Fan on my T's

[T_ROY]

I was wondering if it would be alright to put a fan on my T's?
Not directly on them but close. I have an APT on the second floor so it a little warm in here plus all my reptiles are in the same room some with heat lights so that dosent help. I just moved all my T's lower in my closet to help.

 

[Zoltan]

I've tried this just to see how they react to it and I have to say they didn't appreciate it all, in fact it disturbed them a lot. They can sense airwaves with their trichobotriums - I have no idea about the English term, but it's a kind of hair that senes oscillation and vibration - and it scares them a lot (like when you blow on them). You might give it a try if you place the fan far away from the vivs, but check their reactions right away, it probably won't be positive.

 

[betuana]

Maybe in room but not on them...

Maybe putting a fan in the room they are in to help circulate the air, but not directly on them would work. That way the air is moved a bit, perhaps relieving some heat build up, without putting your T's in the direct breeze from it. Kinda having a ceiling fan on low may not cause a direct breeze, but it helps circulate air throughout the room. Something like may help with the temperature situation without necessarily subjecting the T's to direct breezes that may stress them out.

In a closet, you could put the fan on a shelf they are not on, or on the floor, and point it so that there is space in front of and behind it for air to move up and down the closet walls. If you have wire shelves this is easy, any position should work since the air can freely move around the enclosures, but if they are solid shelves you may need it to sit on the floor or something halfway under or just in front of the front edges of the shelves so the air circulation is along the wall there. The fan can blow air out the front, the wall will help direct it up to the ceiling, and the back of the fan will be pulling air in, and therefore down the other wall, etc. Or if the shelves can be moved so there is a gap between the back of them and the wall it could point at the back wall for a similar effect. You'd have to spend some time examining your set up to see the best way to create the airflow, but I think this would help increase air circulation around the enclosures, without causing many disturbances in them.

Just my 2 cents!

 

[gvfarns]

I was wondering if it would be alright to put a fan on my T's?
Not directly on them but close. I have an APT on the second floor so it a little warm in here plus all my reptiles are in the same room some with heat lights so that dosent help. I just moved all my T's lower in my closet to help.

You moved your T's lower to help? That sounds like you are worried about their comfort, not yours. If that's true using a ceiling fan will mix the hot air at the top with the cooler air below and increase the Ts' temperature from what it is now.

But anyway most T enclosures don't allow a whole lot of circulation. Unless it's blowing right on the enclosure I doubt the T will feel any air movement at all. Vibrations from the fan, much more likely to be felt.

 

[verry_sweet]

I have a fan on my in my T room almost everyday. I have a lot of arboreal and I want the air constantly moving as to avoid mold and such.

If I need to dry out enclosures quickly I put the fan directly on the T shelf. The T’s do hide in their hidey spots but after a while they get accustomed to it. They are very resilient creatures after all.

My H. mac cracked me up a couple months ago. I had the fan going right on the shelf and every time the fan would blow past her jar she would frantically dig where a air hole was, looking for moving pray in the substrate…. I was very entertained

 

[deathfingers66]

I use a rotating fan on a stand in my T room when the humidity gets up in the spring and summer only(I live in Chicago, Fall and Winter not needed). My tarantulas don't mind the fan at all. Circulating air is good at retarding mold growth.

 

[saminthemiddle]

I disagree with gvfarns, if your enclosures are set up right there should be plenty of hair moving. So much so that some of my species get upset if I breathe on the enclosures.

Anyway, I would be skeptical about the possibility that fans would lower the body temperature of tarantulas as they don't cool themselves in the same way that us mammals do.

If you want to control their temperature I would recommend that you put your spiders in a dark, enclosed space with some jars of ice water in with them if it's critical.

 

[pinkzebra]

I put the ceiling fan on in the warmer months. It's not directly on them but gets the air moving a bit. My Ts don't seem to pay it any attention at all.

 

[gvfarns]

I disagree with gvfarns

No surprises there. :clap:

You could always try the fans, and if the T's run and hide, you will know they are set up "right." Otherwise drill some more holes. Because even breathing will disturb your T's if it's really right.

 

[T_ROY]

Thanks everyone.
Ive got them set up right. Good ventilation in most of my setups.
Its just that when the temp get high in the room i get a little freaked out.
I have a lot of time and work into all my T's. Them temp got up to 88 yesterday.
Then dropped like crazy over night. I had the window open so i could get some cool air circulating in the room. Well my gf woke me about 430 this morn to tell me the temp was at 66-68 i was freaking out again.
I guess if its not a constant fluctuation that they should be alright.
My snakes are fine if drops a little now and then or goes higher. So i kinda think the T's are similar in the fact they use the environment for the body temperature.
They all seem ok.

 

[saminthemiddle]

If it's any reassurance: a couple weeks ago I experienced 100 degree plus temps and, while the spiders got a little stressed and one got a little dehydrated, they did fine.

They dehydrated one, btw, was my fault. :8o

Fans are useless for cooling tarantulas as a) they are cold blooded so unless you're doing something dumb like putting them in the sun their enclosures shouldn't get hot and b) they don't perspire. Fans are quite good for drying things out which is exactly what you *don't* want to do on a hot day!

Again, just put them in a dresser or some other cool, dark place. But don't put them in your underwear drawer, urticating hairs itch!

 

[JMoran1097]

my ceiling fan is usually on during the summer and it doesn't bother them. as long as isn't directly placed on them, but something to just serve as an air circulator, i don't see the problem.