Some Questions

[TheFlash]

Ok...ok
So I decided that I wanted to get in to the hobby despite being an insectiphobe..
And I only realized after I bought what I bought that it was not the best choice....I guess I should have researched.... but I wanted something that made a lot of web.

SO ... I am the proud owner of an OBT.... and again, the pet shop person did not mention it was not a good species for a beginner, however if I ever need to rehouse her, the person I got her from will help for a small fee, as she is aware that I am afraid of bugs.
(I assume shes female but she may be male. Only had her for a couple days)
Her name is Fluffy. I do love her, but she isnt very big yet. probably about 1/3 of the size she should get to.

My questions... Must I feed her roaches? Or can she live on only crickets if need be? I had some cockroaches originally but I really hate them and I am worried that they will excape and infest my house, or I will drop it, etc. and also they are hard to catch with tongs, because I could only get medium sized ones.

Also can i get a definitive answer on how often to feed? apparently shes a year old and not nearly full sized yet so I think shes been underfed, but the pet shop person gave her 1 per week. Ive had her for about 4 days and fed her twice. One small one and one that was a big larger yesterday. if I want her to grow fast how often should she eat?

Anyways... thanks for the help///

 

[Arachnoclown]

One or two crickets a week is plenty. Make sure she has a water dish well. Obts grow fast anyways...over feeding isnt going to speed anything up.

 

[Enn49]

Hi, welcome to the hobby
I began the same way as you, scared of spiders and jumped in at the deep end by buying a juvenile OBT. Just be aware of their reputation, use tongs for maintenance and you'll do ok. I always found with mine that she was more likely to run to hide than attack but I always tried to be aware of where she was.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Hello and welcome.

My OBT hides a lot. As long as you don't go sticking your finger in there and poking at it, you shouldn't have any problem. Watch some YouTube videos on rehousing OBTs and other fast movers to get an idea of how they move and how they are likely to behave.

The roaches you are offering are not the type that can or will infest a house. The crickets are much more likely to do that, and then drive you crazy all night long with their chirping. Roaches are also much more likely to survive for a long time and wait for you to need them. Having said all of that, you can certainly use crickets if you want to. I like to gut load my feeder insects with a variety of different things. I don't have any scientific proof, but it sure seems like that would be good for the predator eating it too.

I don't think there is a "definitive" answer on how much or how often to feed. Many different people have different preferences, and there are many ways to do it successfully. I like the suggestion from @Arachnoclown . I feed mine a roach every four or five days.

 

[TheFlash]

Wow I am glad I didn't get trashed for buying something advanced without proper research. I honestly had done some research but I should have done more for sure... Anyways... I am not going near the spider with my hands. I was afraid when I went and got its water dish a few days ago. Ive been loading up the crickets too. Ive gotten too many.
Im sure the roaches can also infest a house... I do not see why they wouldnt be able to... if I can breed them they certainly would be able to breed in my apartment.
Anyways. I am pretty afraid of them. I slept fine with a bunch of crickets in my room last night.. but Thinking I might move them to the patio tonight.

Im sure they are breedable right?

 

[TheFlash]

oh and also ... Ive heard about Anti- ants being needed but cant find anything online about it.
Anyways. My set up i have the cage on four legs with shotglasses inside ashtrays. the ashtrays filled with dish soap. I live in a country with many ants... But I am sure that others would have to do that too?

 

[Arachnoclown]

Here...watch this.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Wow I am glad I didn't get trashed for buying something advanced without proper research. I honestly had done some research but I should have done more for sure... Anyways... I am not going near the spider with my hands. I was afraid when I went and got its water dish a few days ago. Ive been loading up the crickets too. Ive gotten too many.
Im sure the roaches can also infest a house... I do not see why they wouldnt be able to... if I can breed them they certainly would be able to breed in my apartment.
Anyways. I am pretty afraid of them. I slept fine with a bunch of crickets in my room last night.. but Thinking I might move them to the patio tonight.

Im sure they are breedable right?

I didn't see your location until after I read this post. In a tropical country like yours, yes, the roaches can infest your house. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this forum is international, and not everyone lives in the US or UK, where cold winters kill of any tropical roach species.

Yes, crickets are breedable, but its a lot of work and time, and its just not worth it for people who can by them cheaply. Roaches are much easier to breed, and many people here keep colonies of them to feed their animals.

 

[menavodi]

I am feeding my spiders for more than 20 years with crickets only. I do not see a problem with that. When ever I tried a roach they seem to hide in the soil easy and my spiders lose interest pretty fast. Have fun with your tarantula!

 

[TheFlash]

Ya the problem with mine is that I can by crickets for about 5000 rupiah (40 cents) but that gets me like 50... What am i going to do with 50 haha

 

[Whitelightning777]

Roaches have the highest nutritional value of feeders for Ts. Still there are other choices. Crickets won't last longer then a week in my experience even if you supply gel and food.

Mealworms and super worms also work. Wait until the T builds a web and drop them right in dead center. Do NOT place them with tongs. Drop them in and gently but quickly close the cage.

In my opinion, you don't want to play "battle tongs" of war with an old world species.

 

[Enn49]

Ya the problem with mine is that I can by crickets for about 5000 rupiah (40 cents) but that gets me like 50... What am i going to do with 50 haha

There is one solution - buy more Ts.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Or just get a Lasiodora species, only one additional one. A geniculata will also wipe out a surplus quickly.

