Recycling or reusing issue!

[RedCapTrio]

Good day all,

Having rehoused Tartar ended up with an empty KK. Can I topped it up with new substrate and place a new T? Have you guys ever rehoused a T to an old enclosure that is recently vacated?

With common sense, I know it's not a good idea but I got curious.

What could be the potential issues?

 

[Tomoran]

I reuse my enclosures, but I always dump the substrate and wash the cage out thoroughly with hot water before using it again. I actually have a huge "mulch" pile behind my garage where I've dumped all of the old substrate. The only times I haven't reused was in two instances where the spiders died in the enclosures under mysterious circumstances. Rather than take the chance that they were infected with something or that there was something in the substrate or enclosure that killed them, I just recycled the enclosure.

 

[Enn49]

I regularly reuse containers and décor but I always scald them with very hot water and use new substrate.

 

[RedCapTrio]

Thanks for the response guys. I actually tried to topped up the old substrate and see if Dos Chac wouldn't mind but I was wrong, Dos Chac stayed up on the lid and wouldn't go back down to the substrate. But I am also guessing that the enclosure is still far too large for it, so I returned Dos Chac to its old enclosure.

I would also like to redecorate the KK if ever.

Here's a photo of the experiment that lasted a couple of hours, I don't have a photo of Dos Chac on the lid though.

 

[kormath]

I reuse them also. My genic doesn't like the new enclosure either. He's bee staying right by the water dish even though the substrate is moist and we used the old hide he had before that he loved to burrow under.

He's also in premolt now so that may be why he's acting weird. Guess we'll find out after he molts

 

[MassExodus]

If I'm using a recently vacated enclosure, I just add a few inches of substrate, change the decor to suit the new spider, and put it in. Never had any problems. If it was a moist species I would just do as others here said and wash it out, dry and start over. Moisture breeds tiny beasties. Truthiness.

 

[Kymura]

I run my stuff thru the steam cycle in the dishwasher (minus sub naturally) and reuse everything but the substrate.,
It takes them a few days to readjust to a new house, How long did you leave it in there?

 

[Steve123]

^^Cool, some hobbyist's spouses won't let them put their stuff in the dishwasher. We use the dishwasher all the time, but don't tell our guests, lol. Really, the spoon the guest used is probably dirtier than the spider spoon used to shovel substrate; well, not sure, but you get the idea, heh.

In a pinch I'll reuse an old enclosure. But usually I use the opportunity to empty the enclosure and clean off all the white spider poop sticking to the sides, so tough to remove with the spider inside. The webbed substrate goes into the compost bin, except for a small patch that gets transferred to the new enclosure. I actually think it helps the spider acclimate. The remaining substrate is pretty clean, but I sift it to remove hidden or buried cricket boluses, cricket legs, wings, and other unidentifiable, largish organic debris.

Hope that helps.

 

[kormath]

Never thought about using the dishwasher. I use tap water as hot as it will go and whatever flavor of Dawn dish soap I have on hand to clean ours. I never reuse substrate unless nothing has lived on it yet. I reused substrate once and had mold issues, so that's not happening again. Plus my largest enclosure is only 6x6x6" so it's not like i'm dumping a cubic ft or more of sub when I rehouse

 

[Steve123]

^^I've reused substrate, over a thousand times as described two posts above, and have not had mold issues as a result. I do change substrate relative often, however, and have to add fresh mix to the substrate bin daily to make up for what goes into compost. Indeed, the composition of what is in the substrate bin is never the same as it was the day before. I'm always changing what I think is best, can't help it. In cooking, I'd be the one who never uses a recipe.

 

[kormath]

^^I've reused substrate, over a thousand times as described two posts above, and have not had mold issues as a result. I do change substrate relative often, however, and have to add fresh mix to the substrate bin daily to make up for what goes into compost. Indeed, the composition of what is in the substrate bin is never the same as it was the day before. I'm always changing what I think is best, can't help it. In cooking, I'd be the one who never uses a recipe.

I find one the majority of my Ts like, which is about a 50/50 mix of coco fiber from the compressed bricks (it has more "fiber in it i believe helps with burrowing than the lose bagged coco fiber) and top soil, and stick with it. Even my dry species like it, or so i think as they're not staying on the wall constantly.

Well everyone except my genic. Not sure what his issue is. Substrate can't be too moist for him can it? It's just moist enough to hold shape if he'll come off the wall and burrow.

I think he's pissed my son took his big enclosure away and gave it to the chalcodes as she was cramped in the kritter keeper.

 

[Bugmom]

I never throw out any container that isn't broken beyond repair. To clean it, I just use hot water and dish soap. Honestly, that's mostly just to get the tarantula poop off the sides. I've learned that tarantulas are entirely unaffected by being exposed to the remnants of another tarantula (webbing, urticating hairs, etc.) You could honestly NOT clean an enclosure or replace the substrate, plop a tarantula in there, and it wouldn't care one bit that another tarantula was in that spot five minutes prior. Literally the only issue is if the previous occupant had parasites such as mites.

