- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
- Messages
- 140
Hey everyone! I'm new to the world of T's.
I just got my first T, a lovely little A. avicularia 2 days ago for a b-day present from my girlfriend. I am new to everything and the last research I have done was about 6 years ago when I was looking for a new pet and settled on a cornsnake instead(easier to convince mom then to get that lol). Anyways, I have several questions after reading over many posts.
1.) As stated, my little guy(not sure if it is a guy , but hey, 50% chance til I get molt to examine), named Ted, is an A. avicularia. Right now I say he has a leg span of about 2.5-3 inches(closer to the 3" size I'd say). Is a 10 gallon terrarium too big?
2.) I notice in a few threads that there should not be more than 1.5x the spiders leg span between the top of the terrarium and the substrate. What is the reasoning for this? Is it purely for safety from prevention of falling long distances?
3.) What are a good suggestion for setting up the terrarium? I mean since A. avicularia are arboreal then I'd assume standing the terrarium up long ways would be a good idea for giving more room to climb, but then again, if I'm keeping only about 1.5 x between the top and substrate wouldn't this be pointless and essentially limit the room as there is less width to move?
4.) How much truth is there to T's drowning in their water bowl's? I've noticed in some pictures people add pebbles/rocks to their bowls to keep it shallow but allow more water/bring the water near the top in deeper bowls(mine is kind of deep but i keep the water shallow at the bottom), this seems like the best solution and prevention to me.
5.) About how often should I mist the terrarium?
6.) I read about the possibility of the spider pushing the lids up? Is there a big worry with this? I currently have it latched on with 2 clips on each far side of the enclosure(that is the short sides). It is rather easy for me to pull it up about a quarter of an inch, and I am unsure the strength of Ts. Should I put something on top to hold it down until I have more clips to keep it more secure?
7.) How long has it taken your Ts to settle in? I've noticed Ted has started to move more today, but for the most part he has been chilling on the side and keeping still.
8.) If he doesnt eat within 24 hours should I take out the crickets? I opened the small kritter keeper he came in and left it in the larger terrarium friday to allow him to come out on his own time. I asked the pet shop I got him from the feeding schedule they had him on and they said monday/friday 2-3 medium crickets. I purchased him friday morning before they had fed him. After several hours without Ted moving from the kritter keeper I put a cricket in with him to see if that could help him settle and adjust. By saturday he still hadnt left the keeper but had eaten the cricket. By saturday night he was out into the terrarium so i removed the keeper. I added 2 crickets to the enclosure since he hadn't eaten his usual amounts(i added 2 only due to the size of the terrarium doesnt worry me that they will gang up and attack him, and even if they did he could quickly escape up the wall, and also the fact that he hasnt come off the wall as far as I know of) Should I remove them? Also, should I of only added 1 at a time?
9.) What are some pre molting signs for A. avicularia
10.) Will being next to hamster disturb Ted? I just bought my g/f a robo dwarf hamster for her b-day(mine is the 12th and hers is the 14th) and it is going to be living in my room. Will the vibrations from the hamster running on the wheel disturb Ted? Their enclosures are about 4-5 inches apart on top of my wood dresser
And last question(finally, I know lol):
11.) What is the growth rate for A. avicularia?
Thanks for any answers to questions! I understand if you dont wanna answer them all cause I got a lot bouncing around my mind.
I'll try and get pictures of Ted and his terrarium up soon for you all to see! I have loved his company so far and can't wait to get more Ts in the future because I'm sure he will be a great first T.
- Erik
I just got my first T, a lovely little A. avicularia 2 days ago for a b-day present from my girlfriend. I am new to everything and the last research I have done was about 6 years ago when I was looking for a new pet and settled on a cornsnake instead(easier to convince mom then to get that lol). Anyways, I have several questions after reading over many posts.
1.) As stated, my little guy(not sure if it is a guy , but hey, 50% chance til I get molt to examine), named Ted, is an A. avicularia. Right now I say he has a leg span of about 2.5-3 inches(closer to the 3" size I'd say). Is a 10 gallon terrarium too big?
2.) I notice in a few threads that there should not be more than 1.5x the spiders leg span between the top of the terrarium and the substrate. What is the reasoning for this? Is it purely for safety from prevention of falling long distances?
3.) What are a good suggestion for setting up the terrarium? I mean since A. avicularia are arboreal then I'd assume standing the terrarium up long ways would be a good idea for giving more room to climb, but then again, if I'm keeping only about 1.5 x between the top and substrate wouldn't this be pointless and essentially limit the room as there is less width to move?
4.) How much truth is there to T's drowning in their water bowl's? I've noticed in some pictures people add pebbles/rocks to their bowls to keep it shallow but allow more water/bring the water near the top in deeper bowls(mine is kind of deep but i keep the water shallow at the bottom), this seems like the best solution and prevention to me.
5.) About how often should I mist the terrarium?
6.) I read about the possibility of the spider pushing the lids up? Is there a big worry with this? I currently have it latched on with 2 clips on each far side of the enclosure(that is the short sides). It is rather easy for me to pull it up about a quarter of an inch, and I am unsure the strength of Ts. Should I put something on top to hold it down until I have more clips to keep it more secure?
7.) How long has it taken your Ts to settle in? I've noticed Ted has started to move more today, but for the most part he has been chilling on the side and keeping still.
8.) If he doesnt eat within 24 hours should I take out the crickets? I opened the small kritter keeper he came in and left it in the larger terrarium friday to allow him to come out on his own time. I asked the pet shop I got him from the feeding schedule they had him on and they said monday/friday 2-3 medium crickets. I purchased him friday morning before they had fed him. After several hours without Ted moving from the kritter keeper I put a cricket in with him to see if that could help him settle and adjust. By saturday he still hadnt left the keeper but had eaten the cricket. By saturday night he was out into the terrarium so i removed the keeper. I added 2 crickets to the enclosure since he hadn't eaten his usual amounts(i added 2 only due to the size of the terrarium doesnt worry me that they will gang up and attack him, and even if they did he could quickly escape up the wall, and also the fact that he hasnt come off the wall as far as I know of) Should I remove them? Also, should I of only added 1 at a time?
9.) What are some pre molting signs for A. avicularia
10.) Will being next to hamster disturb Ted? I just bought my g/f a robo dwarf hamster for her b-day(mine is the 12th and hers is the 14th) and it is going to be living in my room. Will the vibrations from the hamster running on the wheel disturb Ted? Their enclosures are about 4-5 inches apart on top of my wood dresser
And last question(finally, I know lol):
11.) What is the growth rate for A. avicularia?
Thanks for any answers to questions! I understand if you dont wanna answer them all cause I got a lot bouncing around my mind.
I'll try and get pictures of Ted and his terrarium up soon for you all to see! I have loved his company so far and can't wait to get more Ts in the future because I'm sure he will be a great first T.
- Erik
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