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Hello everyone,
This is a huge post containing questions, thoughts and a possible warning.
I apologise in advance for it's novel like format.
Here goes:
After reading the below thread written by Stan Schultz, I have a few questions shifting around the few millimeters of my brain.
I own ony one spider, an A. Geniculata, which apparently requires a humidity between 70% and 80%, I found Stan's thread quite interesting as the invasion of parasites and other nasty events is a worry to me. Especially at this time as we are experiencing a large presence of fruit fly and these other little black ones (possibly sciaridae) under and around our kitchen sink.
I sincerley hope they are not phoridae.
About 2 weeks ago I encountered quite a scare when I saw a small black fly zigging around the floor of the tank for the third time, I may have reacted a little on the irrational side and performed a substrate change. Unfortunately I failed to capture the offender to study.
When it came to re-house, instead of the usual approach to coir, adding a fair amount of warm water and allowing to expand, I prepared it with less water and it's consistency was alot dryer before giving it a few minutes in the microwave as advised by many.
(See IMPORTANT NOTE at the bottom of post for details of a small disaster that occured, I don't want to stray away from my initial pondering just now).
When the new sub was ready, I gave it a light misting before returning my spider to it's home.
After the change I found my spider spending alot more time on the substrate, before now, he/she spent all the time elavated above ground level, wether on the sides of the enclosure or perched atop of the cork bark retreat, hardly ever residing on the ground.
However the water dish has been visited more regular and is drinking the dish dry every two days. The dimensions of the dish are 4cm wide and 5mm deep.
In addition he/she now attacks the tweezers when replacing the water dish after a refill. Like a bolt of lightening. Before hand this behaviour was not present.
So, How much of a necessity is 'high' humidity? I realise that during the molt, a tarantula may require a higher humidity level, although some may disagree. During the last molt my spider's humidity was maintained around 75% - 80% and all was dandio. Now it's a little dryer, no flies have entered the tank.
Can tarantula's adapt to a more dryer enviroment even if they originate from the more humid ones?
Now I'm not refering to a drastic difference between levels, but could a tarantula that originates from the forest or lowlands (is this correct?) of Brazil be kept at a lower humidity level such as 50% or 60%?
Am I doing the wrong thing keeping the enclosure a little dryer considering the increased presence of flies? The fly situation is currently being dealt with although a little difficult, just when you think were rid of them more are noticed, I can't seem to capture one either. I am fully aware that fruit and fungus flies represent no threat, it's the other ones I can't catch I'm worried about.
I woud love to hear other opinions on this subject if at all possible.
Muchos respect
Tomas.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Now, after finding the fly and being quite worried, despite my embarrasment, stupidity and as much as i fear being ridiculed, (I am a total beginner and sometimes a little...well....ditsy) but I feel I need to mention what happened during preparation of the coir, I still find this impossible to fathom:
I placed around 600 grams (at a guess) into a plastic bowl and then gave it 3 mins on full power. When the bell chimed I removed the bowl and found smoke! A small clump of coir was infact smoldering. I quickly removed it and put it on our metal kitchen counter and saw that it indeed had a core of red embers, had I not noticed it sooner there could have been a very nasty situatiuon on my hands. Can microwaves cause ignition in dry substances?, or perhaps it was something else within the coir that caused this. I have no clue, I have never experienced anything like it before, not even as a child when putting all manner of substances in the microwave to see 'what happens' was considered exciting. (NON METALS Of course.)
NOTE: Don't ever put raisins in a microwave, they balloon to the size of plums and the smell is one that you will never forget.
This is a huge post containing questions, thoughts and a possible warning.
I apologise in advance for it's novel like format.
Here goes:
After reading the below thread written by Stan Schultz, I have a few questions shifting around the few millimeters of my brain.
I own ony one spider, an A. Geniculata, which apparently requires a humidity between 70% and 80%, I found Stan's thread quite interesting as the invasion of parasites and other nasty events is a worry to me. Especially at this time as we are experiencing a large presence of fruit fly and these other little black ones (possibly sciaridae) under and around our kitchen sink.
I sincerley hope they are not phoridae.
About 2 weeks ago I encountered quite a scare when I saw a small black fly zigging around the floor of the tank for the third time, I may have reacted a little on the irrational side and performed a substrate change. Unfortunately I failed to capture the offender to study.
When it came to re-house, instead of the usual approach to coir, adding a fair amount of warm water and allowing to expand, I prepared it with less water and it's consistency was alot dryer before giving it a few minutes in the microwave as advised by many.
(See IMPORTANT NOTE at the bottom of post for details of a small disaster that occured, I don't want to stray away from my initial pondering just now).
When the new sub was ready, I gave it a light misting before returning my spider to it's home.
After the change I found my spider spending alot more time on the substrate, before now, he/she spent all the time elavated above ground level, wether on the sides of the enclosure or perched atop of the cork bark retreat, hardly ever residing on the ground.
However the water dish has been visited more regular and is drinking the dish dry every two days. The dimensions of the dish are 4cm wide and 5mm deep.
In addition he/she now attacks the tweezers when replacing the water dish after a refill. Like a bolt of lightening. Before hand this behaviour was not present.
So, How much of a necessity is 'high' humidity? I realise that during the molt, a tarantula may require a higher humidity level, although some may disagree. During the last molt my spider's humidity was maintained around 75% - 80% and all was dandio. Now it's a little dryer, no flies have entered the tank.
Can tarantula's adapt to a more dryer enviroment even if they originate from the more humid ones?
Now I'm not refering to a drastic difference between levels, but could a tarantula that originates from the forest or lowlands (is this correct?) of Brazil be kept at a lower humidity level such as 50% or 60%?
Am I doing the wrong thing keeping the enclosure a little dryer considering the increased presence of flies? The fly situation is currently being dealt with although a little difficult, just when you think were rid of them more are noticed, I can't seem to capture one either. I am fully aware that fruit and fungus flies represent no threat, it's the other ones I can't catch I'm worried about.
I woud love to hear other opinions on this subject if at all possible.
Muchos respect
Tomas.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Now, after finding the fly and being quite worried, despite my embarrasment, stupidity and as much as i fear being ridiculed, (I am a total beginner and sometimes a little...well....ditsy) but I feel I need to mention what happened during preparation of the coir, I still find this impossible to fathom:
I placed around 600 grams (at a guess) into a plastic bowl and then gave it 3 mins on full power. When the bell chimed I removed the bowl and found smoke! A small clump of coir was infact smoldering. I quickly removed it and put it on our metal kitchen counter and saw that it indeed had a core of red embers, had I not noticed it sooner there could have been a very nasty situatiuon on my hands. Can microwaves cause ignition in dry substances?, or perhaps it was something else within the coir that caused this. I have no clue, I have never experienced anything like it before, not even as a child when putting all manner of substances in the microwave to see 'what happens' was considered exciting. (NON METALS Of course.)
NOTE: Don't ever put raisins in a microwave, they balloon to the size of plums and the smell is one that you will never forget.
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