Hello, spider people

[Stacey Ryan]

Hi guys,

I'm very new to this hobby/world. I have purchased my first Tarantula, he/she should be arriving on Wednesday. I went for a juvenile b.smithi. I would say that I have done a fair amount of research, especially on the Mexican Redknee, so have answered a lot of the basic questions a beginner would ask. But I know as soon as my new friend arrives I am going to get a ton more.
I have seen and held a tarantula in real life once before and that was like 10 years ago.
I am super excited for him/her to arrive and to set up their new home. I really want to give my little T the best in life, so if anyone had any good tips, I'm all ears.

Stacey.

 

[Enn49]

Hi Stacey, welcome to the hobby . You've made an very good choice of T for your first. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

 

[Stacey Ryan]

Hi Enn49,
I've brought the tarantula (5-6cm) and the tarantula starter kit from the spider shop.com. I am worried that the enclosure will be too large for it. I did phone up and ask, they said it would be perfect size for it to live out the rest of its life in there. But I still worry that it is too big for the spider now.

 

[Enn49]

Hi Enn49,
I've brought the tarantula (5-6cm) and the tarantula starter kit from the spider shop.com. I am worried that the enclosure will be too large for it. I did phone up and ask, they said it would be perfect size for it to live out the rest of its life in there. But I still worry that it is too big for the spider now.

If you got the set up from TSS as well as the T then you should be ok for size, they are a very good shop.

 

[Stacey Ryan]

Yeah, they seemed very nice on the phone too.

 

[jackys]

Hi and welcome Stacey! You made an excellent choice for your first T! I have a juvenile B. hamorii/smithi too. She was one of my first two T's and she is awesome: a total sweetheart, yet also has a ferocious feeding response. I think you will love yours too And care couldn't be any easier... To the point where I'd often find myself thinking "That CAN'T really be all there is to it!" For someone like me who was used to dogs and cats, it can be very surprising how little care T's require. So my only advice would be not to overthink it, lol.

 

[Stacey Ryan]

Hi and welcome Stacey! You made an excellent choice for your first T! I have a juvenile B. hamorii/smithi too. She was one of my first two T's and she is awesome: a total sweetheart, yet also has a ferocious feeding response. I think you will love yours too And care couldn't be any easier... To the point where I'd often find myself thinking "That CAN'T really be all there is to it!" For someone like me who was used to dogs and cats, it can be very surprising how little care T's require. So my only advice would be not to overthink it, lol.

Thank you for such a warm welcome [emoji4]. I did a lot of research before hand and fell in love with all B Ts. Thinking about getting the fire leg next. I just keep thinking there is going to be so much food wastage with me just having the 1 T lol

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[jackys]

Thank you for such a warm welcome [emoji4]. I did a lot of research before hand and fell in love with all B Ts. Thinking about getting the fire leg next. I just keep thinking there is going to be so much food wastage with me just having the 1 T lol

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Haha, yeah I actually justified getting a second and soon a third T by saying "it'll mean less frequent food runs" Crickets are the main food source I use. They are hard to keep alive and actually MUCH higher-maintenance than my T's... But I'm fortunate to live close to a pet store, so I can just buy a few at a time. I also feed meal worms. They can be kept in the fridge for a really long time, and that helps reduce wasted food. I want to start feeding roaches too, and have heard they're much longer-lived than crickets (and less noisy for sure!)

 

[LC72uk]

Welcome to the Group Stacey................................LC72UK

 

[Stacey Ryan]

Welcome to the Group Stacey................................LC72UK

Thank you [emoji1]

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[Stacey Ryan]

In under 24hrs i will be the proud owner of a tarantula [emoji28] I'm so excited about it.

How long ago did u guys get ur 1st and what type was it?

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[LC72uk]

10 years ago, G rosea (Chilean Rose) and she is still with me a Grand old Lady ,she has to be 17+ years old now

 

[jackys]

I just started this spring! My first spider was a G. porteri juvenile, and I got my juvenile B. hamorii female shortly after. Just got my A. geniculata yesterday... She *might* still count as a juvenile because that species gets to be quite large, but at 5"/12.7cm she is much bigger than my other two

Hope your tarantula arrives safe and sound today! Would love to see some pics when s/he's all settled in.

 

[Stacey Ryan]

I've just got home from work. And my little fella is here. Just going to set it up after a cuppa (to settle my nerves lol) I hope he's ok

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[Stacey Ryan]

I've got these two things in my pack I know the big block is substrate. But do I need to add water for a b.smithi? And what is the other tub?

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[LC72uk]

Make sure the substrate is dry, Smithi`s ( now known as Brachypelma harmorii) they don`t like it wet.

 

[Stacey Ryan]

I've got these two things in my pack I know the big block is substrate. But do I need to add water for a b.smithi? And what is the other tub?

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I meant add water to the substrate?


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[Stacey Ryan]

Make sure the substrate is dry, Smithi`s ( now known as Brachypelma harmorii) they don`t like it wet.

So no adding to the water. What is the stuff in the tub? Wher do I put that?

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[Stacey Ryan]

The block is really tough to break up

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[LC72uk]

So no adding to the water. What is the stuff in the tub? Wher do I put that?

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The block of substrate that you have will need to be soaked first before you can use it ,directions should be on the packet, then it will have to dry out completely which can take up to a week , as for drinking water Slings and Juvies , I use bottle caps, ie water or any of the soft drink bottles you buy.
How big is the T ?.