Is this normal or dangerous?

[Dyron.s]

Hi Guys, sorry for all the questions lately, i just really want to take good care of my T.
Lately my b.boehmei is climbing/hanging alot on the ceiling of her enclosure. Although she seems to be in control of her climbing skills, the fall would be a problem. The lid is Made of metal wired mesh. And the distance between the lid and the substrate is at least 20-25 cm. Is my current setup ok and am i freaking out over nothing or is this too dangerous? Any advice is welcome

 

[Ditch crawler]

From what I've read and seen on youtube, some people like to remove the wire mesh and replace it with plexiglass (acrylic sheet) then either drill holes or make holes with a soldering iron for ventilation, I saw a photo of a T hanging from a mesh ceiling by one leg !, personally I wouldn't have wire mesh for that reason

 

[Dyron.s]

From what I've read and seen on youtube, some people like to remove the wire mesh and replace it with plexiglass (acrylic sheet) then either drill holes or make holes with a soldering iron for ventilation, I saw a photo of a T hanging from a mesh ceiling by one leg !, personally I wouldn't have wire mesh for that reason

I saw/read the same things, i think i Will change the wire mesh for plexiglass. Make it as safe as possible

 

[Tomoran]

I replace all of the wire mesh on the tops of my Exo Terras for just this reason. I've personally had two get their toe claws stuck in the mesh over the years, and one was a T. gigas, an arboreal (supposedly, it can't happen with arboreals). The other spider to get caught was my B. boehmei; I came in one night to find it dangling from the top by two of its legs; it was NOT fun getting it free without harming it. A friend of mine had a T. stirmi lose two legs when it got them caught in the mesh. It doesn't happen often, but it certainly poses a risk. If your spider is already climbing, I'd get rid of the mesh ASAP.

To fix it, you can either go the do-it-yourself route and replace the mesh with drilled Plexiglass, or a small company has started producing replacement lids for the various size tanks. They cost a bit, but they work great and save you time if you don't feel like replacing the mesh.

 

[octanejunkie]

I replace all of the wire mesh on the tops of my Exo Terras for just this reason. I've personally had two get their toe claws stuck in the mesh over the years, and one was a T. gigas, an arboreal (supposedly, it can't happen with arboreals). The other spider to get caught was my B. boehmei; I came in one night to find it dangling from the top by two of its legs; it was NOT fun getting it free without harming it. A friend of mine had a T. stirmi lose two legs when it got them caught in the mesh. It doesn't happen often, but it certainly poses a risk. If your spider is already climbing, I'd get rid of the mesh ASAP.

To fix it, you can either go the do-it-yourself route and replace the mesh with drilled Plexiglass, or a small company has started producing replacement lids for the various size tanks. They cost a bit, but they work great and save you time if you don't feel like replacing the mesh.

I've spoken to Susan from CM Terrariums on Etsy bout the ease I'd replacing the pelxi sheet with wire cloth (welded, not mesh). The plexi on her lids are held in place by small tabs. If I were to use her lids (I do like the feeding ports she offers) I would reinforce my wire cloth to her kid with hot glue or something in addition. The plexi should be fine as is.

It's and honor to see you active, here, @Tomoran - I quote your videos and husbandry advice often, personally

 

[Dyron.s]

I replace all of the wire mesh on the tops of my Exo Terras for just this reason. I've personally had two get their toe claws stuck in the mesh over the years, and one was a T. gigas, an arboreal (supposedly, it can't happen with arboreals). The other spider to get caught was my B. boehmei; I came in one night to find it dangling from the top by two of its legs; it was NOT fun getting it free without harming it. A friend of mine had a T. stirmi lose two legs when it got them caught in the mesh. It doesn't happen often, but it certainly poses a risk. If your spider is already climbing, I'd get rid of the mesh ASAP.

To fix it, you can either go the do-it-yourself route and replace the mesh with drilled Plexiglass, or a small company has started producing replacement lids for the various size tanks. They cost a bit, but they work great and save you time if you don't feel like replacing the mesh.

I replace all of the wire mesh on the tops of my Exo Terras for just this reason. I've personally had two get their toe claws stuck in the mesh over the years, and one was a T. gigas, an arboreal (supposedly, it can't happen with arboreals). The other spider to get caught was my B. boehmei; I came in one night to find it dangling from the top by two of its legs; it was NOT fun getting it free without harming it. A friend of mine had a T. stirmi lose two legs when it got them caught in the mesh. It doesn't happen often, but it certainly poses a risk. If your spider is already climbing, I'd get rid of the mesh ASAP.

To fix it, you can either go the do-it-yourself route and replace the mesh with drilled Plexiglass, or a small company has started producing replacement lids for the various size tanks. They cost a bit, but they work great and save you time if you don't feel like replacing the mesh.

Thank you for sharing your experience on the subject. I’m going to replace the lid as soon as possible to prevent a nasty fall. i was wondering, in what size enclosure do you house your B.Boehmei? And what’s the best size enclosure for a fully grown one? Mine is about 8-10 cm

 

[octanejunkie]

Make sure the free climbing height of your enclosure is no more than 1.5-2x the DLS (diagonal leg span) of your T. That way, a fall won't be deadly and if caught, it can reach the ground with it's other legs.

Pic of your enclosure, perhaps?

