New spider owner

[Pandora®©™]

I have only had my spider a couple months now, so far she is doing well and molted not long ago. I am learning how to care for her so any advice would be helpful. She is a Stiped Knee and I'm pretty sure shes full grown, how often will she molt now if she is full grown and how do you know when they arn't going to grow anymore?

[jeffh_x]

well im not sure but i they do molt lesser..depends on how often it eats..feed it frequently and they grow faster..molt more...im not too sure though..

[Pandora®©™]

I feed her often, it seems since the molt she eats a lot more, I tired giving her the mice only once did she eat it, I had to take it out :8o so no more of that, but I give her 4 or 5 crickets at the time. I need to change her dirt, what kind of stuff can I put in her cage to make it look better all it has right now is a rock water bowl, very boring. :confused:

[chique]

Hello, welcome to AB.
When you say you need to change her dirt what are you using for substrate at the moment?

[nowhereman]

We use Eco Earth (coconut husks) . By stripe knee you are refering to a Costa Rican Zebra (Aphonopelma seemanni) ?

[Pandora®©™]

Yes she is a Costa Rican Zebra, and I'm using just plane potting soil untreated of course. Last time (and only time) I also added some potting mix the plane kind. This time I was thinking of just useing the dirt. Other thing is she keeps getting her foot stuck on the wire top, what else can I use for a lid to keep that from happening, I read she could lose her leg like that.

[chique]

I have'nt used potting soil myself before so I can't comment on it, but I would say if she seems happy with it then leave it as it is, you don't need to change the substrate so soon, I change mine once maybe twice a year and I use Eco earth or vermiculite depending on which species they are.
Re: Wire top, because I'm in UK I can't say where you could get an alternative top from so I'm sure someone can point you in the right direction for that because it is dodgey if she's getting her feet caught.

[nowhereman]

Yes she is a Costa Rican Zebra, and I'm using just plane potting soil untreated of course. Last time (and only time) I also added some potting mix the plane kind. This time I was thinking of just useing the dirt. Other thing is she keeps getting her foot stuck on the wire top, what else can I use for a lid to keep that from happening, I read she could lose her leg like that.

We have T's that just like to climb but the substrate could be too damp.
Wal Mart has a cover for a 10 gallon tank that is only screened in the center. Otherwise get a piece of plexiglass, plascolite etc. Cut it to fit, drill enough holes for good ventilation and make a few latches. :clap:

[bonesmama]

Welcome to the boards, Pandora. I have 2 Seemanis--I am not an expert by any stretch oof the imagination, but I thinlk I can give you some advice. My Seemanis climbed the walls for a while, and all I can conclude is that they were unhappy with their environment. They are opportunistic burrowers-- my first was acting like an arboreal until I changed the substrate, gave her a "beginner's" burrow, and she has gone underground for about 6 weeks now. I put her on 1/2 pet moss, and 1/2 vermiculite,( moistened until it clumps and packed well) and the burrows that she made are awesome. Of course, I hardly see her at all anymore, but she's happy and feeling safe and at home--she used to get her feet caught in the top of the tank alot. I watched her hang and thrash around one morning, and it freaked me out-- so the substrate is high enough now that she can touch the top of the tank, and still have at least one foot on the ground, but as I said, she doesn't clomb anymore (I'm hoping she's pre-molt) She stopped eating and covered up the entrances to the burrow. The 2nd one was a "rescue"--and the same thing- she's burrowing and not climbing. So, IMO- if you've had yours for a couple of months and it's still climbing, I would try a different substrate--and as far molting and growing, there are a lot of different variables at work there, and you have to learn your spider's habits to determine when a molt is imminent, etc. One thing they will teach you is patience...lol. :)

[jeffh_x]

well i use potting soil for most of my Ts..they do seem ok..it has so far only caused small problems to my pachypus and my lugardi where their burrow collapses quite rather easily..but i gave them a retreat and their doing well now..do u provide it a retreat? like half a flower pot or something...

[Pandora®©™]

I bought her one of those half log things but she wouldn’t use it and plus it was the wooden kind and it molded from the humidity. So I then took half a flower pot and put it in there and she wouldn’t have no part of that either. She did dig a hole in the corner and would backed into it but she didn’t stay. It was also the corner she used to molt in.

I was lucky and came home for lunch that day and got to see it happen. So now like I said she only has a small rock water bowl, very boring. I do have to change the dirt in there because it has mold in it and when I do that I would like to add anything that I’m going to so I don’t have to disturb her anymore then I have to, she has a very bad temper :eek: and I’m sure when I catch her in the bowl she is not going to be very happy.

[Spydra]

I bought her one of those half log things but she wouldn’t use it and plus it was the wooden kind and it molded from the humidity. So I then took half a flower pot and put it in there and she wouldn’t have no part of that either. She did dig a hole in the corner and would backed into it but she didn’t stay. It was also the corner she used to molt in.

I was lucky and came home for lunch that day and got to see it happen. So now like I said she only has a small rock water bowl, very boring. I do have to change the dirt in there because it has mold in it and when I do that I would like to add anything that I’m going to so I don’t have to disturb her anymore then I have to, she has a very bad temper :eek: and I’m sure when I catch her in the bowl she is not going to be very happy.


