+1...if you want to get some from your backyard instead of buying them, then you'll want to breed them for a few of their generations before putting them in your enclosures.
``TRICHODERMA`` safe of T's??
- Thread starter SNAILSRULE
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Oh yeah...
Or you could just grab some from your yard if you don't use pesticides on you property. I am not concerned with the other things.
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What kind of "chips?" Why "chips?"
Why "moist?" How "moist?"
Why "no air moving?"
What kind of tarantulas are you trying to keep? How big or old?
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You will find more than you ever wanted to know by using this forum's search function in the gray bar at the top of the page. Search for any or all of the following. Note that the hyphens are present to link two words for the search engine. These are not necessarily the correct ways to spell these terms. For the correct spelling look them up in a dictionary (online or paper).
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Test on Friday!
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Trichoderma is a naturally occurring genus of fungi, most of which parasitize other fungi. Almost any soil sample that has been moist for a few days in the last decade will probably test positive for Trichoderma. As far as I know they do not attack other organisms (other than fungi), so my assumption is that they pose no threat to your tarantulas.
And, since tarantulas have lived with Trichoderma for eons it is highly unlikely that they would be harmed by it.
If you have mold issues in cages with tarantulas with leg spans over about 1-1/2 or 2 inches (4 or 5 cm) it's a strong argument in favor of you not employing proper husbandry practices. Mold usually indicates too much moisture and too little ventilation. Almost NO tarantulas require a cage that damp.
Smaller tarantulas require damper cages because they have yet to develop an effective wax coating on their exoskeletons to prevent dessication. But even then, they should not be kept wet enough to promote rampant mold growths. All they need is a slightly higher humidity, not a swamp.
Read http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/stansrant.html. Then read the three or four books mentioned. I can almost guarantee you that you'll become an expert at keeping tarantulas in seven days!
Enjoy your newfound little buddies!
SNAILSRULE
Arachnopeon
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Learn something
Hi, Thanks so much `Pikaia` for all the info. I have had T's for a couple of years but, I am always tring to do better. I have almost all Mexican kinds but, Pink Zebra Beauty, Samon BirdEater. You are also right when it comes to having the cages to wet, well I would not say swamp just really moist. I don't know why I am always worried that my T's will dry out. Yeh I know dumb. I keep mine in fish tanks, it is hard around here to find good size critter keepers and anyway they are like the fish tanks when it comes to air movement. I was spraying the cages everyday and told that was not good and to back off. Which I am happy to say I have done. I spray only when I see it really dry and the moss I have in there dry too. I had one person tell me that peat moss helps with the mold because it is a little higher in acidity, is that true? I can't remember now why I changed to the coco chips but, I have gone back to the Exo-Terra soil. It looks good better then the coco fibre brick I was using from the plant store. You are right to when it comes to that special fungus that was added to the Coco Canna. I just really didn't want to take a chance with it. I hope my T's will do better now with the changes I am doing for them. Thanks again
Hi, Thanks so much `Pikaia` for all the info. I have had T's for a couple of years but, I am always tring to do better. I have almost all Mexican kinds but, Pink Zebra Beauty, Samon BirdEater. You are also right when it comes to having the cages to wet, well I would not say swamp just really moist. I don't know why I am always worried that my T's will dry out. Yeh I know dumb. I keep mine in fish tanks, it is hard around here to find good size critter keepers and anyway they are like the fish tanks when it comes to air movement. I was spraying the cages everyday and told that was not good and to back off. Which I am happy to say I have done. I spray only when I see it really dry and the moss I have in there dry too. I had one person tell me that peat moss helps with the mold because it is a little higher in acidity, is that true? I can't remember now why I changed to the coco chips but, I have gone back to the Exo-Terra soil. It looks good better then the coco fibre brick I was using from the plant store. You are right to when it comes to that special fungus that was added to the Coco Canna. I just really didn't want to take a chance with it. I hope my T's will do better now with the changes I am doing for them. Thanks again