 

[RedCapTrio]

Thanks @Bugmom! I was thinking that the new T will somewhat find "indications" that it is in someone else's territory and it may not feel as comfortable. The couple of hours that my pulchripes is inside my auratum's vacated enclo, it was on the lid almost upside down and would not budge. So I returned it to its own enclo.

I removed everything inside the KK by the way and did wash it up and dump the substrate. I also put the wood under the sun the rest of the day although it has been cloudy out today.

Now, just looking for ideas as to how to decorate the KK for Dos Chac as it liked to climb.

 

[Steve123]

I'm glad this post came up. I've been wondering whether people reuse substrate for years.

My bad, I should have written reuse an old enclosure with old substrate. I'd go broke if I didn't reuse old enclosures. I wash out the tiniest enclosures, even souffle cups, and I reuse old acrylic enclosures that are starting to crack from stress points. They're a little leaky some of them, but never get watered like a flower pot so it's np. I'm inclined to agree with Bugmom about Ts not caring what's been there before. Don't Ts take the hides created by other animals in the wild? I assume most of them do anyway, with indifference. If you've got pricey, sentimentally valuable, or rare species and/or are at the point of breeding them, a variable one may not want to introduce is an enclosure with webbing and organic debris from the previous spider. I have no proof it's bad, as I've never done it, but it's a question I can put off answering for the time being.

@kormath. I take it you might subscribe to "if it's not broke don't fix it" philosophy. I'm so the opposite. I almost never do the same thing the same way twice. I can't help myself. I'm sure I'm "fixing" unbroken things all the time.

Savage likes it moist. That's helpful, makes some sense if I read that correctly.

 

[RedCapTrio]

I'm glad this post came up. I've been wondering whether people reuse substrate for years.

My bad, I should have written reuse an old enclosure with old substrate. I'd go broke if I didn't reuse old enclosures. I wash out the tiniest enclosures, even souffle cups, and I reuse old acrylic enclosures that are starting to crack from stress points. They're a little leaky some of them, but never get watered like a flower pot so it's np. I'm inclined to agree with Bugmom about Ts not caring what's been there before. Don't Ts take the hides created by other animals in the wild? I assume most of them do anyway, with indifference. If you've got pricey, sentimentally valuable, or rare species and/or are at the point of breeding them, a variable one may not want to introduce is an enclosure with webbing and organic debris from the previous spider. I have no proof it's bad, as I've never done it, but it's a question I can put off answering for the time being.

@kormath. I take it you might subscribe to "if it's not broke don't fix it" philosophy. I'm so the opposite. I almost never do the same thing the same way twice. I can't help myself. I'm sure I'm "fixing" unbroken things all the time.

Savage likes it moist. That's helpful, makes some sense if I read that correctly.

Yup, I was along this thoughts exactly. Hence, this post. Therefore, we can use an old enclo with old substrate but top it with an inch or two of new sub for the new T. And as long as there are no issues with it like molds and mite infestations or a dead T with unknown reasons.

However, I ended up resetting the KK though.

 

[kormath]

I'm glad this post came up. I've been wondering whether people reuse substrate for years.

My bad, I should have written reuse an old enclosure with old substrate. I'd go broke if I didn't reuse old enclosures. I wash out the tiniest enclosures, even souffle cups, and I reuse old acrylic enclosures that are starting to crack from stress points. They're a little leaky some of them, but never get watered like a flower pot so it's np. I'm inclined to agree with Bugmom about Ts not caring what's been there before. Don't Ts take the hides created by other animals in the wild? I assume most of them do anyway, with indifference. If you've got pricey, sentimentally valuable, or rare species and/or are at the point of breeding them, a variable one may not want to introduce is an enclosure with webbing and organic debris from the previous spider. I have no proof it's bad, as I've never done it, but it's a question I can put off answering for the time being.

@kormath. I take it you might subscribe to "if it's not broke don't fix it" philosophy. I'm so the opposite. I almost never do the same thing the same way twice. I can't help myself. I'm sure I'm "fixing" unbroken things all the time.

Savage likes it moist. That's helpful, makes some sense if I read that correctly.

Exaclty i'm lazy and it's too much work to keep fixing stuff that doesn't need it lol.

Yes the A. geniculata likes a bit more moisture. I keep the substrate just a touch more damp than needed to hold form when burrowing with Savage. I think i may have his current enclosure too moist as he hasn't gotten off the plant or wall since my son rehoused him. But then again he's in premolt so I don't want to mess with the enclosure.

The Brachy's i keep the substrate just moist enough to hold form and give them a water dish. During molts i'll over flow the water dish.

For the LP, he's so tiny still i mist a side of his enclosure every couple days, and the substrate is moist like the genic. He's been fasting for about 2 weeks now but hasn't shown any signs of premolt (dark patch on abdomen or dark and shiney abdomen) he's still a pale pale grey all over just like when he arrived. He's still my smallest sling so i'm kinda getting concerned about him.