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Tarantulabas1993

Tarantulabas1993

Active Member
Messages
230
Location
Lynchburg,Va
I'm getting four new tarantulas in which three of them are 2 inches, I need anyones opinion on my enclosures I just made. I will say that my money is tight so I had to buy 6 dollars worth in deli cups at my pet store.
20200506_134936.jpg
 
octanejunkie

octanejunkie

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Who is he, the tarantula fairy? lol

I would ask the mystery gift giver what to prepare for

Like if you win a trip and they tell you to pack your bags, do you pack for warm weather or cold?
It makes a difference
 
Colorado Ts

Colorado Ts

Member
Messages
41
Location
Johnstown Colorado
My Method: Terrestrial Slings

All my slings are kept in a cabinet with sliding glass front doors. The cabinet has been modified with the addition of a thermo regulator set at 79 degrees and a small ceramic space heater on the bottom shelf. A breeder was telling me the other day that he uses heat tape...not sure what is, but he was very supportive of it use. So I'll look into it and report my findings later. Slings are stored beginning on the top shelf, with over flow going to the second shelf as needed. No slings are ever kept on the bottom shelf, due to heat concerns. Once slings reach a size of 2” to 3” they are then moved to adult enclosures and setup in the spider room, where the temperature varies from 74 degrees to 78 degrees...usually.

All slings are fed twice a week. When moved into the spider room, they are then fed once a week, or once every other week.

All enclosures are labeled, for identification and tracking.

Sample label:

AphoSee#1
Aphonopelma seemanni, Brown Phase
17th November 2019 Adult 5” Female
Private Purchase, Ft Collins, $15.00

The label contains all information that I want to identify the spider, and stays with the spider until it dies or is re-homed to someone else. I also have a tracking document in Word, that has this same information, with the addition of moulting dates and a journal of observation for the species and observations for individual spiders using their ID. If anything happens to the spider then the label in the Word document is updated to indicate final disposition and a journal entry is made that contains all the details.


1/2” slings (Terrestrial)

I don't go smaller than 1/2” when bringing in slings. I'm not set up for it yet. So I'll start with the 1/2” size.

For these slings, I use AMAC boxes that measures ~1.25” X 1.25” X 2”. Small surface area and the sling is able to burrow. At about a centimeter below the lid, I drill evenly spaced holes on two opposite sides of the enclosure for cross ventilation. The substrate is coco fibre that is packed into the enclosure leaving about 3/4” to 1” from substrate to lid. I’ll put a starter burrow in two opposite corners, and lightly moisten the substrate.

The slings are transferred into the enclosure and offered a food item after 24 to 48 hours of acclimation. Small crickets or small roaches are offered as food. If the sling is refusing live food on multiple occasions, then they are fed a scavenger diet of cricket parts or roach parts.

3/4” to 1” slings (Terrestrial)

For slings of this size range, or smaller slings that have grown into this size range, I use AMAC boxes that measure 4” X 4” X 4” Primarily. I do also use a couple boxes that are 4” X 4” X 6” for some species. At about a centimeter below the lid, I drill evenly spaced ventilation holes on two opposite sides for cross ventilation. The substrate is again coco fibre that is packed into the enclosure. For most species I'll use moist substrate. (For Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens I'll use 3/4” dry substrate with a hide and added anchor point to encourage webbing.)

The substrate is sloped into one corner, and packed creating a contoured surface. I then pack a channel in the substrate and then press a cork bark over the channel. When completed, this will look like a tiny hill that has a small hole with a chunk of wood over the top. I then cut up moss into small chunks and scatter it around the sides and on top of the hill that forms the top of the enclosure. I leave the area in front of the hide as a depression with no moss. Since doing this, the sling almost always chooses to enter the hide and start burrowing. By setting up the hide and channel into a corner, the sling will have depth, and will always burrow into the corner, creating a nice little room with two windows and sometimes even a floor window for viewing.

I also include a water dish, that is probably a bottled water lid. This it put on top of the hide or high up on the sides to one side or the other. If put in the depression in front of the burrow entrance, the water is simply filled every day with...stuff. For some species it won't matter where you put the water dish it will be filled with stuff.

The slings are transferred into the enclosure and offered a food item after 24 to 48 hours of acclimation. I feed the slings roaches. I raise my own roaches, B lateralis & B. dubia.

The slings will remain in this enclosure until they reach 2” to 2.5”...or if I'm a bad person, 3”. Then they are transferred to adult accommodations.
 
Casey K.

Casey K.

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octanejunkie said:
Who is he, the tarantula fairy? lol

I would ask the mystery gift giver what to prepare for

Like if you win a trip and they tell you to pack your bags, do you pack for warm weather or cold?
It makes a difference
Click to expand...

Tarantula fairy's DO exist! ;)
 
Casey K.

Casey K.

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1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
4,911
Tarantulabas1993 said:
I'm getting four new tarantulas in which three of them are 2 inches, I need anyones opinion on my enclosures I just made. I will say that my money is tight so I had to buy 6 dollars worth in deli cups at my pet store.View attachment 45716
Click to expand...


I think your containers are perfect for the size of the specimens you have listed.....have you gotten them, yet or have you found out what species you are getting? Also, you can buy containers a lot cheaper by ordering them from the Plastic Store online. You can get them in bulk at discounts. I know a lot of vendors and collectors that do this. They also save space for larger collections and the containers are appropriate for tarantulas.
 
Casey K.

Casey K.

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3 Year Member
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Messages
4,911
Colorado Ts said:
Yeah I get tired of writing the same thing over and over answering the same question. How hard is it to do a search?...then start asking questions on things you couldn't find.
Click to expand...


Some people don't know how to search or what to look for. Example: if they have a rose hair but they don't know that it's a G. porteri, it could lead to a lot of misinformation by showing them pictures of tarantulas that are "not" rose hairs if they type "rosehair" in their search bar. They come to forums for this information due to all of the misinformation that they could run into online. Getting this information from actual "keepers" that have had experience with certain tarantula species not only provide for better info but the beginning of a WONDERFUL hobbyist relationship. :)
 

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