First timer advice please and thank you...

[Stanley A. Schultz]

Bumpage on this, i should be tomorrow having a Bracy Verdezi put in the post for me! Good first T, right?

You took me by surprise! This is a species I'm not familiar with, so the best I can do is answer your question with broad generalities. But, that should pose no overwhelming difficulties because all the species of Brachypelma are cared for about the same.

Brachypelma verdezi is apparently a fairly new species (described by Schmidt in 2003) and also fairly uncommon in the hobby at the moment. The Wikipedia page on Brachypelma mentions,"B. verdezi was previously misidentified as non-valid B. pallidum." But, the strange part is that in Dr. Norman I. Platnick's World Spider Catalog: Theraphosidae (the "gold standard" for scientific names among spiders), B. pallidum isn't mentioned at all. In fact, the only mention of the specific epithet pallidum occurs in reference to Aphonopelma (a.k.a., Eurypelma) pallidum, not even the same genus, and as an obsolete name for Brachypelma albiceps. My best guess is that some collector, dealer, or enthusiast created a name out of the clear, blue sky, perhaps melding in their mind the species Aphonopelma pallidum with the genus Brachypelma out of sheer ignorance. Unfortunately, that happens a lot in the hobby.

All the Brachypelma, with nearly all* the Aphonopelma, form the basis for the care regimen we call the "arid species." From the standpoint of their care, there are very few or no differences between the various species because they are all quite easily capable of adjusting to a generic, dry cage, and thriving in the course of doing so. They require no special care or pampering. The members of both genera are about as bulletproof as you can get in a tarantula. Just like making chocolate chip cookies, read the book and follow the recipe.

Now, in specific answer to your question. You might have done better with a species that was a tad more colorful (e.g., B. smithi or B. emilia) because my impression over the years is that people generally prefer day-glow colors in their first tarantula unless the price is obscene. Having said that, you could have done much, Much, MUCH worse for your first tarantula.

You fail to tell us how big your new tarantula is supposed to be, so I'm including here a canned overview of tarantula care. Note that these are NOT specific instructions. You need to read the books to get them. You ARE reading those books, aren't you?

CAVEATS: Note that the following rules of thumb apply to nearly all tarantulas except a few obligate swamp dwellers, and to the arboreal species, and those are addressed towards the bottom.

BABY TARANTULAS: Those younger tarantulas with a diagonal leg span (DLS) of about 1.5" (3.8 cm) or less should be kept in a relatively closed container that heavily restricts ventilation. The substrate should be kept slightly damp. All this maintains a constant, elevated (but not excessive) humidity. Do not mist; instead, reread the last few sentences carefully. Do not spend a lot of time, energy, effort, or money on fancy containers. Like humanoid babies, these will outgrow their containers soon, thereby wasting all your finest efforts over and over again.

SPIDERLINGS TO ADULTS: Those younger tarantulas with a DLS of about 2" (5 cm) and larger should be kept in cages with dry substrate and supplied a water dish with clean water. Keep almost all of these as arid species. (See the exceptions below.)

TWEENS: Those tarantulas between the aforementioned two sizes should be gradually acclimatized to a dry cage over a period of 2 or 3 molts. Gradually allow the container/cage to dry out, but be very sure to supply a water dish with clean water. You're removing the higher humidity and substituting a water dish as the primary water source. In response, the tarantula develops a thicker, more impervious waxy layer to prevent excessive water loss from its body. All it needs is a little time to adjust.

Note that many tarantulas from semi-arid and arid places like the American Great Plains and the Kalahari Desert can make this transition much earlier in life than these recommended times. But, it does them no harm to wait a little longer either.

SWAMP DWELLERS: These are tarantulas like the species of Theraphosa, Ephebopus, Hysterocrates, and a few others. These do not have the impervious, water retentive exoskeletons of the other tarantulas and require a constant, high humidity. Keep these in "baby" style cages for their entire lives, adjusting for increased size of course.

Enthusiasts are discovering that wild caught "swampers" will gradually develop a somewhat greater resistance to slightly drier conditions if the transition is done slowly and over an extended period of time. And, those swampers that are bred in captivity fare much better and can tolerate drier cages much better than their wild caught brethren.

ARBOREALS: Wild caught arboreals, particularly members of the genus Avicularia fare poorly when first brought into captivity (partly because of "shipping shock" and partly because of the sudden change in environmental conditions) unless they are initially set up and cared for as babies for the first few weeks (initial recovery period), then quickly switched to a "Tweens" care regimen (secondary acclimatization period) for the first one or two molts. Thereafter keep them as adult, arid tarantulas but maintain a slightly elevated humidity by slightly restricting ventilation. Always supply them a water dish. (In the middle of the night as they hunt for food they'll pussyfoot down to the water dish and take a sip. And being sound asleep, you'll never, EVER know it happened!)

