Ice Cube!!!

[Richard Shah]

hey rich, congrats on the new T first of all. i agree with all that has been said before, your tank is definitely too big. dont worry about unsettling the little fella, oh and nice name for him by the way, i wonder where you could have got it from (*cough* copy cat *cough*) lol. when i have jeuveniles, i re house them every so often so they are in the perfect size enclosure. ideally a tank should be atleast 2 and a half times the spiders leg span. i've got a couple of Ts about that size and i have made them little homes in cricket containers - perfect.

How could I fogret - you gave me such a great name to go on!!!! Thank you for that BTW, and the congratz!
Yes, I will rehouse him, tomoz, when I get myself a small nuff plant pot. Mine should be fine in the ferrero rochers box if yours is in the cricket container (which, at least for me, are about the same size).

As long as the T setup is not too bare, and there are plenty of decent hiding places the size of the tank can be as large as that.

Of course there are disadvantages.

one beeing that food could go unnoticed unless you drop the crcket directly infront of him and even then the cricket would just jump away. You'd expect your T to chase it? Think again, it would rather sit there and wait for the cricket to come back.

the second disadvantage is that you will never know where your T is hiding and generally the bigger the open space, the more hiding the T does.

I know you must be really confused now rich. Leave it in the tank it is in or move it into a smaller container? Well we are giving you information to help you decide. You might notice that your T is hiding too much for your liking and well the simplest solution is to use a little pot not much bigger than the T. It will give the T the feeling of beeing in some sort of "burrow" and it won't hide nearly as much...

Whatever you decide to do, still leave it be for a while, the journey in the post is enough stress for one week.

Well, I'll probably rehouse it tomoz in the ferrero rocher's box - house do I moisten the vermiculite btw? What is the best solution? I obviously dnt wanna make it too wet for its liking!
Lol the T. is lazy then!!! I thouht they were real hunters!!!

I agree with Tom,
you've been patient enough over the last few weeks waiting for it so a few extra days shouldn't matter while you let it settle down a bit and you decide what to do about the enclosure.
You could try and work out a sort of division within the tank that could be moved back further as the spider grows.

Just to confuse matters a little more, i keep even the smallest sling in cricket tubs....But....i feed them prekilled for the first few moults, then i start with the live food. At 3 cm I, personally, would be contemplating moving them into a 8x6 inch hatchling box. They'll be on crickets about 1/2 inch long then and believe me they'll find it throughout the night.
This is what I do, many have different methods but i personally have success this way.

(WLH) 7.3x14.1x5 CM - FR's box, is that big enough?
What you said about the waiting period is logical, but it certainly doesn't feel like that lol - I know it is true though!!!


Thank you everyone,

Rich!

[Richard Shah]

Homebase, B&Q, Wilko's (Mary, can you back me up on this?) all sell those little pots in multiple packs. Not on their own. But expect to pay a very small amount. I'd perhaps put the Ferrero Rocher enclosure inside the 12" x 12" tank.

One other piece of advise. I saw loads of vids on You-tube of tarantulas feeding on crickets and expected mine to do the same. But if you think throwing a cricket into its den is like throwing Christians to the lions*, think again. I put in a cricket on Monday and Smiffy and the cricket would meet and turn in opposite directions. I didn't remove it within 24 hours ( ) as I would normally do. Yet today I came home and saw a lone long hind leg on the substrate by Smiffy and a cricket being chomped on. That's the first feed its taken in over a fortnight.

* Not something I advocate by the way. It was something the Roman's did!

Lol! About the vids, they probably spent a lot of times trying to film them before they were like that, or starved their T...
I will put the FR box into the Exo terra enclosure.

Thank you Andrew!

[SylviRigden]

Good containers can be found at the larger supermarkets too like Asda, and how about trying the local chinese? They have some pretty useful tubs too.

[Peter Lacey]

moist substrate, Brachypelma species, mmm! see previous posts.

Dry, small water bowl.

From all the threads I've read I've found most people are concerned about too large an enclosure. I've not come across any that suggested the enclosure was too small to the detriment of the spider!

Its important to remember hiding places for a spider are also hiding places for a cricket (or any other live food).

