Arboreal spiderlings: dimensions of enclosure

[Dan Wulf]

Hello,
I'm a newbie from Denmark with some experience with adult and sub-adult New World ground species.

I have taken the leap and have recently purchased some spiderlings of Poecilotheria metallica and Avicularia versicolor from a German breeder. I will receive them in the end of July. Size of spiderlings (body lenght) is approximately 0.4" (1 cm).

I have a specific question regarding the best size of enclosures for these arboreal species. I have some plastic boxes (see photo) that I will equip with appropriate side and top ventilation using metal mesh. The dimensions of these boxes are 7.9" x 4.7" x 3.1" (H x W x D) or 20 cm x 12 cm x 8 cm. Are the dimensions suited for these arboreal species? Too tall or too small footprint?

I will appreciate any comment in relation to the enclosures or the mentioned spiderlings. Thanks!

Greetings,
Dan

[Peter Roach]

Hi Dan welcome to the forum

I have both species (8 x P metallica, 10 x A versicolor), both bought at the same size as yours.
I have the versicolor in plastic vials approx size 3in x 2in (HxW) and the P metallica's in 6in x 3in.
Obviously the bigger the better but with such small slings in comparatively large enclosures they may have difficulty in finding their prey (especially the versicolor) unless you tong feed them until they get larger.
Just remember that to successfully keep most avics, ventilation, ventilation and more ventilation is the key, If you are not sure if you have enough ventilation . . .add more and more !!!
I keep my avics DRY, only putting a few drops of water onto their web every 3-4 days. I do not mist or spray them. I do however have a few longs strands of sphagnum moss in with the avics that I wet at the same as their web and the avic slings seem to spend much of their time on or around the moss. It works for me . . what else can i say !!

[Dan Wulf]

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your detailed response! I assumed there was a trade-off in relation to ventilation vs humidity. I.e. with too much ventilation it may be difficult to maintain a certain level of humidity. And - although generally overrated as a crucial factor - I assumed that some humidity is needed during the early life of the spiderlings. But you seem to manage the balance well.

If ventilation is such a crucial issue, I assume that a larger surface of the enclosure will allow more space for ventilation. I will consider to use the mentioned boxes (at least for the P. metallica), replace at least 20% of the surface with mesh-covered venti-holes and keep the substrate dry with a bit of (humid) moss as suggested by you. Since these are my first spiderlings, I don't mind to feet them with a tong.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

.. I keep my avics DRY, only putting a few drops of water onto their web every 3-4 days. I do not mist or spray them. I do however have a few longs strands of sphagnum moss in with the avics that I wet at the same as their web and the avic slings seem to spend much of their time on or around the moss. It works for me . . what else can i say !!

You need to be careful about this. At 1 cm body length (2 cm DLS) these babies have not yet full developed the water retentive, waxy layer in their epicuticle (layer in their exoskeleton). They're prone to desiccating and dying at that size if kept too dry. The fact that the Avicularia babies spend so much time near the damp sphagnum strongly suggests that if they don't NEED more humidity, they would surely appreciate it.

Dan: Learn how to recognize when your tarantulas need more humidity. If they hover around, stand on, or soak in a water dish, for instance, they're telling you something. The same goes for babies. If they persistently gravitate towards damp or wet things or wet areas in their containers, they probably need more moisture. Yes, they might likely be able to go without it, but the only way you'll know for sure is if they survive or die. That's not a very good test for the situation.

Enjoy your little 8-legged hygrometers!

[Dan Wulf]

Stanley, thank you very much for your comments and suggestions!

I have received your book (TKG, 2nd edition) by mail this morning and may return with more specific questions regarding spiderlings when I have absorbed the sections dedicated to the mentioned genera, enclosures, humidity etc.

Well - I have fully enjoyed the few pages I have read so far and looking forward to reading the remaining parts of the book during a holiday visit to Bornholm Island, a small rocky island in the Baltic Sea close to the Swedish coast. BTW - the island is known to host Meta menardi (Tetragnathidae, European cave spider) being one of only two tiny geographical habitats in Denmark.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... I have taken the leap and have recently purchased some spiderlings of Poecilotheria metallica and Avicularia versicolor from a German breeder. I will receive them in the end of July. Size of spiderlings (body lenght) is approximately 0.4" (1 cm).

I have a specific question regarding the best size of enclosures for these arboreal species. I have some plastic boxes (see photo) that I will equip with appropriate side and top ventilation using metal mesh. The dimensions of these boxes are 7.9" x 4.7" x 3.1" (H x W x D) or 20 cm x 12 cm x 8 cm. Are the dimensions suited for these arboreal species? Too tall or too small footprint?

You are going to be keeping two very different species that are both coincidentally described as arboreal. But there are some important differences in their lifestyles and requirements.

