A few questions about Tarantula's

[InternetSwag]

I’m sorry to hear that I really am but the truth of it is slings aren’t as fragile as you say you must just have had really bad luck or you’re slings weren’t packaged properly yes some slings are weaker and might not make it to adulthood but ultimately starting with slings is probably the best way to go

I agree ive had no slings die and im as newb as they come.

 

[AndrewClayton]

I agree ive had no slings die and im as newb as they come.

I have had one die on me but I could tell from the day I recieved it something was up, it was very sluggish I tried feeding it and such but just never recovered and died 5 days later it must have been a problem with packing it was packed the same with same amount of padding as the 1 inch slings I recieved and it was a 1/4 inch at most

 

[Whitelightning777]

Here's an excellent video on the best beginner slings.

I would add Lasiodora species to the list, any from the genus as care is identical for them. Pretend that they are A geniculata. Any Acanthoscurria species, not just geniculata, will be equally good.

Price and availability vary.

The most affordable of these is L parahybana because of the huge number of slings produced and ease of breeding. You can literally get unsexed slings for under $20.

L klugi and L difficilis are also very popular. L striatepes was the largest known T on Earth until T blondi was discovered.

Members of the Lasiodora genus all attain a very large size and grow quickly if fed a lot. Some extra moisture and a wee bit of frogmoss is appreciated but not strictly necessary.

This is my L klugi.

 

[AndrewClayton]

My B. Albo did the same thing after just a week of refusing food then just last night I found it wandering around the enclosure. It gladly took a small dubia roach. My albo is about 1.5" - 2" and feeds like there is no tomorrow. In fact its a little on the heavy side so may have to skip another week of feeding. I always leave him/her when it decides to block off its hide entrance. I figured it should be getting ready to molt. Also, tarantulas can go a long time without feeding.. Though they are most deffinitely opportunistic feeders. My B. Albo and my Cyriocosmus Aueri both have never gone more than a week without feeding even when theyre abdomens are quite large, where my Caribena Laeta will always refuse a dubia if its not hungry and has gone up to 3 months refusing food.

Heres a picture of my Albo's hide after it closed it off.. Can even see some its legs from its last molt in the substrate

View attachment 40616

I think you’re enclosure may be to tall for you’re species, Brachypelma Albopilosum are terrestrial and a fall from height could injure or even kill you’re T if it ruptures it’s abdomen. Probably best rehousing it as you’re not going to get more substrate in there due to the front opening doors. It’s recommend for large bodied terrestrials to have around 1.5x there Diagonal Leg Span from the top of the substrate to top of enclosure.

 

[Whitelightning777]

I'd suggest trying a 3 gallon terrestrial Terra blue professional enclosure depending on the size of the sling. Prices on these are very reasonable.

If it's under 2" DLS, try a 4x4x5 juvenile terrestrial enclosure from Jamie's or fear not tarantulas. Those are extremely budget friendly.

Here's my B hamorii in the Terra Blue professional enclosure. The old name was B smithi which is what it was sold under. He turned out to be male, but I'm not to worried because these are incredibly slow growing. He'll be a great tarantula for years to come.

Here's my 3 B sabolsum slings in it's Jamie's juvenile enclosure being rehoused from a Jamie's terrestrial sling enclosure.

Brachys are extremely docile and a joy to keep.

 

[AndrewClayton]

Here's an excellent video on the best beginner slings.

I would add Lasiodora species to the list, any from the genus as care is identical for them. Pretend that they are A geniculata. Any Acanthoscurria species, not just geniculata, will be equally good.

Price and availability vary.

The most affordable of these is L parahybana because of the huge number of slings produced and ease of breeding. You can literally get unsexed slings for under $20.

L klugi and L difficilis are also very popular. L striatepes was the largest known T on Earth until T blondi was discovered.

Members of the Lasiodora genus all attain a very large size and grow quickly if fed a lot. Some extra moisture and a wee bit of frogmoss is appreciated but not strictly necessary.

View attachment 40873

This is my L klugi.

