My T's like to sunbathe!

[Ryan Simons]

I own 3 T's 1 small juvi b.smithi ,1 pre-adult P.Murinus and 1 adult C.Rose and i have noticed that the Smithi & Rose alwayse come out of there hides to sunbathe when i switch my lamp on... I do wonder tho if this is a sign that something may be wrong with there temp/humidity? Have a look at my small setup pic..



The C.Rose is in the large bottom tank, the seperate section is empty. The Murinius is in the medium tank on top and obv the juvi in the small tub.

Why do they do this? is it normal?

Also, i notice my juvi B.smithi has been digging a lot inside her hide, is this normal? or a sign shes too hot?

thanks.
Ryan

[lynn mawdesley]

Your Juv is abit too close to that lamp, me personally i would move it away as she will be digging to escape the heat
Also have you got that lamp hooked up to a thermostat? as they can throw off some heat if not controlled by one.
I dont use lamps for my spids, all mine are in a shelving unit with heat mats taped to the back off it, would be better if you could get hold of some rather than using the lamp as a heat source ...but thats just my personal opinion

Lynn

[Michael Peachey]

Correct me if im wrong but your saying when you use the lamp for light they're attracted to the heat it gives out and come out to chill when your using it?

I've got a desk lamp much like yours but it's a tad further away. I've also noticed similar with my smithi, it will bask in the sunlight if i have it on at night even though there's quite a distance from the lamp. In general i think it just minic's the environment the species comes from.

They don't massively need any additional heat help provided your room is faily comfortable for you to sit in too they're generally happy unless it's a specific species.
If you are using it for heat though, a thermo-stat is the way to go or just make sure you have it under your beady eye ^^

Mike

[chris carter]

Hi Ryan

Are you using the lamp to heat the Tarantulas or just using it to look at them.

All three of your spiders dont require a high Humidity as a species, but they do need some humidity, Lamps give off dry heat that is not good for humidity combined with the lids of your petpal, there will be little or no humidity in your tanks, as Lynn says use a heat mat at the back of the tanks. I would tape over some of the inside of the lids to aid Humidity.

Secondly if the lamp is for heating them, how do you heat them when the lamp is off, the fact that they come out to warm themselves when you turn the lamp on, then Burrow, a tarantulas way to escape excessive heat is a sure sign you have temperature issues.

If you ever need any help i am only 20 mins away by car from you, if you like you could come over to my house and i can show you dozens of different types of set-ups i have, that may help you.

Chris

[lynn mawdesley]

Hi Ryan

Are you using the lamp to heat the Tarantulas or just using it to look at them.

All three of your spiders dont require a high Humidity as a species, but they do need some humidity, Lamps give off dry heat that is not good for humidity combined with the lids of your petpal, there will be little or no humidity in your tanks, as Lynn says use a heat mat at the back of the tanks. I would tape over some of the inside of the lids to aid Humidity.

Secondly if the lamp is for heating them, how do you heat them when the lamp is off, the fact that they come out to warm themselves when you turn the lamp on, then Burrow, a tarantulas way to escape excessive heat is a sure sign you have temperature issues.

If you ever need any help i am only 20 mins away by car from you, if you like you could come over to my house and i can show you dozens of different types of set-ups i have, that may help you.

Chris

Hi Chris / Ryan

Glad you brought that up about the faun's as i had completely forgot to mention that they lose humidity rapidly lol i have a couple of exo terra's that have so much of the mesh lid taped up to keep humidity in for certain sp.
Also @ Ryan ..another tip is if your planning on more T's then its a cheap brill solution to buy storage containers/pots from wilkinsons/pound shops etc then you can just drill away the amount of hole required to provide the certain T with their individual needs.
What i always say is check out the T's climatic data from which they come from so you have a guideline so to speak from which to go on i appreciate the fact that mimicking it is probabley nigh end impossible but getting it close is brill
Like Chris said we are all here to help

Lynn

[chris carter]

Hi Chris / Ryan

Glad you brought that up about the faun's as i had completely forgot to mention that they lose humidity rapidly lol i have a couple of exo terra's that have so much of the mesh lid taped up to keep humidity in for certain sp.
Also @ Ryan ..another tip is if your planning on more T's then its a cheap brill solution to buy storage containers/pots from wilkinsons/pound shops etc then you can just drill away the amount of hole required to provide the certain T with their individual needs.
What i always say is check out the T's climatic data from which they come from so you have a guideline so to speak from which to go on i appreciate the fact that mimicking it is probabley nigh end impossible but getting it close is brill
Like Chris said we are all here to help

Lynn

Hi Lynn/Ryan

You can use a soldering iron to melt holes in the lids of Poundland containers or plastic shoeboxes that the vast majority of my Ts are in, cleaner than drilling and less effort than using a pointed implement. Make sure you do it in a ventilated area though.

I would recommend Three nice glass tanks from custom aquaria for your Ts though Ryan, you only need to think about plastic tubs when you have a large collection, for ease of storage and stacking.

Chris

[lynn mawdesley]

Hi Lynn/Ryan

You can use a soldering iron to melt holes in the lids of Poundland containers or plastic shoeboxes that the vast majority of my Ts are in, cleaner than drilling and less effort than using a pointed implement. Make sure you do it in a ventilated area though.

I would recommend Three nice glass tanks from custom aquaria for your Ts though Ryan, you only need to think about plastic tubs when you have a large collection, for ease of storage and stacking.

Chris

Yes Ryan beware the dreaded T virus rapidly spreads ! no immunity no cure you will be doomed lol
Enjoy the hobby its a fruitful one

Lynn

[Ryan Simons]

Hey, thanks everyone for the replys.

