Legroom...

[N8tive556]

Hey everyone!
So after much searching I didn't find a thread on this subject. So I thought I would post this question. Knowing that too much room may stress out a small T, when is it appropriate to rehouse a P. regalis sling? Size of the current cup seemed to do it pretty well until this last molt, 2 days ago, leg span now seems to be a little larger than a quarter and I'm considering rehousing it in a taller deli cup, with better ventilation and offering it a small scrap of cork bark to climb on and what not. Thoughts?

Side note not related: I'm going to cringe when I ask this but does anybody else keep their slings molts? Lol *crosses fingers* please tell me I'm not the only one that does this? lol

 

[Enn49]

Side note not related: I'm going to cringe when I ask this but does anybody else keep their slings molts? Lol *crosses fingers* please tell me I'm not the only one that does this? lol

Yes, I keep all my Ts moults. It's great t compare them and see just how much they have grown since I got them. So don't worry, you're not alone

 

[MassExodus]

I've heard that before about larger enclosures...I've also put spiders in enclosures much too large, (but not tiny slings, simply because I want to be able to find them easily and check on them). I've only had one spider show some stress from it...an A avic that I put in an enclosure about 5 times bigger than my other Avics'...she started showing a bit of aggression for about three months, then settled back to her old self. I moved her back to a smaller container recently just because I'm running out of shelf space. She crawled onto my hand, as is her usual habit, and went right into the new one instead of circling the lid like usual. Her stress must not have been too bad.. I think the bigger enclosure with bark and more ventilation is fine, it's not too big to give you trouble locating her for feeding or check ups. I have had a few people in the hobby I respect tell me that if your tarantula is being overly aggressive you should change enclosures, either bigger or smaller, they say it often settles them quite a bit, and may change their behavior completely. That was partially why I moved my Avic around to begin with, to experiment. I only keep the molts from tarantulas I'm having trouble sexing, either because it's too torn up or too small and not showing me much. I'll go back when I'm not busy and try again. Many people keep jars full of molts though, you ain't weird,

 

[N8tive556]

I've heard that before about larger enclosures...I've also put spiders in enclosures much too large, (but not tiny slings, simply because I want to be able to find them easily and check on them). I've only had one spider show some stress from it...an A avic that I put in an enclosure about 5 times bigger than my other Avics'...she started showing a bit of aggression for about three months, then settled back to her old self. I moved her back to a smaller container recently just because I'm running out of shelf space. She crawled onto my hand, as is her usual habit, and went right into the new one instead of circling the lid like usual. Her stress must not have been too bad.. I think the bigger enclosure with bark and more ventilation is fine, it's not too big to give you trouble locating her for feeding or check ups. I have had a few people in the hobby I respect tell me that if your tarantula is being overly aggressive you should change enclosures, either bigger or smaller, they say it often settles them quite a bit, and may change their behavior completely. That was partially why I moved my Avic around to begin with, to experiment. I only keep the molts from tarantulas I'm having trouble sexing, either because it's too torn up or too small and not showing me much. I'll go back when I'm not busy and try again. Many people keep jars full of molts though, you ain't weird,

Thanks a bunch! The photo I posted with this thread was to give a size comparison of just what I'll be putting the little T in, it's not vastly different but double the height, just hope it'll be a tad happier, and resort to instinct and use the cork bark addition! We'll soon find out! Just a lil nervous about the transfer process!

 

[micheldied]

I never understood the too-large-a-space freaking out Ts.

They may take longer to settle down, since there's so much space to get used to, but they eventually do. And if there really is too much space for the T to use, it'll just hunker down in one area and make itself comfortable there. The problem really is for the owner, because it's tough to keep track of the T, and prey items, and all that stuff.

I've found you can never really have too huge of an enclosure for arboreals, they'll use most of the wall space available, especially as they get bigger.
I've had most pokies in large enclosures, I'm sure your regalis will be fine in whatever you put it in.

 

[RedCapTrio]

@micheldied I've got the same opinion but never voiced it out.

And yeah, for a regalis, I would put it in a 4x higher enclosure than the current one.

 

[Chubbs]

I never understood the too-large-a-space freaking out Ts.

They may take longer to settle down, since there's so much space to get used to, but they eventually do. And if there really is too much space for the T to use, it'll just hunker down in one area and make itself comfortable there. The problem really is for the owner, because it's tough to keep track of the T, and prey items, and all that stuff.

I've found you can never really have too huge of an enclosure for arboreals, they'll use most of the wall space available, especially as they get bigger.
I've had most pokies in large enclosures, I'm sure your regalis will be fine in whatever you put it in.

I don't see the point in putting a 1 inch sling in a 5 gallon tank. Such a waste of space. I have seen people do this. It makes the tarantula as well as its prey harder to keep track of. Also highly increases the chance of escape. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this topic.

OP, if you're nervous about it then try using the bag method.

 

[micheldied]

I don't see the point in putting a 1 inch sling in a 5 gallon tank. Such a waste of space. I have seen people do this. It makes the tarantula as well as its prey harder to keep track of. Also highly increases the chance of escape. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this topic.

OP, if you're nervous about it then try using the bag method.

Oh, I wasn't saying that anyone should have a tiny sling in a large enclosure. In fact, I said it can create many problems for the keeper. I simply disagreed that it causes stress on the spider, and that most arboreals I've had will use most of the room. I would never have slings in an enclosure where I'd have trouble tracking them.

 

[MassExodus]

Oh, I wasn't saying that anyone should have a tiny sling in a large enclosure. In fact, I said it can create many problems for the keeper. I simply disagreed that it causes stress on the spider, and that most arboreals I've had will use most of the room. I would never have slings in an enclosure where I'd have trouble tracking them.

I actually bought 3 versis from petco. It would have been 4 but the usual guy wasn't there and this other idiot stuck a 1" sling in one of those big display cases they have...it promptly escaped of course. I had three already though, so I didn't slap anyone But yeah, I didn't take your post that way, nobody mentioned a 1" sling in a 5 gallon container...