UGH.. lets start the grieving process again... this time a G. pulchripes.. :(

So again here I am thinking the T hobby isn't for me. I mean I love arachnids but bad things just keep happening. on OCT 1st my girlfriend went and picked up a surprise birthday present for me a lovely G. pulchripes sling about 3/4 of an inch or so. Even though my birthday wasn't until yesterday (the 3rd) she decided to go ahead and give me my gift. I was overwhelmed and so happy she had gotten me the T I had been wanting for over 8 years, the T that I originally wanted to start out with. As soon as she got it home it ate a small cricket and was roaming around its small jello shot cup exploring its new habitat. When got home she showed me the little T and she asked if i knew what it was and I said "well its not a H. gigas it must be a G.pulchripes." She said it was my early birthday gift and wanted to know if I liked it. Obviously I absolutely loved it as I had been wanting one for years. I showed my gratitude as i said how much i loved the gift. the next morning (the 2nd) was really cold in our T room, the T was doing just fine as we had a heat lamp over it and some scorpions we have that are still to small to have in critter keepers or tanks. So we turned the heat on and it warmed up quickly, other than that that day went fine. Ok so yesterday (the 3rd) was a really good day, didn't work cause I called off sick (I wasn't) only because I had previously requested it off and it was approved, then 5 people used personal days and somehow overruled my approved day. So me and my girlfriend hung out most of the day until that night when my friends wanted to take me out to a bar where there was live music and beer lol. Even though I didn't drink (anything not even a coke) I still had a odd feeling about that night. My girlfriend tagged along but soon after wanted to go home after seeing that her EX's band was was there and she had me take her home. I went back to the show but could not for the life of me have a good time. Something was giving me a bad vibe so when the main event (Worst Kept Secret) came on stage I listened to one song and decided I was going home. When I get home its around 1am and I go to bed. I wake up and me and my GF go into the living room to check on the T's like every morning...... Bad news.... The heat lamp had fallen in the night and landed in my new additions enclosure.... It had died from the heat.... Once again I'm here at the cross roads where I am unsure I'm cut out for the hobby. I have never had this bad of luck in my life... Grieving process..... Begin.....

Additional heating does more harm than good unfortunately. In this situation a lot more harm . It's preferable to keep the ambient room temperature up instead.

Sorry about your tarantula though. It really sucks to lose any animal.

I use a space heater during the cold days, I turn it on at dusk and leave it on for a few hours until I go to bed then turn it off (the door to my T room stays closed so the heat stays inside) it stays warm enough in there until the following day. Unfortunately, heat mats and heat lamps is one of the worst additional heating instrument for Ts. A space heater would be your best bet. What was the temperatures in the T room like at it's coldest?

That sucks man. I kept herps for years and heat lamps always pose a risk regardless of how careful you are. Don't give up, just chalk it up to the learning process and move on. I live in Canada so heating is becomes important. I posted a question regarding heat pads for tarantulas and was warned off of them in no uncertain terms. Space heater time Hang in there!

Perhaps instead of getting out of the hobby, save your $$ and get a good living space for them and where you can get around them and they can be left alone without worry...do that first and then get your next T and you'll have better luck. Also, maybe get a larger specimen as well. Accidents do happen no matter how well you have things set up. Sorry bout the sling.

I will never cease to state that additional heating for T's is the best (worst) scam ever. Why? The cold issue sometimes is a myth, especially when it comes to hardy T's like a Grammostola pulchripes.

My female actually enjoy more the "cool" rather than the considered normal temperature.. she molted fine just these days, and i have less than 18° Day (night even 17°, sometimes 16.5°) at the moment (too earl for turn "on" the house central heating, btw, the only thing i used/use in almost 25 years of T's keeping).

Had a Psalmopoeus cambridgei molted, perfectly fine, in January (my room in winter is hardly, in the day, higher 22°) no problems. Not even sluggish, not even the tropicals.

I'm sorry for your loss. Don't give up.

Good luck with that, btw.

There was too much to read! Who has time to read about your personal days and a travel log of your daily events with your gf.

Don't be discouraged! Things like this happen. Yes, it could have been prevented, but you learn from it. I once had an adult female emperor scorpion. I didn't keep her warm enough during floridas "winter", and she passed. I let some time go by, then I purchased an Asian forest scorpion. (Sorry, I cannot think of scientific names off the top of my head.) we all experience loss in this hobby, it's quite normal. Don't let it make you think you're not cut out for something you love! Just keep trying. It sounds like you truly care about your tarantulas.


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It's been said but I'll back it up. Tarantulas should not be left under heat lamps. Chances are the heat would eventually have killed it anyway, even without toppling over. Also, no disrespect intended but you'll usually get a more favourable response and help if you stick to details relevant to the subject at hand rather than everything you and your other half did over those days.

I agree with everything that has been said. Heat lamps are a no no for tarantulas.

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Issehalsey said:

Don't be discouraged! Things like this happen. Yes, it could have been prevented, but you learn from it. I once had an adult female emperor scorpion. I didn't keep her warm enough during floridas "winter", and she passed. I let some time go by, then I purchased an Asian forest scorpion. (Sorry, I cannot think of scientific names off the top of my head.) we all experience loss in this hobby, it's quite normal. Don't let it make you think you're not cut out for something you love! Just keep trying. It sounds like you truly care about your tarantulas.


