So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?
- Thread starter Lopéz
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A feeding dish is probably quite useful. I find that mealworms tend to burrow into the soil straight away. The best way is to put them in something like a feeding dish that they cant escape, but the T has easy access too.
I have a little red bulb desk lamp, low wattage, that I sometimes turn on at night when I want to look at them. Ive also used night vision on a camera, I really wouldnt worry though as the infared isnt going to be strong enough to do any overheating.
I have a little red bulb desk lamp, low wattage, that I sometimes turn on at night when I want to look at them. Ive also used night vision on a camera, I really wouldnt worry though as the infared isnt going to be strong enough to do any overheating.
Condensation
I'm still getting condensation in my tank.
I wipe don the interior but he condensation returns.
Could this be caused if I misted too much the first time?
Should I leave it the way it is and let it dry out itself?
I'm really worried that it will harm my T.
One last thing. Can any tell what it's gender is by the pics?
I'm still getting condensation in my tank.
I wipe don the interior but he condensation returns.
Could this be caused if I misted too much the first time?
Should I leave it the way it is and let it dry out itself?
I'm really worried that it will harm my T.
One last thing. Can any tell what it's gender is by the pics?
Re: Condensation
When the condensation stops (might be a while) then place a small water dish in the warm end of the tank and keep it topped up. I use old coke bottle lids for small spiders.
Also do you have plenty of ventilation on the lid? T's like plenty of good airflow so you need plenty of holes.
Gender by a picture is very tricky until the spider is nearly mature - to be certain you need to have a recently shed skin examined
You always get condensation at first because peat comes in damp, so all that water needs to evaporate. Don't add any more water or mist at all until you stop getting condensation.
When the condensation stops (might be a while) then place a small water dish in the warm end of the tank and keep it topped up. I use old coke bottle lids for small spiders.
Also do you have plenty of ventilation on the lid? T's like plenty of good airflow so you need plenty of holes.
Gender by a picture is very tricky until the spider is nearly mature - to be certain you need to have a recently shed skin examined
The main problem with lights is that they really dehydrate the T very quickly. Think of it as a worm with a hard skin and you will understand why extreme dryness is so bad for them - they literally dry out.
If you are just filming for a while then a red light will be fine. It's the dry heat for prolonged periods that causes a problem.
Try and keep your tank at 2 or 3 times the size of the spider.
So, for a 3" spider you want a tank 9" long at the most.
Peat looks good asa substrate but is a paradise for mould and mites - a totally foolproof option is to use vermiculite which is virtually sterile (it's pretty cheap too)
You need a water dish, but not a feeding dish. Although if you feed mealworms a dish can come in handy to stop them burrowing underground.
Beginner spider? There is so much choice!
And my last one for this morning...
What difference a moult makes! A couple of months ago I purchased my baby Pinktoe. As you know, Pinktoes begin life with black toes and pink legs - the reverse of adults.
With his last moult, Pele began to get faint green streaks on his knees, so I wondered if he would go gradually green or transform completely with one moult.
Here he is a few weeks ago:
Note the pink legs and black toes.
And here he is just before the moult:
See how the legs have gone dark? This is the new exoskeleton forming underneath the old skin, showing through.
And here he is just after moulting:
As you can see he's extremely pale, but already has noticably green hairs all over his legs, and his toes have turned pink
And finally, taken just now:
He has hardened overnight to a deep blue-green.
In this picture the camera does him no justice, he is utterly utterly stunning.
What difference a moult makes! A couple of months ago I purchased my baby Pinktoe. As you know, Pinktoes begin life with black toes and pink legs - the reverse of adults.
With his last moult, Pele began to get faint green streaks on his knees, so I wondered if he would go gradually green or transform completely with one moult.
Here he is a few weeks ago:
Note the pink legs and black toes.
And here he is just before the moult:
See how the legs have gone dark? This is the new exoskeleton forming underneath the old skin, showing through.
And here he is just after moulting:
As you can see he's extremely pale, but already has noticably green hairs all over his legs, and his toes have turned pink
And finally, taken just now:
He has hardened overnight to a deep blue-green.
In this picture the camera does him no justice, he is utterly utterly stunning.
Soldato
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Ola! That's spanish for 'ow do!
What do you guys keep your arboreal T's in? I keep my P.cambrigei (Trinidad chevron) in a sweet jar. I'm thinking about putting it in something else though, maybe a tall aquarium. Can anybody recommend a good place to get one from as my local pet store doesn't sell them.
Any pictures of setups would be appreciated
What do you guys keep your arboreal T's in? I keep my P.cambrigei (Trinidad chevron) in a sweet jar. I'm thinking about putting it in something else though, maybe a tall aquarium. Can anybody recommend a good place to get one from as my local pet store doesn't sell them.
Any pictures of setups would be appreciated
Re: Re: Condensation
Thanks for the info Lopez.
Below there's a pic of the ventilation on my tank. Is this enough do you think?
I won't mist the tank until the condensation stops but as for the water dish. Doesn't it need to drink or will it be okay to take the water dish out for the moment?
As for the gender. What should I be looking for?
Originally posted by Lopéz
You always get condensation at first because peat comes in damp, so all that water needs to evaporate. Don't add any more water or mist at all until you stop getting condensation.
When the condensation stops (might be a while) then place a small water dish in the warm end of the tank and keep it topped up. I use old coke bottle lids for small spiders.
Also do you have plenty of ventilation on the lid? T's like plenty of good airflow so you need plenty of holes.
Gender by a picture is very tricky until the spider is nearly mature - to be certain you need to have a recently shed skin examined
Thanks for the info Lopez.