I kept mine on straight peat moss and pretty much on the dry side, I would just overfill the water dish about 1 time a week. Are you 100% sure that it is a "she" and not a mature male? That could also explain why the spider is always climbing. If it is indeed a female, then I would try keeping the terrarium more on the dry side and that will take care of your mold problem.

Renee

[Pandora®©™]

From everything I’ve read and seen she is a she, and there are no little hook things on the filler legs. I also took her with me to the pet to store the day I got her to buy her house, and the lady there also seemed to think so. From everything I’ve read on the Costa Rican Zebra they are also escape artist and will look for ways to get out, and I have noticed that she always goes to the part of the lid where the air holes are.

[CherishYour_f8]

Welcome to the boards pandora. When I first got my zebra it mostly just wandered arround the tank for the 1st week. Then it became accustomed to its half wood bark shelter. A week later it started burrowing (6" potting soil sub.) inside its shelter. It is burrowed close to 2ft. arround the edges of the tank walls(kinda neat I can see its entire tunnel through the glass). And recently it has blocked the entrance and as far as I know hasn't come out since.I have never saw it actually digging...must do it late night.Sure is a fast burrower though, boy can he/she dig.

[Pandora®©™]

Mine has not yet started to dig, she used to dig out the corners of it before, I did’nt have enough dirt in there. She did however eat 5 crickets since I change her cage all in one night. She seems to like the plants she has taken to sitting under the leaf of one of them. I have put 3 more crickets in there maybe she’s still hungry lol.

[NYbirdEater]

I've had issues with everything other than candian pete for substrate. Potting soil gets mold easily so I stay away from it. Coconut husks aren't too bad if you keep it bone dry, but you can get mites and mold and fungus if you keep the humidity up or a cricket carcass is out of site and starts to get funky. My T's all seem to like the pete better.

Also as far as molting and feeding, like the others said they do molt less as they age. I don't have this particular species, but my G rosea is fairly large and only molted once in 2 years. I don't feed my T's a lot of crickets at one time anymore as it can stress them out. Best thing IMO is to give the larger ones 1 or 2 at a time. Once they finish, give them another one or 2 or even wait a day. Granted some species are hogs, but they all seem to like eating in peace rather than having crickets walk and hop around the tank while they eat the others.

If you want to power feed them, which I've done with some smaller ones to get them to molt faster, I feed them 1 cricket at a time continuously until they refuse food. I rarely do this anymore as mine have broken the 2" mark. You'll learn everyone seems to have their own way of doing things when it comes to T's

[Pandora®©™]

Yes I'm hoping that this top soil will do better then the last time, I was keeping it way to wet. Now I have had more time to read about the care of them I know it don't need to be that wet after all. I was told long as the tank has good air ventalation it should do ok.

As for feeding her I most time put 2 or 3 at the time in there, if she eats those I give her a couple more the next day. I have been pretty much keeping food in there for her, but if she don't eat it in 24 hours I take it out and a wait a few days before giving her anymore. So far she eats like a pig, the only time I've had to take them out was right before she molted, and then she ate right up to two days before it happen which from what I've read is strange, it said they stop eating anywhere from a week t0 up to a month or more before they molt, not mine, like I said she eats like a pig lol.

[NYbirdEater]

Yeah it depends on the individual and what they are eating. My L parahybana usually disregards food 2-3 weeks before a molt whereas my T blondi eats right up until 1-2 days before. If you happen to get another T, do try using canadian pete, its cheap and comes in large bushels that last a while, help s when you have more than one T. I tried that last of all substrates and it worked the best for me, and I had to be urged by several members before I decided to try it. I noticed that when using any kind of soil, if there are any parts that are covered, like under the hide, mold can form rather quickly so keep an eye out for it.

[Pandora®©™]

Yes but is that good for ones that like to dig?

[NYbirdEater]

Yes but is that good for ones that like to dig?

Yes it holds together very well if you moisten it enough. It is usually very dry when you buy it. I get a bucket or a large metal bowl and mix it with water. You will need to mix and fold it over itself to make sure the water is mixed evenly throughout. You don't want water to pour out of it when you squeeze it. Then you take the moistened pete and pack it tightly in the tank. If it is a species that prefers lower humidity, let it dry out a little first, but either way it seems to hold it's shape very well, and the T I have that does burrow makes tunnels in it. Search the forum, you may find some better explanations than mine and other user accounts. I think some people add some coconut husk to it to make even stronger but I'm not positive on that. Works great for me though (without coconut).

[tatteredimages]

Speaking of substrates...my t used to climb all the time, changed to bed-a-beast and now has been acting normal (as normal as G. roseas get lol) i would recommend you try that, but by no means am I an expert either....:) It's better for burrowing I've found then any other substrate that I've used....even with a heat lamp on it doesnt seem to promote mold growth either... (had a bit of a problem with that earlier on too) but keeps the tank humid....good luck to you :)