New Pinktoe / A. avicularia... Please help!

[DavidB]

I brought home an A. avicularia today. It's my second T. My first was a Rose hair that I bought on friday, so I'm still very new to tarantulas. The Pinktoe is about 2 -2/12 inches. Would you please let me know if I'm doing everything correctly:

1. I have a home-made Plexiglas divider in a 10 gallon tank. I have one spider on each side. I put some upright cork bark, a stick, water dish, and peat moss/jungle beading substrate in the Pinktoe's side of the cage. I also moistened the substrate to add humidity. Is this all okay so far? Is there anything else I might want to add to the tank?

2. Eventually the Pinktoe will decorate the upper portion of the tank with webs, right? How do I remove the tank lid without disturbing the webs? Or is it okay to disturb them?

3. I plan on a feeding schedule of 6 crickets, once a week. Okay?

4. It is very fast and has already escaped once up my wall. How do you keep it from escaping?

5. At one point it was in what I believe was a "death pose" -- feet underneath and wrapped in a ball. Does this mean the spider will die soon? Or could it be that it was just scared? It seems fine now.

6. What other advice would you give me in caring for the pinktoe?

Thanks very much for your help.

David

 

[bodc21]

well i have my avic avic's in a medium sized kritter keeper's and they are standing up on its side vertically i also offered a cork bark in each for climbing,mine ate real well never turned down food till about a week ago they maybe preparring to molt,as for the whole lid thing opening the lid eather way is going to disturb them its a little better with my setup tho-hope i helped somewhat-jason

 

[pategirl]

A. Avics aren't all that difficult to care for, what you have sounds good, just make sure that there isn't any space between the divider and the top of the tank. As for escaping, a screen cover or something with small holes is a good idea. She'll probably do okay with the 6 crickets a week...mine don't eat a lot compared to the other T's I have. As for the position you are referring to, she may be just a little nervous at being in a new place. Avics can assume very strange positions when nervous. Mine do anyway. Hope this helped.

 

[Buspirone]

Wow David,

This hobby has really hooked you....another T so soon! I can't help much with most of the questions you have but it might be you are mistaking the "Stress" pose (where the feet are at the spider's sides real close and the legs are pulled in close to the cephalothorax) for the death pose. I thought my spider was in the death pose a few times the first 2 days I had her and then she calmed down and relaxed.

 

[DavidB]

Thanks for your replies.

Buspirone,
I think you're right about the spider being nervous because it just ate a cricket -- so it seems fine.

I had to go the pet shop to return a cage. When I was there I looked at the Pinktoes...well the rest is history. I know I've haven't been over at the SIGforum much

I asked the pet store to find out if they can get me a Lasiodora parahybana, so yes the hobby has really hooked me And you're to blame;P

 

[Buspirone]

If you have a big enough enclosure can't you keep pinktoes in a small colony. ;P

 

[DavidB]

Buspirone,
So, you're saying that they're not carnivorous. They would be pretty cool to have 2 or 3 pinktoes in the same tank. I'm going to look into that. There's 2 more pinktoes at the pink shop...hmmm.

 

[Arachnopuppy]

Some people have their tanks or petpals standing on their sides rather than the bottom for terrestrials. This way, they can reach in from the side rather than the top. Just another option.

 

[JacenBeers]

Another thing about that supposed death curl position. The tarantula could have been cleaning its feet. THey do this by curling them underneath and they do some tricky thing with their fangs to clean them. I have seen my various tarantulas, including avics, doing this with a few leegs curled underneath and the rest pulled close to the body.

 

[Nixy]

Originally posted by DavidB
Buspirone,
So, you're saying that they're not carnivorous. They would be pretty cool to have 2 or 3 pinktoes in the same tank. I'm going to look into that. There's 2 more pinktoes at the pink shop...hmmm.

Yes they ARE carnivorous,, crickets and worms and other pray items.
But tarantulas are also cannibulistic.
Keeping them in colonies is risky.
I know a few here have two together but I think more together would just be calling an buffet.

I myself keep all our T's in their own enclosiers.
Maybe one day I will try a few cohabiating sets of Avics. But for now I don't want to think about risking any of them.

Good luck on your new darling and congrates.

