Too big for albopilosus??

sch1z0k1tty

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I just got this female curly hair tarantula that I have named Celeste, about 4 days ago. She has a giant bald spot on abdomen so to me she seems to be in a premolt.. last night she didn’t accept a cricket so I am taking that as confirmation? It has been nearly 3 days since I have set her up in a 66 qt bin. I have seen her walking around every now and then for two days and she webbed up the floor near hide and water dish a bit, but she refuses to burrow or use the hide I have provided. She has now been in a specific corner for 24 hrs and seems to be in stress pose?? I am wondering if she is stressed because it is too much open spce, because of rehousing, or if she is just preparing to molt. Any advice?
 

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Tarantulafeets

Arachnobaron
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A bald abdomen doesn't necessarily mean premolt, you'll know when she is in premolt if she becomes lethargic and the bald area is shiny and black. The enclosure looks good, a little big but will do. I'd just wait for it to settle in first for a week or two and then try feeding.
 

sch1z0k1tty

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A bald abdomen doesn't necessarily mean premolt, you'll know when she is in premolt if she becomes lethargic and the bald area is shiny and black. The enclosure looks good, a little big but will do. I'd just wait for it to settle in first for a week or two and then try feeding.
Thanks for the quick reply and great advice! I’ve been trying not to bother her. Once she seems to have settled in, I will try feeding again.
 

Smotzer

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It definitely is bigger than it needs to be for a T that size, feeding may be a little tougher due to that.

also 3-5days is not that long, tarantulas can take considerable time to fully settle in, during that period you often get atypical behavior, such as hiding, not hiding, pacing, stress poses, climbing, etc. Patience my friend. It may never use its hide some do some don’t. Nothing abnormal going on.
 

Salepet91

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Have curly for about 8 years i think..I got her from a friend who couldn't take care about her anymore, and she was subadult than..She was in box similar to yours for years, and never burrow or made web in any part of box ( she had one cup, which he put to be her safe place, but never saw her using it, only when she ate, or molt what is understandable ofc. Last year i finally take some time to make propper enclosure for her, and made for cave which she did not use from very start, as she was behaving always like she was in that old box..so she was something like close to the water dish. It's fantastic species of t, cuz they need time, but she finnaly take that cave, or something like that, and now it's a fantastic enclosure and her character is now what i think it should be.
That bald spot cannot mean for sure that it's a premolt, it could be stressed or something other, but can be ofc premolt..Give her time, and water dish ofc. and she will be fine! I dont preffer to stress my spiders, so very rarely take them out of terrariums.
Here is mine btw :)
 

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sch1z0k1tty

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It definitely is bigger than it needs to be for a T that size, feeding may be a little tougher due to that.

also 3-5days is not that long, tarantulas can take considerable time to fully settle in, during that period you often get atypical behavior, such as hiding, not hiding, pacing, stress poses, climbing, etc. Patience my friend. It may never use its hide some do some don’t. Nothing abnormal going on.
Thats great to know! I’ll try to be more patient, I just want her to be happy 🥲 Thanks so much. Do you know if flash bothers them or if they know when im watching? Lol i hve an a. avicularia named Onyx that is still settling in, but has eaten many times (their abdomen is pretty small) and i’m just so scared somethings wrong with their setups until I found this forum. For Celeste, I had her in a smaller bin but they didnt hve anything in between this 66qt and a 32. I tried the 32 out first day but it was reaaally tight. I think i have a picture of how close to the lid she was and I was assuming she was premolt bc of the bald abdomen until now that y’all have cleared that up for me. Thanks again
 

