Howdy there!

[Ems]

Hey there! This is kind of a long post, but none of my friends like spiders very much so I'm just gonna let it all out. I have a few questions as well. (skip the next three paragraphs if you don't wanna hear my life story.)

I've always been fascinated with spiders, but they still used to freak me out. The way I overcame my fear and developed an admiration was pretty weird. Back when I was about 19, I was laying in my bed, browsing the internet in the dark when suddenly I saw these tiny blue specs moving beside my pillow. I turned on the flashlight and a few inches away from my head was this huge, hairy spider. It immediately bolted, so I flipped out and wound up sleeping on the couch for a few days until I finally sucked it up, searched for it and found it under a sock. It was a wolf spider just sitting there, missing a leg, and I felt bad for it. We had a long talk (ok, so it was mostly me), and I told it that we could live together as long as they stayed on the other side of the room (which it did from then on). I named him Ash after Bruce Campbell's character from The Evil Dead since he was also missing an arm, and we coexisted for a few months until it disappeared.

Oddly enough, when I moved out soon after and roomed with a friend, I swear I once counted SIX wolf spiders in our living room at the same time. They never messed with us and there was no way to get rid of them all, so we would just leave them alone (plus they killed the pesky roaches). I'd overcome my fear and developed this intense admiration for them. (they're very fun to photograph, too.) Even brown recluses don't make me flinch now (though they aren't allowed to room with me, haha).

I'd been considering getting a tarantula for several years, but I wanted to make sure I was ready to care for it. Finally went ahead and got an a. avic two days ago, and I'm in love. I named her Charlotte for obvious reasons. Only handled her once when moving her from the container to her terrarium (first time handling a t in fact, so it was mostly to gain experience and confidence, 'cuz if I'm gonna be sticking my hand in there to change the water, I wanna be darn sure I won't freak out if she touches me), and she immediately crawled up my arm and awkwardly stayed on the back of my neck for a minute before finally moving onto the couch, haha. Despite all of the research and videos, being a newb and all, her skittishness made me a bit nervous (ahhh she's so fast she's gonna bite whaddo I doooo!), but she was still pretty cooperative and didn't mind crawling back onto my hand and into the terrarium. Though holding a tarantula for the first time was an amazing experience, I know it wasn't terribly enjoyable for Charlotte, so I'm just gonna leave her be and admire her through the glass from now on.

Anyway, I'll post a few pictures of my terrarium (and one or two of Ash just for the hell of it, hehe). Charlotte hasn't eaten or explored much since I got her and she's mainly been staying on the glass in the corner, so I'm a little worried that she doesn't care for her environment. The substrate is coconut fiber, with some cork and fake plants. Do you think I put in too many? Is there enough space on the ground? (Somebody suggested this tank model on a video, but I fear it might be too small.) Also, we prefer to keep our house on the colder side, so I wonder what the proper heating method would be. I'm skeptical about getting a light or heating pad since I don't want it getting TOO hot, so I've just kept the thermostat higher than usual until I get some direct advice from somebody who knows what they're talking about since a lot of care sheets for pink toes contradict each other (ex: "keep it at room temperature/keep a heating pad under the tank/NEVER keep a heating pad under the tank" "thoroughly mist it several times a week/lightly mist it once a week/NEVER mist it") A lot of this paranoia is probably due to the fact that this is my first t, but I want to be safe and get everything cleared up.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Don't be afraid to be harsh, because I want my little lady to be as comfy as possible. So excited to finally be able to talk to others who love spiders too!

 

[Nicolas C]

Hello @Ems . Your original post wasn't stupid at all, I really liked to read it and understand better where do you come from... Anyway: your enclosure is very fine, exactly what is needed for an Avic. It will settle down in a few weeks max. Avics tend to take some time before being really comfortable and build their nest. And they are not so hungry, which means they don't eat so much. About temps, you didn't gave us what are your room temps. Maybe you could so that we can tell you if your Avic needs more or not. Avics are better with temps a little higher than some others Ts. About humidity at this size: waterdish full, and one or two mistings against one wall / its web a week for drinking purposes and voilà.

Please, feel free to ask your questions and share your experience! It's a very friendly community here, even if we don't react as fast as some other forums.

 

[Ems]

As far as room temps go, we generally keep it on the colder side (upper 60s/lower 70s). Keeping it temporarily in the upper 70s until I figure out what is best.

