Rehousing question

Natanya

Arachnopeon
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So I am a new owner of a Chilean rose hair first time ever owning a spider so this might be a stupid question for the more experienced. I just changed/rehoused her all new substrate clean tank and when I put her back in the tank she will not stop moving around. She keeps trying to climb up her tank or she will sit on top of her decorations and just going around in circles. So I guess what I'm asking is if this is normal behavior for rehousing a new tarantula or did I do something wrong
 

AshS

Arachnosquire
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Apr 21, 2017
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A few years ago I had a G. Porteri (Chiliean rose) who did exactly the same thing after I changed her substrate, as I didn't dry it enough and it was still damp.
Thing to remember is that these are desert species and they prefer arid (dry) conditions. What sub are you using?
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
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So I am a new owner of a Chilean rose hair first time ever owning a spider
Since this is your first tarantula, I would recommend posting pictures of the entire setup to see if there are any problems.


I just changed/rehoused her all new substrate clean tank and when I put her back in the tank she will not stop moving around.
Are you putting her in a new enclosure, or are you changing the substrate just to clean it? There's no need to regularly change the substrate; spot cleaning (removing boluses and uneaten prey) will suffice for arid species like yours.


So I guess what I'm asking is if this is normal behavior for rehousing a new tarantula or did I do something wrong
It is normal for a tarantula to be restless in the days following a rehousing.

Damp substrate will cause many arid terrestrials to try to stay off the substrate.
 

The Grym Reaper

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It's normal for a Tarantula to wander around the enclosure/climb the walls for a while after rehousing until they get settled in.

If the substrate is damp then they will also go out of their way to avoid setting foot on it as this species requires dry substrate.

Can I ask why you did a rehouse/deep clean of the enclosure? You only really need to do that if you have a mould/mite problem or the Tarantula gets too big for the enclosure and needs to be rehoused to a bigger one, just picking out the boluses/uneaten prey is fine, there are people on here who haven't changed the substrate in some of their enclosures for well over a decade.
 

mconnachan

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Can I ask why you did a rehouse/deep clean of the enclosure?
I think by the way the question is worded he has put new substrate etc in the old enclosure as a new start for the T, unbeknown to him the sub would have been fine, just assuming here but there may have been another reason.
 

Natanya

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Ok I bought her from a guy and he gave me some information on her last feeding, rehoused, molt, etc so I have been looking everywhere on when do i need to change there cage if I ever need too and i found like a small part of information in the dark corners of the internet that I need to change there cage every 6 months to a year and now that I see what you guys have told me that was wrong but the issue remains that unknown to me I changed her cage took her from her environment and made her unsettled and now I'm afraid that she might hurt herself or take a fall the substrate is not too damp but it might be a little water on it again I found the information on the internet telling me to damp the substrate but I didn't damp it I just sprayed a little water on it do i just let her be or can I do something to help her
 

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Natanya

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A few years ago I had a G. Porteri (Chiliean rose) who did exactly the same thing after I changed her substrate, as I didn't dry it enough and it was still damp.
Thing to remember is that these are desert species and they prefer arid (dry) conditions. What sub are you using?
I didn't wet it too much but after I did spray a little water on the substrate I knew it was bad but after I woke up this morning it wasn't damp but she is still on top of her decoration
 

Natanya

Arachnopeon
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It's normal for a Tarantula to wander around the enclosure/climb the walls for a while after rehousing until they get settled in.

If the substrate is damp then they will also go out of their way to avoid setting foot on it as this species requires dry substrate.

Can I ask why you did a rehouse/deep clean of the enclosure? You only really need to do that if you have a mould/mite problem or the Tarantula gets too big for the enclosure and needs to be rehoused to a bigger one, just picking out the boluses/uneaten prey is fine, there are people on here who haven't changed the substrate in some of their enclosures for well over a decade.
Ok I bought her from a guy and he gave me some information on her last feeding, rehoused, molt, etc so I have been looking everywhere on when do i need to change there cage if I ever need too and i found like a small part of information in the dark corners of the internet that I need to change there cage every 6 months to a year and now that I see what you guys have told me that was wrong but the issue remains that unknown to me I changed her cage took her from her environment and made her unsettled and now I'm afraid that she might hurt herself or take a fall the substrate is not too damp but it might be a little water on it again I found the information on the internet telling me to damp the substrate but I didn't damp it I just sprayed a little water on it do i just let her be or can I do something to help her
 

Graves6661

Arachnosquire
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Dec 31, 2015
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Let her be. Make sure the enclosure has plenty of air circulation so humidity does not build up and allows the substrate to dry. You could also take her out briefly and add dry substrate on top of the damp. All in all, she just needs time to settle. She just got put into a completely new territory and needs time to establish it as her own.
 

The Grym Reaper

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Ok I bought her from a guy and he gave me some information on her last feeding, rehoused, molt, etc so I have been looking everywhere on when do i need to change there cage if I ever need too and i found like a small part of information in the dark corners of the internet that I need to change there cage every 6 months to a year and now that I see what you guys have told me that was wrong but the issue remains that unknown to me I changed her cage took her from her environment and made her unsettled and now I'm afraid that she might hurt herself or take a fall the substrate is not too damp but it might be a little water on it again I found the information on the internet telling me to damp the substrate but I didn't damp it I just sprayed a little water on it do i just let her be or can I do something to help her
No worries, adding a few more inches of bone dry substrate to the enclosure would eliminate the fall risk (I've marked roughly the pic below to give you a general idea of how much) and help her to acclimatise better, the gap between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure shouldn't be more than 2x the Tarantula's leg span.

