advice needed

[Colin Davis]

hi iam geting my pink toed spider in the new year from a local rescue centre and just need a bit of advice whats the best type of Substrate to use for the spider. the second thing i have read conflicting advice about the heat mat is it better off on the back wall or underneath. sorry if these questions are a bit basic but iam new to the hobbie and a dont want to get things wrong.

[Stephen jordan]

Hello Colin, I don't know an awful lot myself but I wouldnt put the heatmat underneath, I'd put it on the side or back of the tank, height is more important for Pink toe enclosures and most spiders dont get their natural heat from below. I have a Avicularia amazonica sling and I just have coir as a substrate. I may change this as it gets older but it spends most of its time in a tube web that it built inbetween some silk plants at the top of the enclosure, I hope that was a little help

[Daniel Richardson]

Hi,if your house has central heating and is'nt too cold,u wont need a mat at all,i dont bother with them. As long as ya house does'nt get below 20c on a night it'll be fine. Day time temp-25-27c ish. I keep all my spids just on peat, get mine from BnQ or any garden centre-irish peat moss is ideal,if i cant get that i just use the grow bag one. I always nuke mine in the oven(the peat that is) for about 20mins on high just to get rid of anything if its alive in there,then let it cool before puttin it in tub with a bit of nice cork bark.
Depending on size of spid u might need a water bowl-just something smallish,dont put a sponge in it or anything daft because it attracts bacteria. Avis's uselly prefair a water bowl higher up-so maybe glue one to the cork higher up as i have done. Another good point is ventilation,make sure air can circlate,mine have holes drilled all way round. Avic's like it humid too so give it a light misting with a water spray every few day. Everything covered i think?? If u wanna know anything else mate-just let us know-no questions too silly, so dont be affraid to ask.

[Colin Davis]

thank you both for your advice i did get a tank from a freind but the lid does not fit right so all the crickets would escape so iam going to get a basic set up from the spider shop as a temp one.

http://www.thespidershop.co.uk/insect/product_info.php?products_id=531

iam not geting the spider from the rescure centre till the first week in jan as she does not rehome pets at xmas cause ppl get bored of them after xmas.

[Daniel Richardson]

Unfortunatly that tank wont be suitable for the spider u want if your getting a pink toe, the one in the spidershop link is for a terrestrial type spider (ground dwelling) u need a-arborial type set up (tree dwelling) if u were to put it in the one from the link-it would stress it out quite bad and may even kill it. With the pink toe u want,height is more important then ground space. Depending on how much u want to spend i suggest a cerial tub,like the ones u can buy in wilkinsons or the like, they're not very see-through tho but are very cheep and a good tempory home or will suit an adult pink toe,or give these guys a shout- http://www.houseofspiders.co.uk/ they're really helpfull have built me tanks before and provide exelent sevice. If u e-mail them telling them about the spider your getting,what size the spid is (u dont want a tank too big for spid) and they will advise u on whats best,get the 5mm perspex tho,its much better.

[Colin Davis]

Unfortunatly that tank wont be suitable for the spider u want if your getting a pink toe, the one in the spidershop link is for a terrestrial type spider (ground dwelling) u need a-arborial type set up (tree dwelling) if u were to put it in the one from the link-it would stress it out quite bad and may even kill it. With the pink toe u want,height is more important then ground space. Depending on how much u want to spend i suggest a cerial tub,like the ones u can buy in wilkinsons or the like, they're not very see-through tho but are very cheep and a good tempory home or will suit an adult pink toe,or give these guys a shout- http://www.houseofspiders.co.uk/ they're really helpfull have built me tanks before and provide exelent sevice. If u e-mail them telling them about the spider your getting,what size the spid is (u dont want a tank too big for spid) and they will advise u on whats best,get the 5mm perspex tho,its much better.

ok mate i have emailed them i also found this is this any good

http://www.thespidershop.co.uk/insect/product_info.php?products_id=849

iam glad you told me about that other tank i have tryed to read as much info as possable but i have read that much my brains overloaded with info atm lol

[Daniel Richardson]

The tanks good if your getting an adult,but with the mesh vents on the top,they're pretty hard to keep the humidity up unless u block a part of it off,check out house of spiders too. There both good but u should weigh up all options

[Colin Davis]

The tanks good if your getting an adult,but with the mesh vents on the top,they're pretty hard to keep the humidity up unless u block a part of it off,check out house of spiders too. There both good but u should weigh up all options

yeh thanks mate iam looking at a few sites but its hard when your not sure whats best really but iam sure i will get there in the end lol i have a mth b4 i get the spider and iam not ordering the tank till about the 22nd dec when i get payed i just want the idea setup for when i get the spider cause i dont want to get it wrong and hurt the spider.