I'm a new T owner, have some questions

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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93
i believe the type i have is a pink toe. its got pink toes. i believe it to be an Avicularia avicularia. So i fixed her up a little aquarium with some vermiculite and some jungle substrate i got from a pet store. i mixed em together and misted them with some water. i put some live plants in the soil half of a hallowed out log with one end covered to make sort of a cave. Before i did all of this, i simply had some cheap bark pieces i had from a pet store, misted with water, and the hollowed log. she would crawl around on the floor for a while before retreating to the sides of the aquarium. but now, with the new stuff that i was reccommended, she clings to the top of the aquarium. she's been up there now for about half an hour or so. Im afraid that if she's afraid to come down, or doesnt like the new stuff, she wont come down to feed. Any suggestions would be great.

Also, the habitat stays at about 75 to 80 degrees, and about 55 to 65% humidity. if this is incorrect, someone please correct me before its too late.
 

Sandra

Arachnobaron
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Nov 13, 2004
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Hi, welcome.

To start, Avicularia avicularias are arboreal tarantulas. That is, they are tree-dwellers by nature and your's desire to be by the top of the enclosure is completely normal for it!

Maybe a little more humidity for that species, but must emphasize that plenty of ventilation (lots of airholes) is a must or else mold formation may pose a dangerous problem.

I'm just getting to know the species myself; hopefully others will post with more experienced advice. Here is a basic "care sheet" to get you started.
http://www.arachnopets.com/tarantulas/tcaresheets/aaviculariacc.htm


Also, try some searches within these boards for avic housing ideas. There are some good ones.
 

shogun804

Arachnogeneral
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Oct 5, 2004
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i keep avic avic as well it does very good at about 40-60% humidity all the time excepct when i mist the sides of the tank for it to drink which is about once every 10 days...i use a tall rock angled on the side of the tank for webbing and he loves it created an excellent tube web retreat...IMO i do not use live plants in a T tank because i think they are to much hastle to keep up with...but everyone has there own opinions...congrats on a wonderful T and welcome to the boards.

your humidity and temps sound almost identical to mine should do fine and like sandra pointed out make sure there is good ventalalion
 

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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Where can i buy, or order, a tall enclosure for her? The one i have is rather large, maybe too large, for her. I think its a 20 or 25 gallon tank. its about a foot and a half high, and about 2 feet wide, and maybe a foot or so in depth. I can't put it on its side for her because the top will come off. its not very secure. my mom use to have fish in it, then beanie babies (ugh), and then she gave it to me for Elvira (the spider). I was looking at pet stores for some tall enclosures, but i swear, there isn't a pet store in this city that knows anything about spiders, let alone sell anything for them. If its pricey, i'll save up for it. i've already sunk more money than a newbie probably should!

thanks for all the help
 

shogun804

Arachnogeneral
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wow 20 gallon pretty big....i keep mine in a 5 gallon octagon tank that i got at a store called petsmart it was like 40$ expensive but i like and so does my pinktoe...mine is like 4.25"...how big is yours???

you can also get the bigger sized Kritter Keeper and turn that on its side i think they are like 12$ or something like that...
 

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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is it possible, or even practical, to build a structure to keep it in? if so, what sort of materials would be appropriate?
 

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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ive read that some Ts need water dishes, and other shouldn't have them. Suggestions on water?
 

brandi

Arachnoknight
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Oct 19, 2004
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because your spider is arboreal it is more likely to drink water that you mist onto the sides of the cage than to come down to a water bowl, just don't mist the spider itself. ;)
B~
 

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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she's about 3 inches across including the legs. maybe a little more. i have a small dish with very shallow water in it. i also mist the sides sometimes, but never the side she's on.

Does misting the spider hurt her, or just annoy her?
 

chris73

Arachnoknight
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Dec 26, 2004
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I say the water dish is good for an animal that size. From what I understand it is bad to directly mist a T because their sensory hairs detect it as an intrusion on their space or something like that. I think what you are doing by watering the sides is perfect. Just watch the humidity and you should be fine.
 