Captive bred arboreals usually do not suffer the acclimatization problems that the wild caught ones do, but sometimes suffer shipping shock from bad treatment during transportation. When first received they should be kept as babies for the first few weeks, then they can be quickly changed over to their adult quarters and care regimen, skipping the “Tweens” phase.


Enjoy your newfound, little, 8-legged buddy!


* Some of the more tropical species of Aphonopelma are not so resistant to arid conditions as those species from Mexico and the USA. For these species, a little more care must sometimes be taken to maintain a slightly higher humidity. See Relative Humidity... for more information.

[Phil Lilley]

I'm getting it from a private collector (from another forum :$ ), who has raised it from a sling. So I know I can ask questions if I have them and I've already described my set up to him, so I should be all good to go!

Once she's in and set up, I'll get some pics posted.

Thank you for the info though, I feel like my head will explode with how much info I've been cramming in, lol.

[Phil Lilley]

A we bit of advice, if I may?

OK, so I got my terrarium, it's a 12 x 12 x 12 inches. I got a bigger one, since I'm getting over my fear of spiders, I wanted to put it in an area where I shouldn't have to go too near it, until I'm more comfortable. Any ways, I've put sub in the tank, a small water bowl and a little log, just for decor. But, do you think there's enough sub in there? Or might the T fall and hurt itself? The drop from the top is about 8 inches.



As I've said, I'm going with a Bracy...advice would be rewarded with cake. (Not a guarantee).

[Lee Furness]

I would probably add a bit more substrate and maybe something for a hide - I can see the little log but it doesn't look like it's much to hide under if the spider wants too. Plant pot is the easy option, nice bit of cork bark strip/tube is also cheap if you can get it local or if not TSS sells it but the postage cost for just that would outweigh to actual bark cost. That's a nice tank mind, I've been debating pricing some up myself.
Look forward to a pic of your new T in its home

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... OK, so I got my terrarium, it's a 12 x 12 x 12 inches. I got a bigger one, since I'm getting over my fear of spiders, I wanted to put it in an area where I shouldn't have to go too near it, until I'm more comfortable. ...

BUT YOU HAVEN'T TOLD US HOW BIG THE TARANTULA IS/WILL BE!

... Any ways, I've put sub in the tank, ...

What kind? Did you tamp it into a firm pad or leave it fluffy? Did you read Substrate?

... a small water bowl ...

If the water bowl dries out too quickly (e.g., in less than 5 days or so) you should consider getting a deeper one. If you're worried about the tarantula not being able to find the water in a taller water dish, sink it into the substrate a little. If you're worried about the tarantula drowning in a deeper water dish, you're wasting your time. Once a tarantula has gone through the "Tweens" stage (See one of my previous posts) they're coated with a layer of a waxy substance and float like corks.

... and a little log, just for decor. ...

But, functionally worthless except that if you didn't tamp the substrate into a firm pad, it'll give the tarantula a place to stand and glare at you. Much, MUCH better would be something that the tarantula could hide under and feel protected. Check these out, but be forewarned that there is no guarantee that all those pictured are acceptable for a tarantula.

... But, do you think there's enough sub in there? Or might the T fall and hurt itself? The drop from the top is about 8 inches. ...

That all depends on how big the tarantula is, which I cant' see you mentioning anywhere. (Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge. ) The party line, rule of thumb is that the distance between the top of the substrate and the top of the cage shouldn't exceed 1-1/2 times the DLS. But, as with most rules of thumb, it's very general and poorly defined, and half or more enthusiasts ignore it entirely.

While it's still quite small/young the extra height will do little harm. But as the tarantula grows beyond the 1/3 to 1/2 full grown size the cage height becomes critical. You would have been wiser getting a flatter cage.

Your cage is made of glass and I can't see the top or any means of ventilation. Can you supply us with a better photo of the entire cage?

BTW, how big is this tarantula supposed to be?

[Phil Lilley]

Everything is size with you, isn't it??? :P

It's 2.5 inches at the moment, so a juvenile. Probably going through the stroppy teenage years. I've just asked the seller.

I got the sub from Ebay, I forget the name of it. I've tapped it down fairly firm, I was told that some do like to burrow, so I'll she what it's like once it's in.

The T is about 2.5 inches.

The water bowl was a whim, lol. I saw others, but that seemed like a good one, since it was in keeping with the decor, but I'll keep a close eye on it, if it needs a bigger, I can get one later.

