Sling nursery-Help

[Master of pigeons]

So i am currently looking in to creating a basic nursery. I plan to get a plastic box one that is either black or transparent the box will be about 20-30 inches in length 10 to 15 in height might be smaller. Depending on how difficult it is to keep it at the correct temp. I plan to possible tape a small heat mat to the side of the box possibly 2 one at either side. I would like advice on how to maintain the heat as im currently living in temperatures of around 10°C - 50°F ITS COLD i plan to set this up with out any slings to see if im able to keep temperatures above 20°C - 71°F there will be about 6-8 small enclosures in the nursery i plan to ventilate the enclosures and nursery not quite sure on the best way to punch small holes though the box yet i will be keeping Psalmopoeus irminia 3-4 of these and possibly some poecilotheria or Nhandu species would like advice on the best way to go about this

 

[PidderPeets]

Is a space heater for the entire room an option? That would be the simplest, and safest way to maintain the proper temps for the slings.

The inside of your house is that cold? Indoor temps are usually warmer than the outside, even without heating.

A simple drill or soldering iron work best for putting holes in containers. I've used knives like a drill (spinning the tip into the side with slow and steady pressure) before, and I know others on here have used a needle and a flame before to melt holes in.

Do you have experience with any other tarantulas? Psalmopoeus and Nhandus aren't ideal beginner species but are manageable, but anything in the Poecilotheria genus is best reserved for those who have more experience.

 

[Master of pigeons]

Is a space heater for the entire room an option? That would be the simplest, and safest way to maintain the proper temps for the slings.

The inside of your house is that cold? Indoor temps are usually warmer than the outside, even without heating.

A simple drill or soldering iron work best for putting holes in containers. I've used knives like a drill (spinning the tip into the side with slow and steady pressure) before, and I know others on here have used a needle and a flame before to melt holes in.

Do you have experience with any other tarantulas? Psalmopoeus and Nhandus aren't ideal beginner species but are manageable, but anything in the Poecilotheria genus is best reserved for those who have more experience.

I do have experience with tarantulas fully grown but not so much slings in the past the 1st tarantula ive had i got when i was around the age of 10 it was a rose hair i had it for about 7-8 years it was about 4-5" when i got it. It took a good 2-3 year to get to full size was about 6" when i sadly gave it to my friend i regret this now as im becoming even more interested in them ive looked at caresheets etc as ive had one before this time i'd love to raise them from slings any advice welcome thanks

 

[PidderPeets]

I do have experience with tarantulas fully grown but not so much slings in the past the 1st tarantula ive had i got when i was around the age of 10 it was a rose hair i had it for about 7-8 years it was about 4-5" when i got it. It took a good 2-3 year to get to full size was about 6" when i sadly gave it to my friend i regret this now as im becoming even more interested in them ive looked at caresheets etc as ive had one before this time i'd love to raise them from slings any advice welcome thanks

If you've only had experience with just that 1 rosie, I'd highly recommend you hold off on the pokies for now. The Nhandu and Psalmopoeus will teach you about feisty and speedy Ts more than the rose hair ever would. And they don't have the venom potency that Poecilotheria have, so there's less risk involved on your part as you learn how to handle that speed and attitude.

But in the end, it's your decision. All I can do is offer advice.

I'd also avoid most caresheets you find online, as many of them just relay misinformation. If they mention humidity percentages, heat lamps/mats, putting sponges or pebbles in the water bowl, wood chips or sand as substrate, etc., the information isn't completely correct. There's tons of fantastic care information on here for more species than you can think of though.

 

[cold blood]

ive looked at caresheets

Don't...care sheets are terrible sources of information.

Your microclimate idea is a good one, and it should work fine. Another alternative I used when my t numbers were smaller, was a heat bath.

Essentially I heated a tub of water with an aquarium heater, placed a platform in that tub and submerged the bottoms of the enclosures in the water. Nice safe, even heat, and cost effective as well.

1108140016 (1)

• cold blood
• Jan 28, 2016
• 5

 

[Master of pigeons]

If you've only had experience with just that 1 rosie, I'd highly recommend you hold off on the pokies for now. The Nhandu and Psalmopoeus will teach you about feisty and speedy Ts more than the rose hair ever would. And they don't have the venom potency that Poecilotheria have, so there's less risk involved on your part as you learn how to handle that speed and attitude.