They eat like garbage disposals. If you REALLY have to many feeders, one acme T stirmi will cut through them like a black hole of doom.

That'll save you on enclosures and shipping.

Either way, you only need just one more.

 

[RonC]

Ya the problem with mine is that I can by crickets for about 5000 rupiah (40 cents) but that gets me like 50... What am i going to do with 50 haha

Fishing?

 

[Arachnoclown]

Ya the problem with mine is that I can by crickets for about 5000 rupiah (40 cents) but that gets me like 50... What am i going to do with 50 haha

 

[TheFlash]

Or just get a Lasiodora species, only one additional one. A geniculata will also wipe out a surplus quickly.

They eat like garbage disposals. If you REALLY have to many feeders, one acme T stirmi will cut through them like a black hole of doom.

That'll save you on enclosures and shipping.

Either way, you only need just one more.

You know it is funny you say that.
So... I before reading this... Turns out I decided to buy one more .. Just for fun. And it turned out to be the one you mentioned.... A LASIODORA Haha.
And this time... I actually held it. Wouldn't try that with my OBT) I love the docile nature of this. A bit worried though It didn't seem too interested in the cricket... But after 2 hours I can't see the cricket and I'm sure she didn't eat it... I've been watching. Maybe she did... But I didn't see her eat it...

Do LASIODORA like to hide? Provided a hide but she isn't using it...

 

[Whitelightning777]

What size? What species?

They burrow at first but when they molt into the adult colors, you get the adult behavior.

As they get older, Lasiodora species will spend more time in plain sight then practically any critter. Even my cat hides more often then my L klugi.

I wouldn't handle them. The urticating hairs are horrible. The T might not mind, but you will. They also have a powerful feeding response. If it moves, it's dinner.... including you and your hands!!

They are neither aggressive not defensive, just very pouncy, kinda like a 4 month old kitten chasing a string that never grows up in that one way.

 

[TheFlash]

LASIODORA PARAHYBANA 7-8 cm is the one I bought. She already stays out in plain site. I don't plan on handling her much because I'm Afraid of dropping her. She hasn't used the hide once yet. I might take it out because her cage not so Big. My OBT (fluffy) hasn't left his burrow much or made any webbing which I find odd. When I tried to get the LASIODORA moving today so I could get the water dish out she did a defensive pose... Front legs up and show the giant fangs... When I handled the hairs didn't bother me.. It seems gentle. Do you know anything about my species??

 

[TheFlash]

This is her

 

[Whitelightning777]

LASIODORA PARAHYBANA 7-8 cm is the one I bought. She already stays out in plain site. I don't plan on handling her much because I'm Afraid of dropping her. She hasn't used the hide once yet. I might take it out because her cage not so Big. My OBT (fluffy) hasn't left his burrow much or made any webbing which I find odd. When I tried to get the LASIODORA moving today so I could get the water dish out she did a defensive pose... Front legs up and show the giant fangs... When I handled the hairs didn't bother me.. It seems gentle. Do you know anything about my species??

I don't have that exact species, but the L klugi I have is closely related and the behaviors and care are virtually identical.

Keep these in a larger then normal enclosure. Even though they will almost never use it, provide a large generously sized hide such as a half round type.

If they have a place to hide, they'll go there instead of becoming defensive or possibly making a run for it.

At 3 or 4 inches, you can just go ahead and put it in an adult size enclosure. Their feeding responses are strong enough so they'll have no trouble feeding.

You can also drop feeders right beside them but don't directly tong feed them or they'll attack the tongs in an unnerving manner.

Feed them the usual crickets, meal worms, roaches etc. They'll eat anything. Feeding vertebrates such as mice is totally unnecessary and those can injure or kill a tarantula. If you are hell bent on feeding them mice, only feed pinkies.

A better alternative is to feed them an occasional Earth worm once a month and as the first meal after they molt and the fangs harden up. These are treats, not primary food sources. Hornworms fall into the same category.

They don't need moisture but it is greatly appreciated and will help them grow faster.

Add enough frog moss for them to relax on and stretch out fully. Keep that moist. They totally love it and will spend most of their time chilling out on it. This is great for taking photos.

Try to keep them in a room that is at least 75 degrees. It'll help them grow. They like it at around 80 degrees, but only do that if you can safely heat the cage (or the entire room) 75 is just fine.

If they climb up the walls and head for height and light, they are cold. PM me for how to address that. I warm all my cages, but it's just a little tricky and screwups can be fatal. Again, just go for 75 degrees. It's much easier that way.

In the enclosure, floor space is more important then height.

These are totally unsuitable for handling. Yes, you can be calm but unsuitable for handling at the same time. Their feeding response is so strong that if you try to handle, you WILL get bitten. The odds are basically 500% certain.

Having said that, they aren't aggressive like, say, an OBT, just hungry all the time. Basically, it's eat first ask questions later.

I keep mine in a 5 gallon Terra Blue professional enclosure with the reptilock. This is as close to perfect of a tarantula cage as I can find for terrestrials.

Your L parahybana will basically become identical, with only slight color differences. The typical adult size is 7 to 9 inches DLS. (13 to 16 cm)

The largest Lasiodora species is L striatepes, which might get to 10 inches on rare occasions. This was considered the largest spider on Earth until T blondi was discovered.