Not sure if I mentioned, but the T is about 2.5 inches.

I wasn't sure about the log, it looked bigger when i ordered it, but I did want the T to have somewhere to hide, but seeing it now, i think it is to small...I'll have a look at the caves though, ta.

The T is about 2.5 inches DLS.

There is ventilation at the back of the tank, and a little on top. I'll take some better pics tomorrow now.

The T I'm getting is about 2.5 inches, just so you know!

[Stanley A. Schultz]

Everything is size with you, isn't it??? :P ...

It isn't a superficial consideration. Babies must be cared for much differently than adults, and the baby/spiderling must go through an adjustment process to switch from one regime to the other. And, if I'm to give you instructions on your pet's care, I am accepting responsibility at some level for getting it right so I don't tell you to do something that kills it.

We all on this forum are willing to help you if you ask (and sometimes even if you don't and we anticipate a problem), but if we ask for information it isn't because we're trying to be smart or cute. There's a good reason (sometimes an ulterior motive) for asking. Sometimes even the WAY we ask is carefully engineered to reveal information you might not anticipate. We can be sneaky that way.

... It's 2.5 inches at the moment, so a juvenile. Probably going through the stroppy teenage years. I've just asked the seller. ...

Excellent. It's now large enough that it's gone through the "Tweens" phase already. Just take care of it as an adult arid species. If it seems to be having any difficulties as it's first settling into its new home, and you think the problem may be related to water balance, consider covering almost all or all ventilation ports to reduce ventilation. The water in the water dish will evaporate and slowly but uniformly raise the humidity in the cage. This works worlds better than spraying or misting, as some recommend. But, do this only if it spends a lot of time either next to the water dish, astride the water dish, or actually soaking in the water.

Wait a week before you feed it. Tarantulas don't need a lot of food, and this one could likely go a year before starving to death. A few days without food isn't going to hurt it one bit, and it'll have a chance to settle into its new home before being stampeded by a bunch of rowdy crickets.

... I got the sub from Ebay, I forget the name of it. ...

It's almost surely some form of shredded coconut husk. If so, the most significant complication I've heard of so far is that when tamped into a firm pad the bottom layers don't dry out effectively. Many tarantulas (especially Grammostola rosea, the Chilean rose) don't like the dampness. And, the damp coco-husk is prone to developing weird fungus growths. Follow the suggestions in Substrate for solving that problem if it happens to you.

... I've tapped it down fairly firm, I was told that some do like to burrow, so I'll she what it's like once it's in. ...

Tamping is good, but there are arguments for and against allowing it to burrow, assuming it wants to in the first place. Many captive tarantulas, especially the cage bred and raised ones, never even try to burrow.

If you want to try it as a burrower, the substrate should be at least 1-1/2 times the DLS thick. If the burrow tends to collapse, you can mix a little garden loam with the substrate (1 part loam to 4 parts (by volume) coco-husk usually works. Adjust the proportions as necessary.) Garden loam from a landscaping or garden supplier is probably okay, but many enthusiasts get the organic stuff from health food and natural & organic stores instead to avoid pesticides. I'm not sure how important that may be, but since you'll probably be cleaning the cage only once a year it certainly isn't a big expense.

The biggest problem with allowing burrowing is that often you will end up with a very expensive pet hole that consumes endless crickets without ever actually seeing the tarantula. For those of us who have had hundreds of tarantulas for decades that's no big deal. We consider the odd days that we do catch sight of the tarantula to be special. Newbies usually aren't that forgiving or patient.

... The water bowl was a whim, lol. I saw others, but that seemed like a good one, since it was in keeping with the decor, but I'll keep a close eye on it, if it needs a bigger, I can get one later. ...

If you decide to change it, try to find one that's about the size and dimensions of a standard tuna fish can.

... There is ventilation at the back of the tank, and a little on top. I'll take some better pics tomorrow now. ...

Good.

Hopefully you have everything under control now. Do us a favor. Come back with a few photos (from several different angles, please) once you get it settled in.


Enjoy your newfound, little, 8-legged buddy!

[Phil Lilley]

WOW. I was hoping for just a 'Yeah, it's fine', but this is much better.

OK, so I've added a bit more of the sub, which I'm now letting it dry out, since I'm looking at the T for next week. Here's a few more pics :







The top is a removable lid that covers the area, with a small gap around it, like 3mm. I know now I needed a flatter one, but, you live and learn, I'm sure the T will be happy in it and it might be OK for another one later (not that I plan to get another one later, lol).

Thank you for the read though, I'll get more pics when the Ts ready to move in!