Does anyone do this?

[Anita Pile]

I've just read this thread on the Arachnoboards forum, and found some of the information very interesting, particularly about the mating/moulting/starving triggers ie day length, temperature etc.

I know that I worry if I have nothing to worry about (!), but how practical is this? Should I really be removing my G. rosea's heatmat? Or feeding her less at this time of year?!! Just interested in other people's opinions..........

......and surely you could say exactly the same about any other T you own?

here it is

[Phil Rea]

Nope. I have two G. rosea, and they seem perfectly happy with their lot

I don't use heatmats for spiders though.

[Anita Pile]

Because you have so many? I'm guessing temp controlled spider room

[Phil Rea]

I keep many of my spiders in thermostatically controlled cabinets, and yes the ones that aren't in cabinets are in a heated room

I do use heatmats for cockroaches however, as I find them ideal for the job

[Rich.Harrington]

That article always has and still is one of my favorite pieces of spider info. I could never really stand the concept of taking an animal from what is really an "alien" enviroment to the uk and sticking it in a tub with a mat on the side 24/7 365 days. Practical yes, realistic no.

It's one of the main reasons that I've cut back on some of the animals I had in my collection, as my main interest lies with communal spiders (most of which tend to be asian aboreal & general equatorial species) then I try to keep my spider room in conditions similar to those regions. This means a higher year round humidity, along with wet/dry hot/cold times of year. This just meant species such as G. rosea etc were unsuited for the conditions so I had to get rid of a fair few spiders.

One of the biggest bits of research I tend to do with any spider is habitat and climate study, granted I understand fully that breeders can't take such luxuries as with any type of animal its a cost vs space issue. But I can't help wonder how much more would be learnt from the hobby if more shops etc encouraged the practice instead of the usual "heres your spider and a plastic box, selotape a heat mat on the side, and throw in X crickets once a week"

[Phil Rea]

That article always has and still is one of my favorite pieces of spider info. I could never really stand the concept of taking an animal from what is really an "alien" enviroment to the uk and sticking it in a tub with a mat on the side 24/7 365 days. Practical yes, realistic no.

It's one of the main reasons that I've cut back on some of the animals I had in my collection, as my main interest lies with communal spiders (most of which tend to be asian aboreal & general equatorial species) then I try to keep my spider room in conditions similar to those regions. This means a higher year round humidity, along with wet/dry hot/cold times of year. This just meant species such as G. rosea etc were unsuited for the conditions so I had to get rid of a fair few spiders.

One of the biggest bits of research I tend to do with any spider is habitat and climate study, granted I understand fully that breeders can't take such luxuries as with any type of animal its a cost vs space issue. But I can't help wonder how much more would be learnt from the hobby if more shops etc encouraged the practice instead of the usual "heres your spider and a plastic box, selotape a heat mat on the side, and throw in X crickets once a week"

Whatever you do the spider is in an alien environment. You can never maintain habitat conditions in captivity.

Have you imported soil from Zimbabwe/Mozambique/Botswana for your C. darlingi? Can you replicate climatic conditions for your P. murinus which is distributed over many African countries? Where do you take your climate data from? Kenya? RSA? Angola?

Anything we do for our spiders is a compromise. Sure you can have a nice enclosure with plastic plants (a big hit in the wild ), a water feature or whatever, but let's not kid ourselves that the nice enclosure is for the spider's benefit.

Spiders have been around since the Devonian period (some new interesting information has just been published on Attercopus sp. I notice ), they are an incredibly diverse and adaptable group that can live in many different conditions. Look at A. diadematus for example which has a literally worldwide distribution.

It's absolutely nothing to do with cost vs. space. If a spider is 'happy' with the conditions in which it is kept, then it will thrive. I think that the many people with successful breedings and eggsacs (myself included) that have happened in sweet jars, plastic boxes and the like can attest to that

It's more a case of each to his own rather than cost/space issues or constraints

[Ray Gabriel]

Like Phil I keep all my spids in a temperature controlled heated cabinet. I started introducing triggers to my spiders years ago, and once seasoned in, they started to produce more eggsacs. Thing is you have to work out the trigger and really start introducing it a year or two before they start to breed (with a few exceptions).

I notice you are also in Swindon, drop me an email and if you want we can get together and have a natter.

Ray

[Phil Rea]

Like Phil I keep all my spids in a temperature controlled heated cabinet.

Glad to hear it Ray, because I nicked the idea from you and Richard

[Peter Lacey]

Anita, if you like that kind of information and enjoy a good read on the biology, history and various aspects of the tarantula hobby then I fully recommend purchasing the book mentioned - Stanley Schultz "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide". Its due for a new addition early in the new year and if you email Stan directly he'll often reply. Alternatively you could pick up a 2nd hand edition on ebay.

