Typical enclosure progression

[drolmaeye]

I recognize there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But how many enclosures do you typically find yourself using for a tarantula? Is three sufficient (sling - juvenile - adult)? Or do you often use more (or fewer!)? Also, if you have a typical progression, is it primarily for convenience? Or for tarantula well-being?

Searching here and elsewhere on the web, I have not found too many opinions. One clear preference I found was from Dave Fisher (Dave's Little Beasties) who advocated for more rather than fewer enclosures throughout a tarantula's life. He simply argued that based on his experience his spiders tended to exhibit better overall health/condition if he refrained from skipping a step in progression.

Anyway, hoping to hear some opinions/reasoning.

 

[Wolfram1]

most rehouses are done when they are slings
the smaller they start out the more rehouses you will need

for spiders that start out large like Pamphobeteus sp. you will likely need the least rehouses, i'd say 3 or 4.

 

[BoyFromLA]

A good start would be, for what species of tarantulas are we talking about?

 

[drolmaeye]

A good start would be, for what species of tarantulas are we talking about?

Yes, question is likely just too broad. For the sake of discussion consider any of the following starting with, say, a 1" sling:

Medium NW terrestrial (C. cyaneopubescens)
Medium NW arboreal (P. cambridgei)
Large OW arboreal (P. regalis)

 

[viper69]

Your question is not specific enough.

You do realize there are many species of tarantula, RIGHT?

But an answer from me would be "a lot"

 

[BoyFromLA]

Medium NW terrestrial (C. cyaneopubescens)
Medium NW arboreal (P. cambridgei)
Large OW arboreal (P. regalis)

For three tarantulas you mentioned, I tend to give them permanent enclosures very early. Like once they are about juvie size.

 

[Wolfram1]

there are two main issues to consider

1. and this is something @coldblood has illustrated well repeatedly, if slings are given too much room they will tend to burrow and hide away like they likely would in nature, being extremely cautious and slow down in growth as a result. hence giving them a snug, but still adequate fit early is important to raise them out of their most fragile state quickly. The enclosure should BE the burrow, essentially. Additionally it is important because they can easily be lost in an enclosure that is too large if there is any clutter at all, making care and feeding a challenge when it is most vital to be precise.

this leads to multiple rehouses in the very early period. tapering out as they grow larger.

2. as they grow the snug enclosures used previously to speed up development can become the limiting factors that slow them down instead, their need for more fresh air increases with size and i highly suspect living in too tight a box will slow or stunt their growth, also leading to very small mature males occasionally. At this point (2-3") the main limitation for the upgrades is often fall-high not floor-space, but with well designed enclosures you can't really go too big at this point. Most people will still update them more conservatively since they also don't need that much more space to do well. And space is always at a premium.

 

[drolmaeye]

Your question is not specific enough.

You do realize there are many species of tarantula, RIGHT?

But an answer from me would be "a lot"

Yes, it was a mistake to set it up in terms of "how many" as I am more interested in members' overarching guidelines (or preferences) that lead to more- or less-frequent rehouses.

For the sake of discussion, what about a species like A. avicularia? Do you get them in a forever-sized enclosure early? Or do you favor a more granular approach?

Even without any additional info, an answer like "a lot" is actually quite informative (and appreciated).

For three tarantulas you mentioned, I tend to give them permanent enclosures very early. Like once they are about juvie size.

I can definitely see specific commonalities among these three species that favors a permanent enclosure early on. Are there any species you have worked with for which you preferred a more stepped approach?

 

[kingshockey]

Deli cups to start then into a soup deli cup once they get around an inch or more

 

[l4nsky]

So, I've standardized the enclosures I use as well as the decor and substrate by genus in an effort to remove variables and simplify. Most species will go through 4 enclosures in my collection if they're purchased as a sling, but there are always exceptions.

An example of a common path:

An arboreal species, purchased as a sling, that gets over 4" DLS but stays under 8" DLS will start life in a 5.5oz deli cup until they're about 1.5" DLS. After that, they'll move up to a 0.5g Mainstay enclosure until they reach about 2.5" DLS. From there, they will go into a 1g Mainstay enclosure, which will be it's home until 4.5" DLS or so. From there, they'll be upgraded to a Sterilite 1932, which is essentially a 5g enclosure. This will be their last upgrade, although likely won't be the last rehouse.