Kaulback

Arachnosquire
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Dec 29, 2004
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A bit offtopic specifically but it does fit well with the topic name, and I didn't want to start a new topic just for this, what exactly are these 'deli cups' that everybody has been referring to?
 

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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if i absolutly have to, is it dangerous to handle an a. avicularia? when i was transfering her out of her habitat so i could add some plants, i had a very difficult time putting her in a container to move her out of the way till i was done.

what spiders are dangerous to handle? i understand that its dangerous to all spiders to handle them, but which ones are dangerous to us?
 

dotdman

Arachnobaron
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Apr 18, 2004
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Hideously dangerous! Only an expert in the defiance of death would dare dream of doing such a dastardly thing.

All silliness and excessive alliteration aside, I'd think it would be all right to use your hands if it came to it. The venom for the genus isn't particularly potent but a bite would more than likely be painful just the same. I use smallish plastic containers when dealing with my T's (most recently did this with my Poecilotheria regalis and Haplopelma lividum). It may seem to take more time, but I think that it's the better method all around when it comes to things like cage maintenence.

Kindest kindest,

Kevin P.
 
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Cory Loomis

Arachnoknight
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Oct 8, 2004
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Go to Walmart and spend $3.00 for a rubbermaid clear plastic one gallon container. Drill a dozen 1/4 inch holes in the top. Then melt or drill the same size holes three inches from the bottom every two inches around the circumference of the bottle. Fill with two inches of substrate: topsoil/peat/vermiculite. Take a three to four inch wide piece of cork bark that is about ten inches long and push it into the middle of the substrate. Then lean it back against the side of the bottle. Use a Gatorade cap for a water dish. This inexpensive unbreakable enclosure provides good ventilation, easy viewing, plenty of room for an A. avicularia, and enables you to set up an A. versicolor and a Psalmopoeus cambridgei in the same or less space.
 

dotdman

Arachnobaron
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Apr 18, 2004
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I used to avoid such things due to simple aesthetics (aquariums tend to just look nicer). But, with my collection so quickly increasing in size, I swear by gladware and rubbermaid now.

Kindest kindest,

Kevin P.
 

Sandra

Arachnobaron
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Nov 13, 2004
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I too think it'd be fine to handle minimally for maintenance.

what exactly are these 'deli cups' that everybody has been referring to?

You know at the deli sections at grocery stores, when you buy bulk potato salads and stuff, they put it in these clear plastic containers? Those are deli cups! They come in various sizes. When I needed another, I just asked at a grocery store counter if I could buy just a container, they gave it to me for free. (Just make sure if you get one that it has a good secure top. Some I've seen were rather flimsy to come off.)

I find them handy in that you can see through them, and easily drill holes in them for ventilation.
 

Joeyo

Arachnosquire
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Dec 30, 2004
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Sandra said:
I too think it'd be fine to handle minimally for maintenance.
How exactly would i go about picking her up? Do i just nudge her onto the palm of my hand, or do i grab her a certain way? i read about the carapace grab i think it was called. im not entirely sure of the correct way to do that though.
 

MrsT

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Dec 22, 2004
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44
I keep all my Ts in Spider tanks, measuring 8" x 8" x 8" and my slings in a sling tank, I provide water dishes for all of mine and mist now and then if it needs it, I place cotton wool in the water dishes, you can buy spider sponges but cotton wool works just as well, I will be hoping to get one of these spider tanks taller for when my Avicularia avicularia grows, as for handling I just nudge mine onto things with my finger on there back which seems to work well, thats the way I was shown how to handle them, there are other ways but I prefer the nudging, heres a pic of one of my sling tank it holds 3 slings, but I only have one in it at the moment, and one of my Ts tanks just to give you an idea.

 
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