Unhappy B. smithi?

[si_sleaf]

I have got a lovely looking B. smithi in the last week and I thought he would be settled in by now. All he seems to do is stick to the sodes of his tank and is rarely on the ground. He is on a substrate of peat the same as all of my other Ts. They are all very happy.
This one though, he's always grumpy. He flicks hairs and I even got a hiss from him the other day.

So my question is: Is my T unhappy? Does he not like his substrate? I mist his tank every other day but it is only slighty moist not too wet or too dry. Can anybody offer any advice? How do you keep your smithi happy?

Here he is, his name is Tom.

 

[jwb121377]

I keep my B. smithi on dry peat substrate and it is happy. Maybe you have a cranky B. smithi. I'm sure it will settle in soon enough, there is no need to worry.

 

[Brandon]

Looks like the soil is to wet that would be my bet

Sincerely,

Brandon

 

[si_sleaf]

Hmm, I thought perhaps had the substrate a bit too damp for him too. I left him to dry out for the last few days but he still stayed on the side of the tank. This afternoon he actually hung upside-down from the lid for about half an hour, as we speak he has three legs in his water dish. Perhaps he's just havin' a paddle but that is certainly damper than his substrate

Perhaps he just needs a bit more time:?
We shall see.

Do you guys keep your substrate moist or more on the dry side?

 

[RugbyDave]

you have to realise one thing:

just because a T is noted as being 'docile' doesn't make it so.. You may just have a not-so-docile one.. but that doesn't mean you should love him or her anyless

See this thread for more on supposedly docile T's that really arent:

http://www.arachnopets.com/arachnoboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9223&highlight=therapy+rosea

enjoy the cranky T's .. they're fun!

but your T may just need some time to get used to the new surroundings...

check back in a couple weeks!

goodluck!
peace
dave

 

[skadiwolf]

well, right now my B. smithi is a sling and so he's got moist soil and high humidity. however, i have noticed he prefers to be more on the floor of the container rather than the soil.

dunno if that helps overly much though.

 

[si_sleaf]

Thanks for the link Dave. I have decided already that the smithi is not the docile, happy go-lucky T that this species normally is. What I AM concerned about is all this hanging from the side of the tank. I think Tom will need some time to settle in to his new surroundings. The guy I bought him from looked like he had kept him in quite a small tub for a long time so perhaps he is just stressed out because of the new surroundings. I and I DO love him just as much as any of my other Ts.

By the way, I love the word "cranky". Haven't heard it in a while. Always reminds me of that Aussie guy Steve Irwin. You know, the nutter who looks after crocs. You know when he grabs a spider or snake and says: "Crikey, she's a cranky one. You're alraight mate, alright"? That reminds me of Tom. As in:

"Crikey mate,this is one cranky spider. Easy fella, argh he's flickin' hairs at me [rubs eyes]. Easy mate, you're alright. Argh, he's gone and bit me! Whoo!

Yeah, Tom is cranky=D

 

[DiStUrBeD-OnE]

My smithis the same way.. ive tried keeping the soil bone dry, wet, and in the middle.. it always sits on top of its hide or on the sides of the glass.. but it eats well and doesnt flip out, so i dont worry so much..

 

[atavuss]

Originally posted by si_sleaf
Hmm, I thought perhaps had the substrate a bit too damp for him too. I left him to dry out for the last few days but he still stayed on the side of the tank. This afternoon he actually hung upside-down from the lid for about half an hour, as we speak he has three legs in his water dish. Perhaps he's just havin' a paddle but that is certainly damper than his substrate

Perhaps he just needs a bit more time:?
We shall see.

Do you guys keep your substrate moist or more on the dry side?

I have 12 smithis, they are all on bone dry forest bed substrate, but they have a full water dish at all times. the only time I would keep a smithi on moist substrate is when they are lings that are too small for a water dish.
Ed

 

[RugbyDave]

yes, i don't really keep mine on MOIST MOIST substrate, even when they are slings.. i keep it moist, but not dripping, but as they get older, it turns drier and drier..in fact, in a couple of my rosea tanks, the substrates been cracking its so dry, but i've never seenthem eating so much and finally the girl is accepting males

good luck!
peace
dave

 

[DiStUrBeD-OnE]

So with a smithi.. should you just kind of overfill the water dish n thats it? No misting? few ppl told me to mist.. so i took their word about it

 

[RugbyDave]

Personally, i overfill the dish, yes,
and every week i do a little mist, but ive been keeping mine this way for years and years and no real problems!!! My humidity's around ideal (i think) and the temp is just fine!

find something that works for you...

good luck
peace

 

[MrT]

Both of my males hang on the glass almost 24-7.
My female doesn't.
As for misting, I never mist my smithi's. Just a water dish that I over flow when I fill it. That puts a small wet spot in the substrate.

Don't worrie about wall climbing, It will get over it, or it wont.

Ernie

 

[pixi14369]

Wow you got a B. smithi to hiss?? I havent even heard my H. lividum stridulate yet.....

 

[atavuss]

Originally posted by DiStUrBeD-OnE
So with a smithi.. should you just kind of overfill the water dish n thats it? No misting? few ppl told me to mist.. so i took their word about it

I keep all of my brachypelmas, grammostolas, aphonopelmas on bone dry substrate (forest bed) but they all have a water dish available at all times. I have stopped overfilling their water dishes to keep the phorid flies at bay. I never mist (our water is so hard here it would quickly cloud the inside of the enclosure with water stains). the above only applies to t's that are about 2" legspan and larger, lings are another subject. some regularly hang out on the sides, some sit on top of their coconut hide, some sit out on the substrate. I would guess the humidity in my herp/invert room stays around 30 to 50%.
Ed

 

[Lostkat]

Si, stop worrying! My B. emilia, B. vagans AND A. geniculata are all on the sides of their tanks at this precise moment in time. They still come out at night and wander around/web and they still eat. Their sunstrate isn't wet, and they all have full water bowls so they're humid enough. They just happen to like it on the side of their tanks. Don't let it concern you.

 

[si_sleaf]

Ok, I suppose he will settle down eventually. I have not misted his tank for the last few days and this morning when I went into my spare room where I keep my Ts he was sitting on the floor. Only until he saw me though and then he scuttled up the wall. Perhaps he is just a shy spider. I will sneak up on him later and see where he is. Perhaps he just doesn't like me staring at him