I don’t think I would recommend any Lasiodora or Acanthoscurria as a 1st Tarantula, they both have pretty bad hairs Lasiodora is worse and both have pretty vicious feeding response so maybe a 2nd or so on when you know what to expect from hairs and feeding just my opinion but and both Lasiodora and Acanthoscurria are very doable as a 1st T but I wouldn’t recommend it.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Definitely not an adult!! I'd say between 1 to 2 inches. They are perfectly manageable at that size. My L klugi burrowed until she had her adult colors.

However, as 1 or 2 inch slings, they are very manageable because you can grow with the spider.

Also with these, NEVER handle them & the hairs are then not a problem. They aren't mean spiders. What people mistake for aggression is just a very strong feeding response.

Use a paintbrush and a catch cup & it's all good to go. This is well within the range of a novice.

The advantage to these is that they grow fast. That makes them far more affordable then many brachys. If you want, say, a 3" B hamorii, prepare to shell out over $100. The show growth rate might be a turn off for some people.

The exception is B vagans, the most underrated T within the entire hobby. These grow fast and have more of a flight response.

All of the above are fun spiders that are always out on display & they have feeding takedowns that are incredible, also very easy to photograph.

Still, never as a subadult or large juvenile if it's your first one!! My L klugi taught me everything I needed to know when I got my very first OW species.

 

[Huntzman90]

I think you’re enclosure may be to tall for you’re species, Brachypelma Albopilosum are terrestrial and a fall from height could injure or even kill you’re T if it ruptures it’s abdomen. Probably best rehousing it as you’re not going to get more substrate in there due to the front opening doors. It’s recommend for large bodied terrestrials to have around 1.5x there Diagonal Leg Span from the top of the substrate to top of enclosure.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into getting a smaller enclosure. I will have to order it online as they dont sell them at any of the shops near me. The exo terra nano is the smallest i could find.

My T is in premolt so I may wait until its molted and hardened before i rehouse. Im not sure how big it will be after the molt (its about 2" now) but it may be ok for the enclosure its in now. I dont mind getting another enclosure if i need to though.. Just an excuse to get another T.

 

[AndrewClayton]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into getting a smaller enclosure. I will have to order it online as they dont sell them at any of the shops near me. The exo terra nano is the smallest i could find.

My T is in premolt so I may wait until its molted and hardened before i rehouse. Im not sure how big it will be after the molt (its about 2" now) but it may be ok for the enclosure its in now. I dont mind getting another enclosure if i need to though.. Just an excuse to get another T.

It will be fine in a cheap flat terrarium or braplast tub until you can find the enclosure you want for it

 

[Jess S]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into getting a smaller enclosure. I will have to order it online as they dont sell them at any of the shops near me. The exo terra nano is the smallest i could find.

My T is in premolt so I may wait until its molted and hardened before i rehouse. Im not sure how big it will be after the molt (its about 2" now) but it may be ok for the enclosure its in now. I dont mind getting another enclosure if i need to though.. Just an excuse to get another T.

If it's still sealed in its hide, I would definitely wait until it moults and hardens. When it unseals the entrance itself you can check. But have a new enclosure ready, in case it decides to start climbing lol

 

[Rs50matt]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into getting a smaller enclosure. I will have to order it online as they dont sell them at any of the shops near me. The exo terra nano is the smallest i could find.

My T is in premolt so I may wait until its molted and hardened before i rehouse. Im not sure how big it will be after the molt (its about 2" now) but it may be ok for the enclosure its in now. I dont mind getting another enclosure if i need to though.. Just an excuse to get another T.

If your looking to get another enclosure I would recommend an exo terra breeding box small . About the same floor space as a nano but not as high . They're also stackable. Cheaper than a nano and provide decent ventilation. One of my go to enclosure types for grown on slings / juveniles

 

[Whitelightning777]

Terra blue professional makes a very nice enclosure in a variety of sizes. The screens are fully bonded and reinforced so there's no need to alter them.

They are rated for venomous animals including lizards, many who have long claws, which means that tarantulas won't be able to chew through it.

 

[AndrewClayton]

Terra blue professional makes a very nice enclosure in a variety of sizes. The screens are fully bonded and reinforced so there's no need to alter them.

They are rated for venomous animals including lizards, many who have long claws, which means that tarantulas won't be able to chew through it.

I need to look them up sound ideal are they only available in the USA

 

[AndrewClayton]

Terra blue professional makes a very nice enclosure in a variety of sizes. The screens are fully bonded and reinforced so there's no need to alter them.

