please help enclosure problem

[Bshelly101]

Hi, guys, I'm a noobie and I am so worried I recently purchased a 10-gallon tarantula tank for a docile terrestrial female adult that I'm planning to take home from the reptile show in less than a week and I'm not sure what to do is it too big? what should I do I got a wood hide for it and I got a heat lamp stand that emits no light at all just gives off heat it's 40w my room gets cold at night I live in norcal it drops lower than 63 I plan to leave it on only during the night.

 

[Mr. P]

You haven't mentioned the species. Different species have different requirements.

 

[Bshelly101]

im looking to get an aphonopelma chalcodes

 

[Arachnoclown]

Heating your room with a space heater is much safer then heat lamps. Low 60s isn't going to harm a A. chalcodes. The deserts were they are from drop clear down to near freezing temps at night. I've seen these guys hunting in the deserts at night around 50 degrees. Make sure you give it a lot of substrate. They need to dig a deep burrow...thats how they survive cold temperatures. Heating your room at 65-70 degrees would be perfect.

 

[Dave Jay]

If you do use the heat lamp it should be at one end a few inches away from the glass. It should be directed at the top of the end pane of glass. Check by holding your hand on the inside of the glass after 20 mins then hourly for a few hours when you first use it, if it feels hot rather than warm it is too close to the tank. Without a thermostat you have to remember that the heat will accumulate over time and ambient temperatures will affect how hot the tank becomes, a thermostat would be a good investment. Personally I would use the lamp in the day if your temperatures are low, not at night, if you follow arachnoclowns' advice the substrate will store the heat overnight and the temperature in the burrow won't drop much at all.
These lamps get VERY hot if left on constantly, even if it has a ceramic fitting other parts can melt or burn and of course if something is put against it or it is knocked over there will probably be a fire.

Edit - I looked at the pictures again, it seems you have a hanging type of lamp , a 10 gallon tank is not large enough to have it fitted to the lid as you would with a large enclosure, you will need a stand of some sort. I have changed desk lamps to have the ceramic fittings but you need to be careful, any plastic parts will probably melt, check for plastic 'nuts' etc. in the lamp assembly.

 

[RonC]

I'll second the space heater. Heat lamps can be dangerous and that species doesn't need a lot of heat. The enclosure is rather deep for a terrestrial too. Falls can be deadly if it should decide to climb.

 

[ArdorAphonopelma]

I'll second the space heater. Heat lamps can be dangerous and that species doesn't need a lot of heat. The enclosure is rather deep for a terrestrial too. Falls can be deadly if it should decide to climb.

Terrestrials act like arboreals sometimes, I second this So adding substrate with 1-3 inch space from the lid is recommended.

 

[Whitelightning777]

If you do a lamp, make sure it's at least 8" from the top and no more powerful then 25 watts in my opinion. You can use distance from the top or a voltage controller to set the temperature.

You, in my opinion, MUST get a digital Infrared thermometer and check every inch that the tarantula can walk on to rule out hot spots.

Still, with a tarantula that functions with such huge fluctuations in the wild, I'd try without a heater and see if the tarantula functions normally. If your room is warmer during the day, I'm sure a cool night won't be a problem.

I have no problem warming a tropical species but it takes up extra time and money. Obviously you should never keep a tropical species cold long term!!

This doesn't apply here. A chalcodes is a really neat species.

If you can get your room or cage to 75, that should suffice. Some people do use space heaters but I'm extremely skeptical about ANY heat source that isn't supervised by an adult. Even coffee makers have burned homes for to cinders. My HOA bans space heaters citing fire hazards and the fact that there are natural gas lines in my building.

Just be extremely careful and bolt it to the wall away from anything flammable, in my opinion.