Need some addvice

[John M Feckie]

Hi all

I have just getting my 1st spider a grammostola cala 14/10/2011 and just need a bit of help.

when i got the spider the throw away heatpad was luke warm and when i have put her/him in the tank and trun on the heatmat its not move from it.the mat is on the side of the tank. the temp in the tank just above 20c that was befor i put the mat on. the house temp is 20c, the hummidy is 80 i know thats high for it. could the high hummidy be why she/him is on the heat, or is just trying to warm up?.
and if it the hummidy how do i go about lower it?


Thx you in.

[James Box]

Hi mate, congrats on a great tarantula!
i know it can be a pain tracking down information, but just as a quick head's up...cala isn't in use anymore, so it's like you have a Grammostola porteri, somewhat confusingly also known as G. rosea (Normal Colour Form). if you've actually got the red one, it's just G. rosea (Red Colour Form)

anyway, they tend to like cooler temps, so 20 degrees should be ok. if it has the ability to thermoregulate, and it does it, it could be that just at the moment it's favourite a bit of warmth. this may be the spider availing itself of warmth as it would do in the wild, if it was able to find a warm spot.

as for the humidity, what sort of enclosure are you using? it might be worth increasing the ventilation if that's possible. i mainly use plastic so it's a simple matter of making some more holes, but glass can be more difficult.

[John M Feckie]

am useing a plastic one. i got it from the spider shop. they starter kit. I got the enclocure in a book self and it in a alcove.

[James Box]

hmm that looks like it should have plenty of ventilation. i wouldn't stress too much, though. it'll dry over time. just don't water her too much.
if there's mould, don't panic...just take out the affected bits, or get some woodlice from outside, keep them quarantined for 2 weeks to get rid of any poisons from outside, and add them to the enclosure. they are great cleaners