Greetings everyone!

[Strix]

Hi all

I was encouraged buy octanejunkie to make a intro thread and show you all my setup so.. here i am! New to the hobby, I used to be an arachnophobia but steadily got used to them oddly enough by watching YouTube videos. This in turn lead me to want to own one which I now do.

I went for a Green Bottle Blue as i don't really feel the need to do any handling of the T and their colour is fantastic. A really beautiful display T.

Anyway, I got an Exoterra enclosure with a few essentials the day i got him/her. I also had a LED light strip laying around with a remote control so i thought that would be perfect for a little bit of lighting while i look at the T.

Then i added the substrate and a few essentials I have more on the way including a proper water dish, sticks for my anchor points and a plant for aesthetics and more anchoring. I also prepared a little critter keeper for the live feed.

Springtails also, of course.

Then it was time to finally add the T. Not knowing it's temperament nor being confident enough to do so I didn't handle it or put it in myself even if it is still only about 3 inches. I got him/her out safely and let it settle where it began to web up like crazy.

I gave it it's first feed on the day as the shop said it was due on the day i picked him up... no hesitation at all!

It's been about 5 days now and he/she is settling in well. This is how he is right now, just chilling, waiting for more food i expect.

 

[Teresaisrad]

I think you have a pretty good start, especially once you add more anchor points. Please be careful of the height of the enclosure at the moment while there is minimal webbing. A fall from the top of the enclosure could be fatal to the T.

Also, I'm not sure if you have one already, but it is sound advice to add a a water dish to the enclosure and ensure you always provide fresh clean water at all times.

Always feel free to asks questions because there are tons of people here who'd love to help. We all care about happy and healthy T's so any questions can only improve your knowledge and overall life of our beloved tarantulas!

 

[menavodi]

Great pictures and a warm welcome to TF!

 

[Oursapoil]

Hi and welcome to the forum/family.
A couple of things here as Teresa rightfully pointed out:

1. Water dish
2. Anchor points. This will help your T developing her web. In the case of a GBB I wouldn't worry too much about falls as all mine have been behaving as arboreal and have been living 99% of the time in their webs at the very top of the enclosure.
3. This brings me to my main concern, your LED light string (I use the same ones for accent lightning in my garage). Although it looks better, I would advise against have them inside the enclosure where your T could have access to them. They do generate heat after some time on and believe it or not, T do chew on things (one of mine opened up a metal mesh lid as if it was a can opener) and having anything electric or wired in the enclosure as always been a no-no for me.

Last but not least, you are already showing that you care for your T and would spare no time or expense for them, this is what's most important. The rest will come with time, experience and interactions on this forum (except with @octanejunkie , you should never listen to this one ).
Tip of my hat to you on an impressive start, cheers.

 

[octanejunkie]

manger de la merde @Oursapoil

 

[Strix]

I think you have a pretty good start, especially once you add more anchor points. Please be careful of the height of the enclosure at the moment while there is minimal webbing. A fall from the top of the enclosure could be fatal to the T.

Also, I'm not sure if you have one already, but it is sound advice to add a a water dish to the enclosure and ensure you always provide fresh clean water at all times.

Always feel free to asks questions because there are tons of people here who'd love to help. We all care about happy and healthy T's so any questions can only improve your knowledge and overall life of our beloved tarantulas!

Yes I thought the exact same thing. I've ordered another load of substrate luckily he's not really done much climbing (yet) but yes, it is a little low. The springtails underneath.. will they be able to burrow upward toward the top? I also really wish i didn't heave to mess up his/her webbing but safety first and all that.

I've got water don't worry you just couldn't see it as it was only a bottle top when i first started in my previous pictures and now i have a properly themed one for him which suits the theme of the enclosure. Once i get all the extra stuff in it i will update you all on it.

Thank you for the advice.

Hi and welcome to the forum/family.
A couple of things here as Teresa rightfully pointed out:

1. Water dish
2. Anchor points. This will help your T developing her web. In the case of a GBB I wouldn't worry too much about falls as all mine have been behaving as arboreal and have been living 99% of the time in their webs at the very top of the enclosure.
3. This brings me to my main concern, your LED light string (I use the same ones for accent lightning in my garage). Although it looks better, I would advise against have them inside the enclosure where your T could have access to them. They do generate heat after some time on and believe it or not, T do chew on things (one of mine opened up a metal mesh lid as if it was a can opener) and having anything electric or wired in the enclosure as always been a no-no for me.

