The Basics

[kellygirl]

ok, in case yall havent noticed i am a newbie... so i have a ton of questions. i figure i've come to the right place since a lot of the people who come to this forum appear to have a lot of knowledge. ok...dont laugh!

1. what is the difference between old world and new world?

2. what is the best way to raise slings? (i have two 1/4 inches)

3. how can i learn how to pronounce those darn latin names so i dont sound like an idiot talking to people about them?!?

4. what is it like when a T throws hairs? i've had my G. rosea about a year and she's never shown any aggression towards me whatsoever.

5. how do i keep temperature and humidity at the proper levels?

6. where do i get the bedding for burrowing Ts?

7. is there anything i can do to protect my Ts during molts? it seems to be a pretty dangerous time for them...

8. how much handling is appropriate for a docile T? is there such a thing as too much or too little?

9. what do i do for feeding my slings? the local pet store has no pinheads or fruit flies or anything! they shouldnt need to eat for a few days but it's still kinda urgent....

10. what are some good supplies to keep around as a T first aid kit?

11. how important is variety in a T's diet?

12. is it normal for my G. rosea not to eat for months? i cant even remember the last time she accepted food!

umm, that's all i can think of for right now. any advice would be welcome! thanks!

-kellygirl

p.s. i have the following Ts:

A. Avicularia (3")
B. albopilosum (2")
B. smithi (1/4")
B. vagans (1/4")
G. rosea (5")

 

[MrDeranged]

I'm feeling really lazy right now and although I will answer your questions, you can start by going here

http://www.arachnopets.com/tarantulas/tf.htm

Read through that page and then click on the "Caresheets" link and then read through that page.

Most of your questions are answered on those 2 pages.



Scott

 

[ArachnoJoost]

Hey Kelly,
geez, that's a lot of questions, but that's a good way to learn I think!
for as far as I know, here are some answers:

1. New World is America (north and south) and Old world is Africa and Asia. Old world species are generally more agressive, but lack the urticating hairs which most New world species have.

2. Slings: Do not keep them in a large container compared to their size, because they need to have easy acces to their food. Do not let them dry out, humidity is a big issue for spiderlings, especially when molting (which slings do quite often...)

3. Read the names thoroughly and say the names a thousand times...

4. the only T that has hit me with his hairs so far is a B. smithi. It itched a like a mosquito sting, but the itch went away fast.

5. The best way is to keep the room temperature and humidity high enough, humidity can also be regulated through misting and water dishes.

6. You can use ordinary plant soil for this.

Part two coming up

 

[ArachnoJoost]

Part two

7. Just leave them alone and they will be allright if the humidity is enough.

8. Try to handle your T's as less as possible. The animal will not get enjoyment from handling (that said I did once take my rosie to school and let her walk on the hands of the children (I'm learning to be a biology teacher))

9. I do not know anything for short term, besides trying to lure fruitflies with some rotten fruit, but for the long term you could think about breeding crickets.

10. Don't know about this. I've heard of people using fast-drying glue for when a leg gets severed, but I haven't had to use these methods yet (knock on wood)

11. Not very important, a T can go his whole life on a diet of crickets, however, you could give your crickets different food-items so the T will eat this also. Large T's also like pinkies.

12. Perfectly normal, Rosea's are notorious for this, could be an upcoming molt.

Hope I've helped you some!
greetz,
Joost

 

[Wade]

I agree with most of what Arachnojoost said, but would like to add...

Feeding: If small prey is unavailable for slings, you can give them a large cricket that has been crushed and they will feed off it. Also, they will take the hind legs of crickets. Be sure to remove uneaten parts later.

Latin names: The ATS site, atshq.org, has an "articles online" section and there's an article on the pronunciation of many latin names. Most of us, however, just wing it and risk sounding like idiots

Humidity for slings: A slightly moist substrate is the most common way of maintaining humidity. It shouldn't be so moist that you can squeeze water out of it, however. All the tarantulas you have, with the exception of the pink toe, are very dry tolerant as adults. Once they get about 2" or so, they can get a small water bowl and the substrate can be kept dry.

Substrate: I use peat moss alone or mixed with vermiculite as the primary substrate in my tarantula cages. Both should be available from the garden store.

Wade

 

[Garrick]

You're not going to sound like an idiot. . . odds are, you're going to come across few people in life that will know what you're talking about if you say something more specific than just "tarantula". For those in the hobby, I've heard all sorts of odd pronunciations and it's still clear what's meant.

For the rest of the questions, get thee to Amazon.com and pick up a couple books, such as Sam Marshall's book and the Schultz' book (The Tarantula Keeper's Guide). After that, experiment, cross bridges as you come to them by asking questions on forums such as these, etc. and never hesitate to share your own observations so others may benefit.

-Garrick

 

[MrDeranged]

You can go to the links section and I have links to buy the books that were mentioned.

Scott

 

[Devildoll]

my $.02

the hair flicking:
all are different. Rosies don't do it too often, but i have a Giant White Knee that flicks every chance it gets!
i basically just get a little ichy and red... goes away within an hour.

However! my Rosie has flicked at me twice and it was awful!
i had a terrible reaction and thought i was going to have to take some benydril or use some calamine lotion...

I think the trick is to treat it like fiberglass and rinse in cold water.... havn't had that problem since.... now i alway wash hands after being near Ts

 

[kellygirl]

thanks for all of the advice, everyone! very helpful.

here's the latest on my Ts:

rosea--i walked by her tank last night and noticed that she was in her "attack" position... figured i'd go for it and offer her a cricket, even though i had offered her one just the night before. as soon as i dropped it in, she pounced on him. so i gave her another and another... she ate 3 very large crickets, after a fast lasting several months! yay zion!!!!

pinktoe--this little guy has quite an appetite. is it possible to overfeed? everytime i dropped a cricket in, he'd take it. maybe i should be giving larger crickets! hasnt started building any web yet... isnt that something that the pinktoes are supposed to do? he's very active though--all over the cage!

curly--this little one has made himself a little cave out of half a log. one side of the log is against the glass while the other is open. he has covered the open side with webbing except for a tiny hole into which i have coaxed the crickets. he eats everything i put in there instantly.

red knee--i was so proud of my little guy! i couldnt find any pinheads, so i offered him a small cricket, about his size. i didnt intend on leaving it there long, but i didnt have to worry at all! he tackled the poor thing (never had a chance), killed it, and proceeded to march around his little cup, dragging his prize behind him. i found him later, triumphantly hovering over his half-eaten cricket.

red rump--this little one was not so accepting of the small cricket. when i dropped it in, he proceeded to burrow into the soil. a little while later, however, as i was feeding my uromastyx, i spotted a tiny pinhead! upon closer examination, i found about 5 more! i guess they got in there along with some other crickets, but it was the answer to my prayers as i have not been able to find a place that sells pinheads. he gobbled up 3 of them!

so everyone is well-fed--yay!!!! *sniffle* i'm so proud!

-kelly