 

[Tomoran]

Thank you for sharing your experience on the subject. I’m going to replace the lid as soon as possible to prevent a nasty fall. i was wondering, in what size enclosure do you house your B.Boehmei? And what’s the best size enclosure for a fully grown one? Mine is about 8-10 cm

Hey, Dyron. Back then, she was a juvenile and in a 20.3 cm. cubed Exo Terra nano. Right now, I have my adult in an enclosure that measures about 39 x 30.5 x 18 T cm. A lot of folks keep them in the 30.5 cm Exo Terra cubes without any issue. You could certainly give yours more room but, as #octanejunkie said, you want to limit the height of the enclosure so that it can hurt itself from climbing and falling.

 

[WolfSpider]

Great to see you back Tom. Your experience is invaluable. Thanks for sharing.

Hard to believe a T. gigas got stuck. I was one of the advocates for arborials being safe in the wire mesh. Do you know of any other arborials having trouble in this manner?

 

[Dyron.s]

Make sure the free climbing height of your enclosure is no more than 1.5-2x the DLS (diagonal leg span) of your T. That way, a fall won't be deadly and if caught, it can reach the ground with it's other legs.

Pic of your enclosure, perhaps

Make sure the free climbing height of your enclosure is no more than 1.5-2x the DLS (diagonal leg span) of your T. That way, a fall won't be deadly and if caught, it can reach the ground with it's other legs.

Pic of your enclosure, perhaps?

Here are some pics of the enclosure, the height between the substrate and the lid is probably way too much. The enclosure is 30x30x30

 

[Dyron.s]

Here are some pics of the enclosure, the height between the substrate and the lid is probably way too much. The enclosure is 30x30x30

Any advice/tips are welcome

 

[Tomoran]

Great to see you back Tom. Your experience is invaluable. Thanks for sharing.

Hard to believe a T. gigas got stuck. I was one of the advocates for arborials being safe in the wire mesh. Do you know of any other arborials having trouble in this manner?

Thanks so much, WolfSpider...it's great to be back! I really missed this place.

I was just as shocked as you were. You always hear it said that they arboreals don't get stuck in them like the terrestrials do, so I left the mesh on one of them. I was doing feeding when I saw her struggling to get her claws out. I had to turn the enclosure on its side to get her down. It was a wakeup call for me. The only other instance I heard of involved a pokie that got stuck. I don't think that it happens often, but it CAN happen.

 

[Tomoran]

I've spoken to Susan from CM Terrariums on Etsy bout the ease I'd replacing the pelxi sheet with wire cloth (welded, not mesh). The plexi on her lids are held in place by small tabs. If I were to use her lids (I do like the feeding ports she offers) I would reinforce my wire cloth to her kid with hot glue or something in addition. The plexi should be fine as is.

It's and honor to see you active, here, @Tomoran - I quote your videos and husbandry advice often, personally

Ahhh...I see what you're saying. Mine seemed pretty secure (those little tab were a PAIN to get in, haha) but I don't know if she's tweaked the design again. She sent me a couple different designs the last time I picked some up. I have to order more again soon, so I will have to check that out.

And thank you so much! It's great to be back. I used to be on here all of the time back in the day. I miss just chatting!

 

[Tomoran]

Here are some pics of the enclosure, the height between the substrate and the lid is probably way too much. The enclosure is 30x30x30

I like the setup! I would probably angle the substrate to that it's a bit deeper in the back of the enclosure. That fake stump looks like it's pretty hard and has some edges on it. My only concern would be that a fat spider could climb, fall, and strike it's abdomen on one of those edges. If you added a bit more sub in the back, it would raise that decoration to the point where it shouldn't be an issue. Besides that, I would replace that mesh so she doesn't get her toes stuck in it.

 

[Dyron.s]

I like the setup! I would probably angle the substrate to that it's a bit deeper in the back of the enclosure. That fake stump looks like it's pretty hard and has some edges on it. My only concern would be that a fat spider could climb, fall, and strike it's abdomen on one of those edges. If you added a bit more sub in the back, it would raise that decoration to the point where it shouldn't be an issue. Besides that, I would replace that mesh so she doesn't get her toes stuck in it.

Thank you! I will do that tomorrow first thing it’s great to have you Guys opinion for a “rookie” like me haha

 

[timc]

Hey Tom, thanks for all you do for the hobby! I can definitely say I’ve learned a ton from your videos and website. I know a lot of people really appreciate what you do.

 

[Tomoran]

Hey Tom, thanks for all you do for the hobby! I can definitely say I’ve learned a ton from your videos and website. I know a lot of people really appreciate what you do.

Hey, Tim...thank you so much!

 

[Aracnoenthusiast]

In addition to adding substrate to reduce the fall risk, I sometimes use soft fake plants in areas where additional substrate wont work. My theory is that the soft plants will cushion any falls. I use fern type ones that are very cushy.

 

[DustyD]

I've spoken to Susan from CM Terrariums on Etsy bout the ease I'd replacing the pelxi sheet with wire cloth (welded, not mesh). The plexi on her lids are held in place by small tabs. If I were to use her lids (I do like the feeding ports she offers) I would reinforce my wire cloth to her kid with hot glue or something in addition. The plexi should be fine as is.

It's and honor to see you active, here, @Tomoran - I quote your videos and husbandry advice often, personally

I bought a lid from them for my 8x8x8 nano wide and really like it. Paid about $16.50 with tax and shipping. Really good turn around. Have not used the enclosure yet as I am waiting for my terrestrial Ts to grow a little bigger and for me to figure out the best design for the inside. I have thoughts of trying to recreate the natural environment while minimizing fall chances. Could be a pipe dream.

I too appreciate all the hard work Tom puts into educating people about tarantula care. Thanks Tom!

 

[DustyD]

Here is a picture of it from the Etsy website.