My worst nightmare: Tarantula Gifted to me

[spodermin]

Feeding it more often will most likely result in faster growth but at the same time 2 times a week wouldn’t hurt too much. Also hamorii’s grow super slowly anyway. Btw growing slow doesn’t mean you should power feed it

Yeah growing slow means the opposite. I usually power feed after a molt to give it some size back right away, but after a week or two back to normal

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Food/feeder tips for my little sweetie?

You can feed it twice a week. I feed my little ones every 4 to 5 days. I tend to use smaller food items and feed more frequently than some keepers. Either way works.

 

[menavodi]

When you get your first molt you will be amazed how popping the colors really are! Great spider to start with...

 

[Sycohearted]

You can feed it twice a week. I feed my little ones every 4 to 5 days. I tend to use smaller food items and feed more frequently than some keepers. Either way works.

When you get your first molt you will be amazed how popping the colors really are! Great spider to start with...

Thank you! We picked Mondays and Thursdays to be it's feeding day.

I KNOW, I can't wait for it to molt!!! Any tips/advice for when it does molt? I know not to feed it while it's in molt cause the cricket can hurt it, do I wait a week before feeding it after it molts? Or do the days vary?

 

[Sycohearted]

About the enclosure size doesn’t matter in the wild they have the o whole world to explore

Yeah, but I was told a T in too big of an enclosure can become very stressed and I don't really want that. Most of them are opportunistic hunters that spend most of their time in their burrows, if they travel I've read it's usually not very far away.

I think I'll upgrade it to the basketball display case once it matures. Hoping it's a female.

 

[spodermin]

Yeah, but I was told a T in too big of an enclosure can become very stressed and I don't really want that. Most of them are opportunistic hunters that spend most of their time in their burrows, if they travel I've read it's usually not very far away.

I think I'll upgrade it to the basketball display case once it matures. Hoping it's a female.

Wait a week or two after it molts because the fangs will be soft and can be damaged. They need to harden up before it can eat after molting. You'll know because the fangs will turn jet black when it's ready. Here are pictures of both red/pink fangs and black fangs.

Whoever told you a large enclosure can stress them out is incorrect. You certainly don't need a big enclosure and most keepers air on the small side for this reason, (having 100 full sized aquariums would be infeasible for most) but they live most happily in the wild, which is literally infinite roaming space.

 

[Sycohearted]

The forum I was on told me my original cage I wanted for my T was way too big...I'm really confused now and what to believe.
I'm gonna copy and paste some of the "advice" I was given on the other forum:

"But it also depends on how large the T you get is, the large Breeding Box is pretty big so if you get a juvie you might need more stuff to clutter all the space with."
"Note that the stuff you intend to buy are suitable for an (sub-)adult. For a sling this is very unusable. An enclosure can be too big for a sling and more is not better. Search for general sling care on AB if you buy a sling. There are loads of useful threads around." (I mentioned in my thread I was not getting a sling)

"I use a couple of those myself, they are really visible and just in general looks good.
Make sure to add enough sub so the hight isn't not too much for the tarantula. Depending on the size of the tarantula you are getting the basketball may be too large to start with. If you have a smaller tarantula in a large enclosure it'll be harder to keep track of. A little bit of an exaggeration but if you had a one inch sling in a 10 gallon tank it would hide somewhere and you would probably never see it again."
"Height from sub to the top of the enclourse is the largest problem especially for fat tarantulas that can not climb well.

Another issue with getting a smaller tarantula and placing it into a large enclosure that is filled with substrate to make it appropriate is the fact that you will still have to rehouse it or redesign the same enclourse as it grows. Smaller slings in a "too large" enclourse also do tend to grow slower than slings that can adapt the entire small enclourse as their "burrow".

I was literally told that if MUST keep rehousing them or it's bad for them. I'm a bigger is better kind of person so the "don't keep them in large enclosures" thing was odd to me. There is a lot of contradicting going on between these two forums and it's super confusing.