[Richard Shah]

moist substrate, Brachypelma species, mmm! see previous posts.

Dry, small water bowl.

From all the threads I've read I've found most people are concerned about too large an enclosure. I've not come across any that suggested the enclosure was too small to the detriment of the spider!

Its important to remember hiding places for a spider are also hiding places for a cricket (or any other live food).

Lol yeah yeah Peter I know lmao but surely it can't be completely dry can it? (I'm sorry I have to ask, even though you have experience and I do not, apart from the fact that it can be VERY irratating when the T. you've wanted for so long hides from you! )

What will I use as a water dish is a problem; cuz even though standard bottle caps (Coke, fanta etc.) have a good circumference, I'm pretty sure they are too deep??? And glass bottle caps are rough and may be dangerous to the T. ...

Yeah hiding places can be that is for sure, that is why on my big tank I sealed off all the good areas for crickets (all that I know of) and for the FR set-up, I'm doing the basic substrate, flower pot and water dish styleset-up. Should take three minutes after I cut the pot in half!

And yeah, your right about the tank size forum scenario thing - never seen anyone saying a tank was too small, and most people ("experts") would say "They live in small burrows in their natural habitat and hardly leave it" if someone did say it was too small, unless it was rediculously small, like a T. 12 inches in 30^3 exo terra!

[Peter Lacey]

This species comes from Mexico, dry arid land where it doesn't tend to rain much. Their water supply is most likely to be from their food source or the dew in the morning so keeping your substrate moist is alien to them.
Why not take a look at this site as it should provide plenty of info on "Ice cube":

http://www.brachypelmas.co.uk/just%20brachypelma/housing.htm

[Richard Shah]

This species comes from Mexico, dry arid land where it doesn't tend to rain much. Their water supply is most likely to be from their food source or the dew in the morning so keeping your substrate moist is alien to them.
Why not take a look at this site as it should provide plenty of info on "Ice cube":
http://www.brachypelmas.co.uk/just%2...ma/housing.htm

I'll take your word on it and check out the site.
Cheers Peter!

[Kate Arbon]

All of my Brachy's are kept on totally dry substrate with a waterdish. Every few weeks I will overfill the waterdish to wet some of the dirt, to kind of simulate rain. With my tiny slings (all under 1 inch) I put drops of water onto the side of their pots and a few onto the dirt, once a week. I don't even bother giving my Ts waterdishes all the time, unless they are on hunger strike. Generally they will not have one for two weeks, then I will put one in for a few days. While they are eating they get all their moisture from food I think.

If they are about to moult I keep the substrate a little damper, and obviously just after a moult I make sure they always have a full dish until they've recovered. But yeah, most of the time my Brachys (and most my other species) are all kept dry. I haven't had any problems yet

[Richard Shah]

All of my Brachy's are kept on totally dry substrate with a waterdish. Every few weeks I will overfill the waterdish to wet some of the dirt, to kind of simulate rain. With my tiny slings (all under 1 inch) I put drops of water onto the side of their pots and a few onto the dirt, once a week. I don't even bother giving my Ts waterdishes all the time, unless they are on hunger strike. Generally they will not have one for two weeks, then I will put one in for a few days. While they are eating they get all their moisture from food I think.

If they are about to moult I keep the substrate a little damper, and obviously just after a moult I make sure they always have a full dish until they've recovered. But yeah, most of the time my Brachys (and most my other species) are all kept dry. I haven't had any problems yet

Great! Cheers Kate!
I'd rather have a waterbowl always there though, just in case of ANYTHING. Gonn look around tomoz to see what will be best suited.

[Peter Roach]

'd rather have a waterbowl always there though, just in case of ANYTHING

Why would you put a water bowl in when it doesnt need it ?

Here is an old photo of my spider rack, it has very few small tubs now as everything has been moved to larger containers.
There are FIVE water bowls in use, in the entire spider shed (240+ Tarantulas) and NONE in with any of the 80+ brachys.

[Kate Arbon]

I think it's hard to get used to the idea of it being okay to leave an animal without access to water. If you did that with a hamster it would be incredibly cruel! I know when I first got into Ts they would always have waterdishes available. But after a while you get a bit sick of the spiders burying them, or pooing in them, or incorporating them into their webs, and never actually drinking from them, lol.

