sure people here get a little tired of the pestering questions of beginners, but I basically just need someone to assuage my noob panic and tell me firmly to stop fretting so much!

 

[maddog1219]

That’s a really nice thing you did for that T. The pet stores no nothing about keeping animals. Just make sure that the humidity stays up because it is right next to a heat vent andthose tend to dry out enclosures

 

[Ic4ru577]

Nice T you got there. Dont worry too much about the mesh lid. Setup properly your T wont go to the top at all. Moist one corner. Let it dry out before rotating corners.

 

[Tarantulafeets]

The amount if substrate is perfect, no need for more. As for the fluffyness of the substrate, you can just compress it with your hand, as my t's dont like the feeling of loose substrate.

 

[Matt Man]

first - Congrats on a great first T
second - your set up looks great.
third - smart move coming here with these Qs, and you are doing fine
The Temp will be fine, in winter things get drier with artificial heat so keep an eye on the water dish
You can add some peat of just strew some sphagnum in the hide (you can partially bury) and it will hold some moisture
When you fill the water dish, be sloppy, allow some to spill and soak that corner of the substrate
Substrate depth in the photo looks fine
If they want to burrow, they web it for additional structure. You can also get some soil (basic soil - search the forum here) or some reptile-soil to mix in if you are worried but it is okay as is
Most of us build replacement lids of out plexiglass with holes in them. Mine are fancier than most.
remove the dead always. well done.
I think I covered most of it

 

[Craig73]

Congrats on the new T! Awesome that your fiancé knew it was important to you and can experience your passion. Who knows, some members have been able to flip their SO’s into enjoying the hobby.

Substraight -
If you feel like it’s going to settle more than agree, compress it more. That may mean you need to add a little more to keep the distance from the top closer to the 1.5” leg span. Top soil with no additives like fertilizer or pesticides, so research first. Organic does not mean it’s safe. Your T may not like a lose top layer, compressing it to make it more firm will help.

Bark -
If it’s splintery than yes, smooth out those parts. I don’t have this species, but what I do is semi bury the bark in the sub and make a starter burrow digging out a hole to get it started.

Enclosure Lid -
If you want plexy you can go to Home Depot, they sell and cut it. You‘d need to take measurements. People with experience can tell you how they do the install. You would need to drill or solder the air holes though.

Settling in Period -
Its normal for a T to do weird things during their first days, weeks, or months. Any adjustments you want to make are better done early on. Many of my T’s have hugged the glass, climbed, roamed, not moved, etc. It feels worrisome, but
some quiet time and it will adjust.

Food -
Look on Craigslist or find an online seller for roaches, crickets or mealworms. The big box pet store feeders are trash. Unless you need something in a pinch I would look for a more reputable source. I think you can put meal worms in the fridge and they will live and slow growth. Might be something to look into as a cost effective way to have a small quantity that lasts longer. Others can chime in. Might be a stretch for the fiancé though, but we’re talking a small container shoved in the far back of the fridge ; ). I gut load my feeders to pass on as much nutrients as possible to the T.

Edit: Added more under feeding section.

 

[viper69]

That’s a really nice thing you did for that T. The pet stores no nothing about keeping animals. Just make sure that the humidity stays up because it is right next to a heat vent andthose tend to dry out enclosures

What’s the concern about humidity for?