Tips for a new tarantula owner (GBB)

[Crystal Spider]

I found this quote...

There's no need to replace the mesh in the lid for arboreal species, we recommend doing it for terrestrials because they are poor climbers and can easily get their tarsal claws stuck in the mesh (resulting in lost legs or a ruptured abdomen from falls, the latter can be fatal), arboreals generally don't have the same problem.

 

[Greasylake]

I found this quote...

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/a-avicularia-injured.310423/

 

[cold blood]

I found this quote...

many of us do not agree with that quote

 

[Crystal Spider]

many of us do not agree with that quote

Roger!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

It says generally because generally they don't have any problems with them (besides a couple of instances mentioned on here), I know of way more instances of kritter keeper vent-related injuries/mishaps (snapping fangs, getting legs stuck etc.) but we're not telling everyone that they have to mod them just in case.

 

[Teal]

I read about the Exo Terra problems with Ts at another forum. Somebody asked the community, who really experienced any problems. It turned out, that there was only one case of a spider stuck on the mesh many years ago. Since then no more problems occured, despite a lot of T-owners using Exo Terras with the original mesh top.

It says generally because generally they don't have any problems with them (besides a couple of instances mentioned on here), I know of way more instances of kritter keeper vent-related injuries/mishaps (snapping fangs, getting legs stuck etc.) but we're not telling everyone that they have to mod them just in case.

People always focus on the negative. A few people post about a random mishap involving a T getting a tarsal claw stuck, and suddenly people treat that like the norm when it really isn't.

Personally, I keep Ts in ExoTerras and tanks with screen/mesh tops. Some of my Ts even climb on them (like my P. cancerides). Sorry, but I just cannot bring myself to be THAT concerned about it... it isn't a life or death issue.

 

[Greasylake]

People always focus on the negative. A few people post about a random mishap involving a T getting a tarsal claw stuck, and suddenly people treat that like the norm when it really isn't.

Personally, I keep Ts in ExoTerras and tanks with screen/mesh tops. Some of my Ts even climb on them (like my P. cancerides). Sorry, but I just cannot bring myself to be THAT concerned about it... it isn't a life or death issue.

Back in the late 80s Cessna had a problem with their seats where sometimes the latches would fail and the seat would slide back during flight. Was this the norm, of course not but it didn't discount the fact a few peoples seats slid back on landing, they slid back with it and took the yoke with them. Nose pitches up sharply at low altitude, plane stalls and.. yeah there were a few deaths. Did the majority of Cessna pilots have this issue? No, but the company still got sued into the ground and now they make better seats. The point is the fact that the majority isn't being hurt by something doesnt discredit the fact that others are. If we all thought like this there would be no fight against terrorism, no human rights movements and communism would still be fairly popular.

Guys please make your enclosures safe.

 

[Teal]

Back in the late 80s Cessna had a problem with their seats where sometimes the latches would fail and the seat would slide back during flight. Was this the norm, of course not but it didn't discount the fact a few peoples seats slid back on landing, they slid back with it and took the yoke with them. Nose pitches up sharply at low altitude, plane stalls and.. yeah there were a few deaths. Did the majority of Cessna pilots have this issue? No, but the company still got sued into the ground and now they make better seats. The point is the fact that the majority isn't being hurt by something doesnt discredit the fact that others are. If we all thought like this there would be no fight against terrorism, no human rights movements and communism would still be fairly popular.

Guys please make your enclosures safe.

Wow, you sure went way out into left field with that LOL Using planes and politics as examples to someone who has never flown or voted probably isn't going to achieve your desired result.

But, anyways I am a VERY "Mind yours and I'll mind mine" person... So yes, people should be informed of the potential hazards - and then allowed to make their own decision.

 

[MintyWood826]

it isn't a life or death issue.

I can't find it to link but there was a thread I watched about an A. chalcodes dying after a fall...it can be a life or death issue. I say better safe than sorry and for sure no screens terrestrials for sure, and preferably none around arboreals.

 

[lostbrane]

Bottom line is, it is a risk and one that appears to happen often enough to be fairly concerned about. Does it happen to every single tarantula/keeper? Absolutely not. Are there fairly simple solutions? Absolutely.

But, anyways I am a VERY "Mind yours and I'll mind mine" person... So yes, people should be informed of the potential hazards - and then allowed to make their own decision.

Mhm, exactly like all the Californian cancer warning notices . Sorry, that was my attempt to lighten it up. On a personal note, I do somewhat disagree, only because sure while the tarantulas themselves can't make a decision or actual "response" these are creatures that have no say/cannot make a decision when it comes to their care, and I feel it is the utmost responsibility of anything that keeps something as a pet, to provide it with the best care available, and make improvements whenever possible.

 

[Teal]

I can't find it to link but there was a thread I watched about an A. chalcodes dying after a fall...it can be a life or death issue. I say better safe than sorry and for sure no screens terrestrials for sure, and preferably none around arboreals.

A fall absolutely can be a life or death issue... if a T gets caught in a screen top and falls with enough distance, that is a problem. My Ts with screen tops have less than 4-5" of space between top and sub (which is less than most of their legspans).

Bottom line is, it is a risk and one that appears to happen often enough to be fairly concerned about. Does it happen to every single tarantula/keeper? Absolutely not. Are there fairly simple solutions? Absolutely.

