Theraphosa blondi HELP

[Keymond69]

I'm ordering a 10 cm blondi for 95 quid off so many legs, I need some help with the enclosure,substrate and humidity. Could somebody please educate me on the best set up please. UK

Would be very grateful .

 

[WolfSpider]

They require alot of space and substrate. A good option is an exoterra large, terrestrial. If you choose that fairly expensive option, place a towel over half of the meah surface, or replace with an acrylic top. This species is quite fastidious: they require a moist, but not swampy environment. The substrate should remain moist and spongy at all times. They do poorly in drier conditions. Good luck!

 

[Oursapoil]

This is my setup For my MF. I keep the substrate moist except for the very top thin layer which dries out everyday as I have ventilation going on during the day. At night time I mist the enclosure for about a minute which wets the top layer. This system allows for a good humidity but prevent swampy conditions that would increase bacteria’s and mold. A large water dish and clean water is also needed. I’ve had mine as a sling and she’s been thriving. A smaller tank to start my be better if she is only 10 cm until she molts a few times and can be rehoused in her final enclosure.
Cheers!

 

[m0lsx]

I have a probable blondi that is about 3 inches (7-8cm) & a stirmi that is a good 3 inches (10cm - 11cm) & both are in 12 X12 (30 X 30) Exo Terras. I keep both in moist, but not wet, conditions. I also have a bigger Stirmi girl, who is in a 17 X 12 Exo Terra.

I keep a larger than normal water container in with them & keep the substrate moist, but not wet.

The 12 X 12 tank is a little too large for my smallest probable stirmi, but it came with the tank & it's a bio active tank & has a false bottom filled with clay balls, to allow water to sit at the bottom of the tank. So I am keeping them in that tank, as it is so well set up.

Live plants, moss & a larger water bowl are good ways of keeping moisture up. But a false bottom with clay balls & a mesh over it to allow water to sit at the bottom is by far the best method.

My big girl, when I got her, was in a dry enclosure more suited to a Brachypelma, than a Theraphosa blondi, but she had lived there for a couple of years & had molted there too. The poor girl even had a branch from a Christmas tree in her enclosure & anything Fir tree, is a really big no, as pine contains an insecticide. So don't feel you need to be too spot on with them. Just reasonable.

My newest Theraphosa

My biggest girl

The tank my biggest girl lives in. The water bowl for size comparison is around 4 X6 inches. (10 X 15cm.)

A post from last year, on this site about false bottoms.
https://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/false-bottom.23366/

Edited to add. I use a large (600ml) syringe to push water down into the substrate. Not just for my Theraphosa, but with other species too. I either push a pencil into the substrate & slowly inject some water in. or I pull a small area of substrate back & fill it & let it soak in before covering it over. Even with desert species, this allows me to up the moisture level & not have the substrate too wet on the surface. If you do not use the same place each time, then mold will not be an issue. The syringe is also a great way of topping water bowls up.