Salepet91

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Well taratnutlas generally are creatures of the dark :D so, when i take pics, which are as you see from a mobile phone, and are tottaly amateur, i almost never use flash, but i know that even when i used flash they never moved or something like that. They move when they feel odd or when they hear something. So i think you can use flash, but ofc not too much. As from avics, i only have diversipes and versi, so as i learned is that they always eat, something like pokies. :) I'm sorry but im from Europe ( Serbia ), so im not good with american numbers. We use centimeters (cm) :)
 

sch1z0k1tty

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Have curly for about 8 years i think..I got her from a friend who couldn't take care about her anymore, and she was subadult than..She was in box similar to yours for years, and never burrow or made web in any part of box ( she had one cup, which he put to be her safe place, but never saw her using it, only when she ate, or molt what is understandable ofc. Last year i finally take some time to make propper enclosure for her, and made for cave which she did not use from very start, as she was behaving always like she was in that old box..so she was something like close to the water dish. It's fantastic species of t, cuz they need time, but she finnaly take that cave, or something like that, and now it's a fantastic enclosure and her character is now what i think it should be.
That bald spot cannot mean for sure that it's a premolt, it could be stressed or something other, but can be ofc premolt..Give her time, and water dish ofc. and she will be fine! I dont preffer to stress my spiders, so very rarely take them out of terrariums.
Here is mine btw :)
she is gorgeous! I love your setup, i wanted to put in plants but i read they dig them up a lot?? Same for plastic plants? If thats not been your experience i might just try it out. Yes! i’ve been trying really hard not to bother them. Im just so fascinated with how still they can be, but so desperately want to catch them doing something 😆 so if im not with my pups... im watching them A LOT (usually at night). I have a rock salt lamp that is very dim and slightly lights up hlf the enclosure behind my avic, Onyx. i turn that on and they move to it. Maybe I can get a shorter one for Celeste and stick to those for when its dark. I will no longer use flash, thanks. i think I forgot to mention she has a water dish, ive actually caught her in it twice now. Thats where she has most web but its still very little lol i only noticed bc of the flash.
 
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Salepet91

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Night is the propper time to watch them, but unfortenately for me night is to rest so i can work from the morning :D
My t;s never dig plants, maybe cuz i gave them enough space,, :)
 

sch1z0k1tty

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A
Night is the propper time to watch them, but unfortenately for me night is to rest so i can work from the morning :D
My t;s never dig plants, maybe cuz i gave them enough space,, :)
awesome! I’ll try some out. I see theres plenty more hiding spots with plants so perhaps she’ll feel more comfortable.
 

Smotzer

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and i’m just so scared somethings wrong with their setups until I found this forum.
I would post pictures of the Avicularia’s set up, a lot of people tend to set them up incorrectly at first and sometimes leads to death.
Do you know if flash bothers them or if they know when im watching?
Don’t think so, I take pictures of them with flash sometimes never affects them. And they are fairly blind so it’s not like they are going to recognize you if they had the capacity. But they may run if they sense big vibrations or shadows in the room.
 

sch1z0k1tty

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I would post pictures of the Avicularia’s set up, a lot of people tend to set them up incorrectly at first and sometimes leads to death.

Don’t think so, I take pictures of them with flash sometimes never affects them. And they are fairly blind so it’s not like they are going to recognize you if they had the capacity. But they may run if they sense big vibrations or shadows in the room.
I had another thread where i asked about my avics setup and got some great advice, but more is definitely appreciated! I make sure to keep the substrate dry and their water dish filled. They climb the plants and cork quite a bit, and they even have some webbing behind the cork now too! Theyre a bit scared up at the stop right now because i opened up their enclosure.
 

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sch1z0k1tty

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Quick update! I just put some plants in with Celeste and not even 5 minutes after and she’s starting to move the moss.. it looks like she might try and burrow.
 

viper69

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I just got this female curly hair tarantula that I have named Celeste, about 4 days ago. She has a giant bald spot on abdomen so to me she seems to be in a premolt.. last night she didn’t accept a cricket so I am taking that as confirmation? It has been nearly 3 days since I have set her up in a 66 qt bin. I have seen her walking around every now and then for two days and she webbed up the floor near hide and water dish a bit, but she refuses to burrow or use the hide I have provided. She has now been in a specific corner for 24 hrs and seems to be in stress pose?? I am wondering if she is stressed because it is too much open spce, because of rehousing, or if she is just preparing to molt. Any advice?
I keep my AF albo in a much smaller setup.
 

sch1z0k1tty

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I keep my AF albo in a much smaller setup.
Would you recommend finding smaller bin or do you believe its optional? I don’t want to stress her out with too much space, but want her to be able to explore as much as she wants. Also, i know handling is not recommended. I see people letting their t’s somewhat roam. Is that appropriate or unnecessary? I dont want to keep my t confined 24/7 if i dont have to, but I also dont want to just copy people i see on the internet and look like an idiot or possibly even put my t in dangerous situation.
 

