Worried about tarantula falling

[Alexander White]

i moved swix to a bigger enclosure... But now he keeps climbing up the sides and its worrying me that he may fall! What do you guys do about this? Has anyones tarantula become injured or die because they fell after climbing up the sides? Swixter hasnt fallen yet but im still worried. But hes getting too big to be in the small enclosure so i dont want to put him back in there. He seemed uncomfortable in there.

 

[Poec54]

There's nothing to vote on. All it takes is once to kill a spider. You fix the cage so that it can't happen. Slipping and falling is a regular occurrence with terrestrials, they don't have glass in the wild, and don't understand climbing on it. You need deeper substrate to prevent injuries, and to keep all hard objects away from the sides.

 

[Therasoid]

i moved swix to a bigger enclosure... But now he keeps climbing up the sides and its worrying me that he may fall! What do you guys do about this? Has anyones tarantula become injured or die because they fell after climbing up the sides? Swixter hasnt fallen yet but im still worried. But hes getting too big to be in the small enclosure so i dont want to put him back in there. He seemed uncomfortable in there.

First thing that comes to mind is your T is in a new enclosure. It takes some time for it to explore and get accustomed to the new surroundings. This can take 2-3 days to as many weeks depending on species. Rule of thumb for terrestrial species is no more than 1 1/2 times its DLS of space between top of enclosure to top of substrate. A fall onto a hard object of even 6" could result in a rupture and bleed out. Ts are nocturnal creatures and while you are asleep this is when they are most active and subject to injury.

I keep mostly burrowers, hence they have a water bowl and a piece of bark, but still follow the 1 1/2 DLS rule. [emoji4]

If the new enclosure has a screen top, I would replace it with Plexiglas, with a few holes, if possible. Or use some clear packing tape, on the inside, and leave an open area in the center for ventilation.
No, I haven't had a T fall and get injured, while in my care. [emoji6]

Hope this info helps.

 

[Alexander White]

There's nothing to vote on. All it takes is once to kill a spider. You fix the cage so that it can't happen. Slipping and falling is a regular occurrence with terrestrials, they don't have glass in the wild, and don't understand climbing on it. You need deeper substrate to prevent injuries, and to keep all hard objects away from the sides.

Okay thanks, i moved him back to his small one until im able to get more substrate

I see cages where people dont have the substrate lined up close to the top so thought maybe 6" would be okay, thanks for letting me know

The space from top to bottom on one side was about 5-6". The other side was like two, due to his hide away and some baked leaves id put in there.

 

[Alexander White]

First thing that comes to mind is your T is in a new enclosure. It takes some time for it to explore and get accustomed to the new surroundings. This can take 2-3 days to as many weeks depending on species. Rule of thumb for terrestrial species is no more than 1 1/2 times its DLS of space between top of enclosure to top of substrate. A fall onto a hard object of even 6" could result in a rupture and bleed out. Ts are nocturnal creatures and while you are asleep this is when they are most active and subject to injury.

I keep mostly burrowers, hence they have a water bowl and a piece of bark, but still follow the 1 1/2 DLS rule. [emoji4]

If the new enclosure has a screen top, I would replace it with Plexiglas, with a few holes, if possible. Or use some clear packing tape, on the inside, and leave an open area in the center for ventilation.
No, I haven't had a T fall and get injured, while in my care. [emoji6]

Hope this info helps.

Thanks for the info

Im glad he hadnt fallen yet, i wasnt aware that it was THIS bad, fortunately hes small enough atm to hold his weight when against the sides. I have put him back in the small one for now

 

[Alexander White]

Got some more coconut fiber today, so set up the bigger enclosure again, now i am much less worried and know he will be safe