Ventilation?

antinous · Jul 24, 2014

I'll be getting my first tarantulas soon and was wondering if I was putting enough ventilation for them. The species I'll be keeping are A. seemani, G. iherengi and B. auratum. This is how I have it set up so far:

It's a 4 x 4 enclosure with 15 1/16" holes on each side and then 8 on the top (total of 68 holes). The Brachypelma and Grammostola are both around 1.5" and will go in there.

This is the set up for the 1/2" Aphonopelma:

It's 2 1/2" by 3" and there are 9 1/16" holes on each side and 4 on top for a total of 40 holes.

Is this okay? How much sub should be put in each? Input would be appreciated!

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skippydude · Jul 24, 2014

Put 1 1/2" to 2" of sub in there and add a couple more holes about 1/2" above the substrate level. Add a plastic soda or water bottle cap for a water dish and a small hide and you got it.

You could go a with little more floor space with 1 1/2" terrestrial specimens. I'd give a minimum of 3X diagonal leg span

antinous · Jul 24, 2014

Thanks and will do!

So the 4 x 4 is too small for them? I was thinking about keeping them in there until their next moult then moving them up to a 14 1/8" L x 7 7/8" W x 4 7/8" H enclosure or something similar.

cold blood · Jul 24, 2014

Like mentioned, make sure you have ventilation at substrate level.

skippydude · Jul 24, 2014

Pampho85 said:
Thanks and will do!

So the 4 x 4 is too small for them? I was thinking about keeping them in there until their next moult then moving them up to a 14 1/8" L x 7 7/8" W x 4 7/8" H enclosure or something similar.

It will be fine until it molts again

antinous · Jul 25, 2014

Okay! One last question, I added in sub yesterday so I can see how it would look when completed and to get ready for the T, I saw that some 'condensation' was forming on the walls that are sub covered. Is this okay?

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skippydude · Jul 25, 2014

Condensation from the sub won't hurt anything and will dry out over time

cold blood · Jul 25, 2014

skippydude said:
Condensation from the sub won't hurt anything and will dry out over time

+1 Condensation below sub level is pretty normal when putting in new sub that hasn't been dried. Its condensation on the walls ABOVE the substrate that's not good.

Poec54 · Jul 25, 2014

The spiders of mine that have a problem with moisture are Avics and baboon spiders from east and southern Africa (Pterinochilus, Ceratogyrus, Augacephalus, etc). They need dry substrate.

antinous · Jul 26, 2014

Something came up again, and instead of those species I'll be keeping:
G. pulchripes
P. canceridies
B. emilia

The B. emilia and pulchripes are 1", while the canceridies is .75". They'll all be kept in the same size enclosure, 4 x 4 x 4 inches.

Does it all look fine? Should I put a plastic pebble in the middle of the water dishes? Is there enough sub? I also dug a bit underneath the cork bark. The condensation seems to be dissipating.

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---------- Post added 07-26-2014 at 05:07 PM ----------

I was also wondering, the one in the middle I propped the cork bark up against the side of the enclosure and wondering if that would be a problem since it isn't a 'dark retreat'?

antinous · Jul 27, 2014

This morning when I woke up this morning and looked inside the enclosures I saw condensation forming inside above the substrate. Is that normal? Is it because the substrate is too wet? When the tarantulas do arrive here this week, would that really be bad?

viper69 · Jul 27, 2014

Those look fine generally. Regarding dark, if they want darkness, they will dig a nice hole below the surface. There's no way of predicting how/what a T will do or use in their home. Never had the same T use the same cage furniture the same way when rehousing.

antinous · Jul 27, 2014

viper69 said:
Those look fine generally. Regarding dark, if they want darkness, they will dig a nice hole below the surface. There's no way of predicting how/what a T will do or use in their home. Never had the same T use the same cage furniture the same way when rehousing.

Okay thanks! What about the condensation? Have you every had that happen to you?

viper69 · Jul 27, 2014

Pampho85 said:
Okay thanks! What about the condensation? Have you every had that happen to you?

Yes..........

Storm76 · Jul 28, 2014

One more thing: Do not put those enclosures somewhere where the sun can hit them! You could literally cook your T's else in there. Put them in a quiet, normal spot somewhere in the house that doesn't get heated up by the sun

Poec54 · Jul 28, 2014

Pampho85 said:
Okay thanks! What about the condensation? Have you every had that happen to you?

