Not sure whats going on!!!

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
Good evening!!!! Hope everyone had a great weekend? Sorry I been working alot as well as moving 😡. But im posting a pic of her house. And am happy to say that shes been acting amazing! Shes been taking her bedding and flattening out. Pushing all the loose fibers to the sides. So I wait for her to get a nice pile then I grab it out. I hope thats ok? Cause its nice to see her keeping bizie. I have not offered her any food yet. So im not sure if she will eat. Do you think maybe cause her floor was all crazy thats why she wouldnt eat? Cause I just cleaned her cage and put that in. The stuff she had b4 was like a brick and I had to add water to it. But it made a nice smooth flooring. I would love some pointers on making or getting her a new home. Also if she is going to molt. How long should I wait b4 messing with her house and doing some upgrades? I have so many questions. You all have been so helpful. And I thank you from the bottom of my πŸ’š!!!

As I though, she is going to molt pretty soon. If you see that bald patch turning dark, it means that a molt is close.

Once she molts, I'd change the substrate, or at least remove those fibers. Substrate should be well packed. Could you post an image of her enclosure? So we can help you to set up it better.

After she molts post a pic of her exuvia (old molt) so we can confirm you if she is a female or a male. As @Neonblizzard told you, I'd wait two weeks or so before feeding. That's to let the fangs harden properly. Once they are black, she will be ready to catch a prey.
I posted her house.

Hard to say- maybe!
Grooming? I have not heard of that. I mean like grooming herself?😐
 

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Dorifto

He who moists xD
Joined
Aug 10, 2017
Messages
2,681
That enclosure needs a little bit of work.

You should increase the substrate level at least to the door hinge, without blocking the air vents of course. She will need at least one propper hide.

For that kind of enclosure I usually suggest stagered setups, to improve the overall temp and moisture levels. @GrimMelvin did a great job rearranging her enclosure. Link: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/new-to-tarantulas-and-needing-some-advice.347596/post-3204409

It's quite similar to your enclosure, so you can borrow some good ideas to improve your enclosure. For the substrate I'd opt for topsoil, is cheap and pretty good for your species, but check that the substrate is pesticide and fertilizer free, usually the cheapest ones.

Don't do any change or disturbe your T until some weeks after molting. Let her to harden properly.

Grooming? I have not heard of that. I mean like grooming herself?😐
Yes the Ts usually groom themself, curling their legs beneath, and "chew" them. But also could be a sign of dehydration.
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
That enclosure needs a little bit of work.

You should increase the substrate level at least to the door hinge, without blocking the air vents of course. She will need at least one propper hide.

For that kind of enclosure I usually suggest stagered setups, to improve the overall temp and moisture levels. @GrimMelvin did a great job rearranging her enclosure. Link: https://arachnoboards.com/threads/new-to-tarantulas-and-needing-some-advice.347596/post-3204409

It's quite similar to your enclosure, so you can borrow some good ideas to improve your enclosure. For the substrate I'd opt for topsoil, is cheap and pretty good for your species, but check that the substrate is pesticide and fertilizer free, usually the cheapest ones.

Don't do any change or disturbe your T after some weeks after molting. Let her to harden properly.



Yes the Ts usually groom themself, curling their legs beneath, and "chew" them. But also could be a sign of dehydration.
She always has fresh purified water. I have only seen her drink one time. She was like a little dog lol. So how long does it take for them to molt. Like whats the average timeline? And is her house big enough? Like that size is ok? And its ok that I take out the stuff shes pushing up the sides? I dont want to throw anything off she has going on.
 

