Tips for a new owner of a culy hair tarantula

[Jays reptiles]

i don't really trust these online care sheets. So i thought i would ask the big guys! Btw I am new here! My name is jay and My current animal family consist of my 16ft reticulated python, my apricot pueblan milk snake, 1 strawberry pineapple pacman frog, 1 Normal type leopard gecko and now my beautiful curly hair

 

[vancwa]

Congrats on your Curly Hair. Use the search function on the top rt. hand corner of page. You will find everything you need to know. Also, check out Tom Moran vids on Youtube. He is great.

 

[Jays reptiles]

Congrats on your Curly Hair. Use the search function on the top rt. hand corner of page. You will find everything you need to know. Also, check out Tom Moran vids on Youtube. He is great.

I got a question for you. I currently have the enclosure at 79 degrees and the humidity is at 88% i read that 60 to 80% is perfect. What i wanna know is 88% humidity too high? And it gonna cause her to want to escape? Same goes for the temperature. 79 degrees is the current temp

 

[fried rice]

Humidity is useless

 

[vancwa]

Room temp is fine. Humidity is irrelevant. Keep fresh water available and overflow into the sub.

 

[EulersK]

I currently have the enclosure at 79 degrees and the humidity is at 88% i read that 60 to 80% is perfect. What i wanna know is 88% humidity too high?

Well, here's a great tip for tarantulas in general.

Stop worrying about temperature and humidity.

In terms of temperature - if you're comfortable, so are they. In terms of humidity - whatever you're using to measure the humidity isn't worth the plastic it's made of. Tarantulas do not care about humidity. The ones that need damper conditions couldn't care less about ambient humidity, they care about how moist the substrate is. When it comes to T. albopilosum (your species), just heavily overflow the water dish, wait for the substrate to completely dry out, and repeat. The notable exception to this is that if your specimen is a sling, you'll want to keep it on the damper side (never wet).

If you're talking about specific numbers, I believe that you may have read a care sheet online. Please note that care sheets are the #1 killer of tarantulas. In my years, I've literally never seen an accurate care sheet. Luckily, you have an extremely easy species to care for. Just give it a shoebox-shaped enclosure, a hide, and don't let the water dish dry out. Your houseplants should require more work than this spider... not kidding at all. They're called pet rocks for a reason

 

[cold blood]

I got a question for you. I currently have the enclosure at 79 degrees and the humidity is at 88% i read that 60 to 80% is perfect. What i wanna know is 88% humidity too high? And it gonna cause her to want to escape? Same goes for the temperature. 79 degrees is the current temp

ok, forget all the care sheet stuff, and understand that what you learned from reptiles and amphibians will not apply to your tarantula.

First off, ts have a huge temp range...for your albo, anything over 67 and below 95 is fine....so you wont really need to worry about keeping them extra warm or anything.

Now humidity....its really not relevant at all...any t can be kept at any ambient humidity.

All you need to do is dampen part of the sub, let it dry, and repeat...as adults they do fine dry with a water dish.

Keep it simple.

Well, here's a great tip for tarantulas in general.

Stop worrying about temperature and humidity.

In terms of temperature - if you're comfortable, so are they. In terms of humidity - whatever you're using to measure the humidity isn't worth the plastic it's made of. Tarantulas do not care about humidity. The ones that need damper conditions couldn't care less about ambient humidity, they care about how moist the substrate is. When it comes to T. albopilosum (your species), just heavily overflow the water dish, wait for the substrate to completely dry out, and repeat. The notable exception to this is that if your specimen is a sling, you'll want to keep it on the damper side (never wet).

If you're talking about specific numbers, I believe that you may have read a care sheet online. Please note that care sheets are the #1 killer of tarantulas. In my years, I've literally never seen an accurate care sheet. Luckily, you have an extremely easy species to care for. Just give it a shoebox-shaped enclosure, a hide, and don't let the water dish dry out. Your houseplants should require more work than this spider... not kidding at all. They're called pet rocks for a reason

you beat me by about 4 seconds...lol

 

[Jays reptiles]

Thank you so much guys! I really already love this girl. She's about 3 to 4 inches long legspan. Thanks for all the helpful tips. I really do appreciate it. Will send pics of her and her enclosure soon.

 

[EpicEpic]

Thank you so much guys! I really already love this girl. She's about 3 to 4 inches long legspan. Thanks for all the helpful tips. I really do appreciate it. Will send pics of her and her enclosure soon.

At that size you want dry substrate with a water dish.

Overflow the waterdish to give it a moist corner, let it dry out some and repeat.

Enjoy

 

[Jess S]

I can echo what everyone says above.

T albopilosus are real hard to kill by bad husbandry, they are almost bullet proof. During winter, I gave a sling (the sac mate of my other 2) to a friend, with detailed instructions on its care. Which he promptly forgot lol

A month or 2 later after receiving several phone calls that it had been burrowed for weeks (I initially said don't worry) he was convinced it had died so I went to take a look.

What I found was pretty annoying. The room was freezing cold, twigs from the garden had been stuck in the substrate (??!!) and a tall water dish had been added. It was so high that it touched flush with the lid, so there was no way the sling could drink from it.

The day I took it home, it emerged from it's burrow thirsty and hungry. The following day it moulted. Due to the month it spent in 'hibernation' due to very cold temperatures, it was half the size of the other 2 which had carried on moulting.

Here's a photo comparing that moult with one of the others:



I still have all 3 and that one is still the smallest of the bunch.

 

[Royalty]

What I found was pretty annoying. The room was freezing cold, twigs from the garden had been stuck in the substrate (??!!) and a tall water dish had been added. It was so high that it touched flush with the lid, so there was no way the sling could drink from it.

What is with people and sticking in twigs in the substrate??? I keep seeing people doing this for terrestrial tarantulas as if they are an orb weaver or something xD

 

[Jess S]

What is with people and sticking in twigs in the substrate??? I keep seeing people doing this for terrestrial tarantulas as if they are an orb weaver or something xD

I know! I was fully expecting to find a skewered albo under the substrate like some sort of nasty kebab. I'm glad I delayed digging up the 'corpse'. I was really surprised when it's little head popped up haha

 

[viper69]

Temps ambient is fine unless you where it’s 122 regularly

Humidity- never measured it, not required

 

[ColeopteraC]

Follow all the above and you’ll be fine, avoid all caresheets (except for stuff on here and Tom Moran’s site/channel).

Just keep in mind that almost none of your reptile knowledge will be applicable to T’s, it caught me off guard too but they are completely different animals with very different needs. Just keep that in mind and you’re sorted. Good luck!