Rehousing my tarantula

[helenaoskars]

I have two Venezuelan Suntigers, and their new enclosures just arrived. I’ve bought the Exo Terra Mini Tall, and am currently waiting for a replacement acrylic top to keep them safe from getting stuck. My questions are:

1) I’ve filled the enclosures with substrate up to the door, and added a root, a ladder (yes, I know they don’t need ladders, but it’s cute) and a fake plant to climb on. Do I need more in there than that? I plan on keeping the moisture up of course, by spraying the ground and the sides of the enclosure.

2) How many cm should their bodies be before they can thrive in their new homes? It is 30•30 cm, and their bodies (not counting legs) last time I saw them were maybe 2-2.5 cm. (They usually hide under ground.) They currently live in circular plastic boxes that are about 7 cm across and 10 cm tall. According to the people I bought it from, it should stay in there until it is grown. That feels like it would be WAY to crammed as far as I can tell.. Will 30•30cm be too big for now? I don’t want them hurting themselves..

Thank you for any answers.

 

[GarField000]

Offcourse you need a hide and small waterbowl .

I don't put them in to big off a terra. 30x30 they should be atleast 4/5 cm for me.

But you can do what you want. Make sure you keep track where the spider is.
The problem with big is that it's harder to track if they eat and even if they can find their pray.

 

[m0lsx]

The general measurement used for T's is Diagonal Leg Span, (DLS). So rear left leg to front right. Or the other way around. Unless your T's are going to be exceptionally large, then most of my adult arboreals are in similar sized enclosures.

I only mist, if I cannot get to a water bowl without damaging the webbing & thus upsetting the T. If webbing is over the bowl, then the water will wick out. So just misting the enclosure is all you can do without destroying the enclosure every week or so. Misting does nothing for the humidity, it just gives the T some water to drink, in the same way morning dew does. Keep the substrate moist & that will keep the humidity naturally high.

 

[helenaoskars]

Offcourse you need a hide and small waterbowl .

I don't put them in to big off a terra. 30x30 they should be atleast 4/5 cm for me.

But you can do what you want. Make sure you keep track where the spider is.
The problem with big is that it's harder to track if they eat and even if they can find their pray.

I need a water bowl? I’ve been told I can chose to spray water on the sides of the enclosure too, that it works just as well (considering they get most of their water from their food anyway). Is this incorrect?

I’ve also been told that they will make their own

Offcourse you need a hide and small waterbowl .

I don't put them in to big off a terra. 30x30 they should be atleast 4/5 cm for me.

But you can do what you want. Make sure you keep track where the spider is.
The problem with big is that it's harder to track if they eat and even if they can find their pray.

Do I need a water bowl? I’ve been told that since they get most of the moisture they need from their prey, it is just as good to spray the sides of the enclosure with water? Is this incorrect?

I’ve also been told that they will make their own hiding place, as they have in the small enclosures they are in now? Is this incorrect too? (I’m new to having not grown up-tarantulas, so these are genuine questions and not at all snide comments.)

 

[helenaoskars]

The general measurement used for T's is Diagonal Leg Span, (DLS). So rear left leg to front right. Or the other way around. Unless your T's are going to be exceptionally large, then most of my adult arboreals are in similar sized enclosures.

I only mist, if I cannot get to a water bowl without damaging the webbing & thus upsetting the T. If webbing is over the bowl, then the water will wick out. So just misting the enclosure is all you can do without destroying the enclosure every week or so. Misting does nothing for the humidity, it just gives the T some water to drink, in the same way morning dew does. Keep the substrate moist & that will keep the humidity naturally high.

Thank you, that is what I’ve been reading and seeing on YouTube in my research if this kind of T. I will try to measure them more precisely, it has proven to be difficult with all their webbing and hiding in their self-made underground.. caves? Something like that..

Do I need to buy a hiding place for them, or will they make one themselves with what is available?

 

[m0lsx]

Do I need to buy a hiding place for them, or will they make one themselves with what is available?