I like this quote from that link:
They're extremely sturdy and resilient creatures and will do quite well at normal room
temperatures. For the most part, unless you have antifreeze in place of
blood, any temperature at which you're comfortable will suit the tarantula
just fine. If you have a choice, 74 to 85 F (23 to 29 C) is ideal.

We all strive to reach temperatures quoted and forget the fact temperatures fluctuate, who here has never experienced rain on their Summer holidays?

[Anita Pile]

Thanks for your replies, all food for thought. As a newbie I think it's very easy to become intimidated by the ways that more experienced keepers house their Ts, however, I guess you all started in the same position as me!

There are a couple of things that sparked me to start this thread, one was buying my beautiful G. rosea RCF, and then finding out after that she was WC (If I had looked at the description closer instead of admiring her colour, and maybe been more aware that some were WC then I probably wouldn't have bought her), which made me feel soooo guilty, and obviously the next was seeing that article..... multiply guilt factor by one thousand!!

As much as I admire them, think they're awesome pets, and provide me with hours of fascinating entertainment, I also want to do my best for them, and if that means mimicking their natural environment as much as possible, then I would love to provide that for them. BUT as Phil said, are you going to be importing soil from their particular region, replicating climate changes etc? Is anything you do going to be 'good enough'? For me, this is far more important for the WC ones than the CB, I just can't help feeling that they 'know' what they had? (I realise this is a far more biological 'feeling' than emotional!).

Reading the replies I realise that I may have opened a can of worms (not my intention!) and I now know that I'm not expecting to find any 'right' answers. I agree with what Phil says about them already being in an alien environment, but equally agree with Rich about providing environmental conditions that are as close as possible to what they'd have if they were still in the wild.........

I think the fact that this has provoked some passionate replies must mean that we all have our T's best interests at heart, in our own ways......hey, if we were all posting clips of G. roseas catching mice on youtube (so, so sad) then I think the last thing on our minds would be the conditions we kept our Ts!

[Colin D Wilson]

however, I guess you all started in the same position as me!

Things have changes since 1970 odd when i got my first adult B smithi, the use of the "old interweb" has made it so easy to gain the info you require.

She was kept in a 2 ft fish tank with a pile of wood bark on about an inch of top soil with a rock at the other end that had a 40 watt spotlight shining on it 8 hours a day, coupled with a 4 inch dog bowl for water.

I had her for about 6 years (possibly a bit more) she overcam, improvised and adapted to the scenario showing how versatile these animals are.

[Anita Pile]

Good point, I guess the adapt and overcome attitude can be applied to so many other species when you think about it...Polar bears kept in zoos in Bristol, Malamutes and Huskies being kept in Florida, Ostriches farmed in the UK etc.

Thankfully, it is amazing how adaptable animals are despite the attempts of humankind to (intentionally or not) wipe them out Oh, can open, worms everywhere!!

[Colin D Wilson]

Oh, can open, worms everywhere!!

I see them too

[mary walters]

I have WC spiders, they adapt quite well to the conditions in my spider room, and actually breeeeed lol. I get WC to keep them as 'pure' as I can.

[Søren Rafn]

Maybe we should point out that there are two kinds of answers in this thread: Answers pertaining to "keeping" and answers pertaining to "breeding".

Yes - I agree you can "keep" a spider surviving with a bare minimum of care. Here is no triggers needed.

BUT - there are several species which in order to "breed" regularly need environmental triggers like hot/cold, dark/light, wet/dry periods and/or combinations of aforementioned to breed. This is particularly the case with species from hill/mountain ranges or from areas with pronounced annual fluctuations.

For me the regular breeding is a sign of the spiders vitality and as such a sign of how the spider thrives. So I do fluctuate keeping conditions according to the different species needs. And it may sound difficult but it ain't.

For those spiders that need a shift in temperature I move the cage from the top shelf to the floor - that's generally a drop of up to 5 celsius degrees (if you do not have floor heating that is - in which case the procedure is vice versa . Case solved. Alternatively you can put the spiders in a basement or winter garden for the same effect.

For those spiders that need a shift in light I cover the cage so that it darkens. Dark plastic or cardboard is useful in this regard.

For those spiders that need a shift in humidity I alternate between flooding and drying out the cage. Make sure your containers are watertight

For me it is still simple and easy to do, and gives the bonus of vital producing animals that appear to thrive and reproduce well.

Regards
Søren