(Part 2) Top products from r/tarantulas

I am really excited that you found this subreddit, over the last 3-4 months it has nearly doubled in size and content. We have some great moderators that care and put time into making this reddit interesting and active. We treat everyone very nice, and give one another constructive criticism to improve the life our pets. We are very active in making sure all member have their set ups correct for their 8 legged furry friends. This brings me to my point, one the Team_Coco_13 has already pointed out. We need to talk about your tank set up.

The type of substrate you are using needs to be replaced. There are a few different types you can use. For most of mine I use this in all but 3 or 4 of my terrariums. There are a couple reason for using this. It is soft for falls which is important for large tarantulas like G. rosea. Tarantulas, especially large ones like G. rosea can really hurt themselves by falling from the top of the enclosure. A lot of the bark pieces are very sharp and could easily puncture a large T's abdomen, almost definitely causing death.

You also need waaaay more substrate in the tank. It should have not more then 2.5 the DLS (diagonal leg span) of the the spider tall. With a spider that big, I am guessing the substrate should be about 6 inches from the top of the enclosure. This is also to prevent damage from a fall which is the primary concern with large terrestrial tarantulas.

Welcome to this subreddit, we grow daily in our knowledge and numbers and are welcoming to all. Thanks for sharing your pictures and I hope to see the new and improved terrarium ASAP. Good luck with your little buddy. If you have any more, post pics of them so we can get all your terrariums in tip top shape!

You haven't messed it all up! It's a learning process, and this isn't the worst setup ever, but it could definitely use some tweaking and adjustments. :)

It's a great start!

​

Don't feel bad, there is a ton of misinformation out there and it probably feels overwhelmign right now, but the correct way to keep tarantulas is MUCH easier than the incorrect way. Most of the stuff they tell you to do is totally unnecessary, but this forum and arachnoboards and Tom's Big Spiders are all fantastic resources.

The enclosure itself isn't ideal for a pink toe, mostly because they like a lot of cross-ventilation and this doesn't provide any of that. This is what I keep my Avicularia (pink toe) in -- there is top ventilation as well as ventilation beneath the front-opening door, so you get the necessary cross-ventilation for the species. The other issue is that they stay up high so if you only are able to get in through the top, you might end up messing up their webbing and stuff... but primarily the issue is the lack of cross-ventilation.

You can get rid of the humidity/temp gauge; it's unnecessary. Tarantula will be fine at room temp -- the general rule is if you're comfortable in a regular shirt, your tarantula will be comfortable too. Chasing humidity is a waste of time and could even be totally counterproductive -- one of the worst things for your Avicularia is an overly stuffy, moist and stagnant enclosure.

If there is a heat pad or anything they told you to use, get rid of that too. If you cant get it off just unplug it :P but she doesn't need it, it could actually harm her.

Avicularia are totally arboreal, like, I've never ever seen mine even touch the substrate in its enclosure. So you'll want to move the foliage up to the top half of the enclosure (suction cups/command hooks?) and you can simply flip her little 'log hide' so that it's standing vertically, though she may never actually go inside it.

In the meantime, in that enclosure, I would suggest keeping the substrate dry (keep everything dry) with clean water in her dish available always. You could spray some water droplets on the side of the glass maybe once a week but since this doesn't have cross-ventilation, you're going to want to limit the amount of moisture in the enclosure in order to avoid that stagnant moisture issue.

I don't have any photos handy but I'll take a couple of my Avicularia setups when I get home if you want!

​

TL;DR -- Switch to an enclosure with cross ventilation, move the foliage up top, flip her hideout so that it is vertical, no need to measure humidity/temps as long as she's in a room that stays in the 70s you're fine. And don't feel bad for learning; we all start somewhere!

Please visit www.arachnoboards.com - It is the best source for tarantula husbandry info out there. You will probably need to use the search function to find answers to specific questions, but if you have a question, with any likelihood it has been asked before. Definitely do some more research and get your enclosure setup before buying you spider. Other great sources of info are The Tarantula Keeper's Guide or This book or this one I would highly recommend reading at least one of these before bringing your spider home! Good luck, you're in for a fun time!

