T. blondi Humidity level

[scjones22]

I recently got a rather large T. blondi (as most of them are) and I know that this species needs to keep a rather high humidity level inside the enclosure. On the other hand I have read about enclosures in that the air has become stagnant and could possibly lead to a dead blondi. Is there any advice that anyone could give on as to how to keep the air from being stagnant? For the time being I have "her,"(I believe) in a 5 gallon tank with a screen top until i can find a larger enclosure. But any advise about the humidity and stagnant air would be appreciated.

 

[thirtysixwood]

ok, a little bit more concerned response than I usually post about keeping T's, especially blondi's.

first off, a 10 gallon tank aught to do you just fine, but if you want something bigger like a 20 gallon, thats fine too. but theres a humidifier out there for pets that you can get. it comes with a pump (kinda like a phish tank) theres a sponge in it, with a tub leading to another tube that you suction cup to the glass in the aquarium. that will create some humity that and get you a spray bottle, and spray the substriate once a day, also a heat lamp would be good too, but dont keep it on all the time... Blondis will make it without a heat lamp...(guess I'm just thinking about when I had my 55 gallon set up)... anywho, I'm sure if you run down to aquatic critter in nashville, those guys will be happy to point you in the right direction of things you need. also, to keep the humidity in the aquarium, I'd take like (sp) seranwrap and coverup about half of the lid.
With the humidifier, a low heat lamp, some seranwrap, and a spray bottle, your T will be living as close to the real habitat as possible... hope this helps you out.

 

[thirtysixwood]

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store...lypage-18202-f60ba83ebe86be90bec3f57cbf12c731


here you go, this is the one... check it out go to a pet store and see if they got it...or order one online

 

[baboon man8]

i need a couple of those

 

[Drachenjager]

heat lamp? baked T. blondi anyone?

 

[thirtysixwood]

yea thats where the thinking of my 55 gallon set up came from... then I changed it to low heat lamp

I keep low temp ts as well and my room is around 70.... Blondi's according to the care sheet need a little more than that..... so a LOW heat lamp on a little bit at a time is definately not enough to bake one... Ever try to cook a hot pocket by putting it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time with a few hours inbetween? I dont think you'll be eating it... why? cause its not cooked. or for lack of better words... BAKED!!!

 

[matthias]

I appreciate that everyone does things a little differently and I do not claim to know everything, but I'm going to respectfully disagree with almost everything you said. I've two blondi's myself and have done a lot of research with breeders and other hobbyists on the ways they have kept them.

First a 10 gallon tank is just fine for a mature blondi, and they should not be kept in anything bigger. They are big T's no question, but i've seen and heard of them becoming almost agoraphobic if their housing is to large for them.

Humidity. Yes they need high humidity. I wet the substrate every other day, and offer two water dishes. and have not had ANY problems. When they go into pre-molt I moisten daily. A humidifier is going to end up misting the T and just stressing them out. It will also make it TOO wet in there, leading to mold and mite infestations. Not to mention the constant vibrations stressing your T.

Heat lamp. Just DON"T do it. You will either cook your T. or dessicate it. Room temperature is fine for most T's. The extra intense heat will just dry out the air, substrate and water dish(s) faster, especially if you have the ventilation you need.

first off, a 10 gallon tank aught to do you just fine, but if you want something bigger like a 20 gallon, thats fine too. but theres a humidifier out there for pets that you can get. it comes with a pump (kinda like a phish tank) theres a sponge in it, with a tub leading to another tube that you suction cup to the glass in the aquarium. that will create some humity that and get you a spray bottle, and spray the substriate once a day, also a heat lamp would be good too, but dont keep it on all the time... Blondis will make it without a heat lamp...(guess I'm just thinking about when I had my 55 gallon set up)... anywho, I'm sure if you run down to aquatic critter in nashville, those guys will be happy to point you in the right direction of things you need. also, to keep the humidity in the aquarium, I'd take like (sp) seranwrap and coverup about half of the lid.
With the humidifier, a low heat lamp, some seranwrap, and a spray bottle, your T will be living as close to the real habitat as possible... hope this helps you out.

 

[thirtysixwood]

OK, it seems as if my concern for someone who truely wants to keep a T as close to its natural habitat has lead to a lot of asumptions... and disagreements as to how to keep them.... Yes I have kept a blondi in a 55 gallon tank. the humidifier I suggested, was definately for something larger than a 10 gallon tank... vibrations???? its air created from the pump, which should be placed on the floor away from the tank... buy the product and you will understand.
as I stated in my first sentence... a little bit more concerned because scjones22 seems genuinely concerned for his T that I want to provide him with the very best of information and instruction that he can recieve.

You guys want my true deep down opinion I'll give it to you as I have before.... You dont have to keep Ts as the care sheets suggest... I've owned plenty of blondi's, I've had the humidifiers, I've had the big living areas, I've fed them pinkies and mice, I've fed them crickets... I've wanted to have the largest species and all that jive..... room temps are just fine... humidity... they dont really need it, they'll be just fine with a large water dish.... if the species calls for humitiy just spray the substrate once ever couple of weeks or so... if they need something dry then never spray it at all... its simple and nothing more than common sense will keep them alive... as I've said I've kept blondi's; as close to there nature habitat to keeping them like a rose hair,,, I tell you one thing, my blondi, that I just sent away, lasted just as long and as just as good without the true care as the ones with true care....
You guys want to disagree with what I've been trying to tell this young man, than feel free to call me, and I'll explain all about the heat lamps the humidity system and all that good stuff, and I'm sure you will understand too...
thanks, and sorry I tried to help someone out, especially from someone who's had a little experience in keeping Blondi's.
Justin

 

[Brian S]

if the species calls for humitiy just spray the substrate once ever couple of weeks or so...

