When to put tarantula is bigger enclosure?

Should it to bigger enclosure?

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  • QUESTION (Update due to typo): Should I put my baby rose hair turantula in a bigger enclosure?

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  • QUESTION (Update due to typo in last typo update): Tarantula, not turantula.

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  • Total voters
    34

Noah DW

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
7
Hi, I just got my first tarantula, a very cute Rosie(Rose hair Tarantula) about a week ago, and I would like to move it to a slightly larger enclosure. It is a sling and is about the size of an adult males thumbnail.
Its current enclosure is 4" X 4" X 4" (LxWxH) (In Inches)
The Enclosure I would like to move it to is 8" X 8" X 5" (LxWxH) (Again, In inches)

FURTHER QUESTIONS:
What should I put in the enclosure?
How often should I clean it?
Mist?
What kind of food to feed it?
What temp should I keep the enclosure at?
Bottom heating? or Side? Or Light heating? NO HEATING?
Please help fast! Its is fasting for its FIRST molt.
Thanks!

-Noah


PICTURES: Current enclosure, with 1 (US) dollar for sizing.
PICTURES: New enclosure, with current enclosure for sizing.
PICTURES: My Sling. (Baby Tarantula)
 

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YagerManJennsen

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 3, 2016
Messages
508
The current enclosure sounds ok but pictures of both the sling and current container would help. For slings that size I usually just use deli cups. No misting needed though alays keep a full water dish with the spider. Small crickets will work for feeding as well as chopped up mealworms. No heating is needed, room temp if just fine. I never clean My Ts unless there is something urgent (mite infestation) for example. The most cleaning I ever do is removing a bolus or uneaten prey. (bolus are the dried up remains of eaten prey.) I like to keep encloures simple and easy, just substrate and something for the to to hide/burrow under (moss, fake leaves or cork bark)

Hope this helps.
 

nicodimus22

Arachnomancer
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
715
So it sounds like your sling is about 3/4 inch to 1 inch DLS. In that case, a 4 X 4 enclosure is already a little on the large side. An enclosure should be roughly 2X the DLS wide and 3X the DLS long, ideally. I would leave it in there until it gets to 1.5 to 2 inches DLS.

No heating whatsoever, unless it's going to be cold in that room. If so, a space heater is ideal. Never any kind of direct heating. Most species are pretty happy in the 70s, and will tolerate a little lower and a little lower.

Food can be crickets, mealworms, roaches, superworms, waxworms, etc. Just make sure you don't feed it bugs you catch outside, which may carry small amounts of pesticide and other chemicals that you don't want in your tarantula. Don't feed things that are larger than your T's abdomen.

Misting doesn't really hurt anything, but is not necessary and can annoy the desert species. You can overflow the water dish a little bit and then let it dry out for a week, and repeat.

Other than substrate and a water dish, the only thing a terrestrial T needs in its enclosure is a hide. Anything else is for your enjoyment...the T doesn't care. Avoid putting rocks and other hard items in there, because if the T falls on them from the top, it might rupture its abdomen.
 
Last edited:

Noah DW

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
7
The current enclosure sounds ok but pictures of both the sling and current container would help. For slings that size I usually just use deli cups. No misting needed though alays keep a full water dish with the spider. Small crickets will work for feeding as well as chopped up mealworms. No heating is needed, room temp if just fine. I never clean My Ts unless there is something urgent (mite infestation) for example. The most cleaning I ever do is removing a bolus or uneaten prey. (bolus are the dried up remains of eaten prey.) I like to keep encloures simple and easy, just substrate and something for the to to hide/burrow under (moss, fake leaves or cork bark)

Hope this helps.
I added pics.
 

Noah DW

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
7
So it sounds like your sling is about 3/4 inch to 1 inch DLS. In that case, a 4 X 4 enclosure is already a little on the large side. An enclosure should be roughly 2X the DLS wide and 3X the DLS long, ideally. I would leave it in there until it gets to 1.5 to 2 inches DLS.

No heating whatsoever, unless it's going to be cold in that room. If so, a space heater is ideal. Never any kind of direct heating. Most species are pretty happy in the 70s and will tolerate a little lower and a little lower.

Food can be crickets, mealworms, roaches, super worms, wax worms, etc. Just make sure you don't feed it bugs you catch outside, which may carry small amounts of pesticide and other chemicals that you don't want in your tarantula. Don't feed things that are larger than your T's abdomen.

Misting doesn't really hurt anything, but is not necessary and can annoy the desert species. You can overflow the water dish a little bit and then let it dry out for a week, and repeat.

Other than the substrate and a water dish, the only thing a terrestrial T needs in its enclosure is a hide. Anything else is for your enjoyment...the T doesn't care. Avoid putting rocks and other hard items in there, because if the T falls on them from the top, it might rupture its abdomen.
I added pics.
 