Mhm, exactly like all the Californian cancer warning notices . Sorry, that was my attempt to lighten it up. On a personal note, I do somewhat disagree, only because sure while the tarantulas themselves can't make a decision or actual "response" these are creatures that have no say/cannot make a decision when it comes to their care, and I feel it is the utmost responsibility of anything that keeps something as a pet, to provide it with the best care available, and make improvements whenever possible.

While I do not disagree with it being our responsibility to provide care and safety to our pets, I think people get a little overzealous in correcting others based on THEIR version of "safe" or "correct" keeping.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I can't find it to link but there was a thread I watched about an A. chalcodes dying after a fall...it can be a life or death issue. I say better safe than sorry and for sure no screens terrestrials for sure, and preferably none around arboreals.

We're talking about arboreals though. The thing is that terrestrials have a much higher chance of getting stuck in mesh because they're large/bulky/poor climbers, plus they're much less resistant to fall damage.

The general consensus on here is that you shouldn't be housing terrestrials in glass exo terras anyway because they're only suitable for arboreals, you can only fit a few inches of sub in them (unless you mod them heavily) which leaves a much larger fall distance.

Back in the late 80s Cessna had a problem with their seats where sometimes the latches would fail and the seat would slide back during flight. Was this the norm, of course not but it didn't discount the fact a few peoples seats slid back on landing, they slid back with it and took the yoke with them. Nose pitches up sharply at low altitude, plane stalls and.. yeah there were a few deaths. Did the majority of Cessna pilots have this issue? No, but the company still got sued into the ground and now they make better seats. The point is the fact that the majority isn't being hurt by something doesnt discredit the fact that others are. If we all thought like this there would be no fight against terrorism, no human rights movements and communism would still be fairly popular.

Guys please make your enclosures safe.

Bit of an extreme analogy

Still doesn't answer why we're telling people they should mod every glass exo terra they get while not doing the same for kritter keepers or breeder boxes even though they cause more problems for terrestrials than the glass exo terras do when used for arboreals.

 

[lostbrane]

I wonder if the cotton sheets would work for the kritter keepers. You could cut to size, have it easily stick and still have access open for the flap and hopefully discourage any t from snapping its fangs on the vents.

 

[Arachnophoric]

I read about the Exo Terra problems with Ts at another forum. Somebody asked the community, who really experienced any problems. It turned out, that there was only one case of a spider stuck on the mesh many years ago. Since then no more problems occured, despite a lot of T-owners using Exo Terras with the original mesh top.

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/ruptured-abdomen-help.308855/

For every thread that talks about it, I'm willing to bet there are tens more of these kinds of accidents that go unmentioned. Just some food for thought.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/ruptured-abdomen-help.308855/

@MintyWood826, this the one you mentioned?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I wonder if the cotton sheets would work for the kritter keepers. You could cut to size, have it easily stick and still have access open for the flap and hopefully discourage any t from snapping its fangs on the vents.

Might work with some although a determined T would just rip through it, the only terrestrial enclosures I've not noticed issues with are plastic tote boxes/RUBs/deli cups.

Even modded acrylic lids aren't perfectly safe, my L. difficilis (who previously snapped a fang in a kritter keeper) trying to lever the lid off using her fangs, there's only a 2mm gap between the lid and the supporting rod, luckily she only chipped the very end of one of her fangs doing this.

 

[MintyWood826]

@MintyWood826, this the one you mentioned?

Yes

 

[AnObeseHippo]

I read about the Exo Terra problems with Ts at another forum. Somebody asked the community, who really experienced any problems. It turned out, that there was only one case of a spider stuck on the mesh many years ago. Since then no more problems occured, despite a lot of T-owners using Exo Terras with the original mesh top.

I mean, we don’t expect to get into car crashes and it a pretty rare occurence when you consider how many people are on the road all day. We still wear our seatbelts for protection just in case.

 

[Ungoliant]

I was wondering what size kritter keeper a juvenile needs to start . . . Also what size exo terra enclosure would you recommend once she is at full size (assuming I get lucky with a female).

Mine lived in a deli cup until he was about 1.5" (diagonal leg span). Then I moved him into a small Exo Terra Breeding Box (8" x 8" x 5.5"). It was a little oversized at the time, but that's OK for this species, as they will gradually web all available space.

I filled a little over half of the enclosure with fake branches and leaves for him to use as anchor points. Then I set the water dish as far away from the anchor points as possible to discourage him from webbing the water dish. (He has been pretty good about this but still webs it a little.)

How it looked after three months of webbing:

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens Sling Enclosure

• Ungoliant
• Mar 9, 2017
• 2
• chromatopelma chromatopelma cyaneopubescens cyaneopubescens enclosure gbb greenbottle blue tarantula male muffet sling

Enclosure for Muffet, my Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens sling. (Three months into his new home...

How it looked after six months of webbing:

Webbing of Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

• Ungoliant
• Jul 6, 2017
• chromatopelma chromatopelma cyaneopubescens cyaneopubescens gbb greenbottle blue tarantula juvenile juvenile male male muffet webbing

Muffet, my 2.75" male Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, 6 months and 23 days into webbing his...

He is now over 3.5" and still has plenty of room.

and what kind of moisture/ heat you would recommend for them as jeuviniles

This species comes from an arid environment, so all you need is a water dish.

You do not need to heat the enclosure. Any indoor temperature at which you're comfortable is generally fine. (If stays colder than 60-65 degrees for long periods of time, you might consider heating the room.)