Organising Tarantula/Invert etc. Collections

[iMaex]

Currently I have 3 Ts and I plan on getting more later in the year. So far I have been using the app "Tarantulas" to keep things organised and making it easier to track feeding/moulting patterns. Not to mention that the developer(s) keep it updated with frequent bug fixes and small updates.

It got me thinking - What do other T carers and hobbyists use to do similar? - Are there better apps/analogue methods out there for larger collections?

 

[Killertut]

i have an excel document about the spiders i own, their sex upon buying and the sex i determined myself, their size upon buying, where i got them from and when.
i feed all tarantulas at the same time, so no need to write that down and i am not interested in when they molted and how often, just that they molt and get bigger (and obviously stay healthy)

 

[krbshappy71]

I use a notebook to keep track of feeding, moltings, and watering. Mine are just pets, not breeding them. I keep the tanks labeled with their names (scientific, common, and pet names) in case something happens to me, someone else will be able to step in. I only have 4 Ts right now but numerous other critters that are also in the notebook and have labels on their tanks. Wish I could use that app, it's Android only from what I could tell last time I looked at it.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Currently I have 3 Ts and I plan on getting more later in the year. So far I have been using the app "Tarantulas" to keep things organised and making it easier to track feeding/moulting patterns. Not to mention that the developer(s) keep it updated with frequent bug fixes and small updates.

It got me thinking - What do other T carers and hobbyists use to do similar? - Are there better apps/analogue methods out there for larger collections?

I did use that app when I started but as you learn more the app can't keep up with the amount of things I like to keep track of and also has no husbandry info so now I use the old pen and paper situation lol and have a Callander purely for feeding and last moults, when you're collection grows you will find it easier to use pen and paper or some sort of software to keep track

Android only from what I could tell last time I looked at it.

Correct but you can run .apk files on windows so theoretically you can run it on you're pc lol

 

[krbshappy71]

Correct but you can run .apk files on windows so theoretically you can run it on you're pc lol

My pc is Apple as well.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

My pc is Apple as well.

Doesn't really matter anyway when you're collection grows it becomes obsolete imo

 

[krbshappy71]

Doesn't really matter anyway when you're collection grows it becomes obsolete imo

Google is my friend, silly me. Found an article that might help me. Thank for the idea! https://www.techjunkie.com/run-apk-files-mac/ Feeding everyone on the same day does help, but I like to record whether or not they ate, how many dubias they ate, or if they ignored it.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

I did use that app when I started but as you learn more the app can't keep up with the amount of things I like to keep track of and also has no husbandry info so now I use the old pen and paper situation lol and have a Callander purely for feeding and last moults, when you're collection grows you will find it easier to use pen and paper or some sort of software to keep track

What kind of things do you keep track of that the app can't accommodate?

 

[PanzoN88]

I don't really keep track of anything until I need to. When I do I open a note on my phone and type in molt dates. This only happens when I get males. I only track females come breeding time.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Google is my friend, silly me. Found an article that might help me. Thank for the idea! https://www.techjunkie.com/run-apk-files-mac/ Feeding everyone on the same day does help, but I like to record whether or not they ate, how many dubias they ate, or if they ignored it.

If you feed them all on the same day all you do is have check boxes whether they ate or not using pen and paper or excel you're possibilities of record recording is endless where as on the app it is limited to what the developers give you to take record.

What kind of things do you keep track of that the app can't accommodate?

The app is pretty Basic and only really for begginersI have a full calendar and diary I keep track of everything from behavior of when I think premolt is beginning to when it actually begins Sizes of the spiders and I also keep a few true spiders which the app dose not accommodate for

 

[The Grym Reaper]

when your collection grows it becomes obsolete imo

How? I have nearly 70 tarantulas and it's perfect. I keep track of my scorps and mantis on there too.

If anything, it has too many irrelevant fields (temps/humidity/etc.) but at least it gives you the option to pick which ones show up on the interface.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

How? I have nearly 70 tarantulas and it's perfect. I keep track of my scorps and mantis on there too.

If anything, it has too many irrelevant fields (temps/humidity/etc.) but at least it gives you the option to pick which ones show up on the interface.

Yeah but far too time consuming imo too thsi is all just user preference as well if you like that app go ahead batter in I liked it to start with too purely because you can have a pic of you're T next to the info, I just think now it's irrelevant and I only have 19 Ts to go through each individualy on the app would take ages but now I just use charts and check boxes take all of 30 seconds to pick up the pencil and tick some boxes some phones wouldn't even load the app that fast

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I literally open the app in the morning and it gives me a list with check boxes of which Ts need to be fed on that particular day, I just check them off as I go and click "feed selected" (or just "feed all" if no-one on the list refuses), job done.

I only need to go into a specific T's info to either mark it as being in pre-moult (check a box), to mark it as moulted (press a button and it automatically records the date of the moult/time between moults/time spent in pre-moult) or to tell the app to postpone feeding notifications for it for a set amount of time (check a box and fill in a date field), it'd be far more time consuming mucking about with spreadsheets/pen & paper/calenders tbh, not to mention the waste it would create.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Look that's what you do and we'll done that you're trying to save the environment I just think it's so much easier and faster to pick a pencil up and the app is pretty dull I have a my little pony calendar it's beautiful

 

[velvetundergrowth]

I keep a list on the notepad on my phone, but seeing as I currently have less than 30 different species of animal I don't use it too often.

 

[SonsofArachne]

I don't really need to. I feed almost everything on Monday and Tuesday. I check them all at least twice a day, water and maintenance as needed. They molt when they molt. And far as knowing what's what, I don't need any labels, I have them all memorized.

 

[iMaex]

Wow. I really didn't expect so many responses .

I really do like the app. It's a little bit clunky here and there, but it's very simplistic... aside from having a lot of redundant options. I guess it's better to have and not need, than to need and not have!

If the app didn't exist, I expect I would be using Excel or printing off sheets to fill out. Perhaps I'll need to go to pen and paper when I expand if it gets too much. We'll see!

One other thing I'm looking to do in future is print off some stickers that can go on the front of enclosures. Not so much for organisation, but for other people to read when visiting (if I can find a way to make it look good).

 

[Vanessa]

I use an excel spreadsheet that I print out every month for feeding and also a binder with information in it.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I have a record book I log everything into. What and when who was fed, if a meal was refused, molt dates.

I also tape the molts in there (those that will fit) so I can see the growth rate at a glance.

 

[EulersK]

Google Sheets, which is basically Microsoft Excel that I can easily use and sync across devices.