Dorifto

He who moists xD
Joined
Aug 10, 2017
Messages
2,681
Eg of grooming:


They can groom themself in a very extrange possitions... πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚


Death curl, usually caused by dehydration


She always has fresh purified water. I have only seen her drink one time. She was like a little dog lol. So how long does it take for them to molt. Like whats the average timeline? And is her house big enough? Like that size is ok? And its ok that I take out the stuff shes pushing up the sides? I dont want to throw anything off she has going on.
The size is fine, the setup not so much, needs a little bit of work, but with a little modifications you can have an awesome setup for a looong time. And your T will be much happier, she will want to hug you, but it's not recommendable πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

Yes, you should remove those fibers. As I told you before they don't like fluffy stuff. Their substrate need to be well compressed, she is doing the work for you removing those fibers. Get them out when she moves them to the corners.

She is quite dark, so I spect a molt soon, it could be today or in a month. Once she starts molting, don't do anything, you will be worried, but don't do anything. They know how to be a tarantula better than you, keep in mind that phrase for the future πŸ˜‰

You can moist the substrate a bit if it's too dry. It will help a bit during molting. Don't mist the T please πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
Eg of grooming:


They can groom themself in a very extrange possitions... πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚


Death curl, usually caused by dehydration



The size is fine, the setup not so much, needs a little bit of work, but with a little modifications you can have an awesome setup for a looong time. And your T will be much happier, she will want to hug you, but it's not recommendable πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

Yes, you should remove those fibers. As I told you before they don't like fluffy stuff. Their substrate need to be well compressed, she is doing the work for you removing those fibers. Get them out when she moves them to the corners.

She is quite dark, so I spect a molt soon, it could be today or in a month. Once she starts molting, don't do anything, you will be worried, but don't do anything. They know how to be a tarantula better than you, keep in mind that phrase for the future πŸ˜‰

You can moist the substrate a bit if it's too dry. It will help a bit during molting. Don't mist the T please πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
How big should her hideout be? I use a little clay pot.
 

Dorifto

He who moists xD
Joined
Aug 10, 2017
Messages
2,681
How big should her hideout be? I use a little clay pot.
I'd use a cork bark and make a nice pre burrow, she will make the rest. Make the burrow at the bottom, that is going to be the coldest part of your enclosure. You can make other burrows too, the more hiding place you offer her, the more protected she will feel, they can be burrows or fake plants that offer darker zones to hide.

Check the vivariums subforum, you have a lot of good examples there.
 

GrimMelvin

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 17, 2021
Messages
35
How big should her hideout be? I use a little clay pot.
Hey there. I've recently rearranged my T's enclosure as well, as @Dorifto mentioned. He was very kind to help me, and everyone was great to give me a lot of advice in my thread.

The hide I use for my T is a ceramic turtle hide, just a normal half-log thingy that has no bottom.

You can see it here. This is my enclosure before I changed it based on advice I got here. received_519698939247319.jpeg

The problem here was that the walls were too tall and there wasn't enough space for her to burrow.

What I've done is that I took all the things out and put more soil on the bottom. As much as I could possibly fit in front of the door without covering the air holes.
Then I put the turtle hide back in (it has enough space inside for the T to fit in it comfortably, which is what you should be also aiming for).
Then I started stacking soil on top of the hide and on the sides, to make a higher level. Basically just used the hide as the foundation of a hill. That way, she can go into the big turtle hide on the bottom or she can chill on the top layer.
On the top layer, I put another small cork bark hide, so she can also go there and a plastic fern plant to cover some of the open space, so she feels more secure when she's on the ground. Water dish in the corner.

This also helped reduce the height of the glass, so she wouldn't fall and hurt herself if she climbs on glass.

This is the result, you can see the same hide as on picture 1, used as the base for the top layer.

received_650763549659481.jpeg

As for the soil, I didn't push it down hard. It shouldn't become hard as a brick. But you want it to be firm. I just pushed down the soil my hand. Hope this helps a little bit.
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
Hey there. I've recently rearranged my T's enclosure as well, as @Dorifto mentioned. He was very kind to help me, and everyone was great to give me a lot of advice in my thread.

The hide I use for my T is a ceramic turtle hide, just a normal half-log thingy that has no bottom.