But in the end, it's your decision. All I can do is offer advice.

I'd also avoid most caresheets you find online, as many of them just relay misinformation. If they mention humidity percentages, heat lamps/mats, putting sponges or pebbles in the water bowl, wood chips or sand as substrate, etc., the information isn't completely correct. There's tons of fantastic care information on here for more species than you can think of though.

http://www.mikebasictarantula.com/Psa-irminias-care-sheet.html
ive being using these as care sheets i would never follow precisely i was just basing the temp around what the care sheet said i know there pretty bad for info normally i strongly feel that i will be fine with this T and the Nhandu im aware this is a terrestrial T and the P irminias is an arboreal T Im gonna lay of the poecilotheria for a bit i was only going to get 2.5cm slings or possibly 3.5-4cm slings with those the other slings that are P irminias are 2cm i was thinking the bigger slings would be better as feeding them would be easy im not a fan of very small prey

 

[Master of pigeons]

Don't...care sheets are terrible sources of information.

Your microclimate idea is a good one, and it should work fine. Another alternative I used when my t numbers were smaller, was a heat bath.

Essentially I heated a tub of water with an aquarium heater, placed a platform in that tub and submerged the bottoms of the enclosures in the water. Nice safe, even heat, and cost effective as well.

1108140016 (1)

• cold blood
• Jan 28, 2016
• 5

thats a very cool method im sure il find a way to get the heat/temp to the ideal setting i may use a normal heater and a fan to try make it more evenly distributed Thank you for that idea i may try that in the future i dont know if a heat mat is a good idea yet i think i might need a small fan in there to make it right not totally sure on this im sure when i get the boxes etc and the temp gauge il work out the best way to do it before i get the T's there only 2 cm so they will be room in the box to get air flow etc

 

[cold blood]

i was just basing the temp around what the care sheet

See, and its still not going to be accurate...literally just keep any t over 70 and under 92 and you will be fine....ts do not have specific temp ranges...yeah, some can deal with even colder...but theyre all fine anywhere in this huge range.

 

[PidderPeets]

http://www.mikebasictarantula.com/Psa-irminias-care-sheet.html
ive being using these as care sheets i would never follow precisely i was just basing the temp around what the care sheet said i know there pretty bad for info normally i strongly feel that i will be fine with this T and the Nhandu im aware this is a terrestrial T and the P irminias is an arboreal T Im gonna lay of the poecilotheria for a bit i was only going to get 2.5cm slings or possibly 3.5-4cm slings with those the other slings that are P irminias are 2cm i was thinking the bigger slings would be better as feeding them would be easy im not a fan of very small prey

Good call on holding off on them for a bit. You wouldn't want to put yourself or the tarantula at risk by getting it when you aren't ready. They'll still be around when you have more experience, so there's no need to rush into things

I admit I do like Mike's caresheets as they give proper information on the temperament, growth rates, how he keeps the substrate and some information you don't find on most care sheets. I would ignore the humidity bit though, as the substrate moisture that he addresses is the part that's actually important. I also personally think he overfeeds his Ts based on the caresheets, but if you don't mind Ts going through fasts, it's not really an issue. Just a matter of personal choice.

I don't own anything from the Psalmopoeus genus yet, so it'd be better to wait on confirmation on this part, but I think they might do better with a bit more substrate than what that caresheet states. To my knowledge, this genus actually likes to dig a bit (despite being arboreal) and will incorporate the substrate into their webbing, so I would want to provide them with enough substrate to do so

 

[boina]

You will have your hands full with P. irminia - they are really fast and not afraid to use that speed.

Mike's care sheet is not very good for P. irminia. Humidity numbers are useless and a wide range of temps is perfectly fine. Don't mist. The only purpose that has is too annoy the tarantula. Further, the only true arboreals are Avicularias and Poecilotherias. P. irminia likes to climb, but they make their web at ground level. Forget the stick to climb, use a piece of bark at an angle, so they can make their web behind it. Give them a bit more substrate, they like to dig, especially as slings.