And thanks for understanding. I haven't posted on a forum in years (always been a lurker), because I get very paranoid and antsy about first impressions, and I tend to ramble. However, the avic info I got from other websites was inadequate and not very trustworthy, so I knew I'd need to suck it up and get some direct advice from actual owners for charlotte's sake.

 

[Nicolas C]

It's true that we never know who's behind the computer on forums, and sometimes some users can be quite annoying. On this very forum, the tendency is rather peaceful and respectful though.

About the temps, if you have the opportunity to keep your Avic in the upper 70s as you are doing now, it's better in my opinion. For instance, I keep mine around 23°C (= 73°F) or upper and they do very fine.

As Avics are rather delicate in a way (specially when young), when the temps are too low it can be bad for them: they become sluggish, the metabolism slows down, they don't eat anymore...

That being said, it's not easy to warm a T: the best is to warm the room rather than to use a heatpad or a cable (because these are drying enclosures too fast). But if you don't have the choice, then it better to put the heatpad/cable on one side of the enclosure rather than under it, so that the T can choose its warmth (and, as they burrow to escape to much warmth in nature, it could be bad when the heating source is under the substrate...).

Ventilation is also important, so that the air/relative humidity doesn't become stagnant. With your enclosure, there's no problem.

 

[Ems]

Finally ate, and I feel like I figured out the problem. I'd only tried to tong-feed her before, but she'd just aggressively nip at it and back up or just run away. Decided to drop two crickets in there just in case she changed her mind. A few hours later in the dark I heard something quickly tap and scuttle against the glass, and sure enough her fangs were sunken into that poor little thing while it writhed in agony for over ten minutes. She was several inches up the bark beforehand, snatched the cricket (don't know if she ran down or leapt), and was right back in the same spot in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, I think she prefers hunting her prey. So happy she finally ate. I wish I could give her a high five right now... Or a high eight, I guess.

About the heat: went ahead and got a small heating pad and just have it propped up against the side as opposed to sticking it directly on there (mostly because the sticky part came off when I peeled the paper off the pad). The glass on that end feels warmer but not "hot", so I'm not too worried. I live down in georgia where the heat index has gotten over 110F this year, so I like to keep my room cool.

 

[Phil]

Hey there! This is kind of a long post, but none of my friends like spiders very much so I'm just gonna let it all out. I have a few questions as well. (skip the next three paragraphs if you don't wanna hear my life story.)

I've always been fascinated with spiders, but they still used to freak me out. The way I overcame my fear and developed an admiration was pretty weird. Back when I was about 19, I was laying in my bed, browsing the internet in the dark when suddenly I saw these tiny blue specs moving beside my pillow. I turned on the flashlight and a few inches away from my head was this huge, hairy spider. It immediately bolted, so I flipped out and wound up sleeping on the couch for a few days until I finally sucked it up, searched for it and found it under a sock. It was a wolf spider just sitting there, missing a leg, and I felt bad for it. We had a long talk (ok, so it was mostly me), and I told it that we could live together as long as they stayed on the other side of the room (which it did from then on). I named him Ash after Bruce Campbell's character from The Evil Dead since he was also missing an arm, and we coexisted for a few months until it disappeared.

Oddly enough, when I moved out soon after and roomed with a friend, I swear I once counted SIX wolf spiders in our living room at the same time. They never messed with us and there was no way to get rid of them all, so we would just leave them alone (plus they killed the pesky roaches). I'd overcome my fear and developed this intense admiration for them. (they're very fun to photograph, too.) Even brown recluses don't make me flinch now (though they aren't allowed to room with me, haha).

I'd been considering getting a tarantula for several years, but I wanted to make sure I was ready to care for it. Finally went ahead and got an a. avic two days ago, and I'm in love. I named her Charlotte for obvious reasons. Only handled her once when moving her from the container to her terrarium (first time handling a t in fact, so it was mostly to gain experience and confidence, 'cuz if I'm gonna be sticking my hand in there to change the water, I wanna be darn sure I won't freak out if she touches me), and she immediately crawled up my arm and awkwardly stayed on the back of my neck for a minute before finally moving onto the couch, haha. Despite all of the research and videos, being a newb and all, her skittishness made me a bit nervous (ahhh she's so fast she's gonna bite whaddo I doooo!), but she was still pretty cooperative and didn't mind crawling back onto my hand and into the terrarium. Though holding a tarantula for the first time was an amazing experience, I know it wasn't terribly enjoyable for Charlotte, so I'm just gonna leave her be and admire her through the glass from now on.