You can see it here. This is my enclosure before I changed it based on advice I got here. View attachment 393317

The problem here was that the walls were too tall and there wasn't enough space for her to burrow.

What I've done is that I took all the things out and put more soil on the bottom. As much as I could possibly fit in front of the door without covering the air holes.
Then I put the turtle hide back in (it has enough space inside for the T to fit in it comfortably, which is what you should be also aiming for).
Then I started stacking soil on top of the hide and on the sides, to make a higher level. Basically just used the hide as the foundation of a hill. That way, she can go into the big turtle hide on the bottom or she can chill on the top layer.
On the top layer, I put another small cork bark hide, so she can also go there and a plastic fern plant to cover some of the open space, so she feels more secure when she's on the ground. Water dish in the corner.

This also helped reduce the height of the glass, so she wouldn't fall and hurt herself if she climbs on glass.

This is the result, you can see the same hide as on picture 1, used as the base for the top layer.

View attachment 393319

As for the soil, I didn't push it down hard. It shouldn't become hard as a brick. But you want it to be firm. I just pushed down the soil my hand. Hope this helps a little bit.
Hello! Nice to meet you! Your tank looks very nice. And yes everyone on here has been so nice. Im happy I found AB! So what size is her house? Mines is 12Γ—12Γ—12inchs. Also what is cork bark? I look forward to building her a new house. Im just waiting to see if shes going to molt before it gets rebuilt. I also look forward to sharing the pics of it as well as her after she molts.

I'd use a cork bark and make a nice pre burrow, she will make the rest. Make the burrow at the bottom, that is going to be the coldest part of your enclosure. You can make other burrows too, the more hiding place you offer her, the more protected she will feel, they can be burrows or fake plants that offer darker zones to hide.

Check the vivariums subforum, you have a lot of good examples there.
Thank you so much.

So how long should I wait before rebuilding her house? If there is a chance she might molt.

Eg of grooming:


They can groom themself in a very extrange possitions... πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚


Death curl, usually caused by dehydration



The size is fine, the setup not so much, needs a little bit of work, but with a little modifications you can have an awesome setup for a looong time. And your T will be much happier, she will want to hug you, but it's not recommendable πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

Yes, you should remove those fibers. As I told you before they don't like fluffy stuff. Their substrate need to be well compressed, she is doing the work for you removing those fibers. Get them out when she moves them to the corners.

She is quite dark, so I spect a molt soon, it could be today or in a month. Once she starts molting, don't do anything, you will be worried, but don't do anything. They know how to be a tarantula better than you, keep in mind that phrase for the future πŸ˜‰

You can moist the substrate a bit if it's too dry. It will help a bit during molting. Don't mist the T please πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚
Speaking of hugs. My Son use to hold her all the time. But im to scared. Do you hold yours? πŸ˜‚ sorry that sounded funny. And if so is there a special way to pick them up? I wouldnt do it now. But after she molts and gets back to being 100. Shw just looks so cute and fuzzy.
 

Dorifto

He who moists xD
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Messages
2,681
Speaking of hugs. My Son use to hold her all the time. But im to scared. Do you hold yours? πŸ˜‚ sorry that sounded funny. And if so is there a special way to pick them up? I wouldnt do it now. But after she molts and gets back to being 100. Shw just looks so cute and fuzzy.
Nope, I never handled mine, and I have a two ultra docile Ts. It's not recommendabke to handle them, it's like holding a fish out of his tank, you can do it but it could have bad consecuences. Think that this is a heavy bodied terrestrial species, if she falls you have a 99% of probabilities for rupturing his abdomen.

If someday you feel that you need for any reason, to handle her, do it inside her enclosure to minimize any risk, and be aware that even the docile ones can bite.
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
Nope, I never handled mine, and I have a two ultra docile Ts. It's not recommendabke to handle them, it's like holding a fish out of his tank, you can do it but it could have bad consecuences. Think that this is a heavy bodied terrestrial species, if she falls you have a 99% of probabilities for rupturing his abdomen.

