Heating for Ts

[octanejunkie]

Controversial topic, and probably argued over as much as "best motor oil" I imagine, but here it goes

My Ts are all intended to be display animals are are kept in an area of my house that is unheated, albeit in Southern California. Winter ambient temps will go down into the high 50s low 60s indoors without heating. Summer temps are probably optimal, and are not a concern.

For transparency, I posed a similar thread specific to Avics and enclosures here: https://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/avic-housing-advice-requested.25977/

What do the experienced folks here recommend regarding heating for Ts in general when a dedicated room is not an option?

 

[ExMember]

I'm not the most experienced keeper but I can chime in. The safest way to heat enclosures that I have come across is the enclosure within an enclosure idea. The spider has its normal enclosure. Then you get another bin or something that is bigger. Attach a heat mat to the wall of the outside enclosure and make sure the inner one is not touching the outside one. This way you aren't providing a surface that heats up but raising the ambient air temps. The spider can still burrow to escape the heat and it doesn't run the risk of dessication.

Always use a thermostat with a heat mat. Conversely if you have a cabinet you keep your tarantulas in you could put a mat or tape in there and do the same thing. I personally think the roblem with heating is when people attach tape or a mat to the enclosure. It kills off the temperature gradient so the spider has no where to escape the heat. I would keep the temps somewhere between high 60's and low 80's. My rule of thumb is if I am comfortable then the spider is too! And if you get one of those pulse type thermostats (as opposed to a simple on/off type) you can keep the temps bang on. I use those for my reptiles and my temps don't fluctuate morethan a degree.

Hope thst helps

 

[menavodi]

I never used any heat other than what comes from a light bulb.