Salmon Pink Birdeater owners?

[Poec54]

What's in the bottom of the cage, rocks? Those are spider killers. Spiders slip from the sides and hard objects can split their abdomens. Put them, and the water bowl, in the center. The cage needs more substrate, I use bagged top soil that's $1.50 for a 40 lb bag. I'd also put in some plastic plants so it doesn't look so institutional; I use Zoo Med vining types; $5 for a large bag, cut to fit.

 

[Zheirg]

What's in the bottom of the cage, rocks? Those are spider killers. Spiders slip from the sides and hard objects can split their abdomens. Put them, and the water bowl, in the center. The cage needs more substrate, I use bagged top soil that's $1.50 for a 40 lb bag. I'd also put in some plastic plants so it doesn't look so institutional; I use Zoo Med vining types; $5 for a large bag, cut to fit.

thank you so much...

 

[G. pulchra]

That they are sold at 5 bucks each means they are CB. Unless the T is wild caught or its prey items have mite problems, mites shouldn't be of any concern. And the 60-70% humidity requirement or misting weekly should not be a significant mold promoting factor. As ultum said they are hardy, and your main concern will be providing enough food for them - if you don't feed them pinkies or mice you need to feed the adults bigger inverts like dubia roaches or at least super worms. For me I supplement their diet with prawns and centipedes. Crickets alone can hardly satisfy their big appetites especially after they molt unless you have a constant supply of crickets to feed them. You will have to visit your cricket supplier regularly for a cricket alone diet - if there is no nearby cricket supplier this won't work for LPs. You cannot feed too many tiny crickets to a big T at once as their fangs cant hold too many tiny crickets, or dead crickets are dropped all over the floor and some may be ignored and left to rot. Raising dubia roaches yourself is perhaps the simplest answer but my wife hates roaches so I go with the prawn and centipede route.

Also they can get injured from falling because they are so active and thus they have a higher risk of falling than the T. blondi. Fill the tank with thicker substrate to reduce the height between the top and the substrate but I guess many hobbyists have covered this topic and you already know it.

That they are inexpensive not because they are bad Ts - an LP egg sac gives you 1000-2000+ eggs while a T. blondi egg sac has ~50 eggs only and T. blondi are hard to breed. Price alone doesn't tell how great a T is.

---------- Post added 12-23-2011 at 02:51 AM ----------



That's why I emphasized ADULT LPs in my post. LPs temperament change from shy to confident when they matures. At 4" they are very young juveniles and far from being mature. LP slings burrow too and many different species of non-burrowers would burrow when they are young. A confident LP sling wandering around only means easy prey for other predators (or its bigger sisters) in the wild.

How do you feed prawns?

 

[Ghost Dragon]

I'm just expanding my list of T's that I would like to own one day. I was looking up the care sheets for Lasiodora parahybana and the humidity levels say 60-70%. I don't want to own any who need special care for their humidity. So my questions are, how do you keep the humidity levels where they need to be and basically how do you keep yours? What size tank? How often do you feed it? Thanks for any info!

I don't wet the substrate for mine either, just a large water dish. Don't worry about the humidity, LP is a very hardy species, they will get use to whatever you are comfortable with. I keep my big girl in the 20 gallon tank I bought with her, and feed her 6 or so crickets once a week.
They are amazing when they get to full size. My MF is a whopping 8.25", and it's very cool watching a T that big lumber around.

 

[Poec54]

Unless the T is wild caught or its prey items have mite problems, mites shouldn't be of any concern.

I've owned and cared for hundreds of w/c tarantulas over the past 4 decades, and have almost never seen mites on any of them.

 

[KnifingPanda]

LPs are just beginner species and they can adapt most settings. At one time I had around 18 juveniles and adults although housing them all gave me headaches and I had to trade many of them for smaller Ts. Just make sure that the tank has enough floor space and give it a water dish as they are very active and as adults they never hide and never burrow. Provide plenty of food and they will thrive. The humidity of my region never falls below 60% so I can't give you comment on the humidity. LPs are one of my all time favorite and you will never find their relentless hunting attitude boring. In fact I like them more than my T. apophysis and T. blondi - I don't judge a T solely by how rare and expensive they are. T. apophysis can be a tad bit chicken sh!t at time and their urticating hairs give me a hard time, but LPs are just some brave and confident Ts that will make you proud.

I can't help but agree with you on their hunting attitude, I fed my LP sling the other day, she was on the glass, cricket landed in the middle of her enclosure and she literally jumped off the glass and on to the cricket, she pounced on the cricket as if she was a Jaguar pouncing from a tree on to its prey. Was an amazing thing to witness.

 

[mmfh]

I've had mine since it was 1/2". As a baby it burrowed. Now as a 3" it has an extensive burrow but is never in it unless it is hiding from me, doing maintenance. It has a hide that I've seen it in, an old fish food container, the burrow is beneath it. In all honesty I keep it bone dry with a 2" water dish that I flood when I fill it up. Mine eats great and has never had a problem molting. Great species.

 

[Zheirg]

My LP sling molted yesterday...

 

[nunoskii]

How do you feed prawns?

Now I've never fed prawns but, I've fed my T Stirmi and LP a couple of silversides in the past. I just thawed it out, and once it was completely thawed I tong fed it to my T. They took it without hesitation. Now I'm kind of interested in feeding prawns. Lol

 

[Reid0210]

Put it back in. A hide should always be made available, whether its actively used or not.

Your lp is NOT in pre-molt. The meals you are feeding are just large meals for your small t (and that's just fine), and as a result, you will not need to feed nearly as often. If you want to feed more often, just feed smaller prey, but you certainly do not need to if its taking the larger prey.

It sure looks like it's in premolt. Look at that black butt. A couple of mine are in premolt now and they look exactly like that. Abdomen will turn black on the bald spots.

 

[Reid0210]

Man I was way too late on that post

 

[Haksilence]

Definitely replace the hide. My LP is similar in size, maybe a molt or two ahead, and uses his hide regularly. Not so much to hide, but just chills in there and has excavated quite a bit underneath it. I mist the enclosure one good time a week, or two lighter times a week. I play it by ear.

Once I swapped from keeping it dry to misting occasionally I saw much increased activity and energy from the specimen. So I feel this is the way to go.
But any terrestrial tarantula housed in a enclosure large enough to have a hide NEED to have a hide available. If a half log is too large then you can use half a toilet paper tube, although I don't recommend a cardboard hide since the species likes it a bit more humid/ wet. It tends to hold moisture too much. If you do go with a toilet paper tube, only mist the opposite side on the enclosure so that no moisture can wick into the cardboard.

 

[Haksilence]

Important note:
Sone hobbyists are very against missing for damn near all species. I'm simply sharing the experience I've seen with my lp, and only every considered missing since my areas is very dry this time of year and my apartments air conditioner is constantly running keeping the place at essentially 0 humidity so the time.