Well i do use the lamp for heating but only in the winter as my room gets Very cold (5'c! -im on a poorly built extension), i work nights so the light doesnt bother me,i switch it off in the day and my heater goes on insted. However i dont leave the juvi directly under the lamp like it is in the pic, i put its tub in the unused section of the large tank. I also have a heat matt that goes on in the winter.

I think the juvi only burrows when my room gets too hot, my room suffers badly from temp changes +26c at the moment! But its only when i switch the lamp on that the juvi and chile rose come out of there hides! almost as if to 'sunbathe', they will sit as close to the beam of light as possable. The C.Rose doesnt burrow tho. she seems quite happy and eats fine.

I have kept the substrate fairly damp in 1 area in the juvi's tub as i think she might shed soon, the Chile rose's tank humidity varies between 50~70 % iirc.

Im pretty sure that in the winter the lamp wont overheat the enclosures as the 'in tank thermostat' still struggles to get above 21c even with the lamp on all night. -this is a problem i will have to address before next winter.

other than that, i keep the water bowls topped up and a corner of substrate damp.

The soldering iron idea is a good tip, done this quite a few times, just try not to inhale the fumes!! lol you can then use a thin blade -razor or something and slice off the round donaguhts that are left from using the soldering iron -just to tidy it up nicely!

Where could i get a nice glass enclosure? i like the perspex ones on this site (http://www.tarantulacages.com) but the hassle of importing them, and import taxes etc etc puts me off.

Chris, thanx for the offer, ill have to pop down sometime to have a look. I can definatly see meself getting more T's later on, it is addictive! So could do with some enclosure ideas. lol I only wanted one to start with -got my 1st 6 months ago, and now im already on 4! (altho 1 died)

Thanks

Oh, Btw, quick off topic question.. my 'almost adult' P.murinis shed mid last week, when shall i try feeding her? she is still continuing to web herself in at mo..?

[lynn mawdesley]

Hey Ryan,

This is an old pic of my setup (well not that old)a few more have been added just recently lol tis abit messy ignore the bottom shelf thats just full of my bits n bobs!
Also a couple dont fit in there as we messed up the measurements between each shelves for the tall exo terra's to go into lol.

Regards your P murinus i also give them a good week/week and a half before feeding S/A / adults ...gives them time to harden up

Lynn

[Mrs Linda Street]

Personally, we don't subscribe to shinning strong lamps onto T's for heat or any other purpose, you'd be much better off with a heat mat along the back of the tanks as Lynn suggests. We've found a lot of our T's enjoy natural sunlight, especially filtered though net, as long as it only touches on part of the tank, so that they can move into or out of it. One of our big L. Parahybana's stretches out full length, to bask in it.

[chris carter]

Personally, we don't subscribe to shinning strong lamps onto T's for heat or any other purpose, you'd be much better off with a heat mat along the back of the tanks as Lynn suggests. We've found a lot of our T's enjoy natural sunlight, especially filtered though net, as long as it only touches on part of the tank, so that they can move into or out of it. One of our big L. Parahybana's stretches out full length, to bask in it.

Hi Ryan

I have to agree with Linda Lamps are not ideal for Tarantulas, i hear what you say about your room getting cold in winter.
When i first got Tarantulas for my son it took some time for me to convince my wife to allow them in the house, so they had to be kept in the garage which was cold, i got round this by buying a second hand wooden Vivarium, i placed a ceramic heater in it regulated by a thermostat, and a red 15 watt pygmy bulb to view them. This worked just fine until the wife came round to the idea of them being in the house.

Now that Jackanory is over this may be a solution for you.

Chris

[Ryan Simons]

Well tbh chris, i think a couple of nice glass tanks with a heat matt on the side would be enough for them in my room in the winter. Obv there is no breeze like out in a shed and also glass traps the heat better than perspex / plastic. I may pop to a glass firm and see if they could cut me a few small glass panels so i can silicone them together and make a couple of enclosures.

I would go the route with the heater etc etc but the only prob i have there is that i still live at home and my parents would chop my arms and legs off if they found out i was using an electric heater to keep my spiders warm! Hell, they give me enough stick for using a heater in the winter to keep myself warm!! lol

Btw, Mrs Linda Street, i see you mention this

One of our big L. Parahybana's stretches out full length

I have noticed my C.Rose do this sometimes, and on other occasions she stands up as tall as possible, like on tip toes! -Why do they do this? is it due to tempreture change in the substrate?

[Michael Peachey]

Btw, Mrs Linda Street, i see you mention this
I have noticed my C.Rose do this sometimes, and on other occasions she stands up as tall as possible, like on tip toes! -Why do they do this? is it due to tempreture change in the substrate?

Well, i would hazzard a guess that if the tarantula is spread out to intentionally gain more surface area that they basically gain additional energy this way from absorbing the sunlight.

mike

[lynn mawdesley]

I find my T's do this straight after the moulting process which i can only assume is part 2 of their stretching exercises from after still been on their backs after moulting stretching their legs (if that makes sense :P)
As for just general stretching out i can only assume that us (humans) and animals do it so why should T's be any different

[Mrs Linda Street]

btw Ryan, the longer you have your C. Rosea, you'll find out what a quirky T they are. Sometimes they'll go months and months without eating, do odd things with their water dishes etc., One of our Chilis stopped eating for about 10 months, and all of a sudden started eating again, and has now been 14 months without moulting. A lot of T's will stand on tiptoe, for no apparent reason, some will do it sometimes if the substrate is too wet etc.,