How do you guys take care/clean your T's enclosure?

[MusicByMike]

i feel mine is unhappy with her enclosure. shes in a 10 gal tank with water, the right humidity, coconut substrate. yet shes crabby at times. i change her substrate once a week. any suggestions?

 

[RedCapTrio]

My Ts usually take their food with them to their hides where it would be difficult to remove the remains of their prey; however, I recently found that they clean up after themselves.

For example, Tartar left substrate over the water dish but upon closer inspection, I found bolus and exudium among the substrate all wrapped in web. I then removed this as I cleaned the water dish.

I don't think it necessary to change substrate often. I just removed part of the substrate like when molds are growing on them and topped it with new substrate.

 

[Enn49]

I only clean out any rubbish lying around with tongs otherwise they shouldn't need the substrate changing at all. My OBT rarely comes out but she clears her cave out about once a month leaving a pile of rubbish for me to clear away.

 

[MusicByMike]

I only clean out any rubbish lying around with tongs otherwise they shouldn't need the substrate changing at all. My OBT rarely comes out but she clears her cave out about once a month leaving a pile of rubbish for me to clear away.

oh ok. so its ok to leave the substrate as is for a while and just maintain it?

 

[RedCapTrio]

I only clean out any rubbish lying around with tongs otherwise they shouldn't need the substrate changing at all. My OBT rarely comes out but she clears her cave out about once a month leaving a pile of rubbish for me to clear away.

So is with my smithi, just found out yesterday. They're such good little Ts.

 

[Enn49]

oh ok. so its ok to leave the substrate as is for a while and just maintain it?

Yes, they shouldn't need new substrate unless it goes mouldy or you get mites in. Top it up a bit if you want. If you're changing the substrate every week this could be the reason why she's moody.

 

[Tomoran]

What species is she that you're worrying about humidity?

If you're changing the substrate that often, she is unable to become acclimated to her enclosure. Just imagine if someone came in and replaced everything in your home every week. You are very likely stressing her out by constantly changing her environment.

Tarantulas are very clean animals overall; invest in a pair of tongs and spot clean any boluses or waste you find. That's it. Many of us have Ts on the same substrate for years, and they do just fine. I wouldn't replace the substrate again. Even if you find a little mold, remove whatever material caused the outbreak (usually a bolus) and dig out a bit of substrate around it. Done. It'll be much cheaper for you, and you should find that your tarantula will settle down.

 

[Chubbs]

i feel mine is unhappy with her enclosure. shes in a 10 gal tank with water, the right humidity, coconut substrate. yet shes crabby at times. i change her substrate once a week. any suggestions?

That's definitely a good way to stress it out. You should never have to change the substrate out unless there is a major mite infestation or lots of mold growth. Every time you change the substrate it's pretty much resetting everything for the spider.