Anyway, I'll post a few pictures of my terrarium (and one or two of Ash just for the hell of it, hehe). Charlotte hasn't eaten or explored much since I got her and she's mainly been staying on the glass in the corner, so I'm a little worried that she doesn't care for her environment. The substrate is coconut fiber, with some cork and fake plants. Do you think I put in too many? Is there enough space on the ground? (Somebody suggested this tank model on a video, but I fear it might be too small.) Also, we prefer to keep our house on the colder side, so I wonder what the proper heating method would be. I'm skeptical about getting a light or heating pad since I don't want it getting TOO hot, so I've just kept the thermostat higher than usual until I get some direct advice from somebody who knows what they're talking about since a lot of care sheets for pink toes contradict each other (ex: "keep it at room temperature/keep a heating pad under the tank/NEVER keep a heating pad under the tank" "thoroughly mist it several times a week/lightly mist it once a week/NEVER mist it") A lot of this paranoia is probably due to the fact that this is my first t, but I want to be safe and get everything cleared up.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Don't be afraid to be harsh, because I want my little lady to be as comfy as possible. So excited to finally be able to talk to others who love spiders too!

Welcome to the forum and the addiction that is loving these wonderful creatures. I reckon your collection will grow and grow. Loved the background story btw.
As others have already said, enclosure is spot on. Avics like anchor points so the plants and the cork are ideal. I would not change anything at all. Open water dish and mist once or twice a week maximum but don't saturate. @Nicolas C has provided very good advice..
Great news that she is feeding freely. For those members that have put up with my posts for a long time, I apologise but as you know there is a Jurassic Park quote when the T-Rex is being fed a goat that all T keepers should use as their mantra......"she doesn't want to be fed, she wants to hunt". So basically, put the right size prey in the tank (no larger than the size of the abdomen being the general rule of thumb) and then leave your spider to its spidery thing. The only time I have fed with tongs/tweezers is due to illness. Prekilled is sometimes needed with the smaller spiderlings if you cant get the right size live prey (e.g. micro crickets). Hope this helps.☺

 

[Ems]

An update: when I was cleaning up the cricket remains, the tongs gently tapped her leg and she freaked out. She immediately jumped/fell onto the side of the opening (black part) and ran to the other side of the door. I went and got the first empty container I could find and slid a piece of paper underneath, but she refuses to go back into the terrarium. She crawled around for a bit but never went anywhere near the edge of the container (usually in the opposite direction, no matter what part of her I'd nudge). When I first started nudging her, she raised her abdomen or shifted to the side, but then she stopped reacting at all except moving her leg a few millimetres forward. There doesn't seem to be any visible injuries from the fall (about 4 inches) and I know she's still alive because her spinnerettes will still wiggle, but it seems like she is too terrified to move right now. I wasn't going to keep irritating her, so I simply placed the container into the enclosure to see if she'll get out on her own. It's been almost three hours since that happened, and she still hasn't left. I'm completely heartbroken about how scared she must be right now, and I hope she'll be ok.

 

[Phil]

As far as room temps go, we generally keep it on the colder side (upper 60s/lower 70s). Keeping it temporarily in the upper 70s until I figure out what is best.

And thanks for understanding. I haven't posted on a forum in years (always been a lurker), because I get very paranoid and antsy about first impressions, and I tend to ramble. However, the avic info I got from other websites was inadequate and not very trustworthy, so I knew I'd need to suck it up and get some direct advice from actual owners for charlotte's sake.

A couple of thing to add about care sheets
1. Ignore them, they contradict each other. No they don't, yes they do..... Ask here (like you did) and get proper advice from experienced keepers who are really keen to help new and experienced keepers alike.
2. Most spiders available in the hobby are 3rd or 4th generation captive bred stock and are not wild caught and so the temps/humid from their native country (that a lot of care sheets refer to) are totally irrelevant as the spider has spent all its life in various size delli cups and containers in a breeders house somewhere. Another member also posted recently rightly pointing out that spiders have been on the earth for many more millions of yes than we have so they are adaptable. If yu feel comfortable at a certain temperature (mid seventies as an example) then your T will to. ☺

 

[Phil]

An update: when I was cleaning up the cricket remains, the tongs gently tapped her leg and she freaked out. She immediately jumped/fell onto the side of the opening (black part) and ran to the other side of the door. I went and got the first empty container I could find and slid a piece of paper underneath, but she refuses to go back into the terrarium. She crawled around for a bit but never went anywhere near the edge of the container (usually in the opposite direction, no matter what part of her I'd nudge). When I first started nudging her, she raised her abdomen or shifted to the side, but then she stopped reacting at all except moving her leg a few millimetres forward. There doesn't seem to be any visible injuries from the fall (about 4 inches) and I know she's still alive because her spinnerettes will still wiggle, but it seems like she is too terrified to move right now. I wasn't going to keep irritating her, so I simply placed the container into the enclosure to see if she'll get out on her own. It's been almost three hours since that happened, and she still hasn't left. I'm completely heartbroken about how scared she must be right now, and I hope she'll be ok.