1. Some species are pretty docile, pretty much across the board, like most grammostolas (G. pulchripes, G. rosea, etc.). Some species are docile right up until they get hungry, at which point they can be very aggressive (most of the pamphobeteus that I have kept). There is some variation within individuals.
   
   
2. The first time around, I'd recommend an adult, unless going with something that tolerates broad environmental conditions- again, the Chilean rose hair (G. rosea) tolerates everything but wet conditions. So long as you, the owner, is comfortable, the rosie is probably comfortable with the environment in terms of humidity and temperature.
   
   
3. My Ts range from free (Craigslist giveaway) to $200+. Typical would be a $30 rosie, a $25 Exo Terra Faunarium, a block of coir ($5-10, enough for at least a year). Add a plastic plant or two, a "hide" (half a clay pot, or a chunk of cork), and a plastic lid for water, and you're good.

I have this one and it is awesome. Very easy to understand and lots of good information plus great pictures of various tarantulas.

Just get one of these and you'll both be able to move then easily and quickly without hurting them. Im afraid you can't get rid of them, and as mentioned, mature males will be more adventurous, so you can expect to see large spiders on a regular basis

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brainstorm-Spider-Catcher/dp/B000G04RDK

I haven't read this book yet, but it's on my "next to read" list. Like the author, I used to be afraid of spiders, so it seems like a story I'd relate to.

I'm really not that creative either, these are easier than they look!

Start with Jamie's arboreal enclosure tutorial and replace the silk leaves with silk flowers from a hobby store.

What she didn't mention is shaping the cork bark and water bowls. You want somewhat flat surfaces wherever something is getting glued to the tank. A cheap saw of some sort and some adhesive backed coarse grit sandpaper stuck on a flat block of wood is all you need. Don't use the saw on the water bowl though, just sand the side that's already kind of flat. Doesn't need to be perfect, the hot glue will glob up and fill voids. Make sure you rinse off the bowls after sanding and dry them before glueing.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

You mean this one? I've had this since I was a kid, I love it.

https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Glass-Terrarium-12-Inch/dp/B000OAVN0W/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1537359443&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=exo+terra+terrarium&psc=1

​

12 inches is 30cm save you the google.

SE Glass Top Display Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NJGHVO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-H5KDb1ZH25GJ

I have a juvie that I keep in one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exo-Terra-PT2300-Faunarium-Medium/dp/B0002AR48O
I feed it medium sized roaches now, but I used to feed it medium/large locusts.

1

2

3

4

I use flukers cricket quencher and powdered food, and a cricket keeper. I have very little die off, and can avoid going to the store weekly for crickets, woo!

http://www.amazon.com/Lee-20078-Kricket-Keeper-Large/dp/B0002DHAWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411860796&sr=8-1&keywords=cricket+keeper

http://www.amazon.com/Flukers-16-Ounce-Cricket-Quencher-Fortified/dp/B0002DHPDA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411860797&sr=8-1&keywords=cricket+water

http://www.amazon.com/Flukers-High-Calcium-Cricket-11-5-Ounce/dp/B002DWTJBO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1411860804&sr=8-4&keywords=cricket+food

tried their orange food/water and it smells awful when it dries out. The water pillows don't last long and I had alot of death with them. Potatoes or apples work, but they dont stay damp as long as the quencher does. So after much trial and error, thats the best combo I found.

I would take almost all of your rocks and sticks out of the enclosure and add another 7-8 inches of substrate. I personally don't add anything with sharp edges like rocks or rough decorations just to minimize risk. Just take it slow with her. They are simple creatures, and over time you will learn to understand their behaviors better. If you have just purchased her, she may be stressed, and that could be a reason she is on the wall in the first place instead of settling into a hide in the bottom. Speaking of hides, I can't tell if you have one from your photo. I would go buy one of these from a petstore that you can put in the cage with her after removing other unneeded additions. It will make a very simple hide that she can retreat to if she feels threatened.