They are rated for venomous animals including lizards, many who have long claws, which means that tarantulas won't be able to chew through it.

Just looked at them. They still have a mesh lid. Yes they may not be able to chew through it but that’s not the issue with mesh lids, it’s Ts getting tarsal claws stuck when climbing it so it being reinforced is just going to Make life difficult as you’re still going to have to replace it with polycarbonate or acrylic

 

[InternetSwag]

So fracken small. Won't even fall if I drop it, just floats through the air

 

[Tschorm]

Got another question, I have trouble with one off my enclosures with humidity and cannt really figure out where the problem lies, the thing is I got 3 more off those there is everything fine, if I mist them they stay at a good 60% plus for days and weeks, but in my B. Auratum it´s allways like 50, thought maybe the gauge isnt working, switched it still the same. Thing is, I would not care too much about that numbers, but he is climbing walls most off the time guess he doesnt likes it either, he got a nice big waterdish to drink from. Maybe some off you got an idear, what to do here? Maybe he just want to see something new after he moltet recently

 

[Jess S]

To be honest, I wouldn't worry about humidity or bother misting at all. You will just end up with mould. The reason it's climbing is probably because now that it's moulted, the substrate is too wet for its liking. B auratum's prefer dry substrate.

If its a sling, its generally advised to have slightly moist substrate, and this holds true for pretty much all species. The best way to do it is to overflow the waterdish and let it dry out completely (the substrate around the waterdish, not the waterdish lol) before overflowing again. That gives the tarantula a choice of a damp place and a dry place to be on.
Also substrate shouldn't be soaking wet. The damp you are looking for is when you squeeze it in your fist, it should briefly bond then crumble. You shouldn't be able to see any water running or dripping out when you squeeze it.

 

[AndrewClayton]

Got another question, I have trouble with one off my enclosures with humidity and cannt really figure out where the problem lies, the thing is I got 3 more off those there is everything fine, if I mist them they stay at a good 60% plus for days and weeks, but in my B. Auratum it´s allways like 50, thought maybe the gauge isnt working, switched it still the same. Thing is, I would not care too much about that numbers, but he is climbing walls most off the time guess he doesnt likes it either, he got a nice big waterdish to drink from. Maybe some off you got an idear, what to do here? Maybe he just want to see something new after he moltet recently

What @Jess S said buddy, I’d just like to say though get rid of the hydrometer they are totally useless for Ts. Tarantulas get there moisture from the substrate therefore humidity in the air is totally irrelevant for a Tarantula for the more arid species like B Auratum they require dry substrate and just overflow the water dish do not mist. A sp like Theraphosa though that live deep in the rainforest require damp substrate, they can still survive with air humidity in the low teens as long as they have there constantly dampened substance, hydrometers are only sold by pet store to make more money they aren’t needed for arachnids. I done the very same thing when I started out went and spent a fortune on heating, enclosure, gauges and equipment for my new T, that T was an LP sling so imagine how stupid I Felt bought all that and it lived on top of my wardrobe in a vial for 6 months and never got into the enclosure I bought until about a year later lol

 

[InternetSwag]

Kind of upset right now. Feel really dumb.
My avic escaped again. I really don't know how, but when I checked the enclosure, it somehow pried open the section where it got out again. The tape was all mangled which was keeping it in place.
I only had 10 minutes to look for him before I had to leave for work.
Last time he was in the curtains I checked there immediately and he wasn't there.
Gonna look for him tonight but I'm not very hopeful.

It's my own fault I really should have rehouse him. Little **** I ever gave him a Roach last night and he was chowing it this morning he is gone fml

 

[AndrewClayton]

Kind of upset right now. Feel really dumb.
My avic escaped again. I really don't know how, but when I checked the enclosure, it somehow pried open the section where it got out again. The tape was all mangled which was keeping it in place.
I only had 10 minutes to look for him before I had to leave for work.
Last time he was in the curtains I checked there immediately and he wasn't there.
Gonna look for him tonight but I'm not very hopeful.

It's my own fault I really should have rehouse him. Little **** I ever gave him a Roach last night and he was chowing it this morning he is gone fml

All I can say is look up high and good luck