Q's on my pinktoes

[bodc21]

ok ive had my two pinktoes for awile now i was jus wondering whats the best way to keep up the humidity all my t's are in my bathroom because for one its the warmest place in the appt for the 2nd reason i have 2 bathrooms and thats the one i never use except to go look on my t's would running a hot shower for a few min keep up the temp and the humidity i mist my avics enclosure like every other day so its never to dry but one of them doesnt seem to like that idea very much i dont want to stress em out so any info would be nice,thanks-jason

 

[Tranz]

Originally posted by bodc21
ok ive had my two pinktoes for awile now i was jus wondering whats the best way to keep up the humidity all my t's are in my bathroom because for one its the warmest place in the appt for the 2nd reason i have 2 bathrooms and thats the one i never use except to go look on my t's would running a hot shower for a few min keep up the temp and the humidity i mist my avics enclosure like every other day so its never to dry but one of them doesnt seem to like that idea very much i dont want to stress em out so any info would be nice,thanks-jason

I've read that avics' need for humidity has been overstated. If you run this site's search with appropriate terms, I'm sure you'll find discussions of avics and humidity.

 

[Code Monkey]

I've read that avics' need for humidity has been overstated. If you run this site's search with appropriate terms, I'm sure you'll find discussions of avics and humidity.

Like many of mine

I do *nothing* with my avics to maintain anything above ambient humidity (in my household that's 30%-40% RH). I mist about once a week so they can drink from the sides if they're avoiding the water dish but other than that the substrate is usually bone dry. Never had a problem and think that anyone who actually believes avics need higher humidity needs to rethink that position.

Too many avics are killed because their well meaning owners believe the crap in the care sheets and create a still, stagnant environment which is toxic to these tree dwellers which experience everything from moist rainy days to periods of no rain and high wind with practically xeric conditions. Assuming your avic is unstressed with a nice tube web and fresh water available there is no good reason to do anything to raise the humidity in their tanks unless you happen to live in New Mexico or somewhere similar (and then I still say go get a room humidifier).

 

[bodc21]

this is my point i have yet to see them spin any sort of webs?i am worried i thought they make web retreats?

 

[Code Monkey]

My feeling on this:

If they are feeding and otherwise behaving like a healthy spider there is nothing to worry about because species <foo> isn't exhibithing <bar> expected behavior. There is a wide variety of behavior within species and while all avics *should* build a tube web of some sort, them not building them is almost certainly irrespective of humidity conditions.

I would first look to your tank set up for why they haven't built a tube web before I'd be looking at a cause like humidity (dry conditions would more than likely stimulate tube web building rather than inhibit the behavior).

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by bodc21
this is my point i have yet to see them spin any sort of webs?i am worried i thought they make web retreats?

Hi Jason,

currently I'm keeping my avic avics in the following conditions: temps between 70 and 90 F, 60%-80% humidity. Make sure there is good ventilation and maybe even a fan passing over the opening of the enclosure, as it's the windy season down yonder. If you're going to mist, do a light mist, maybe two out of five days, and when I say light mist, I mean like 20 or less squeezes total on the sides, top, substrate and in the enclosure, but try not to mist the tarantula! lol! a water dish is necessary to keep the avic from dehydrating and also offers it the option to drink from it rather than the sides. Humidity can be kept up by overflowing the waterdish slightly. Again, only a couple days out of the week is necessary. As Code mentioned, there are seasons in their native land, and currently it's windy and falling within the above temps and humidities.

Everyone has a different way of keeping which works for them. Alot may depend on your location, how quickly the moisture evaporates, etc. Don't worry about the humidity too much. Just overflow the dish now and then and mist now and then, and the avic should do great (with feeding of course )

As far as webbing, one way to encourage that is by offering a live plant for it to web on, sticks, branches, leaf litter, cork bark, pretty much anything in it's container which allows it to web things together. Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls work well for this purpose. I have also seen this species (individuals) go without webbing from one molt to another, and then become totally webby, or the other way around! So they're kind of unpredictable like that. But I'm sure if you offer the avic the right tools, it will gladly make use of them with it's own!

What size are your avics?

Hope this helped you a little.

