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Too cold?

Just_jessie666

New Member
Messages
8
Location
Los Angeles
Hello everyone, this is my first winter with my tarantulas and I'm a little worried. The lowest it gets would be 50F and we don't use any heaters at home so it stays cold inside. What would be some suggestions to keep them warm or would they be okay? I've read and heard that heat mats are a big no no and as for space heater I've seen mixed opinions.
 

m0lsx

Moderator
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1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
2,012
Location
Norwich, UK
How many T's do you have? Could you put their enclosures in a larger enclosure & heat that? It is what a local pet store does.

Another option is to use a heating cable. Thread the cable around between the bases of the enclosures without touching them. I did this a few years ago & it worked for me. Each enclosure then had a warmer area, but nothing too warm.
 

Arachnoclown

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3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
6,382
Location
The Oregon rain forest
Depends on the spider....American desert spiders feed in temperatures in the 50s.

I heat my room with a high end space heater. Never had any issues except when the power goes out. Then I use a small camping heater designed for indoors.
 

mrsoul1974

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
404
Location
Lodi, NJ USA
I use a small space heater that I keep set between 65-70 at minumim to keep my T's safe during the winter here in NJ. Rule of thumb: If you are comfortable so is your T. 50 degrees is much too cold for your T to survive in. I personally would not let the temperature drop below 62.

Hope this helps!
 

meridannight

Member
Messages
43
Location
Tropical den
I think many tarantulas can survive 50 degrees, but not sure for how long exactly. Definitely not long on our terms. If it's just for a few days, I wouldn't worry too much. But longer stretches lasting for weeks that would be a problem. That's way too cold in the long term.

The lowest I've let the temp drop is to 60F. And that's way too cold for myself! I only had that going for a few days and happened because my heater was not doing its job anymore and I had to replace it.

The advice to place all your tarantula enclosures into a larger enclosure or a contained space and then heat that is a good advice.
 

Frogdaddy

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
138
Location
USA
I use an oil filled radiator style heater. This one has a max of 900 watts though they do sell a 1500 watt version too. This one does the trick for me even when the temps outside are in the teens.
Screenshot_20221203-110105.png
 

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