Below there's a pic of the ventilation on my tank. Is this enough do you think?
I won't mist the tank until the condensation stops but as for the water dish. Doesn't it need to drink or will it be okay to take the water dish out for the moment?
As for the gender. What should I be looking for?
Hi, thanks for the reply Lopez. I'm not completely sure where would be best to buy my spider from, I think I'd prefer to buy one online from a reputable dealer rather than risk paying over the odds for a mis treated spider that I can't keep due to the shop keepers bad advice.
I'm not really wanting to pay more than £30 for one, or I'm thinking of getting one for earound £20 and a far smaller one for £10.
Where would be the best place to buy one from?
And in regards to the housing for the small spider, what would be best to use? I was thinking along the lines of a round or a square old cotton bud tub or something, I really dont know!
Thanks again, I really can't wait to get me a (or couple of) spider(s)!
David
I'm not really wanting to pay more than £30 for one, or I'm thinking of getting one for earound £20 and a far smaller one for £10.
Where would be the best place to buy one from?
And in regards to the housing for the small spider, what would be best to use? I was thinking along the lines of a round or a square old cotton bud tub or something, I really dont know!
Thanks again, I really can't wait to get me a (or couple of) spider(s)!
David
Originally posted by si_sleaf
Ola! That's spanish for 'ow do!
What do you guys keep your arboreal T's in? I keep my P.cambrigei (Trinidad chevron) in a sweet jar. I'm thinking about putting it in something else though, maybe a tall aquarium. Can anybody recommend a good place to get one from as my local pet store doesn't sell them.
Any pictures of setups would be appreciated
I've ordered a custom-made vivarium for my pokie which should be arriving any day now! I'll post pics and details when I get it
Thanks Taliesn. Not quite ready to handle mt T yet though. Building up to it. Caught a relatively big house spider and was holding it. Biggest I've held so far. I'll handle the T as soon as I'm ready and hopefully be able to sex it.
Also, the condensation has decreased a lot. I've left the slding lid aopen a crack (half a centimetre) and I've put several small holes on the lamp hole plug. The condesation has decreased loads.
I also received The Tarantula Keepers guide and Tarantula and other arachnid books today (yay!). I'll be going through these over the next few days.
Also, the condensation has decreased a lot. I've left the slding lid aopen a crack (half a centimetre) and I've put several small holes on the lamp hole plug. The condesation has decreased loads.
I also received The Tarantula Keepers guide and Tarantula and other arachnid books today (yay!). I'll be going through these over the next few days.
I think I may have a new problem in regards to my tank.
It's 18" by 12" by 10" and the T is about 2" - 3" long.
Is this tank too big? If it is I can't get another tank until the end of next month.
If it is too big, what problem could it cause for the T?
It's 18" by 12" by 10" and the T is about 2" - 3" long.
Is this tank too big? If it is I can't get another tank until the end of next month.
If it is too big, what problem could it cause for the T?
I think it probably is, coming from someone with the exact same species and roughly the same size.
When I first got her, she was in a 5 gallon aquarium.......way too big.
Then I moved her to a 2.5 gallon Aqua-Zoo type thing. It was filled high with substrate and she burrowed down quite deep into it, she sometimes came out at night, but I then hardly ever saw her.
I lowered the substrate enough so that she couldnt burrow deep and put in half a flower pot... She pretty much just remained under this flower pot and didnt really come out.
So yesterday I transfered her to the smallest size of Aqua-Zoo thingy possible, and she seems right at home now, venturing out of her flower pot hide, and climbing along the sides of the tank sometimes, which I hadnt seen her do.
So I'd get your spider into something nice and small.
Here she is just after moulting last Tuesday:
As of yesterday, the orange is so bright!:
When I first got her, she was in a 5 gallon aquarium.......way too big.
Then I moved her to a 2.5 gallon Aqua-Zoo type thing. It was filled high with substrate and she burrowed down quite deep into it, she sometimes came out at night, but I then hardly ever saw her.
I lowered the substrate enough so that she couldnt burrow deep and put in half a flower pot... She pretty much just remained under this flower pot and didnt really come out.
So yesterday I transfered her to the smallest size of Aqua-Zoo thingy possible, and she seems right at home now, venturing out of her flower pot hide, and climbing along the sides of the tank sometimes, which I hadnt seen her do.
So I'd get your spider into something nice and small.
Here she is just after moulting last Tuesday:
As of yesterday, the orange is so bright!:
Soldato
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Nexus, I really like that container that you have for you T there. Can I ask where you got it from?
I'm also looking for some plastic plants to put in with my T's. Can anybody recommend a good place? A massive new Homebase has just opened near me and doesn't sell them
I'm also looking for some plastic plants to put in with my T's. Can anybody recommend a good place? A massive new Homebase has just opened near me and doesn't sell them
I brought those containers from Pets@Home, a nation wide chain that is usually found on retail parks. They come in a range of sizes and are very cheap.
http://www.petsathome.co.uk/ to locate a store near you, although Im sure other petshops should have these.
I also struggled to find plastic plants, none of the DIY/Garden centers had them. In the end I brought a rock which had lots of fake plants in it designed to go in a fish tank. I just removed the plants from the rock and pushed them down into the substrate.
http://www.petsathome.co.uk/ to locate a store near you, although Im sure other petshops should have these.
I also struggled to find plastic plants, none of the DIY/Garden centers had them. In the end I brought a rock which had lots of fake plants in it designed to go in a fish tank. I just removed the plants from the rock and pushed them down into the substrate.
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