Doing it right? - G.pulchripes

[Phototoxin]

I have some basic questions about G.pulchripes as I want to make sure I'm doing the best I can for them.

I keep their plastic cages with cross ventilation with about 3cm of substrate on heat mats to hold them around 20-25C/70-75F as I live in ireland and we're not exactly warm! I try to ensure that a portion of the cage is not on the mat lest they wish to be cooler. They always have a topped up water dish that I slightly overflow to add a minimum of humidity.

When I initially housed them they seemed to explore and climb walls and things, I assume this was getting the 'feel' of their new enclosures.
One went straight into the hide and dug down a little but seemed to explore later.

However a week later all 3 seem to be camping in their hides, lurking in the shadows - is this normal/ok?

There hasn't been much bulldozing of substrate although 1 has moved some small clumps of substrate in front of her hide.

I have fed them twice - once on Monday and again today (thursday) with an abdomen length black cricket (approx 1cm). None of them have refused and pretty much pounced straight away.

Is 2/weekly feeding of 1 cricket correct or should I limit them to 1/week or either 1 or 2 crickets?

What I want to know is are they 'happy' or should they be 'out and about' a bit more? Is there anything I'm not doing that I should /could be doing?

 

[Mundo exotico]

Hello, can you post some pics? I would advise to put heat mat on one side of enclosures with 1cm space between so it doesnt overheat and doesnt dehidrate Ts. Not under the enclosures.
Ts take time to get used to enclosure. And with cold weather they tend to hide and are not active.
I build a Polystyrene enclosure and placed all slings enclosures inside with a heat mat on the back. Im from Portugal.

 

[octanejunkie]

Tarantulas dig down to escape heat, assuming the sun, so under-tank heating is not ideal.

You would be best served creating a microclimate, like a cabinet, and heating the cabinet and placing the enclosures in there.

You can use a temperature controller, or a lamp dimmer and a thermometer, to regulate an electric heat source.

3cm of sub substrate is probably not enough. Tarantulas burrow, give them room to do so, they will hide less, and stress less, if their needs are met. Also, make sure the substrate is packed down firmly, like the earth, they hate fluffy surfaces.

Avoid too much free climbing height in enclosures, a fall from too high can injure or kill a tarantula. An enclosure should be 3-4x the diagonal leg span of the T, and have no more than 1.5-2x the DLS in free climbing height, for terrestrials.

Hope that helps and please post pics!

 

[m0lsx]

I rehoused my wifes pulchripes just last week. It is a juvie of about 2 inches Diagonal Leg Span. I have it in an unheated enclosure with some bark for cover, some moss & a bottle cap for moisture & on 2 inches of substrate.

 

[timc]

How big are the spiders?

 

[Phototoxin]

How big are the spiders?

about 2-3cm head to bum and id say diagonal leg length of 5cm

 

[Phototoxin]

3cm of sub substrate is probably not enough. Tarantulas burrow, give them room to do so, they will hide less, and stress less, if their needs are met. Also, make sure the substrate is packed down firmly, like the earth, they hate fluffy surfaces.

Actually measuring it tells me I have 5-6cm of substrate, I shouldn't have eyeballed it

 

[octanejunkie]

Actually measuring it tells me I have 5-6cm of substrate, I shouldn't have eyeballed it

That's roughly 2" of substrate. Is it firmly packed down? How much free climbing height in the enclosure?

 

[Nephrite]

I have a little incubator set up like this to heat up my slings to around 75-80

Heat pad on the side hooked up to a thermostat.

 

[Phototoxin]

That's roughly 2" of substrate. Is it firmly packed down? How much free climbing height in the enclosure?

Its packed enough, its not fluffy, but they can move it, #2 has blocked the entrance to her hide and dug an escape tunnel so I don't know if she's going into moult or anything. I will get pictures in a bit

I have a little incubator set up like this to heat up my slings to around 75-80

Heat pad on the side hooked up to a thermostat.

That's a pretty good setup. Right now I have a shelf on a bookshelf with 2 heatpads side by side underneath, with about 1/3 not on the heatpad to make a cooler zone. Before I got the spoods in there without substrate the bottom was at max 72-75F which I'm told is their ideal so I figured that with substrate it would be ok.

 

[Phototoxin]

Here are the pictures of the 3, one is outside, another self-entombed and the last hiding

In terms if climbing space there is about 5 inches which I figure is ok as they are about 2.5 inches in overall length and will continue to grow.

 

[Phobik1]

You can take those 2 heat mats and put them, one on each side, on the sides of the inside of a 45 to 50 quart plastic tub w a lid. Get a one of those thermometer strips that stick on the inside of the tank like a decal or sticker, they are cheap. Get your heat pads to about 80f and the tub should stay above 70. Keep the tib off the floor. This is a cheap and easy way to get things done until the weather warms up or you can afford the good stuff like heat tape and a electic thermostat.
A critter condo w the sliding glass in front works great for maintaning a steady temperature and giving you a visual of your little gang too. You can use the heat pads inside. Hope this helps. Good luck. Chaco's are great.

 

[Phototoxin]

You can take those 2 heat mats and put them, one on each side, on the sides of the inside of a 45 to 50 quart plastic tub w a lid. Get a one of those thermometer strips that stick on the inside of the tank like a decal or sticker, they are cheap. Get your heat pads to about 80f and the tub should stay above 70. Keep the tib off the floor. This is a cheap and easy way to get things done until the weather warms up or you can afford the good stuff like heat tape and a electic thermostat.
A critter condo w the sliding glass in front works great for maintaning a steady temperature and giving you a visual of your little gang too. You can use the heat pads inside. Hope this helps. Good luck. Chaco's are great.

Whats heat tape?

 

[Phobik1]

Its thin metal layed down like railroad tracks (copper) and protected in a clear sheet of plastic. Plug it in and the copper tracks heat up. A special type of thermostat is connected to it to control the temperature. You can see it on the back wall of the enclosure "Nephrite" showed you in her picture.

 

[Phototoxin]

Its thin metal layed down like railroad tracks (copper) and protected in a clear sheet of plastic. Plug it in and the copper tracks heat up. A special type of thermostat is connected to it to control the temperature. You can see it on the back wall of the enclosure "Nephrite" showed you in her picture.

Awesome, I will check it out!!

 

[Phobik1]

This should help. A very reputable site also.

Heat Tape

www.reptilebasics.com

 

[Phototoxin]

This should help. A very reputable site also.

Heat Tape

www.reptilebasics.com

Thanks a million