Other than that, just leave it to dry out and she should settle in a week or two, there's no need to spray the sub at all, a water dish is all they need.

20170606_081528.jpg
 

Natanya

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No worries, adding a few more inches of bone dry substrate to the enclosure would eliminate the fall risk (I've marked roughly the pic below to give you a general idea of how much) and help her to acclimatise better, the gap between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure shouldn't be more than 2x the Tarantula's leg span.

Other than that, just leave it to dry out and she should settle in a week or two, there's no need to spray the sub at all, a water dish is all they need.

View attachment 242482
I have one more question if you don't mind. I am using that zoo med eco earth loose coconut substrate for her is that the correct substrate for her and two I get it it's very loose hence the word but before I changed her substrate I couldn't like easily poked a hole in the dirt and the dirt will fall in to the hole I just made and since her burrow place is heavy I feel once she burrows the dirt won't be able to hold on to her burrow house and it will fall in her am I worrying for no reason or is that an actual problem for me to be concerned about
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
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I am using that zoo med eco earth loose coconut substrate for her is that the correct substrate for her and two I get it it's very loose hence the word but before I changed her substrate I couldn't like easily poked a hole in the dirt and the dirt will fall in to the hole I just made and since her burrow place is heavy I feel once she burrows the dirt won't be able to hold on to her burrow house and it will fall in her
Coconut fiber is a popular and acceptable substrate.

Generally, you want to tamp it down while it is still slightly damp. This makes it better for supporting burrows and possibly more comfortable for the tarantula to walk on.

That being said, Grammostola rosea/porteri may or may not choose to burrow, especially if there is an appropriate-sized hide in the enclosure.
 

aphono

Arachnobaron
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Mar 11, 2017
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No worries, adding a few more inches of bone dry substrate to the enclosure would eliminate the fall risk (I've marked roughly the pic below to give you a general idea of how much) and help her to acclimatise better, the gap between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure shouldn't be more than 2x the Tarantula's leg span.

Other than that, just leave it to dry out and she should settle in a week or two, there's no need to spray the sub at all, a water dish is all they need.

View attachment 242482
This is an excellent response, including a picture to make it very plain. Bonus points for using Peggy Sue's enclosure picture. :)

@Natanya that's one of the reasons for deep substrate, especially in tall enclosures like yours. It reduces the potential height for them to fall and gives more "padding" if they do fall. Don't worry about it too much and you actually did pretty good, an old and common mistake is giving just one or even half inch of substrate.

If she burrows, all the more reason for deep substrate... normally they web the burrow so it will hold the shape. But yeah, do tamp down the substrate.. push down pretty firmly but not so hard you break the glass. You cannot accidentally compress eco earth so hard to the point she is unable to dig in- it stays loose just not so fluffy anymore.
 

Natanya

Arachnopeon
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Jun 6, 2017
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This is an excellent response, including a picture to make it very plain. Bonus points for using Peggy Sue's enclosure picture. :)

@Natanya that's one of the reasons for deep substrate, especially in tall enclosures like yours. It reduces the potential height for them to fall and gives more "padding" if they do fall. Don't worry about it too much and you actually did pretty good, an old and common mistake is giving just one or even half inch of substrate.

If she burrows, all the more reason for deep substrate... normally they web the burrow so it will hold the shape. But yeah, do tamp down the substrate.. push down pretty firmly but not so hard you break the glass. You cannot accidentally compress eco earth so hard to the point she is unable to dig in- it stays loose just not so fluffy anymore.
Ok thank everyone for your help and kind words I guess the only thing to do now is wait and see what she does right now she is just hanging out behind her burrow place and hasnt moved all day but i dont wanna stress her out anymore then what i have done in the last few day so im just gonna let her be and we will see what happens.
 

Haemus

Arachnosquire
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Feb 11, 2016
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128
I have one more question if you don't mind. I am using that zoo med eco earth loose coconut substrate for her is that the correct substrate for her and two I get it it's very loose hence the word but before I changed her substrate I couldn't like easily poked a hole in the dirt and the dirt will fall in to the hole I just made and since her burrow place is heavy I feel once she burrows the dirt won't be able to hold on to her burrow house and it will fall in her am I worrying for no reason or is that an actual problem for me to be concerned about
I use the same, it's good stuff. I do find it a touch damp when coming right out of the bag, but it's nothing detrimental and will dry out in a few days with your T getting acclimated soon after.

And don't worry about about any cave-ins, T's are good diggers :)
 

The Grym Reaper

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I have one more question if you don't mind. I am using that zoo med eco earth loose coconut substrate for her is that the correct substrate for her and two I get it it's very loose hence the word but before I changed her substrate I couldn't like easily poked a hole in the dirt and the dirt will fall in to the hole I just made and since her burrow place is heavy I feel once she burrows the dirt won't be able to hold on to her burrow house and it will fall in her am I worrying for no reason or is that an actual problem for me to be concerned about
It's fine. As others have said, just pack it down as much as you can and it should hold its form better, Tarantulas reinforce their burrows with webbing so cave-ins should be a rare occurrence (even if it does happen they're excellent diggers and should unearth themselves without issue), she might not even choose to burrow, a lot of my larger Tarantulas don't use their hides or dig burrows at all.
 
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