Take care,

Paul

 

[bodc21]

thankyou paul and everyone else first off since my avics arent all that big id say 2-3 inchs i have them both in seprate kritter keepers both vertical set ups with a long cork bark i purchased and then broke in half so theyd fit in there enclosures both have yet to make any webs could it be because of substrate? i dont have the best in there i am currently using exo terra 'forest bark'
tomorrow i plan on going to get peat moss and potting soil those are the only 2 out of the 5 t's i have that are using this substrate thanks again,also would running a hot shower sometimes keep up the temp?as it can like tonite get a lil cold my mom gets mad when i turn up the heater all the time?thanks again-jason

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by bodc21
thankyou paul and everyone else first off since my avics arent all that big id say 2-3 inchs i have them both in seprate kritter keepers both vertical set ups with a long cork bark i purchased and then broke in half so theyd fit in there enclosures both have yet to make any webs could it be because of substrate? i dont have the best in there i am currently using exo terra 'forest bark'
tomorrow i plan on going to get peat moss and potting soil those are the only 2 out of the 5 t's i have that are using this substrate thanks again,also would running a hot shower sometimes keep up the temp?as it can like tonite get a lil cold my mom gets mad when i turn up the heater all the time?thanks again-jason

You're welcome, Jason, anytime! If I can help, I'm glad to!

I've seen some avics this size who didn't web a whole lot, at least until they had a larger type container or, for some reason, a round container. I usually start out with avics in 50 dram vials (spiderlings freshly dispersed) and as they grow I move them into a 1 gallon rubbermaid container (can be purchased at walmart for $3). For some reason, perhaps the shape of the container, the majority of the avics I've raised loved webbing these containers up. Once they reach 3-4 inches I move them into a ten gallon set on it's end or larger size terrarium, complete with plants to climb on and web, sticks, paper towel rolls, etc. I'm currently keeping about a half dozen avic females and a male, two females to each 10 gallon (which to be honest with you IS a little risky (due to possibility of cannibalism), but I have had no problems so far keeping them this way. The last time I did this, the male lived happily with the two females, and other than a couple of scuffles, the females cohabited nicely! (I did, however, keep them WELL fed). On the bark type substrate, it may not be as harmful to an arboreal tree dweller as it would a terrestrial, but there's still a risk since you're not real sure what woods are in the "forest bark". Peat/potting soil works well, and with an arboreal all you need is a couple to few inches of substrate (or enough to plant a plant in in the case of using a larger terrarium).

On the hot shower to raise temps or humidity, that should be fine, as long as the spider isn't getting directly sprayed on (of course).

You know, coming up with the idea of a hot shower to help the avics temps and humidities is quite insightful. They say when you use one tool or object to solve a problem that is unrelated in effect to the tool you are using, it is a use of insightful genius! The best thing we can do in the hobby is make the best use of what we have for our little invert friends to make their life as pleasant as possible while they are with us!

Your setups sound fine for now, though I would switch the bark to peat/potting soil.

On the webbing, another observation came to mind. I've noticed that about half the avics I have raised are willing to actually make a hide fully against the sides of the container, while the other half seemed to prefer to use objects in the environment to make their retreat on, specifically vertical sticks and branches (as well as plants). The ones who preferred having some distance from the sides usually did use the sides to anchor their webbing, but they would tend to hang out near the lid or around the plants, sticks, etc. rather than the side. Just an extra observation, not sure if that helps or not. Just came to mind because you mentioned you have cork bark in there. Is it leaned against the side or sticking up vertically like a plant, independent of the side? Sometimes it takes a little playing around with the environment of the tarantula to see how it likes it best. Try changing some things, if you want, and then give the spider about five days between tamperings. This should help you figure out just how your personal avic likes his cage!



Take care, Jason!


