I'm new to tarantula keeping, but prior to getting them I watched most all of Tom Moran and Tarantula Collective's video's on them to educate myself. The thing I liked was that they were fine to keep with no added heat. My house is always on the cold side during the winter/spring/fall and lots of times at night gets as low as 66. During the day though it is 68-70 ish Now I have a few slings and a 1.5" GBB They all seem like they are doing well in these temps but the GBB doesn't move. She molted 9 days ago and still hasn't moved from her spot...I'm worried that it maybe a little chilly for her and that's why??? Do I need to worry?? Thanks!
Temperatures
- Thread starter Lynn57
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Tarantulas take a while to stretch out after a molt so I wouldn't get too worried yet. 9 days seems like plenty of time to do that, but I have noticed that my GBB does take a while to get through the post molt phase.
Have you tried feeding her yet?
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Generally that’s a bit too cold. Your upper temp should be higher regardless.
Gevo
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I'm a new GBB keeper myself, and according to my research, they do like things to be a bit warmer. It's usually fine for the nighttime temps to get down to the mid-60s, but daytime temps should be at least in the low 70s, with the mid-70s being preferable. After a molt, all tarantulas are exhausted and depleted, and I imagine that lower temperatures could extend their recovery time.
Funny thing about how we talk about "room temperature": I live in a cold climate, and I've always thought "room temperature" means about 72-74F or 20-22C because that's what indoor temperatures always are here with central heating systems unless someone wants it colder. Through the forums and seeing people talk about "room temperatures" that range from the high 50s/low 60s to the high 70s/low 80s has got me realizing that we all mean wildly different things when we talk about that!
Funny thing about how we talk about "room temperature": I live in a cold climate, and I've always thought "room temperature" means about 72-74F or 20-22C because that's what indoor temperatures always are here with central heating systems unless someone wants it colder. Through the forums and seeing people talk about "room temperatures" that range from the high 50s/low 60s to the high 70s/low 80s has got me realizing that we all mean wildly different things when we talk about that!
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My room /house is at 70 usually.
Yes I have and she isn't interested.
Yes, this is so true! I can move them into my spare room that is warmer...but then I can't see them. Right now they are on a ledge by the kitchen...so I can really watch them. But it is a bit of a cooler area.
If you don't want to keep them in the warmer room during the colder seasons, one option to boost temperature in the area is a space heater. I got one that is the oil radiator type with a thermostat. I set it to make sure the area I keep my spiders doesn't drop below 70. It works well and doesn't have any exposed hearing elements that would be a fire risk or dry the air excessively.
There are many other options for adding heat, but many of them increase the risk of overheating the spider. Just make sure you do a lot of research if you plan to add heat to the enclosure.
There are many other options for adding heat, but many of them increase the risk of overheating the spider. Just make sure you do a lot of research if you plan to add heat to the enclosure.
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I always provide a heat source, my comfortable room temperature is around 18°c. That is too cold for T's as a high Temperature so I have a large heat matt on the back wall in my T room, at the bottom of an open shelving unit, this area gets to around 28°c to 30°c. A space heater is also used which keeps the rest of the room around 25°c. Space heater runs 16 hours a day off for 8 and heat mat runs 24/7, minimum temps for the room is around 20°c, the heated unit minimum is around 24°c.
Hmmm well I'm a bit confused as to what really the temp should be. TC says anywhere from 68-74 is perfectly fine. In fact he says if we are comfortable then they are???
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That's where it's lost, as I said I'm comfortable at 18°c (64°f) other people could be higher. 68°f is 20°c which is the minimum my T room gets too as a whole, I do have a separate area that is warmer though and only drops to around 75°f, max 86°f and there is a big difference in growth rates for species kept at the warmer side.
Edit;
The GBB you're talking about too, they are from arid regions in Venezuela, with average temps of 27°c to 28°c (81°f to 82°f) so I'd definitely argue these will do much better on the warmer side
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Gevo
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TC likes to say, "If you're comfortable, your tarantula is comfortable," but that's not quite right. People do stress too much about temperatures, but people's temperatures preferences vary a lot, like I said above. Tarantulas are used to temperatures dropping at night or for short periods of time, but generally, you want to keep them in the 70s (F) or 20s (C).
She ate today!!
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No tarantula has such tight temp parameters....you could have night temps drop a little lower, but it could be as high as the mid 90s. Don't freak out about temps