Feather leg baboon

[Charlton]

I need some help please:

My feather leg boboon is ons a hunger strike after I moved it to n bigger enclosure, I doesn't do much and don't even want to soin Web. It made itself a burrow and just sits there but is refusing to eat anything. I have a hydrometer and the current humidity is about 90%. Just scared it might die.

Please any help Wil be much appreciated
Thanks!!

 

[Nicolas C]

Hello Charlton. Stromatopelma calceatum don't need such a high humidity. In fact, it could be dangerous for them. I keep mine on dry substrate with only a dish full of water always available. You should either let the substrate dry (if it doesn't take too long) or rehouse on dry subs (which isn't an enjoyable perspective for a Stroma!). The hydrometer is useless for your tarantula: it'll only lead you into bad decisions concerning how to monitor humidity. You can get rid of it (or use it for snakes, etc.).

By the way, could you please post a picture of the enclosure? It could help. Stromatopelma are arboreal (they need height and a vertical cork bark) but spend their daytime inside a burrow (often dug in the substrate).

Maybe she's also just waiting for a molt to come?

Or needing time to adjust to the new enclosure?

But anyway, humidity is too high.

 

[Charlton]

Hi Nicolas, thanks for the reply. What should you think is the best humidity level for the spider? It's my first arboreal and I've bought it about 2 days ago at my local tarantula dealer and have no idea when it will mould.

 

[Nicolas C]

Thanks for the photos. I cannot see it on the picture, but I assume you have ventilation holes on this enclosure? The best would be to have them on two sides or one side + top, to allow air circulation/flow. If there aren't any vent holes, you will have to buy another enclosure, I'm afraid...

Other than that, the vertical wood is perfect. I'd add some more substrate personally, to allow your tarantula to dig a burrow if needed. It will rise the wood a little bit more, which is fine too.

My advice about humidity for your Stromatopelma would be: let all the enclosure completely dry out (there shouldn't be condensation on the glass), then put a waterdish on the substrate near the opening side (to make filling easier) and that's it. No need to pour water on the substrate, no need to mist. Humidity gauges are often inaccurate unfortunately, unless you buy a professional one, which would be overkill: your tarantula doesn't need it. One dish with clean water and voilà.

What's the size of your two Ts?

I ask because spiderlings (= baby spiders) are more fragile about humidity issues.

One more thing about Stromatopelma calceatum: they are known as being one of the fastest and most defensive tarantula available in the hobby. And their venom is quite potent too. Be very careful when dealing with her, always use a forceps and never bare hands inside the enclosure, and be sure that she has no possibilities to escape. If she has a good hide and is well settled, she will hide inside when you do maintenance (never do anything inside the cage when she's out of her burrow). But as they are unpredictable, be always on your guard with them.

 

[Charlton]

Thank you soo much for this helpful information, I really appreciate it. Before I bought her, I did a lot of research on the feather leg to know what I'm dealing with, and she makes it so difficult to re-house her.

The Green bottle blue is about 2cm and I have poked holes around the container for cross ventilation

Feather leg baboon is 5cm

I'm still new to the tarantula hobbies and still trying not to use the common easy names.

Here is the fulk container for the feather leg baboon

 

[Charlton]

It doesn't want to upload the photos but ons the lid there as a round hole for ventilation but one on the sides

 

[Nicolas C]

The Green bottle blue is about 2cm and I have poked holes around the container for cross ventilation
Feather leg baboon is 5cm
I'm still new to the tarantula hobbies and still trying not to use the common easy names.

Don't worry about the latin and greek names... You'll learn them after a while. It's easier to know who is who with the scientific names... even if sometimes the taxonomic changes make it hard to get it... Anyway, I've no problems with common names either, I love how meaningful they are!

The size you gave is the size of the body without the legs, is it?

Then both are big enough to rely only on a waterdish. Yes, even the Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (= GBB): in fact, they do poorly in too much moisture, the place where the live in nature is rather dry. You can use a soda bottle cap as a waterdish for the GBB until it's bigger, it'll be just fine.

 

[Charlton]

Haha thanks I will make it a goal to learn most of them. It's true what you said that the normal names have more meaning and describes the tarantula at its best.

The sizes including legs, they are quite small but fun to watch them grow!!

If have did what you told me and hopefully my feather leg Wil be fine in a few days, it's very sluggish now. Can it be that it is stressed because I'm disturbing is too much by re-housing it a few times?

 

[kormath]

I keep all my slings over 1/4" leg span with a pop bottle cap as a water dish. I put decorative aquarium gravel in the bottle cap to keep the feeders from drowning. Never fails for those little slings the pinhead crickets jump right in the water dish

 

[Nicolas C]

Can it be that it is stressed because I'm disturbing is too much by re-housing it a few times?

Yes, it definitively can be the reason. Or an incoming molt. The best is now to live them alone, so that they can adapt quietly in their new environment.

As the GBB is smaller than what I thought and you decide to keep it in a bigger enclosure, you can overflow just a little (not too much, just a few drops!) the waterdish once a week maximum, and let the substrate dry during the week (not necessary with the current enclosure). Be careful that it has always water available (sometimes, with small waterdishes, it happens they are emptied fast), either with a dish or with some moist substrate (if you don't have enough place in the enclosure to put a dish).

 

[lanny]

You need to give it a little time to settle in, after 2 days it's definitely stress!

 

[SpiderDad61]

Great advice. Also, if u moved it to a much bigger enclosure, it could be stressed. Some of mine got stressed when I put them in something too big. I'd put them in an enclosure a tad smaller and after a day or so, it was much better. Not all Ts dislike a too big enclosure but it could be an issue

 

[kormath]

Great advice. Also, if u moved it to a much bigger enclosure, it could be stressed. Some of mine got stressed when I put them in something too big. I'd put them in an enclosure a tad smaller and after a day or so, it was much better. Not all Ts dislike a too big enclosure but it could be an issue

My G. pulchra did that. Downsized his enclosure and he was happy, molted a couple days after even In the larger enclosure he wouldn't eat, would sit huddled in the corner.

 

[SpiderDad61]

My G. pulchra did that. Downsized his enclosure and he was happy, molted a couple days after even In the larger enclosure he wouldn't eat, would sit huddled in the corner.

Yea it's strange. Some Ts are just affected by things that others seem to like or thrive in.
I usually move slings into enclosures that don't give them too much space. Just keep going a lil larger every handful of molts or so. Then when the T is a young adult, I go with the permanent enclosure so it can just molt and grow and now stress about moving anymore. It's my way of letting it decorate it's home that it'll b spending the rest of its life in.

 

[Charlton]

Hello guys I just wanted to say thanks for all your helpfull comments and thanks a lot to Nicolas.

It's been a few days since I left my feather leg baboon and she is getting used to her new enclosure and webbing everything

She finally eaten today with Los of aggression

 

[Enn49]

I'm glad to hear she settling in now and eating, now sit back and enjoy.