Starting with P. metallica: As far as I can deduce, all Poecilotheria begin life as what could best be described as "terrestrial" tarantulas, semi-burrowers in fact. (Although I've never owned a P. metallica, I've kept perhaps three other species and that's what they all did.) As they grow and age they begin to spend more and more time at altitude until they finally seldom come to the bottom of the cage unless there is some necessity (e.g., hunting for food, getting a drink). So, at only 1 cm body length (2 cm DLS) they're now going to use more floor space than height in a cage. Later, when they have reached a 10 to 15 cm DLS, the reverse will be true. Also, when these are startled or attempt to escape a predator (from their point of view that would be you) they're as likely to run upwards as any other direction.

Another ramification of this is that as babies they're going to appreciate having some substrate in the cage, less so as they grow to adulthood. An added advantage of substrate is that if you keep it damp it'll automagically elevate the humidity in the cage. The much hated (by the tarantulas) misting or spraying won't be necessary. And, I won't have to launch into my anti-misting tirade either! That's also good for my blood pressure.

Therefore, a tall container that opens from the top may not be such a good idea. Better to get one that's more cuboidal in shape that can be laid on its side so the lid opens from the front because the tarantula, having fairly decent eyesight as tarantulas go, will be more apt to try to run away from you than towards you. Thus, it's more likely to run to the back or the top of the container. With the container on its side neither direction offers any escape.

You can arrange a small dam across the bottom of the opening to prevent the substrate from falling out. Use a piece of acrylic plastic of appropriate size and shape and some airplane or model cement to hold it in place. The cement has to set and air out for several days before introducing the tarantula because the solvents in it are toxic!

Also, during at least their adult phase, most Poecilotheria will appreciate having something to hide IN. They are often found in crevices in tree trunks, hollow trees, and knotholes in nature. They seldom to never build silken bivouacs out in the open. So, you may want to keep your eyes open for little hides that you can glue or screw onto the inner wall of the container. Others reading this may be able to offer some suggestions.

Now, about the Avicularia: This arboreal tarantula does not normally go through an introductory terrestrial phase. Even as little babies they like to live at the top of their containers where they build small, protective, silken nests. So, right off the bat we have a big problem with your plastic containers. Every time you open the lid to feed the tarantula,

1. You're going to have to destroy its nest.

2. The [i]Avicularia/i] is going to be right up there at the opening trying to run up your arm, especially since you just tore up its nest and its hysterically trying to escape some huge predator! (That would be you.)

The same sort of container that I described above for the Poecilotheria will also work for these. But here, substrate is optional. You can use it and keep it damp for the humidity, or you can simply use a larger water dish and something relatively innocuous, disposable, or easily cleaned on the cage floor (e.g., a folded paper towel, a square of decorative wood, a handful of colorful aquarium gravel).

I have never seen an Avicularia build a nest INSIDE a hide. They will occasionally build one behind a backdrop inside the cage, or on or near a cork tube, but that's very rare. They will sometimes build a nest within a loose bundle of small sticks if there's enough space. Here's a photo of such a nest under the thatched roof in Costa Rica. (Click or right-click on the thumbnail for a larger image.)


Avicularia nest with a molted skin at the bottom and the living tarantula inside at the top. (Photo by Larry Loos, one of the photo-contributors for TKG3. A tip of the ol' hat and a big, "Thank You" to Larry! Used with permission.)


Also, within six months or a year these will have outgrown their baby containers, and you'll be faced with the task of rehousing them. The containers you use now will be tarnished and scratched, and there's a good bet that you'll simply throw them away rather than try to use them for anything else. Buying expensive containers or spending a lot of time and effort making elaborate, expensive cages seems sort of silly then, doesn't it? Better, perhaps, to spend you money on another tarantula, and use something both serviceable AND ultimately disposable, no? How about something like this?



Nice and square so it'll lay safely on its side. The screw lid keeps the family cat out and the spider in. Available from your friendly, local, department store in the kitchen/plastic ware isle for probably less than the cost of a coffee at one of your gourmet coffee bars.

Hint: Instead of engineering special screens, why not simply unbend a common paper clip (the larger varieties often work better), and using a pair of pliers, heat the wire on your kitchen stove and melt several dozen small (ESCAPE PROOF!), holes in the plastic near the top as the container lies on its side. If you insist on it looking nearly perfect, with a pencil and ruler mark out a rectilinear grid of lines and melt a little hole at each intersection.



Here, I'm using a nail to melt relatively large holes. You'll want to use the paper clip wire to make much smaller holes.

You don't like my idea because it looks shoddy or sloppy? Trust me. When you're showing your pet tarantulas to your friends, they won't even see the bottle. Their eyes will be riveted on the spiders! Besides, you won't believe how temporary those containers will be. Save your money for a nice looking adult cage.


Enjoy your little 8-legged Tarzan!

[Lee Furness]

Enjoy your little 8-legged Tarzan!

I must say Stan, if there's one thing that puts a smile on my face all the time, it's getting to the bottom of one of your posts/comments just to see the little ending comments like that! Thanks!!

[Dan Wulf]

Thanks again for your time and all the relevant details, Stanley!

I will look for alternative enclosures (as described in your post). Though, in Denmark the selection of appropriate boxes appears so much more limited than in countries with larger populations. Well - I do have an idea of where to look......