 

[Gillian]

Originally posted by DavidB

1. I have a home-made Plexiglas divider in a 10 gallon tank. I have one spider on each side. I put some upright cork bark, a stick, water dish, and peat moss/jungle beading substrate in the Pinktoe's side of the cage. I also moistened the substrate to add humidity. Is this all okay so far? Is there anything else I might want to add to the tank?
<<sounds good to me.>>

2. Eventually the Pinktoe will decorate the upper portion of the tank with webs, right? How do I remove the tank lid without disturbing the webs? Or is it okay to disturb them?
<<I've heard that, if you keep tearing down the webbing, it has a strong possibility to build elsewhere, hopefully, the corkbark.>>

3. I plan on a feeding schedule of 6 crickets, once a week. Okay?
<<Once again, sounds good. They have really good appetites.>>

4. It is very fast and has already escaped once up my wall. How do you keep it from escaping?
<<What I do with mine, is keep a really good eye on it. (I know, this sounds "stupid". Once your wee one builds a web, this problem should correct itself.>>

5. At one point it was in what I believe was a "death pose" -- feet underneath and wrapped in a ball. Does this mean the spider will die soon? Or could it be that it was just scared? It seems fine now.
<<One of my E. campestratus slings did this, when I was cleaning it's vial. With mine, I was going with "scared".>>

6. What other advice would you give me in caring for the pinktoe?
<<David, its absolutely crucial that you have excellent ventilation. Stale air will kill these lil cuties off.>>

Thanks very much for your help.
<<Anytime.>>

David

Peace,
Gillian

 

[deifiler]

Originally posted by Buspirone
If you have a big enough enclosure can't you keep pinktoes in a small colony. ;P

you can with a few arboreal species

however, the colony needs to consist of spiders from the same brood (i.e. hatched from the same egg) and you'll have to seperate the males as they mature.

you're best off raising a colony of say three spiders, not getting a spider then adding more spiders to it to make a colony

alos make sure theres enough room for each to have its own hide, and enough food else they will fight over it

probably the most common (as in availabilty at this time) species to raise this way ar the poecilotheria regalis, in England i often see a colony of 3 that have been raised together for £15

hope that helps

 

[DavidB]

Re: Re: New Pinktoe / A. avicularia... Please help!

Originally posted by Gillian

David, its absolutely crucial that you have excellent ventilation. Stale air will kill these lil cuties off

Gillian,
My lid is 9" x 9" and it has about 80 holes 1/3 inches in diameter. Will this provide enough ventilation. My enclosure is 12 inches high.

Thanks for the help.

David

 

[deifiler]

Re: Re: Re: New Pinktoe / A. avicularia... Please help!

Originally posted by DavidB
Gillian,
My lid is 9" x 9" and it has about 80 holes 1/3 inches in diameter. Will this provide enough ventilation. My enclosure is 12 inches high.

Thanks for the help.

David

sounds great! get some sellotape (what its called in england, its a brand name so i think you guys will have it) and cover up about 20 of the holes to retain the humidity whilst allowing sufficient airflow

 

[DavidB]

Re: Re: Re: Re: New Pinktoe / A. avicularia... Please help!

Originally posted by deifiler
sounds great! get some sellotape (what its called in england, its a brand name so i think you guys will have it) and cover up about 20 of the holes to retain the humidity whilst allowing sufficient airflow

Thanks. I'll do that. I know what sellotape is...I was born and raised in England. I've lived in the US since 1991. They call it Scotch tape over here but I still refer to it as sellotape

 

[blackacidevil]

Your in AMERICA now.....

.....call it SCOTCH TAPE DAMMITT!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Grael]

Re: Your in AMERICA now.....

Originally posted by blackacidevil
.....call it SCOTCH TAPE DAMMITT!!!!!!!!!!

no sellotape!

 

[DavidB]

Re: Your in AMERICA now.....

Originally posted by blackacidevil
.....call it SCOTCH TAPE DAMMITT!!!!!!!!!!

The language is called ENGLISH, therefore that is what I shall speak.

 

[Nixy]

Re: Re: Your in AMERICA now.....

Originally posted by DavidB
The language is called ENGLISH, therefore that is what I shall speak.

I ain't seein no way my english are bad........

;P ;P ;P

 

[Buspirone]

I thought "Scotch Tape" was a brand name that everyone just used as a common name for clear plastic tape......kind of like the way we refer to photocopying as "Xerox-ing" or paper as xerox paper. If you ever go to europe and spend a little time there you realize how much of american english really isn't english and you come off as being impolite too.