Raised the heat in my tarantula room

[TheHound]

I keep my Ts in my basement. Thanks to the central heating it's not too cold, generally hovering around 20 degrees C (68 F) or just above. Sometimes at night it goes lower. The prevailing wisdom seems to be that if you are comfortable, your tarantulas are, and room temperature is generally fine - it's the extremes that are problematic. But I also read that warmer temps will see them grow faster (presumably it speeds up their metabolisms), and possibly to a bigger ultimate size; I also read in one place (though only one) that it can make moulting safer too. So I've stuck a plug-in radiator in the room - the ambient temperature is now hovering in between 23 (73.4) and 24 (75.2). It's not a very scientific comparison, but the spiders do seem more active since this rise. My first spider, a 2 inch T. sabulosus bought in January, only just went into pre-moult a week or two ago - I wonder if it might have done sooner had the temperatures been higher. My D. pentaloris is moving about loads more too, and my tiny versicolor sling also seems more active in its tiny enclosure, and seemed keener to eat the mealworm segment I'd left in with him (albeit I only leave food in 24 hours, so it may have had nothing to do with the added warmth, so much as it just got around to it).

Again, the comparison is not very scientific, but I'm happy enough with the apparent effects that I've ordered a radiator with a proper thermostat to keep the room at a constant specific temperature (not sure what would be optimal yet - maybe something like it is now, i.e. around 23/24 C?), with the option of programming it to go lower at night.

Anyone else played with temperature and found differences in behaviour/growth? What have you found to be the optimal temp for your Ts?

Then there are the implications on other husbandry elements - e.g. I guess if I'm keeping the temperatures higher I should be prepared to refill the water bowls and wet substrate more often. And presumably feed more often too!

 

[DomGom TheFather]

The difference in activity and appetite between low seventies and low eighties is definitely noticeable. I try to aim for anything consistent and within that range. As long as it doesn't go below sixty five or above eighty five, i don't worry too much if it's not bouncing all over the place.

 

[Craig73]

The weather where I live has bounced between mid 60’s to 80’s F the past few weeks and activity has perked up significantly. Last week we had consistent 70-80 degrees and I had five molts and another four in premolt and two showing signs of premolt. Even my I. mira has started to come fully out of its burrow more frequently lately...not for very long or far from the trap door but I’ll take it.

Should be a banner summer with high 70-90+ weather.

 

[RoachCoach]

The "if you are comfortable, they are" is just to keep people from freezing or burning their bugs to death. They tolerate temperatures similar to us but not in the same range. When your muscles start to get cold you literally start to slow. Except our metabolism isn't directly tied to our environment. We can generate our own heat at a cost to calories. "The candle that burns" anecdote is pretty much dead on for spiders.
Please don't rely on a plug in radiator for your entire room. I lost a 10 year old red tail from a faulty ceramic heater. Timer and/or a quality thermostat. If it just a rheostat then just keep looking.

 

[viper69]

The "if you are comfortable, they are" is just to keep people from freezing or burning their bugs to death. They tolerate temperatures similar to us but not in the same range. When your muscles start to get cold you literally start to slow. Except our metabolism isn't directly tied to our environment. We can generate our own heat at a cost to calories. "The candle that burns" anecdote is pretty much dead on for spiders.
Please don't rely on a plug in radiator for your entire room. I lost a 10 year old red tail from a faulty ceramic heater. Timer and/or a quality thermostat. If it just a rheostat then just keep looking.

Man that sucks on your boa, esp only 10 yrs. Spyderrobotics is our friend.

 

[TheHound]

Sorry to hear your cautionary tale, RoachCoach. These radiators have both thermostats which cut out heat once desired temperature is reached, as well as 24 hour timer settings if required. I also bought one of the higest quality makes; it has antifrost and overheat prevention functions.

I did check out Spyderrobotics - apart from the fact that they're not available in the UK, and though they are obviously serious equipment, I have to admit I don't quite understand how they work (what heat sources they connect to), not what they would give me that I need which the above does not.

So I'm thinking of setting up the room to be either 20C (68F) or 21C (69.8F) at night and either 24C (75.2F) or 25C (77F) during the day.

I'd like there to be variation between day and night, and for the temps to provide optimal growth without making the room unpleasantly hot to be in during the day.

Do those seem like good temps/variations?

 

[Lindsay R]

Hi i justcame across this i have noticed lots of strange behavoiur towards small bursts of higher temps. i keep and grow my slings in a 4 foot vivarium all in there own enclosures of course a heat mat and thermostat keeps this around 22/24oC but ever so often i boost the temps for around 2 mins by switching the heat bulb on and like clockwork the majority of my Ts come out and move towards the side thats nearest the heatsource.. none are directly below the light there is multiple thermometre probes in there also in different areas and levels in the vivarium.
Though when i switch on the heat my cobalt blue sling especially comes out and raises itself up as if to gain solar energy or something similar.
My electric blue when it was still in there use to come out everytime the heat went on for the 2 mins burst.
every tarantula i have has had a reaction to moving towards the warmer side.
I heard somewhere possibly on bordspider.ch yt channel that tarantula burrows remain a mean temperature of the enviromental temperature through the day and night time. e.g if the day time peak heat was 30oC and the nighttime temperature was 20oC the burrow in should remain a constant 25oC just to add this is in the wild this this theory is taken from insterting probes into tarantula burrows in the wild.