With an arboreal, they tend to make their own cover, but still need cover beyond that. I find that arboreals tend to be more relaxed & easier to feed, water etc, if they have plenty of cover. Without sufficient cover, their nature is to run (teleport) & often this can be out of the enclosure. Where with cover, they feel safe & just hide from the hand from above.

Also, as per GarField000. You do need a water source in the enclosure. Misting is the worst option. And apart from anything else, a water bowl adds to the humidity level, which misting really does not. For example, I have a small sandwich tub in my blondies enclosure.

For water bowls I use peanut butter lids, milk carton lids, coffee jar lids & for larger slings the tops from coke bottles etc. Every enclosure has a water bowl & I do not use commercial water bowls, as I find they are poor at retaining the water. Some of my T's have 2 or 3 bowls, as some T's bury their bowls. So rather than disturb their enclosures, I simply add a second lid in.

Only my heaviest webbers get misted, rather than get their water bowl topped up. But every enclosure has a bowl or two. Just some water bowls cannot be reached without disturbing the enclosure too much.

 

[GarField000]

I have a water bowl in every enclosure. It's not that it's a MUST do. Yes they get moist from feeders and drops from the windows. But if you make the windows wet it is drie just in minutes. When it wants a drink in the middle off the night there is none. I never 'mist' the enclosure. I use waterbowls. From tiny tattoo ink holders, colacaps to larger.
If you just spray water it is gone realy fast. I always keep the lower sand moist. I poor water on the sides so the bottom is moist and it can dig to the moist if it wants to soak . I have seen my spiders drink from the bowl so I always use it. If you spray often you can go without, but I want to make it easier for me as I have 100+.
It's not a MUST. I know many that don't use a bowl, but i have seen them drink from it (and don't put a sponge or something in it .... ).

I put in every enclsore hides. They use it to dig it deeper and make it more cosy. Even real fossorial species do get one.

 

[helenaoskars]

With an arboreal, they tend to make their own cover, but still need cover beyond that. I find that arboreals tend to be more relaxed & easier to feed, water etc, if they have plenty of cover. Without sufficient cover, their nature is to run (teleport) & often this can be out of the enclosure. Where with cover, they feel safe & just hide from the hand from above.

Also, as per GarField000. You do need a water source in the enclosure. Misting is the worst option. And apart from anything else, a water bowl adds to the humidity level, which misting really does not. For example, I have a small sandwich tub in my blondies enclosure.

For water bowls I use peanut butter lids, milk carton lids, coffee jar lids & for larger slings the tops from coke bottles etc. Every enclosure has a water bowl & I do not use commercial water bowls, as I find they are poor at retaining the water. Some of my T's have 2 or 3 bowls, as some T's bury their bowls. So rather than disturb their enclosures, I simply add a second lid in.

Only my heaviest webbers get misted, rather than get their water bowl topped up. But every enclosure has a bowl or two. Just some water bowls cannot be reached without disturbing the enclosure too much.

Noted, I’ll be looking into more cover. As is, there is plenty of hiding space behind/under the root and behind the plant. I’ll look into more options. I’ll also be getting some water bowls. Thank you.

 

[helenaoskars]

I have a water bowl in every enclosure. It's not that it's a MUST do. Yes they get moist from feeders and drops from the windows. But if you make the windows wet it is drie just in minutes. When it wants a drink in the middle off the night there is none. I never 'mist' the enclosure. I use waterbowls. From tiny tattoo ink holders, colacaps to larger.
If you just spray water it is gone realy fast. I always keep the lower sand moist. I poor water on the sides so the bottom is moist and it can dig to the moist if it wants to soak . I have seen my spiders drink from the bowl so I always use it. If you spray often you can go without, but I want to make it easier for me as I have 100+.
It's not a MUST. I know many that don't use a bowl, but i have seen them drink from it (and don't put a sponge or something in it .... ).

I put in every enclsore hides. They use it to dig it deeper and make it more cosy. Even real fossorial species do get one.

I’ll find some water bowls, sounds like that is the better choice. My spiders can, as of now, hide behind a large root and behind their fake plant. I’ll buy some bark to build a third one, hopefully that’ll do. Thank you.