An example of an exception:

A moisture dependent fossorial species, purchased as a sling, that stays under 5" DLS will start life in a 5.5 oz deli cup until about 1.5" DLS. From there, they'll also go into a 0.5g Mainstay setup, just setup for horizontal burrowing instead. Any males will likely spend their lives in this enclosure, but females will be upgraded to a haplotank as their final upgrade around 3.75 DLS".

 

[viper69]

Yes, it was a mistake to set it up in terms of "how many" as I am more interested in members' overarching guidelines (or preferences) that lead to more- or less-frequent rehouses.

For the sake of discussion, what about a species like A. avicularia? Do you get them in a forever-sized enclosure early? Or do you favor a more granular approach?

Even without any additional info, an answer like "a lot" is actually quite informative (and appreciated).

No problem! There's very little in the way of number of containers one uses for Ts. After all, in the wild they have only 1 container the planet.
With that said, I don't believe in dropping slings into their final box because of 2 main reasons, there are others.
1. You can't keep track of them in large boxes
2. The larger a box the less you increase prey/predator interactions. Ts are not hunters, they are ambush predators And that leads to death as they starve with new owners

There is no science behind what size box to use at any given size either. You learn by looking at pictures/vids, asking questions etc.

And the number of boxes is of course variable across owners for the same species.

For Avics, I have no set number, never kept track. But off the top of my head, at least 5 for ME.

Deli cups to start then into a soup deli cup once they get around an inch or more

the best!

 

[Mustafa67]

I recognize there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But how many enclosures do you typically find yourself using for a tarantula? Is three sufficient (sling - juvenile - adult)? Or do you often use more (or fewer!)? Also, if you have a typical progression, is it primarily for convenience? Or for tarantula well-being?

Searching here and elsewhere on the web, I have not found too many opinions. One clear preference I found was from Dave Fisher (Dave's Little Beasties) who advocated for more rather than fewer enclosures throughout a tarantula's life. He simply argued that based on his experience his spiders tended to exhibit better overall health/condition if he refrained from skipping a step in progression.

Anyway, hoping to hear some opinions/reasoning.

Depends on what T and how they grow

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I recognize there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But how many enclosures do you typically find yourself using for a tarantula? Is three sufficient (sling - juvenile - adult)? Or do you often use more (or fewer!)? Also, if you have a typical progression, is it primarily for convenience? Or for tarantula well-being?

Searching here and elsewhere on the web, I have not found too many opinions. One clear preference I found was from Dave Fisher (Dave's Little Beasties) who advocated for more rather than fewer enclosures throughout a tarantula's life. He simply argued that based on his experience his spiders tended to exhibit better overall health/condition if he refrained from skipping a step in progression.

Anyway, hoping to hear some opinions/reasoning.

The bigger they get the more containers I use.

 

[Motherofspiders112707]

I mainly have slings in my collection right now, and of the 21 tarantulas I currently have, only four are in permanent enclosures. So far, I’ve had to do upgrades about 2 or 3 times for some of them, and none of my slings are even close to full grown. I have three tiny Verdezi’s that I haven’t rehoused yet because they’re looking a bit chonky, and that will be their first. I have many more rehouses in my future

 

[TheraMygale]

I keep them in small containers when slings. even some juvies. They don’t get much room. Enough to stretch, hunt, water bowl and sometimes hide.

some i have already transfered 3 times.

my adult g pulchripes: one enclosure, shes at four inches and its her one and only enclosure for life. Unless i get money to put her in something clearer.

my nhandu color i got at two inches, i put her in her life enclosure. Shes already over 4 inches. I wont move her unless i need to. I like to avoid UrS flow.

my b emilias, were moved twice. Because the first enclosure wasnt clear enough. They are roughly 2-3 inches, and the enclosure is bigger then needed with plenty room to males caves.

it really depends on your goal.

i like smallest possible for slings. And keep them this way. My g pulchripe slings are slow growers. I get better results. I tried a larger container and feeding was a problem. Climbing too.

i have two d pentaloris. The one in the smaller container eats more.

i have two p murinus. The one in the thinnier arboreal style enclosure, is less feisty then the one in the bigger enclosure. its made two web hides, and is a scardey cat.

the bigger enclosure p murinus, even with a perfect hide and room to burrow, webbed all the way to the top, and made its home next to the door . Never doing this type of enclosure again, if i rehouse out. Which will be an event.

even size considered, in my opinion, the best enclosure is the one you tweaked that allows for maintenance and feeding, without opening the top. It avoids tarantulas in flight mode. Keeps everybody safe.