[Peter Lacey]

I've never found it a bother to include a water dish, lets be honest a bottle top is all that's required and the occasional pour of fresh water.
From what I see the breeders often reduce what's in enclosures to the bare minimum whilst those with just a handful tend to decorate the enlcosure and tend to every need. In Richard's case we're talking about his first T and I think there's a joy in trying to provide something that looks good visually whilst being careful not to miss a requirement.
I've actually seen my L. klugi and G. rosea drink and I've seen those and some others sitting over the bowl for small amounts of time. I've also seen each of them cover their bowls to the point I've given up providing water for my 2 boehmei.

[Richard Shah]

Why would you put a water bowl in when it doesnt need it ?

Here is an old photo of my spider rack, it has very few small tubs now as everything has been moved to larger containers.
There are FIVE water bowls in use, in the entire spider shed (240+ Tarantulas) and NONE in with any of the 80+ brachys.

Whoa - that is crazy to me man but I'm crazy to others cuz I have a T.!! 240 +; Wow!! I undertsand your point, but Peter Lacey is right about how I feel, as is Kate.
I dnt think I could ever have more tahn five T.s lol!!

I think it's hard to get used to the idea of it being okay to leave an animal without access to water. If you did that with a hamster it would be incredibly cruel! I know when I first got into Ts they would always have waterdishes available. But after a while you get a bit sick of the spiders burying them, or pooing in them, or incorporating them into their webs, and never actually drinking from them, lol.

Lol! Well, I'd rather see that for myself cuz, although I believe you (and have no reason not to) I want to see how the T. uses the bowl. If it poops in it or does any of the other things you mentioned, then I simply won't give it one - there is no harm in giving it one I suppose...
I wanna make my own mistakes as a newbie to this!

I've never found it a bother to include a water dish, lets be honest a bottle top is all that's required and the occasional pour of fresh water.
From what I see the breeders often reduce what's in enclosures to the bare minimum whilst those with just a handful tend to decorate the enlcosure and tend to every need. In Richard's case we're talking about his first T and I think there's a joy in trying to provide something that looks good visually whilst being careful not to miss a requirement.
I've actually seen my L. klugi and G. rosea drink and I've seen those and some others sitting over the bowl for small amounts of time. I've also seen each of them cover their bowls to the point I've given up providing water for my 2 boehmei.

Yeah, that and what Katie said combined is exactly how I wanna feel!


And for the new set-up:

It is 17.5 x 17.5 cm (the FR box was too small, I decided). The water dish is the bottom of a plastic cup cut to 0.5mm and the edge isn't rough, but smooth, and the vermiculite is at 3 cm high (approx.).
Now to find Ice Cube!




I think there is enough airholes, about 80 with just under a 2mm diameter.




What do you think??

[Andrew Ferguson]

I'm a little bit confused by some comments here, so I'm guessing Richard will be too.

I understand B. smithi comes from Mexico (not known for it's high rain fall!) and a lot of the comments regarding the very conditions in which they are kept. My little smithi has a small to medium sized container and one half is semi moist and one half is dry. Yet Smiffy prefers to stay in the moist area. Or on the leaves of the plastic plant; I'm sure its half arboreal! I know (s)he ventures onto the dry area as there is evidence of numerous strands of webbing all over. It will always return to the moist area if its disturbed. It given up digging and will hide under the plant rather than in the hide I have provided.

[Peter Lacey]

I'm a little bit confused by some comments here, so I'm guessing Richard will be too.

There's no hard and fast rules to keeping these, its the death of a spider that will tell you you're doing it wrong not people's opinions. So what works for you might seem strange to others, but nature can be a strange mother, and as tarantula have been around for millions of years without our help I'm sure they can manage far better than we give them credit for. As Stanley Schultz explains the tarantula is capable of putting up with a variety of changes in environment that us as humans couldn't cope with. I believe some think that creating a breeding environment suggests the inhabitants are at their best. Perhaps they're right but I can't help think what would eventually happen if I were stuck in a cell with a woman in less than perfect conditions. Sorry if it strays off subject but like I say there are different ways of looking after tarantula, and thankfully so.