Typically spraying the substrate is usually a waste of time IMO as it will just evaporate quickly. I pour water on the substrate thus saturating it.


@scjones22...
If you wish to keep it humid without "stagnant" air, simply provide good ventilation and use moist substrate (peat or coconut stuff) that is deep! By deep, I mean 6 inches at least. The deeper substrate will not dry out as quickly as if it was shallow. Dont be afraid to fill that tank almost to the top with substrate.
IMO this is a better way to keep your spider than a 5 or 10 gallon tank. This is a 55 Liter plastic box with several 3/8 inch holes drilled around the sides. In this box is a pair of Pamphobeteus nigricolor but it would be the same way for T blondi. Hopefully this will give you some ideas

 

[mwh9]

I think that it's great to want to keep any pet at as close to their natural environment as possible. The problem in doing so is that you must keep a very close eye on the apparatus that you use. If some thing goes wrong with say your a/c unit while you are gone then any heating source could cause a problem if it is not connected to a thermostat, preferably 2 in case one of them fails. These things are about $30.00 to $40.00 each. The mechanical misting sounds great also as long as there is plenty of ventilation and no vibration. I personally would prefer a larger tank for an adult T. blondi, but this would depend on whether or not you use plants, decorations, etc. I know that they seem to do better in a tank that is not overly large, just wonder how much that they are freaked out in nature with all of that room. Here is my 15 gal. tank for my 3.5 in. T. blondi sling. You can use like a gallon size freezer bag with some black electrical tape to secure it to your screen top. This will cover about half of the top, and be a little more durable. The gravel thing on the right end is a functioning stream. The images in the above post is also a perfectly good way to keep them, or anything in between.

 

[jbrd]

To easy....

You people make it way to hard on yourselves sometimes
I try to keep my substatewith moist but not wet peat moss year around with a half covered lid.
I also use the Tropic-Aire Terrarium Humidifier and Air Exchanger to keep the humidity levels up for my T.blondis in the winter months and add a ceramic heater with the reptile heat sensor option that never lets it go above 85degs and I yet to have an enviromental issue related problem with them yet
So my best advice would be to keep it simple and use common sense to keep you T.blondi happy.
Good luck.

 

[scjones22]

Okay so my qusetions still havent been clearly answered because of so much arguing between members. I have decided to keep the blondi in the 5 gallon tank because it had been kept in that same size enclosure at the Aquatic Critter for over 6 months. I am also leaning towards just having water dishes to provide humidity because misting is way too tiring and pointless when it dries up 2 hours later. If someone wouldnt mind telling me if this is a wise decision it would be greatly appreciated. Im getting a feeling I should keep this thing the same way as I keep my A.vericolors, except for a terrestrial set up instead of an arboreal and it will do just fine. Water+Ventilation=Happy T

 

[KingBowser]

I have 3 T. blondis and I keep them all in aquariums with deep substrate(a mixture of peat and "jungle mix") and a large cave that is backed into a deeper section of the substrate to create the burrow. I keep a large water dish filled at all times and keep the tank covered with a glass top, typically with a narrow crack at the front to allow air passage. I rarely spray or wet the substrate because they causes mold and fungus, yet the tank seems to retain proper humidity and the tarantulas appear happy and do well.

 

[Harrod]

I keep my T. blondi's with about 7 inches of substrate and cover half of the screen lids. Doing this I maintain a humidity average of about 79%. I never have molt problems with this setup.

 

[mwh9]

Didn't mean to sound like we were disagreeing, just offering some different ideas. Sounds like your method will work just fine. It's about what works for you and maintains correct temp. and humidity. I have heard that keeping any of the T's in too large of a setup will freak them out, so the 5 gal. tank should be fine for now.

 

[Brian S]

I am also leaning towards just having water dishes to provide humidity because misting is way too tiring and pointless when it dries up 2 hours later.

If you arent going to provide the proper husbandry conditions then perhaps you should get something else?

Sure misting is a waste of time. I guess you never bothered to read my previous post? This is what I said.

Typically spraying the substrate is usually a waste of time IMO as it will just evaporate quickly. I pour water on the substrate thus saturating it.

I think I am going to stop giving advice. It appears that my posts are ignored anyway

 

[cheetah13mo]

I think I am going to stop giving advice. It appears that my posts are ignored anyway

You better not stop giving advice fellow Missourian. The info you give is very valuable to most of us on these boards. You know that sometime I don't pay attention to what you tell me either. lol Just keep giving info, it's worth it in the end.

 

[Brian S]

You know that sometime I don't pay attention to what you tell me either. lol

haha Hey I expect that from you though!! You people living in the North part of the State are more thick headed than us here in the South LMAO