Paul

 

[bodc21]

Paul first off you have helped me so much alot of the things you have said have made me think,here in a lil bit i am going to go to osh are hardware store to pick me up some peat/potting soil and my cork bark in both enclosures starts from the bottom to the top going sideways they both are always on it and are eating really well so im not that much concerned yet hopefully with me playing with there enclosures today will make them feel more at home i will post later on how things went-Jason

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by bodc21
Paul first off you have helped me so much alot of the things you have said have made me think,here in a lil bit i am going to go to osh are hardware store to pick me up some peat/potting soil and my cork bark in both enclosures starts from the bottom to the top going sideways they both are always on it and are eating really well so im not that much concerned yet hopefully with me playing with there enclosures today will make them feel more at home i will post later on how things went-Jason

Hi Jason,

I'm glad to help you any way I can! Sounds like your avics are doing really well!!

Actually, they may not appreciate you tampering with their homes, lol, but in the long run they may like their new setup without bark chips even better. No (to them) smelly wood fumes coming up to greet them on their cork bark (in the case of it being one of the nasty wood types)!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but if you put more than one piece of cork bark in there, independent of eachother yet close enough together for the avic to climb from one to the other and connect them with web, then you'll probably see more webbing! If I already mentioned that (I may have, lol!) then my apologies for repeating myself.

Please do keep us informed on how your avics are doing!

Take care,

Paul

 

[bodc21]

well i did it i got me some vermiculite and peat moss,tonite i changed both of my pinktoes and my rosey enclosures fully cleaned out there kritter keepers used straight vermiculite in both of my pinktoes enclosures no peat moss im going to also keep it dry for about a few days with the water bowl toppd lets see if they start to web one has started a little bit,on my rosey i used half and half both peat moss and vermiculite he wasnt happy at first but he prolly jus didnt like to get tampered with in his enclosure was jus solid potting soil i like this a lil better hopefully he does too thanks once again everyone for your help especially you paul-jason

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by bodc21
well i did it i got me some vermiculite and peat moss,tonite i changed both of my pinktoes and my rosey enclosures fully cleaned out there kritter keepers used straight vermiculite in both of my pinktoes enclosures no peat moss im going to also keep it dry for about a few days with the water bowl toppd lets see if they start to web one has started a little bit,on my rosey i used half and half both peat moss and vermiculite he wasnt happy at first but he prolly jus didnt like to get tampered with in his enclosure was jus solid potting soil i like this a lil better hopefully he does too thanks once again everyone for your help especially you paul-jason

You're welcome, Jason.

Do you have the Tarantula Keepers Guide by Stan and Marguerite Schultz? If not, I highly recommend it!

On vermiculite, this is what they have to say:

"Vermiculite is nonorganic and very clean. Thus, it doesn't promote disease or mite infestations of itself. It is also very light in weight, and a shelf of large jars or cages with vermiculite substrate will weigh only a fraction of the same containers with aquarium gravel. Because it is inexpensive, it may be thrown away when soiled, or used in the garden or in flower pots as originally intended, with little guilt.

In practice, the vermiculite is dampened slightly, but it should never be wet enough to allow any water to be squeezed out by hand. The present authors view such a moist habitat with some trepidation. Too much moisture for too long a time invites mite infestations and fungus infections. If moistened vermiculite is used, clean the cage often and inspect the tarantula frequently for signs of vermin or disease. If there are even faint suspicions of either, sanitize the cage and switch to a drier substrate.

Additional problems with vermiculite are that some tarantulas are not comfortable on the relatively loose, unstable substrate or the moisture. This is evidenced by burrowing species persistently hanging from the cage walls or pacing the container like a caged lion. Usually they recover from their unhappiness within a few weeks and settle into a normal routine on the vermiculite. If the problem persists, change to another substrate.

Another criticism that these authors have with vermiculite is its color, which is almost the same as newly emerged tarantulas. Thus, the tiny spiderlings are forever getting lost between the vermiculite grains, and the enthusiast has great difficulty finding them and assessing their health and growth. After some months, the spiderlings grow large enough to allow more or less easy recongnition. The first few months can by trying, however.

One last criticism of vermiculite is that a mite infestation is all but invisible on it until the cage and the tarantula are almost overwhelmed by the mushrooming hordes."

This is why I use peat rather than vermiculite!

I'm sure they'll be fine, but keep your eye on them, and if necessary switch the substrate again (I know, big pain! lol!)

Good luck and let us know once your avics go all webby!

Take care,

Paul