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Q: Curlyhair Tarantula (B. albopilosum) humidity/misting
Posted By:

PortlyIslandBoy

The care sheets on the internets are very contradictory, so I thought I'd ask the iHerp nation...

I just acquired an awesome CB juvenile (2 inch, give or take) Curlyhair tarantula. I've read online that they're a rainforest species... then I read they're a dry savanna species... then a cloud forest species....

... in addition... I've seen humidity recommendations any where between 50% up to 85%... so, I'm a bit confused. To make things more confusing, every time I lightly mist (by lightly, I mean conservatively add a handful of waterdrops to the enclosure walls, allowing the drops to puddle onto the substrate), the tarantula seems to gravitate towards the moisture... it crawls towards the moisture. This is something I've never witnessed... perhaps the movement of the falling waterdrops elicits a feeding response for a millisecond? Or is it just gravitating towards the moisture because it’s TOO DRY? Anyway, the substrate is kept fairly dry, but not bone dry... there's obvious moisture within the soil. The spider has access to a waterbowl at all times (a bottle cap filled to the brim). Every couple days I overflow the waterbowl for added humidity.

It's housed in a small kritter keeper, substrate is organic top soil, and I've provided a small piece of corkbark as a hide, plus a waterbowl. So far, it feeds GREAT on small crickets, 6 per week.


Points: 150
Topics: General Health , Caging , Water
Tags: Humidity, Husbandry, Invertebrates, Misting, Tarantula
Species: Invertebrates > Spiders > Brachypelma albopilosum
Administrative: Show/Hide

Accepted Answer 4/22/2014 7:39:15 PM

NikiP

Most species do fine with a bottlecap kept filled with water. Maybe give it a good mist or two once a week. If the humidity is to high, it'll probably fill the cap with substrate.

 
Assisted Answer 4/23/2014 12:43:22 AM

Dark_Equidae

B. albiopilosum don't need misting, just a wide, shallow water dish. Too much moisture encourages mold growth which is bad and can hurt your T. This site may be helpful. Also they should only get one appropriately sized cricket a week, six is way too many. 

 
Author Comment 4/23/2014 8:21:22 PM

PortlyIslandBoy

Both of you rock.

NikiP - it did bury the waterbowl tonight, so I changed out the moist substrate for dry substrate. Obviously the humidity was too high.

Dark_Equidae - I won't mist anymore. About feeding... one small cricket a week? Even for a growing juvenile? The place I purchased it from was feeding TWELVE a WEEK.... I realize that's waaay too many.

 
Member Comment 4/23/2014 9:41:17 PM

NikiP

Wow, yeah, way to many! Do you have or have access to roaches? Those are even better.

 
Author Comment 4/23/2014 11:47:49 PM

PortlyIslandBoy

NikiP - would you also recommend feeding one appropriate sized food item a week (one small cricket)?

I don't have access to roaches, no. If I did, and I voluntarily brought them into the house... I'd be punched in the brain on the spot. Cool

 
Member Comment 4/24/2014 1:48:32 AM

Dark_Equidae

For a two inch spider, you can move up to one medium or large cricket a week. It's more that the large number of crickets annoy and can harm the T. 

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