New owner...my situatiton

[AndrewZ757]

Hey, im new to owning tarantulas and as many people do i first purchased a Chilean rose. I have her set up in a 5 gallon aquarium and she is between 3-4 inches (not mature). I have about 3 inches of eco earth covered with a small layer of peatmoss/bark on top. She has a water dish and a bark half cilinder shelter. She rarely goes into the hid and does not put much webbing down, i am concerned that she may be a wild caught spider. is this going to be an issue or is the fact tat she stays outside of the hide not something to worry about? I keep the enclosure between 68-80 degrees and humitity 50-75. I must admit that the soil was quite damp due to m not drying the eco-earth properly. (brick form)

Also i made a rather impulsive purchase this afternoon and got a 2 inch M. Balfouri. I was at the pet store last night after dinner and saw they had this, i was unaware of the species so came home and googled it. It is an absolutely beautiful spider and i had found myself wanting it badly. I read that they are a rare species in the US and are often costly. I got mine for 100$, much less then listing i have seen online. I have her in a medium plastic crate with about 4 inches of eco-earth/peatmoss/bark (50/50) blend. I have a heat lamp over this crate due to her being a desert species. I used about a tablespoon of water to slightly dampen the soi in order to allow clumping for burrows.

I am just curious if i am on the right track and if 100$ was a good price for a 2inch balfouri.

 

[Nada]

Rose hairs are desert species. They like it bone dry. Otherwise just let her settle in.
All you need to do for a balfouri is provide room to burrow. They don't need it particularly hot. Lose the lamp. Tarantulas don't like light, and direct light is very bad. If your house is 65 or above no additional heat is needed, if not; than a heat mat on the side of the enclosure is fine.

 

[AndrewZ757]

ok cool. I use a red bulb cause they told me at the store that they cant see red lights?

 

[DalilahBlue]

It can still over heat the T. The aren't like reptiles in that they will move away from heat if they get too hot.

Also, you mentioned bark. Typically, this is not needed as the T can potentially damage its delicate abdomen.

Congrats on your purchases, and welcome to the addiction.

 

[Tongue Flicker]

Hi welcome aboard! Contrary to popular belief, recent research and studies have proved that scorpions and tarantulas do see red light but they are just not that bothered by it.