If someday you feel that you need for any reason, to handle her, do it inside her enclosure to minimize any risk, and be aware that even the docile ones can bite.
With that being said. I will just watch her. Cause her fangs are really big. Just wondering cause I have read they dont have feelings like a dog. And I just find it hard to believe they dont know the dif between happy and sad. I mean I know I cant teach her tricks lol. But they have to have feelings of some sorts?
 

Neonblizzard

Arachnomoron
Joined
Mar 3, 2021
Messages
611
With that being said. I will just watch her. Cause her fangs are really big. Just wondering cause I have read they dont have feelings like a dog. And I just find it hard to believe they dont know the dif between happy and sad. I mean I know I cant teach her tricks lol. But they have to have feelings of some sorts?
They are biologically much more primitive than a vertebrate. They aren't sophisticated enough to feel emotions, they aren't capable of being happy or sad. They react to external stimuli and act on instinct. They can certainly be stressed, but this doesn't correlate to sadness.

The AB community is almost unanimously against handling including myself ; it does nothing except stress the spider and put them at risk. There are many, many threads on the boards of people who were "careful" and still ended up with a splattered T. Don't let this be you as well.
 

Dorifto

He who moists xD
Joined
Aug 10, 2017
Messages
2,681
In the past century we were the only ones who had the ability to have emotional feelings. Nowaday it's well known that they were wrong, who will know what the future could say about Ts and other animals. Not having a brain similar to ours doesn't mean they couldn't feel anything, one simple example are the octopus.
 

GrimMelvin

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 17, 2021
Messages
35
With that being said. I will just watch her. Cause her fangs are really big. Just wondering cause I have read they dont have feelings like a dog. And I just find it hard to believe they dont know the dif between happy and sad. I mean I know I cant teach her tricks lol. But they have to have feelings of some sorts?
I would love to hug my T if I could, she's so adorable and fluffy. But they don't really enjoy being handled, there's no benefit to them when we pick them up. Our hands are soft and warm, which is so much different than what they are used to, and it can freak them out--they could run away or bite, which could cause people to drop them and they would die. They have a soft abdomen, it would be like dropping a balloon of water.
Some keepers do handle their Ts, even many tarantula YouTubers, but that's more for education purposes, to show them to the viewers. I wouldn't really recommend handling them, even though I would love to πŸ˜‚ have to keep my snuggle instinct in check πŸ˜‚

As for emotions, I don't think they have any. But they definitely know when they feel good in the enclosure. And when something is lacking, they are stressed. So in that sense, they 'know' when their keeper is doing a good job. Even though they don't know there's a keeper.

Cork bark is just tree bark from cork. You can find them in some pet stores. Do you have a store called Hornbach? They sell stuff for construction and gardening, but they have a great section for pets and they have a whole bunch of different types of barks, branches, and stones you can use. I know that they also sell cork bark half-logs, which are ideal for a hide. They also have plastic aquarium plants (I got that big fern there and my T loves that thing).

This is the one in my town:

received_1284275322031015.jpeg
 
Last edited:

VaporRyder

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jun 3, 2021
Messages
281
I think that if you keep your T in optimal conditions and it is not experiencing stress, it’s living its best life and will be β€˜spider happy’! :D
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
They are biologically much more primitive than a vertebrate. They aren't sophisticated enough to feel emotions, they aren't capable of being happy or sad. They react to external stimuli and act on instinct. They can certainly be stressed, but this doesn't correlate to sadness.