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I'm sorry, but can you explain to me, please, what means "i didn't keep her warm enough during floridas "winter" ? Warm enough? I was in 1990 in Florida, summer, i lived for a month in Orlando as a 11 years children, with my family during my first USA travel. Damn me, if a so hot temperature wasn't like Cuba, or "Tonton Macoute" Haiti! How are Florida winters, then, seriously? I mean, here where i live is a somewhat "Skyrim" - "The Witcher" winters, with snow, damn cold, just like central Europe (especially neighbor Switzerland etc) so i hardly believe that Florida "winters" could be worst than here

I never loss an invert (yes, i owned a couple of scorpions way back in the days) due to our winters.

Florida is exactly like Cuba IMO. F-word hot

Well it can get down to the upper 20's during the winter here. I realize that's nothing compared to many other parts of the U.S., as well as Canada and Europe. Still, there are people who live in regions that endure very frigid winters that keep their tarantulas alive just fine during these seasons. Therefore, someone in Florida should have no issue with theirs.

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Chris LXXIX said:

I'm sorry, but can you explain to me, please, what means "i didn't keep her warm enough during floridas "winter" ? Warm enough? I was in 1990 in Florida, summer, i lived for a month in Orlando as a 11 years children, with my family during my first USA travel. Damn me, if a so hot temperature wasn't like Cuba, or "Tonton Macoute" Haiti! How are Florida winters, then, seriously? I mean, here where i live is a somewhat "Skyrim" - "The Witcher" winters, with snow, damn cold, just like central Europe (especially neighbor Switzerland etc) so i hardly believe that Florida "winters" could be worst than here

I never loss an invert (yes, i owned a couple of scorpions way back in the days) due to our winters.

Florida is exactly like Cuba IMO. F-word hot

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My point was just that, Florida winter doesn't typically get cold enough. Although, without any extra heating source, or heat in the house at the time, 60s will kill your scorpion.


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Issehalsey said:

My point was just that, Florida winter doesn't typically get cold enough. Although, without any extra heating source, or heat in the house at the time, 60s will kill your scorpion.


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It's hard to believe for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, eh here as i post i have, in my room, not even 63 F. And i just offered a prey (a cricket) to everyone except a too IMO chubby OBT.

Now i would to discuss this even with Mr Stan Schultz, can someone explain to me WHY i need to cover me up a bit, but my T's, tropical and African baboons included, aren't sluggish at all, and eat like horse???
lol sometimes the "cold" issue (except Syberia, Iceland, North Korea etc) is indeed a myth. That's my two cents.

Chris LXXIX said:

It's hard to believe for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, eh here as i post i have, in my room, not even 63 F. And i just offered a prey (a cricket) to everyone except a too IMO chubby OBT.

Now i would to discuss this even with Mr Stan Schultz, can someone explain to me WHY i need to cover me up a bit, but my T's, tropical and African baboons included, aren't sluggish at all, and eat like horse???
lol sometimes the "cold" issue (except Syberia, Iceland, North Korea etc) is indeed a myth. That's my two cents.

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Please keep in mind, I'm not talking about tarantulas here. My tarantulas are fine in the 60s. The fact I kept my old scorpion out in a room, with windows open, in the 60s, gave me trouble. There was no other reason for her death. My stupid decision to not have heat on just because it's Florida, led her to her death. So anyway, back to the actual thread.


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Many Tarantulas (particularly those from tropical climates) will not do well in temperatures below the lower 70's. I have to disagree with Chris on that one.

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BobGrill said:

Many Tarantulas (particularly those from tropical climates) will not do well in temperatures below the lower 70's. I have to disagree with Chris on that one.

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I know. That's what i think as well. In general during winter i keep mines at 73/74 F. Just that they eat and are active as well in those last week, where "my" temperature is very near the cold part, 63/64 F.

While an adult pulchripes would have been fine without heat, slings need to be kept a little warmer, so heat for it was a good thing....the method chose on the other hand....was about a bad a choice as could have been made. Lamps dry the surrounding air excessively...dangerous for a t, critically dangerous for a sling. A space heater or simple heat bath would have been better choices.

cold blood said:

While an adult pulchripes would have been fine without heat, slings need to be kept a little warmer, so heat for it was a good thing....the method chose on the other hand....was about a bad a choice as could have been made. Lamps dry the surrounding air excessively...dangerous for a t, critically dangerous for a sling. A space heater or simple heat bath would have been better choices.

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True. I would even say "dangerous" for us as well, IMO i can't stand artificial hot (and artificial cold as well), seriously

Chris LXXIX said:

True. I would even say "dangerous" for us as well, IMO i can't stand artificial hot (and artificial cold as well), seriously

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Come live in Florida, the heat is literally lethal here. This might sound silly, but I try to stay indoors as much as possible from April til pretty much mid October. It literally doesn't cool down at all here until late October early November. Why anyone would WANT to willingly go outside for more than an hour is beyond me.

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