My T is having troubles....

[creepyvixen]

I havea juvie P. Scrofa that is having a few problems. I rehoused it and it hasn't stepped foot on the substrate since. The sub it was originally on and liking was ecoearth. I switched it to peat moss which it hates and alslso gets caught in its web hanging from its butt. So I switched it back to ecoearth and it still hates it and still gettimg caught! Its like he forgot how to release the web and there's just a string hanging off of him with little pieces of substrate in it and I've taken the web off for him but he just does it again. It makes it hard for him to walk because he's tripping over his own web and with him not wanting to come down I'm afraid he's going to fall. Any suggestions?

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Is the substrate moist? They like the substrate dry. Try mixing a little sand with dry coco fiber and see how she reacts to it

 

[creepyvixen]

It is a bit moist but I wasn't sure how to dry it out. Isn't sand bad for T's?

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Sharp-grained sand is. So are commercially branded sands. I have access to natural desert sand and i've been using them mixed with coco fiber for a few years now without encountering bad molts or any other issues.

Just fan it out a little or do a low heat microwave to dry it out

Example of my upright molted red-knee on a 70-30 sand-coco fiber mix. I do live in a warm country though so that is also a factor.

http://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/upright-molting.1862/

 

[creepyvixen]

Ill have to try that, just worried that when its time to molt he won't want to lie on the substrate. He fnally discovered the log hide and just sits on top of it now. I have a snake who likes the substrate so I was just trying to kill two birds with one stone, baaad idea I suppose

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Coco fiber is okay so long as it is sifted (as some still has fibers intact) and thoroughly dried then compressed to get the air out. It holds moisture well so be careful when you're misting. How big is your p.scrofa btw?

 

[creepyvixen]

I don't mist my house gets very humid as it is. It's about 1.5-2inches

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Haha i see. Oh it's big enough to have a shallow water dish.

 

[creepyvixen]

I do have a water dish in there.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Then a dry substrate won't be much of an issue then