Oh no, sorry to hear that. Leave her alone and if possible reduce any light in the room so that she can start to feel comfortable again. Without upsetting or moving here just check for any fluid leaking. If none, then hopefully all will be ok and she is just a bit traumatised. Stay positive. Don't offer any food yet as that will frak her out at this moment in time.

 

[Ems]

Oh no, sorry to hear that. Leave her alone and if possible reduce any light in the room so that she can start to feel comfortable again. Without upsetting or moving here just check for any fluid leaking. If none, then hopefully all will be ok and she is just a bit traumatised. Stay positive. Don't offer any food yet as that will frak her out at this moment in time.

Upon further inspection, I noticed several white spots in the container. At first I assumed it was excrement since she was scared and irritated, but now I realize it's coming from the underside of her abdomen.

 

[Enn49]

I'm sorry to hear that she's taken a tumble. If it's only a small amount that's leaking I'd leave her alone but if it's quite a lot you can dust it with corn flour using a soft brush or cotton bud.

 

[Ems]

I'm sorry to hear that she's taken a tumble. If it's only a small amount that's leaking I'd leave her alone but if it's quite a lot you can dust it with corn flour using a soft brush or cotton bud.

Being my first tarantula, I don't really know the difference between a small amount and a large amount. The container makes it kind of blurred and hard to see all of the details of her abdomen , but I can't see the wound. Just the spots left behind from where she sat (another pic. You can see the white spots against the rim. Also, after some quick reading I saw a suggestion about leaving them with a slightly damp paper towel so if she's dying anyway I don't see how it can hurt)

 

[Ems]

Starting to curl up...

 

[Enn49]

To me that looks like poop. I wouldn't say she's curling up, that looks like a normal position to me, mine regularly sit like that.. I'd take the lid off the container and let her find her way back into her familiar surroundings, just keep a close eye on her for the next few days.

 

[Ems]

To me that looks like poop. I wouldn't say she's curling up, that looks like a normal position to me, mine regularly sit like that.. I'd take the lid off the container and let her find her way back into her familiar surroundings, just keep a close eye on her for the next few days.

I guess you could be right. I've just noticed her poop in the past was a bit longer and more smeared, which is the main reason it worried me I'll just hope for the best, and thanks for the support

 

[Ems]

So my roommate gets home from work at 8 in the morning, I go out and talk/cry for about 10 minutes, he tells me that maybe she's out of the cup now and whaddaya know, that little ***** is out and about crawling around on the glass like nothing happened. I've been freaking out since 2am all for nothing, but at least I know she's ok. I've never been so pissed off and happy at the same time.

It's weird because I know it's just a simple-minded invertebrate that does its own thing, but that spider's like a baby to me, and I can't stand the thought of her being hurt or scared like that. From now on, I'm just gonna make sure she's on or close to the ground before I open the door (or at least until I know she's more comfortable/familiar with her home). Thanks for the advice and tolerance, guys. You're awesome.

 

[Enn49]

I'm so pleased that all is well, now sit back and enjoy her. We've all made mistakes but as long as we learn from them all is good in the end.

 

[Phil]

Great news. Often the only thing we can do is nothing and just let them get on with it. I would still leave her alone for a few days, no food, just clean water and keep the lights in your house down and I am sure she will be as good as new in no time. For information, avics tend to poop when stressed. One of the funniest moments according r
To my kids was when I was handling an Avic versicolor and it shot poop all over me. They still remind me of that moment.....the little sods!

 

[Kymura]

Totally understand. While I admit my genic is my absolute favorite I'm foolishly attached to my avic. I was in tears when she molted as she was hanging at an odd angle from her webbing. Totally convinced myself she was going to die on me.

 

[kormath]

coming in this is a bit late welcome @Ems great little specimen you have there. Glad the fall didn't hurt him or her. Looks like @Nicolas C has you well taken care of.

So what's your next one going to be?