You can get condensation in a new cage initially, but it should dissipate in a few days. If you have condensation a few weeks later, then the substrate's probably too moist, or the ventilation is insufficient.

antinous · Jul 28, 2014

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Yesterday I guess I freaked out when I saw the condensation all over the enclosure so I took out the substrate and baked it, did the same with hide, let it dry more in the sun and then dried out the enclosure and there's no trace of it at all.

I'll be expecting the tarantulas tomorrow actually and I'm pretty excited. I already bough mealworms, should I try feeding them a day after I get them?

And I'm all set for keeping them. For the G. pulchripes and B. emilia, I'll be keeping them dry with a full water bottle cap, and mist every very occasionally.
As for the P. canceridies I've been told to keep them dry, and every now and then overflow the water dish. However, I'm a bit confused, by overflow, it means just to let a little bit water escape from the bottle cap or would just wetting part of the sub be better?

cold blood · Jul 28, 2014

Pampho85 said:
Thanks for the replies everyone!

Yesterday I guess I freaked out when I saw the condensation all over the enclosure so I took out the substrate and baked it, did the same with hide, let it dry more in the sun and then dried out the enclosure and there's no trace of it at all.

I'll be expecting the tarantulas tomorrow actually and I'm pretty excited. I already bough mealworms, should I try feeding them a day after I get them?

And I'm all set for keeping them. For the G. pulchripes and B. emilia, I'll be keeping them dry with a full water bottle cap, and mist every very occasionally.
As for the P. canceridies I've been told to keep them dry, and every now and then overflow the water dish. However, I'm a bit confused, by overflow, it means just to let a little bit water escape from the bottle cap or would just wetting part of the sub be better?

Yes, you did overreact, but no harm done.

Don't mist, the bottle cap water dish is all that's needed, over fill it or moisten a small area on occasion....same for all three, but moisten less for the Grammy and Brachy. Overflowing the dish or wetting a part of the sub are a horse a piece...either will work just fine.

Many will feed the same day, I tend to, just to check their reactions/comfort in their new homes. Most do tend to eat right away surprisingly, waiting till the next day is fine, too. Others give a little adjustment period and wait on the feeding a few days, there's no wrong answer as long as uneaten prey items are removed if they are not eaten.

antinous · Jul 28, 2014

cold blood said:
Yes, you did overreact, but no harm done.

Don't mist, the bottle cap water dish is all that's needed, over fill it or moisten a small area on occasion....same for all three, but moisten less for the Grammy and Brachy. Overflowing the dish or wetting a part of the sub are a horse a piece...either will work just fine.

Many will feed the same day, I tend to, just to check their reactions/comfort in their new homes. Most do tend to eat right away surprisingly, waiting till the next day is fine, too. Others give a little adjustment period and wait on the feeding a few days, there's no wrong answer as long as uneaten prey items are removed if they are not eaten.

Haha, I tend to overreact...

Okay thanks! There's always a though that if I wet the sub, even a small bit, it'll mold over time. Hopefully that won't happen...

How often should I feed the slings? I have 'large' mealworms so I was thinking along the lines once a week? Then once they reach a certain size I would cut it down to once every two weeks.

cold blood · Jul 28, 2014

Pampho85 said:
Haha, I tend to overreact...

Okay thanks! There's always a though that if I wet the sub, even a small bit, it'll mold over time. Hopefully that won't happen...

How often should I feed the slings? I have 'large' mealworms so I was thinking along the lines once a week? Then once they reach a certain size I would cut it down to once every two weeks.

Your sub will only mold if you don't have sufficient ventilation....proper ventilation basically prevents mold growth. Also you can move the wet spot so there isn't constant moisture on any one particular location.

For feeding slings, it depends on the sling, some are big eaters, others are quite the opposite. I like to encourage growth when they are small, so I feed them frequently. With some, this is every other day, others every 4-6 days....one specimen only likes to eat every 10-14 days. The size meal also plays a role in frequency...smaller prey items can be fed more frequently, larger prey will mean more time between feedings. You could feed 3-4 small items, or one large item a week and have a similiar effect. With the large mealworms, you can cut them into pieces for the slings....one worm should be able to feed a few slings

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