Brachypelma Albopilosum Advice

[richard looker]

Your spider doesn't know when the next meal is going to come, so will take food when it's available until it's full. You might find it'll stop feeding shortly, then you'll be worried because your spider won't eat for several months.

Overfeeding can cause problems.

[Peter Lacey]

Once a week is far more healthy, and as suggested above tarantula are opportunistic feeders.

[SamLees17]

The attitude has changed of the T. It has now created a network of burrows and rarely comes to surface anymore. I am guessing this is a sign that it has started to settle in? I have noticed that it was sitting at the entrance of the burrow so I guessed it may be hungry, and it was. But it's normal resting place is in the burrow and it has created a large mound at the entrance. It seems a little more settled now and doesn't wander much anymore. The only sad side is that I guess i won't see much of it on the surface anymore

Would it be sensible to remove the cork bark that the burrow is underneath now? Or could I risk stressing the Tarantula out?

[jasonweald]

Hi I have a juvenile B.Albopilosum and when it was younger it burrowed all the time. I knew it was ready for a feed when I could see it sitting at the mouth of the burrow with its legs just poking out. If you can't see it this may be due to it entering a moult phase, especially if you have been feeding it very day. As for the cork I would leave it be as I have never had a burrow collapse even with cork etc on top and you may stress the T. The moult phase can take weeks so don't panic if you don't see your T for a while. As it gets bigger and more confident it will come out more often. Enjoy your T mine give me hours of pleasure.

[SamLees17]

Hi I have a juvenile B.Albopilosum and when it was younger it burrowed all the time. I knew it was ready for a feed when I could see it sitting at the mouth of the burrow with its legs just poking out. If you can't see it this may be due to it entering a moult phase, especially if you have been feeding it very day. As for the cork I would leave it be as I have never had a burrow collapse even with cork etc on top and you may stress the T. The moult phase can take weeks so don't panic if you don't see your T for a while. As it gets bigger and more confident it will come out more often. Enjoy your T mine give me hours of pleasure.

Sounds like my T is mimicking the exact same actions. I am just constantly worried that I am doing something wrong with it being my first T.

[Peter Roach]

I am just constantly worried that I am doing something wrong with it being my first T.

Yes, you are doing something very wrong.



You are are fussing over it like a little girl fusses over her new dolly and over feeding it.

Feed it once per week and leave it alone.

[SamLees17]

Yes, you are doing something very wrong.



You are are fussing over it like a little girl fusses over her new dolly and over feeding it.

Feed it once per week and leave it alone.

I have now been feeding it once every 6-8 days. It has settled in nicely. It never surfaces but it has created it's burrow right along the side of the faun. It spends most of it's time in the coconut when noone is in the house and most of it's time in the burrow when we are in the house. The vibrations these creatures must pick up is immense as when I come downstairs in the morning, I can see it scurrying down from the coconut and into it's burrow.

[Peter Roach]

I have found that many will slowly get used to the usual household traffic like people walking past (and others wont !!)

[steve borthwick]

I also have a cold house, especially in the winter. what i use is a large heat mat 36"x6" on a temperature controlled thermostat set at a low temp then if it suddenly gets too cold the stat kicks in. with mine i mount it onto the wall above a shelf with polystyrene behind it and my T's on the shelf. eventually you can set up a bank of mats with just one stat if you get enough T's