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Hi guys!!! I have some problems. I want to make desert terrarium for my chromatopelma, but I have doubts: is it right to use desert sand in the terrarium for spider? And could you suggest some idias or concepts for desert terr?
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chromatopelma cyaneopubescens tank
- Thread starter Balgor
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Hi Balgor,
Welcome aboard. Two separate topics here. The first is regarding the GBB question. I would not set up a desert enclosure for her. They require an arid environment but not a true desert species. If you insist on sand (I use coco fiber and vermiculite mixed) I would definitely mix in the sand with coco. The GBB is going to web up the bulk of your enclosure anyways so not the best species for focusing on the enclosure set up itself.
If you are going with a true desert species, the sand does have a tendency to not hold burrows well. You could mix sand with other substrate (i.e. clay) to get the desired look and feel if you wanted to look like a true desert set up. Also, I have had success using Ground Walnut as a sand substitute for desert inverts. Hope that helps.
Welcome aboard. Two separate topics here. The first is regarding the GBB question. I would not set up a desert enclosure for her. They require an arid environment but not a true desert species. If you insist on sand (I use coco fiber and vermiculite mixed) I would definitely mix in the sand with coco. The GBB is going to web up the bulk of your enclosure anyways so not the best species for focusing on the enclosure set up itself.
If you are going with a true desert species, the sand does have a tendency to not hold burrows well. You could mix sand with other substrate (i.e. clay) to get the desired look and feel if you wanted to look like a true desert set up. Also, I have had success using Ground Walnut as a sand substitute for desert inverts. Hope that helps.
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Thanks. And next question: what arid plants could I put in terrarium? And can it be decorative plants-succulents? What propprtions of sand and coco might be mixed in arid environment terrarium?
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I have never set up plants in any arid environment. But, I would suggest you would need to find species that could survive on low water and humidity. Avoid any plants that have thorns or sharp edges as they can harm the T's. You can go with either sand or all cocoa in an arid environment. So, the mix could be your own personal preference (or could be based off the plan'ts requirements. Another idea would be to keep the plants potted and buried into the substrate. Allows for easy maintenance and you could keep the optimal potting soil (chemical free so you may need to buy the plants from a pet supplier that specifies organic for reptiles) for each plant without sacrificing your T's substrate.