 

[Sycohearted]

This was an amazing comment I received on the forum and it was super inspirational to someone like me who firmly believes in "bigger is better" when it comes to animal enclosures...
"I've been watching this thread with interest and I like your approach about having everything sorted before you have commited.
The best thing about this forum is you have input from ppl all over the world, some keepers are very "passionate" about how you should keep your new addition/s and if you don't do it in a very particular way then it seems to be upsetting for them. Stacks of deli cups on a dark shelf is not for everyone and if you are pushed into a corner to use a certain type of enclosure that makes you miserable then chances are that it probs won't work out for you and your T long term.
If you do end up with a bigger enclosure then use furniture to make it cosy and create tight spots if you want fake plants then use them, you can be clever about it and create a safe area directly outside of the hide or burrow with overhanging plastic foliage which generally leads to more time spent outside or at the entrance. In all honesty I have enclosures that would probably be deemed too big and some peeps would lose their minds and froth at the mouth until that T was jammed into a deli cup but the truth is that a feeder generally doesn't last longer than 30 seconds in any of my larger enclosures."

 

[spodermin]

This was an amazing comment I received on the forum and it was super inspirational to someone like me who firmly believes in "bigger is better" when it comes to animal enclosures...
"I've been watching this thread with interest and I like your approach about having everything sorted before you have commited.
The best thing about this forum is you have input from ppl all over the world, some keepers are very "passionate" about how you should keep your new addition/s and if you don't do it in a very particular way then it seems to be upsetting for them. Stacks of deli cups on a dark shelf is not for everyone and if you are pushed into a corner to use a certain type of enclosure that makes you miserable then chances are that it probs won't work out for you and your T long term.
If you do end up with a bigger enclosure then use furniture to make it cosy and create tight spots if you want fake plants then use them, you can be clever about it and create a safe area directly outside of the hide or burrow with overhanging plastic foliage which generally leads to more time spent outside or at the entrance. In all honesty I have enclosures that would probably be deemed too big and some peeps would lose their minds and froth at the mouth until that T was jammed into a deli cup but the truth is that a feeder generally doesn't last longer than 30 seconds in any of my larger enclosures."

Yeah the more objects and decorations in the enclosure the more time it will spend out in the open, this is true.

People recommend smaller enclosures for the reason I mentioned, it can just be easier sometimes not to lose crickets in there too if the T doesnt eat right away or something, but as long as it isn't too tall it doesn't matter. If you do use a terrarium just fill it with substrate like 3/4 of the way so it can't fall and all will be fine.

Remember they live in the wild. For thousands and thousands of years. They might not use the extra space and therefore not really care to appreciate it, but it will never ever harm them or make them unhappy

 

[Sycohearted]

Yeah the more objects and decorations in the enclosure the more time it will spend out in the open, this is true.

People recommend smaller enclosures for the reason I mentioned, it can just be easier sometimes not to lose crickets in there too if the T doesnt eat right away or something, but as long as it isn't too tall it doesn't matter. If you do use a terrarium just fill it with substrate like 3/4 of the way so it can't fall and all will be fine.

Remember they live in the wild. For thousands and thousands of years. They might not use the extra space and therefore not really care to appreciate it, but it will never ever harm them or make them unhappy

This made me so happy, Thank you so, so, much. I'm going to a Repticon expo on Saturday and I'm gonna get him so much stuff for his new cage. I can't wait to get all sorts of new substrate for it too!

 

[spodermin]

This made me so happy, Thank you so, so, much. I'm going to a Repticon expo on Saturday and I'm gonna get him so much stuff for his new cage. I can't wait to get all sorts of new substrate for it too!

You're going to do great. The #1 rule is don't stress. I always like to remind people in this hobby that we're literally keeping boxes of spiders at the end of the day. It's simpler than people make it.

Also feel free to contact me when it molts for sexing assistance

 

[Sycohearted]

You're going to do great. The #1 rule is don't stress. I always like to remind people in this hobby that we're literally keeping boxes of spiders at the end of the day. It's simpler than people make it.

