Mould or not...?

[Denny Teasdale]

Hey all,

I'm a little puzzled. A little B/G into my question.

I bought a decorative log for my terrarium on Sunday and duly placed in the tank. When I woke in Monday I checked on my G. rosea as I do every morning and noticed a bit of condensation on the glass in her retreat. When I came home later in the day I noticed her on top of the retreat (nothing wrong with that as she's usually there) but when she came down she seemed agitated and was trying to climb the walls...I thought nothing of this at the time but later remembered reading that if the moisture is too high then G. rosea get agitated and try to climb the walls of the terrarium...

I took the log out and everything seems to be okay except I've noticed some white fluff in her retreat and randomly dotted around the terrarium, not in vast quantities, but there all the same the only way I could describe it is it looks like small bits of webbing about 1 - 2cm in length stood on end...

Could this be mould or not??

I think she may be ready for a moult as she's going dark on her abdomen at the cephalothorax end so I'm hoping it's webbing..!! if not is it a total vermiculite change..??

Thanks for your time and patience in reading this essay..!! all answers greatly received..!

[Michelle Howarth]

The white bits of web like fluff could be bits of left over cricket, Denny. The little "meatballs" the spider creates as leftovers sometimes go "furry". Best to use a pair of tweezers too remove them.

Hope this helps

[Denny Teasdale]

Cheers Michelle...I'll get on it asap...

[Denny Teasdale]

Could it be detrimental to her and how soon would I need to get it out as she's settled in her retreat and I don't really want to stress her...?

[Peter Lacey]

...if not is it a total vermiculite change..??

Hi Denny
Your G. rosea is a dry loving species, which explains the reports of them climbing the walls in moist enclosures. If you're finding condensation in the enclosure you're probably providing too much water and not enough ventilation. I'm just use a water bowl, slightly overflow it once a week/fortnight. If the substrate is damp you should dry it out and you'll find in a dry enclosure you'll not suffer from moulds, fungus, mites etc. No need to completely replace the substrate however you've mentioned vermiculite.
Back in the early 1990 this was recommended in Anne Webbs book on tarantula but these days most people prefer to use coir or peat. I personally don't use any vermiculite unless I want to provide a humid environment as its quality is water retention, and then only a 10-20% mix with coir and sphagnum moss. I certainly wouldnt use just vermiculite as its no good for burrowing and allows food particles to descend. I'm also not a lover of the look of this stuff, reminds me of the old loft insulation

[Denny Teasdale]

Thanks Peter...I think it's a vermiculite/peat mix but I was toying with idea of childrens play sand...any thoughts on this anybody...?

[Peter Lacey]

Some people cry out against sand, stating issues with the book lungs, however the lungs are not inhaling or expelling air so I don't know where the truth lies with this. Certainly the natural habitat suggests a degree of sand and fine particles.
I prefer to use sand for its water retentive qualities, it mixes well with other substrates to help bind for burrowing species. Obviously you need to avoid sand with additives in it, and obviously sand on its own isnt good for burrowing.

[Colin D Wilson]

Some people cry out against sand, stating issues with the book lungs, however the lungs are not inhaling or expelling air so I don't know where the truth lies with this. Certainly the natural habitat suggests a degree of sand and fine particles. .

There's sandy areas there of course, but as you say breathing is just simply passing air over a filtration system so i dont think it would cause a problem unless it were wet and clogged around the booklungs (not an option if the spiders kept dry as you say).

I prefer to use sand for its water retentive qualities, it mixes well with other substrates to help bind for burrowing species. Obviously you need to avoid sand with additives in it, and obviously sand on its own isnt good for burrowing.

Perfect for burrowing species Pete,
Denny...if you give the G rosea enough substrate then it will burrow as it would naturally.
All our Grammostola are kept on reclaimed irish peat and they seem to be able to burrow and web quite well.

[Denny Teasdale]

Sincere thanks for the replies everyone...think I'm going to go with a 50/50 of vermiculite/peat mix and play sand and see what happens...she does seem quite happy and again this afternoon I found her on top of her retreat just sat doing pretty much nothing...and she does go back in at sporadic points during the day but I'm open to suggestions on substrate etc...

[Denny Teasdale]

Just to give you all an update on my situation...after she spent the night on the top of her retreat (possibly in protest at the conditions...lol) I decided to go with a 100% sand substrate and see what happens...after putting the sand in she had a wander around her tank and went to her retreat no bother (I placed it in the original position whether this made a difference I don't know...) but the wife informed me she's been in there since this afternoon but I'm going to monitor the situation closely and any signs of stress or strange behaviour then I'll try something else...thanks again for all the advice it's all been taken on board and used to aide my decision...