Should I put more substrate?

[isoldes11]

This is my Brachypelma vagans enclosure. I was told once it's important to only have a few inches from the top of the enclosure because terrestrial species can easily fall and hurt themselves. He likes to climb on the walls a lot. Do you think I should add more substrate? There's about a 6 inch gap between the substrate and the top of the cage. Thanks! ^__^

 

[MassExodus]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, but you could add a few inches to be safe. It looks like the substrate is moist from about 2 inches down all the way to the bottom. That would be why its climbing, instead of chilling on the ground or in its hide. My vagans likes it dry, like other Brachypelma. If it gets too moist terrestrials will climb the sides to escape it. Hope this helped.

 

[Chubbs]

Some terrestrials are better climbers than others. Brachypelma are pretty poor and rather clumsy climbers, so they are more at risk of hurting themselves when they fall from a higher distance. I would say as long as there isn't more than 4-5 inches between the top of the tank and the substrate then it isn't too much of a problem. That's just what I would do though.

 

[Tomoran]

Looks pretty good to me, although couple more inches wouldn't hurt if he's climbing. I would just move the water dish away from the edge so that if/when she climbs, she doesn't land on one of those edges (a trick I almost learned the hard way).

 

[corij]

i would mix many wood/bark chips into that so Air get down to ventilate the substrate . stops it compacting

 

[Tomoran]

i would mix many wood/bark chips into that so Air get down to ventilate the substrate . stops it compacting

Really? Why are you trying to ventilate the substrate? I'm just curious.

I want my substrate to pack down, and try to create firm surface for them to walk on or burrow into. I also usually pick the bark and chunks out.

 

[Chubbs]

i would mix many wood/bark chips into that so Air get down to ventilate the substrate . stops it compacting

Well bark chips can be dangerous to arachnids, so probably not a good idea.

 

[~8-legz~]

This is my Brachypelma vagans enclosure. I was told once it's important to only have a few inches from the top of the enclosure because terrestrial species can easily fall and hurt themselves. He likes to climb on the walls a lot. Do you think I should add more substrate? There's about a 6 inch gap between the substrate and the top of the cage. Thanks! ^__^

like the others have said, it is probably climbing because your substrate seems moist... once it dries your T will most likely stop climbing and you wont have to worry about it falling anymore...

 

[corij]

Really? Why are you trying to ventilate the substrate? I'm just curious.

I want my substrate to pack down, and try to create firm surface for them to walk on or burrow into. I also usually pick the bark and chunks out.

iv learned that airing the substrate stops mould and is beneficial to any plantlife . coco fibre alone pack down after the initial settle and traps moisture

iv got my terrarium bio active which has took me months by trial and error.coco fibres no good for plant life

i feel my T prefers it bio active tho it might be me, but it now wanders about before was mostly holed up

if you want any sort of plants/moss to grow you must have good circulation of air in the substrate

 

[corij]

Well bark chips can be dangerous to arachnids, so probably not a good idea.

id think cedar chips would be lethal as its vapour kills insects in fact thats why cedar is popular for roofing over many years but most other woods id wager are harmless . if you were over worried about wood/ bark chips id think a mix of chopped straw into the substrate would allow air in .

 

[MassExodus]

So to sum it up You're set up is fine, when the lower part of the substrate dries she'll stop climbing. It looks like a decent sized spider, it wouldn't be much of a fall for it. Soon it wont be an issue anyway.

 

[isoldes11]

Thank you everyone I really appreciate your advice! ^__^

 

[Tomoran]

iv learned that airing the substrate stops mould and is beneficial to any plantlife . coco fibre alone pack down after the initial settle and traps moisture

iv got my terrarium bio active which has took me months by trial and error.coco fibres no good for plant life

i feel my T prefers it bio active tho it might be me, but it now wanders about before was mostly holed up

if you want any sort of plants/moss to grow you must have good circulation of air in the substrate

Naturalistic enclosures for tarantulas, when done with species that can actually benefit from live plants, can be quite cool. That said, the comfort and correct husbandry of the tarantula needs to be the first priority, and many folks new to the hobby need to become experienced with basic husbandry techniques before attempting to keep live plant in an enclosure. Once you introduce plants, you now have to worry about BOTH the spider and the plants, which makes things much more complicated. Most plant wants sun and water. Most Ts dislike bright light and many species hate moisture. Ts need packed down substrate to burrow; plants apparently need it aerated. It's a tricky balancing act...

The OP was asking about and enclosure that has no live plants in it, therefore there would be no need to aerate the soil and the coco fiber would be fine. I definitely wouldn't advise this person to tamper with the soil to make it better for plants if she is keeping an arid species with NO plants.