YagerManJennsen

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 3, 2016
Messages
508
That looks fine, though maybe a bit roomy. Just ad some more substrate to allow for burrowing and cushioning if the sling decides to climb the sides and happens to fall.
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
The enclosure it's in already seems a little on the large size but you should be able to keep it in there until it hits 2" DLS (diagonal leg span), once it hit's 2" it should be fine to go in the larger enclosure (8"x8"x5") which will be fine up until it hits 4" DLS, you can put it in its forever home after that.

What should I put in the enclosure?

Dry substrate, a hide and a water dish are all that's required, you can add fake plants for decoration if you like.

How often should I clean it?

You don't need to clean out the substrate unless you have a major mould or mite problem (which you shouldn't ever have in a Rosie's enclosure because juvies/adults should be kept dry except for a water dish). Just pick out any boli (spherical uneaten remains of prey) you find.

Mist?

Nope, all spraying does is piss off the Tarantula and kick up previously discarded urticating hairs, give it an appropriately sized water dish (slings can't drown as they don't break the surface tension of the water), for slings you can also moisten an area of the substrate by pouring/pipetting water directly on to it but don't overdo it.

What kind of food to feed it?

Crickets, mealworms, roaches, superworms, waxworms, maggots etc.

Try to keep the prey size smaller than the abdomen, crush the heads of mealworms/superworms if you know the T won't take it immediately as they can burrow into the substrate and emerge later to injure/kill a freshly moulted T.

You can pre-kill prey for slings as they will happily scavenge feed.

What temp should I keep the enclosure at?

Room temperature... Unless you live in a fridge... Anything between 18-30°C (or roughly 70-90°F) should be fine, they can survive in slightly higher or lower temps but this is a general rule of thumb.

Bottom heating? or Side? Or Light heating? NO HEATING?

No heating is required, if your room is too cold then buy a space heater to heat the room to the appropriate temperature.

If heating the entire room is not cost-effective then you can use a heat mat but it must be connected to a thermostat, you must place it on the side of the enclosure (not the bottom or you will run the risk of cooking your T) and you must monitor it regularly.
 

user 666

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 27, 2017
Messages
355
The enclosure it's in already seems a little on the large size but you should be able to keep it in there until it hits 2" DLS (diagonal leg span), once it hit's 2" it should be fine to go in the larger enclosure (8"x8"x5") which will be fine up until it hits 4" DLS, you can put it in its forever home after that.
Agreed.

My rule of thumb is to rehouse when the legspan measurement exceeds half the length or width of the enclosure.
 

OliverWhatever

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 14, 2015
Messages
60
Yeah, leave it be, its already in an over size enclosure.
It's not really all that oversized. A couple molts, and it will be perfect for it, and it won't have issues hunting in there, as long as you don't give prey items that like burying themselves.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
It's not really all that oversized. A couple molts, and it will be perfect for it, and it won't have issues hunting in there, as long as you don't give prey items that like burying themselves.
If it needs to grow into it as you say, by definition, its over-sized. Its no problem, I never said it wouldn't be able to hunt...just that you shouldn't upgrade yet.
 

OliverWhatever

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 14, 2015
Messages
60
If it needs to grow into it as you say, by definition, its over-sized. Its no problem, I never said it wouldn't be able to hunt...just that you shouldn't upgrade yet.
There aren't really any cons to an enclosure that size, the spider is happy either way. But I agree, a bit meaningless to upgrade quite yet.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I wouldn't put it in the microwave, I hear they make Ts glow green, that's not healthy.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
FURTHER QUESTIONS:
What should I put in the enclosure?
How often should I clean it?
Mist?
What kind of food to feed it?
What temp should I keep the enclosure at?
Bottom heating? or Side? Or Light heating? NO HEATING?

Thanks!
How come you didn't learn the answers to these questions ahead of time, esp the one about feeding it????

Tarantulas often suffer from owners who don't do the proper research ahead of acquiring the T itself. I hope for your tarantula's sake that you continue to read, and take the good advice offered here.
 

PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
Joined
Sep 15, 2014
Messages
713
I agree with those above. I have a G. Porteri sling as well and I keep it in a small enclosure that has just the appropriate amount of space. Temps room temp as already stated. Care wise it is a simple species to keep, just don't be frightened if not eating for a large amount of time or has a mood swing.
 

Noah DW

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 9, 2017
Messages
7
How come you didn't learn the answers to these questions ahead of time, esp the one about feeding it????

Tarantulas often suffer from owners who don't do the proper research ahead of acquiring the T itself. I hope for your tarantula's sake that you continue to read, and take the good advice offered here.
I did learn all of them from just one person. I wanted an opinion from MULTIPLE people.
 

gypsy cola

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
192
to answer your questions:

What should I put in the enclosure?- water bowl, hide, dirt and whatever else you want
How often should I clean it?-whenever you want. Most people spot clean. No real need to clean up after an arid species
Mist? -Short anwer: no. Long answer: nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
What kind of food to feed it? -bugs. I would shy away from vertebrates as they stink and crickets are cheaper
What temp should I keep the enclosure at?- room temperature
Bottom heating? or Side? Or Light heating? NO HEATING?-see above
Please help fast! Its is fasting for its FIRST molt.-don't tell me what to do.
Thanks!
 
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