Smotzer

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Is that appropriate or unnecessary? I dont want to keep my t confined 24/7 if i dont have to, but I also dont want to just copy people i see on the internet and look like an idiot or possibly even put my t in dangerous situation.
Leave it in its enclosure 24/7. Do not copy stupidity online. Do not handle. Do not let it out to roam. They do not need enrichment, they can not bond with you even if you bond with it. There is zero reason to take it out to play with it. It can be fatal. keep it confined in its enclosure 24/7.
 

sch1z0k1tty

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Leave it in its enclosure 24/7. Do not copy stupidity online. Do not handle. Do not let it out to roam. They do not need enrichment, they can not bond with you even if you bond with it. There is zero reason to take it out to play with it. It can be fatal. keep it confined in its enclosure 24/7.
Yea I had a feeling which is why I dont bother my t’s unless im taking out hollow crickets or filling their dish. Thanks again for the confirmation!
 

Smotzer

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had another thread where i asked about my avics setup and got some great advice, but more is definitely appreciated! I make sure to keep the substrate dry and their water dish filled.
Sorry didn’t see that thread! Looks alright for an Avicularia
Quick update! I just put some plants in with Celeste and not even 5 minutes after and she’s starting to move the moss.. it looks like she might try and burrow.
Sounds good!!
Would you recommend finding smaller bin or do you believe its optional? I don’t want to stress her out with too much space, but want her to be able to explore as much as she wants.
It’s not mandatory, for me personally I do not like oversized enclosures, and they certainly do not need that much room, and when you have more than a few you learn to house them in enclosures with only the space they need.
I would see how feeding goes in that big tub to judge. The first tarantula I ever had I oversized it and it made feeding harder, tarantulas are sit and wait ambush predators so if an enclosure is too big and say you use crickets, the prey to predator interaction may be lower, but it may feed just fine, and don’t tong feed. Obviously this is the same as the wild, but new keepers are often very worried about if their T’s don’t eat. Just food for thought. It’s not going to hurt it being in that tub and you did your homework and it’s filled at least halfway with sub so at least it’s not dangerous being in there.
 

viper69

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Would you recommend finding smaller bin or do you believe its optional? I don’t want to stress her out with too much space, but want her to be able to explore as much as she wants. Also, i know handling is not recommended. I see people letting their t’s somewhat roam. Is that appropriate or unnecessary? I dont want to keep my t confined 24/7 if i dont have to, but I also dont want to just copy people i see on the internet and look like an idiot or possibly even put my t in dangerous situation.
You can’t stress a T with too much space! After all they live in the wild!
You can stress an animal in a large OPEN space!

I use ExoTerra Breeder Box Large for all my AF NWs. Don’t have the space to use such a large container that occupiers so much volume.

I don’t let my Ts roam beyond their container. Just asking for trouble with that idea.

There’s no purpose to roaming in captivity.
 

Smotzer

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Yea I had a feeling which is why I dont bother my t’s unless im taking out hollow crickets or filling their dish. Thanks again for the confirmation!
Yes, you can do maintance and watchh and enjoy them from the confines of thier enclosures all you want, just leave them there!!
You can’t stress a T with too much space! After all they live in the wild!
You can stress an animal in a large OPEN space!
This is the valid point, people confuse the two.
I use ExoTerra Breeder Box Large for all my AF NWs. Don’t have the space to use such a large container that occupiers so much volume.
Yeah im the same way, I find no purspose of have the space for unnescesarily big enclosures. I wish they made a clear lid for those instead of the black. But they are so ecomonical, I got one on sale for like $15. But even at at full price I think $20-25?...you cant beat that for adult enclosure!

There’s no purpose to roaming in captivity.
Agreed and Theres the opposite of purpose in the wild. potential death :rolleyes:
 
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