Also feel free to contact me when it molts for sexing assistance

I can't thank you enough, truly.
I will happily update this thread I made ( https://tarantulaforum.com/threads/b-hamorii-non-molt.24125/#post-150424 ) when he molts!!! <3

 

[spodermin]

I can't thank you enough, truly.
I will happily update this thread I made ( https://tarantulaforum.com/threads/b-hamorii-non-molt.24125/#post-150424 ) when he molts!!! <3

Yeah based off that vent pictures I agree that it looks male but you never know. Best of luck

 

[Steve66]

Looks good, let the substrate dry out tho, they prefer dry conditions. You could add more substrate if you wanted to if your concerned about her falling but she may make a burrow, mine did that and I didn't see her for over a month!
Feed her once a week, but don't stress if she doesn't eat, they can fast for a long time just make sure she has fresh water.
You could also add isopods and springtails to the enclosure, they will keep it clean and help prevent any mould from growing and they are harmless to the T.
Congrats on your new T,

 

[spodermin]

Looks good, let the substrate dry out tho, they prefer dry conditions. You could add more substrate if you wanted to if your concerned about her falling but she may make a burrow, mine did that and I didn't see her for over a month!
Feed her once a week, but don't stress if she doesn't eat, they can fast for a long time just make sure she has fresh water.
You could also add isopods and springtails to the enclosure, they will keep it clean and help prevent any mould from growing and they are harmless to the T.
Congrats on your new T,

Springtails and isopods are a lifeline for humid Ts but if you're going to keep it on the drier side there is no need for them

 

[Sycohearted]

Looks good, let the substrate dry out tho, they prefer dry conditions. You could add more substrate if you wanted to if your concerned about her falling but she may make a burrow, mine did that and I didn't see her for over a month!
Feed her once a week, but don't stress if she doesn't eat, they can fast for a long time just make sure she has fresh water.
You could also add isopods and springtails to the enclosure, they will keep it clean and help prevent any mould from growing and they are harmless to the T.
Congrats on your new T,

Springtails and isopods are a lifeline for humid Ts but if you're going to keep it on the drier side there is no need for them

We are doing the twice a week feedings of small crickets cause we really like seeing him eat ahahaha.

And thank you for addressing that, Spodermin, I was going to ask about that honestly. I'm glad I don't need spring tails.
I am going to add more substrate to it's enclosure as well as more hides (most likely corkbark) and foliage and with that being said do you have the best method of...Doing this in the safest way possible? Getting him out and what not?

 

[Rs50matt]

I've read through most of the thread and as you mentioned crickets I'll add just incase someone hasn't or you aren't aware.

If you suspect your T to be in premolt crush the crickets head. They've been known to kill molting slings. Ts do scavenge aswell so don't worry if the cricket isn't moving too much.

Personally I crush the head everytime with slings and leave the cricket overnight but if your watching then I guess you can see if your sling refuses it or not

 

[Sycohearted]

I've read through most of the thread and as you mentioned crickets I'll add just incase someone hasn't or you aren't aware.

If you suspect your T to be in premolt crush the crickets head. They've been known to kill molting slings. Ts do scavenge aswell so don't worry if the cricket isn't moving too much.

Personally I crush the head everytime with slings and leave the cricket overnight but if your watching then I guess you can see if your sling refuses it or not

Wow, is Kevin considered a Sling? I thought he was too big to be a sling, wow. I did know about crushing the heads but thank you again for that refresher! Is that the same advice for all grub or just crickets?

 

[Rs50matt]

Wow, is Kevin considered a Sling? I thought he was too big to be a sling, wow. I did know about crushing the heads but thank you again for that refresher! Is that the same advice for all grub or just crickets?

I'd say maybe young juvenile but there's still a chance . As far as I'm aware it's just crickets (maybe locusts)

 

[Sycohearted]

I'd say maybe young juvenile but there's still a chance . As far as I'm aware it's just crickets (maybe locusts)

Splendid, thank you!