Velvet spider enclosure advice

[reggiespooder]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting

So I've only kept BDF beetles and jumpers, and this is my first velvet spider. I've had it for about eight months now, and it is almost about an inch in size, unsexed. I house her currently on the condiment dish the breeder had her in (tiny cork bark, no substrate, dry moss), and I've only added some more dry moss. I wanted to rehouse her to a more permanent upgrade, and I got a Tarantula Cribs small slider crib which I now feel is going to be a mansion for her and I have a couple of ideas and questions:

1. Is it too soon to rehouse her? I measured the holes, and technically she can't escape, but I'm worried it would be too big for her and it would stress her out, or she wouldn't be able to find her food.

2. I have her currently with no substrate and only dry moss. I know you are supposed to keep them bone dry, so no water dish too. Would keeping it the same but in a bigger enclosure be ok? Like just a bed of moss and some decor?

3. I was thinking about adding a small resin o a real animal skull as a hide, but I'm scared it will be too heavy for her; I'm also tempted to make her a polymer clay hide. Is it safe once it's baked? (I'm lowkey wanting to make a glitter/glow in the dark Fimo hide but want to make sure it is safe)

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm an anxious noob keeper.

 

[ForTW]

Hello
Velvets Spiders build their tunnel along rocks or bushes. Best are some sticks in the middel and they will attach their Tunnel to it.
Oversized Terrariums are no Problem. Once the food crosses the entrance they will Hunt it down. If not, palace some prey at the entrance.

I Mist the entrance of the Tunnel every week or two to give it a Chance to Drink.

Do you know what spec you have? Gandanameno, eresus or stegodyphus? They live in a different enviroment.

Regards

 

[Charliemum]

My af velvet spider is in an 8x6x6 acrylic she has happily settled in and within a few weeks had made it her own
Give her plenty sticks corkbark dry moss ect and yours will do the same.
They make their own hides so not much point in making her one a bit of well placed corkbark will do the trick till your spider has settled and webs up its own. If you are set on making a hide though I have seen videos on YouTube where people have made them out of air dry clay or polymer clay . I have actually made water dishes out of air dry clay but put them in with non burrowing sp.
I keep my velvet completely dry I was told they get all their moisture requirements from their food . I currently have 5 eresus slings aswell all kept dry sub corkbark moss and they are all thriving so far (knock on wood) I feed a mix of fruit flys and mini meal worms for my smaller baby's and my big girl gets mealworms crickets and the occasional smaller roach . I hope I helped answer some of your questions at least good luck with your little velvet

 

[reggiespooder]

Do you know what spec you have? Gandanameno, eresus or stegodyphus? They live in a different enviroment.

Thanks so much, yeah I forgot to mention, I have Eresus Walcknaeri!!

 

[reggiespooder]

My af velvet spider is in an 8x6x6 acrylic she has happily settled in and within a few weeks had made it her own
Give her plenty sticks corkbark dry moss ect and yours will do the same.
They make their own hides so not much point in making her one a bit of well placed corkbark will do the trick till your spider has settled and webs up its own. If you are set on making a hide though I have seen videos on YouTube where people have made them out of air dry clay or polymer clay . I have actually made water dishes out of air dry clay but put them in with non burrowing sp.
I keep my velvet completely dry I was told they get all their moisture requirements from their food . I currently have 5 eresus slings aswell all kept dry sub corkbark moss and they are all thriving so far (knock on wood) I feed a mix of fruit flys and mini meal worms for my smaller baby's and my big girl gets mealworms crickets and the occasional smaller roach . I hope I helped answer some of your questions at least good luck with your little velvet

I love the name hehe so cool! Thanks sooo much, will definitely get some coco fiber for the substrate (I don't have any at the moment) and add what you mentioned. Hopefully will rehouse her soon and she will web it up too, I will attempt the hide more for my sake than hers hahaha but thanks for the advice.

This will also be my first rehouse and I'm nervous hahaha beetles you can just pick them up lol.

Totally unrelated, but do your velvets have the habit of "decorating" their houses with bug carcasses? lol I feel so bad whenever I have to unstick the dead leftovers from their webs and destroy them

 

[Charliemum]

I love the name hehe so cool! Thanks sooo much, will definitely get some coco fiber for the substrate (I don't have any at the moment) and add what you mentioned. Hopefully will rehouse her soon and she will web it up too, I will attempt the hide more for my sake than hers hahaha but thanks for the advice.

This will also be my first rehouse and I'm nervous hahaha beetles you can just pick them up lol.

Totally unrelated, but do your velvets have the habit of "decorating" their houses with bug carcasses? lol I feel so bad whenever I have to unstick the dead leftovers from their webs and destroy them

Thanks
Yes they do decorate with the leftovers mine like to build them into the web so I can't remove them without pulling out their full web. It's not to my taste but spiders seem happy with it so I let them get on with it .
I wouldn't worry about a rehouse they can't really hurt you and aren't that fast you could probably pick the web up with the spider in it put it in the new enclosure n let her come out in her own time , she will do 1 of 2 things
1 either find a better spot to make her house then you can remove her old web,
2 expand her current web into the new enclosure.
Either way you'll have a nice chilled spood, its what i do with my velvets they always move into the new environment and find somewhere new to start a new house over night
Just remember to take a deep breath be calm and don't panic if she bolts which I doubt but if she does you can always cup her you will be fine, you have this
And if your super nervous you can always rehouse her in a big plastic storage box I'd you check out Tom Moran on YouTube he uses the same method to rehouse most of his tarantulas so you can get an idea of what I mean good luck

 

[ForTW]

Yes they do, they also tend to keep a storage of dead flies. Really good survivalists and mine stole the Caribena molt i gave my isopods to eat. She has put it at the entrance. Maybe to distract Birds or other enemies.