Last but not least, you are already showing that you care for your T and would spare no time or expense for them, this is what's most important. The rest will come with time, experience and interactions on this forum (except with @octanejunkie , you should never listen to this one ).
Tip of my hat to you on an impressive start, cheers.View attachment 59272View attachment 59273

The LED's shouldn't be an issue as they are coated in plastic but as you say if he/she chews on it then that could be bad. I will keep my eye on it as i don't really have any other way to light up the enclosure. In terms of heat these don't seem to get hot but then i only use them when i want a peak they are not on constantly as i feel that would be unfair on the T.

Is that your GBB? It's stunning! Is it fully grown? I'm curious how big mine will be as he's like a dwarf T at the moment which is nice but it would be fun to see it fully grown. No rush though.

 

[Oursapoil]

manger de la merde @Oursapoil
View attachment 59274

@octanejunkie , your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!

 

[Oursapoil]

Yes I thought the exact same thing. I've ordered another load of substrate luckily he's not really done much climbing (yet) but yes, it is a little low. The springtails underneath.. will they be able to burrow upward toward the top? I also really wish i didn't heave to mess up his/her webbing but safety first and all that.

I've got water don't worry you just couldn't see it as it was only a bottle top when i first started in my previous pictures and now i have a properly themed one for him which suits the theme of the enclosure. Once i get all the extra stuff in it i will update you all on it.

Thank you for the advice.



The LED's shouldn't be an issue as they are coated in plastic but as you say if he/she chews on it then that could be bad. I will keep my eye on it as i don't really have any other way to light up the enclosure. In terms of heat these don't seem to get hot but then i only use them when i want a peak they are not on constantly as i feel that would be unfair on the T.

Is that your GBB? It's stunning! Is it fully grown? I'm curious how big mine will be as he's like a dwarf T at the moment which is nice but it would be fun to see it fully grown. No rush though.

I have a mature female and a premature male but @octanejunkie is our local GBB expert. You have an exo terra, 12x 12x12 I believe, they are making lighted hood for these

Amazon.com : Exo Terra Compact Incandescent Fixture for PT2600/PT2602 - 30 cm : Exoterra Light : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com : Exo Terra Compact Incandescent Fixture for PT2600/PT2602 - 30 cm : Exoterra Light : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

Although, as I mentioned earlier, my GBB are more on the arboreal side (it might defer from individuals) so I have them in the exo terra nano tall at 8x8x12.
Last but not least, except if you have young children or if you named your T Lupin, you should be fine without the lock on the enclosure

 

[octanejunkie]

GBBs are considered semi-arboreal by many as given the opportunity to climb and web above ground they will; and as adults they rarely burrow, if at all.

That being said, your 12" Exo Terra cube is perfect for an adult female GBB, and kinda wasted on a male. I would set it up with a hide and some shrub-like branches on the diagonal and your GBB will web up a treat of hammock and tunnel web structures. Even webbing over the water dish, which is no biggie.ive never seen my GBBs drink out of a water dish.

Agree about losing the lights, tarantulas are not big fans of bright light. Many of us opt for red led as it's outside their visible "alert" spectrum.

Looking forward to your progress, and success

 

[m0lsx]

Hello & welcome to the hobby & the forum.

 

[Tarantulafeets]

Welcome!
Gbbs are a dry sp, so there is no need for springtails, I just keep my Gbb on dry sub and a water dish. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[DustyD]

Welcome to these forums. Lots of good minds here. Mine not one of them.

I am bucking conventional wisdom and using aquarium plant lights for my Ts with the idea of eventually incorporating live plants in their enclosures. The light's color and intensity follow a day cycle and I have reduced the full intensity.

I have been using lights for about five weeks now and all my Ts have been spending more time out in the open. I can't say that it is the lights. More likely it's the summer heat, but they don't seem bothered by it. They are G. pulchra, pulchripes and rosea.

 

[Strix]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

Glad to say nearly a week on and he/she is doing well. Took a cricket off me today and then sat out by his tunnel asking for another one! So i tried it, instant catch.

How on earth can they tell it's coming? I don't use the tweezers up close to it as i don't want to hurt his/her fangs so i just drop them and before they can even hit the ground he's nailed it.. it's remarkable! Very impressive. How do they do it?

Video of the second feed:

Happy guy, don't worry the cricket above was removed. I was trying to get him to come out of his tunnel and get the cricket himself but he's a bit lazy haha.

I setup more anchor points too now, I've got one more to add (a small plant to add a bit of colour) but other then that the enclosure is done.