The AB community is almost unanimously against handling including myself ; it does nothing except stress the spider and put them at risk. There are many, many threads on the boards of people who were "careful" and still ended up with a splattered T. Don't let this be you as well.
Oh im not lol.. I don't even think I have the cahunnas to pick her up. It was more for interest in if people actually do play with them. Trust me I wouldn't do anything to put her safety at risk. Shes family and that's how she gets treated πŸ’š

I would love to hug my T if I could, she's so adorable and fluffy. But they don't really enjoy being handled, there's no benefit to them when we pick them up. Our hands are soft and warm, which is so much different than what they are used to, and it can freak them out--they could run away or bite, which could cause people to drop them and they would die. They have a soft abdomen, it would be like dropping a balloon of water.
Some keepers do handle their Ts, even many tarantula YouTubers, but that's more for education purposes, to show them to the viewers. I wouldn't really recommend handling them, even though I would love to πŸ˜‚ have to keep my snuggle instinct in check πŸ˜‚

As for emotions, I don't think they have any. But they definitely know when they feel good in the enclosure. And when something is lacking, they are stressed. So in that sense, they 'know' when their keeper is doing a good job. Even though they don't know there's a keeper.

Cork bark is just tree bark from cork. You can find them in some pet stores. Do you have a store called Hornbach? They sell stuff for construction and gardening, but they have a great section for pets and they have a whole bunch of different types of barks, branches, and stones you can use. I know that they also sell cork bark half-logs, which are ideal for a hide. They also have plastic aquarium plants (I got that big fern there and my T loves that thing).

This is the one in my town:

View attachment 393347
Im from Michigan. And we don't have that store. It sounds and looks amazing. We have big box stores that sell the basics πŸ˜’. Would you happen to know if this store you speak is online? Cause it should be lol. Looks like they have alot of stuff. Also what size is your babies home? It looks big in the pic. Mine is 12Γ—12Γ—12inchs.
 

GrimMelvin

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 17, 2021
Messages
35
Im from Michigan. And we don't have that store. It sounds and looks amazing. We have big box stores that sell the basics πŸ˜’. Would you happen to know if this store you speak is online? Cause it should be lol. Looks like they have alot of stuff. Also what size is your babies home? It looks big in the pic. Mine is 12Γ—12Γ—12inchs.
Whoa, that is big! Mine is a lot smaller, it's around 17cm long and 13cm wide, so around 6.7 and 5.1 inches. I saw how big she was and I picked out a hut that would be comfy for her, but not super big so she feels safe and snug inside. You know how large your T is, so you can look for objects that would be fir for her. I'm from Europe so I don't know what storer US has, but there must be something :) Try to check online.
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
I dont want to sound stupid lol. So your Ts house is 6 inch long?

So how long do I wait b4 I redo her home? I dont want to bother her if she getting ready to molt. But when do I say ok I waited and it time to remodel. I know she dont like her substrate and I removed all the loose fibers that she pushed to the sides. I want her to be happy. And know its driving me crazy thinking shes not.

So when should I redo her home? If shes going to molt I dont want to mess with her. So when do I say ok I have waited and it time to redo this? I know she dont like her substrate. I have removed all the loose fibers she pushed off to the side.
 

Dorifto

He who moists xD
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Aug 10, 2017
Messages
2,681
Redo the enclosure after she molts, after two weeks or so.

I'd buy a bag of topsoil, ask for one that is pesticide and fertilizer free in your local garden center. It's cheaper and better than coco fiber. For the hide I'd use a cork bark filled and covered with substrate. You can add some fake plants that will provide more places to hide and more darker zones.


I personally like staggered setups, with a low hide, covered with substrate to provide a higher zone.
 

M1201rocks

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
33
What if she dont molt in the next say 2to3 weeks. Should I then go ahead and redo her home? I just dont know when to do it or how long to hold out to see if she molts.
 

spideyspinneret78

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Messages
1,253
What if she dont molt in the next say 2to3 weeks. Should I then go ahead and redo her home? I just dont know when to do it or how long to hold out to see if she molts.
Probably just wait until after she molts and hardens up. Premolt/ molting is stressful and taxing for a tarantula.
 
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