Troubles with tank upkeep for T. Stirmi

[Charlotte1]

This has been such a nightmare. How do you keep an enclosure from stinking like putrid yuckiness? I've spent at least $80 on materials for this enclosure. Coconut fiber stuff, sphagnum moss, clay balls covered in mesh etc. We have a 40 gallon tank and we're trying to do the best we can with what we have. My son (who is the T. owner) poured too much water into the substrate in an attempt to generate sufficient humidity. We figured it would just evaporate out. He's left a dead rodent in there for a couple of days before removing it uneaten. It's a pretty new substrate. Maybe 2 months old? What is a reasonable timeline for changing the substrate? We have one plant in there. The T. isn't doing well, I think. My son swears she won't eat anything but live prey and I'm not letting him bring ****roaches into the house. She used to eat crickets just fine, she's eaten thawed mice a few times. I think she's molting, it's been 6 months that we've had her and she hasn't molted yet. She's probably 2 yrs. old. So I think her lack of appetite has to do with molting. But then my son stirred up the substrate for whatever reason and it stinks to high heaven. This can't be good. ???Help??

 

[Tarantulafeets]

To take away the stink you might just want to rehouse, 40 gallons for even an adult T stirmi is huge. A smaller enclosure will make monitoring and maintenence much easier, along with the t being able to find food much faster. As for food, tarantulas need movement to sense what is food, so dead mice won't do that good, along with the stink. The stink could be coming from the boluses from the previous mice eaten, which is why keepers stick to crickets, roaches and mealworms. Mice aren't necessary in their diet, and are usually a huge hassle, leaving a huge mess and if fed live, can attack and kill the t. You can go back to crickets, and the boluses (boli?) will be much smaller and less stinky. Also, no need to stir up the substrate, tarantulas like their substrate compact. As for molting, you can see if the ts abdomen is bald and shiny black, which means its in premolt, and you shouldn't feed it then. Springtails might help a bit to freshen up the enclosure, as they eat decaying stuff. Other members can chime in if I missed anything, but I hope this helps!

 

[MBullock]

Springtails to tackle fungi, dwarf isopods to tackle solid organic matter, and red wiggler worms (eisenia fetida) to clean substrate below the surface should tackle your issue.

 

[Charlotte1]

To take away the stink you might just want to rehouse, 40 gallons for even an adult T stirmi is huge. A smaller enclosure will make monitoring and maintenence much easier, along with the t being able to find food much faster. As for food, tarantulas need movement to sense what is food, so dead mice won't do that good, along with the stink. The stink could be coming from the boluses from the previous mice eaten, which is why keepers stick to crickets, roaches and mealworms. Mice aren't necessary in their diet, and are usually a huge hassle, leaving a huge mess and if fed live, can attack and kill the t. You can go back to crickets, and the boluses (boli?) will be much smaller and less stinky. Also, no need to stir up the substrate, tarantulas like their substrate compact. As for molting, you can see if the ts abdomen is bald and shiny black, which means its in premolt, and you shouldn't feed it then. Springtails might help a bit to freshen up the enclosure, as they eat decaying stuff. Other members can chime in if I missed anything, but I hope this helps!

Thank you!

 

[MBullock]

Hornworms are a great food for theraphosa and are readily available and easy to culture in captivity. make sure they havent been eating tomato leaves or else they will be toxic