Spiders for a Novice - Part 2

Spiders For A Novice part 2.


Brazilian Black
Type Terrestrial.
Diet Spiderlings eat between 1-2 pinhead crickets, and other small insects. Adults eat 2-4 crickets, other large insects, small lizards, pinkie mice, and an occasional fuzzy mouse.
Full Grown Size 5 to 6 inches.
Growth Slow speed.
Temperature 75 to 85° F.
Humidity 75 to 80%. All tarantulas that have at least a 3" legspan.
Water shallow, wide water dish filled with pebbles safety measure for your spider and pebbles prevent cricket´s drowning. .
Temperament Docile and calm.
Housing Spiderlings can live in a clear plastic deli-container with air holes. Adults can live in a 10-gallon tank. Floor space is more important than height.
Substrate 3 to 5 inches of peat moss, or potting soil.
Decor No decorations are really needed, but you can add a log, or cork bark.
Other Names N/A.

Pink zebra beauty
Type Burrowing.
Diet Spiderlings eat between 1-2 pinhead crickets, and other small insects. Adults eat 2-4 large black/brown crickets, other large insects, and an occasional pinkie mouse.
Full Grown Size 5 to 6 inches.
Growth Slow speed.
Temperature 75 to 80° F.
Humidity 65 to 75%.
Temperament Docile and calm.

Housing Babies can live in a clear plastic deli-container with plenty of air holes. Adults can live in a 5 to 10-gallon tank. Floor space is more important than height.
Substrate 3 to 5 inches of peat moss, or potting soil.
Decor No decorations are really needed, but you can add a log, or cork bark.
Other Names Paraguayan Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula.

Pinktoe - Avicularia Avicularia


Type Arboreal.
Diet Spiderlings eat flightless fruit flies, pinhead crickets, and other small insects. Adults eat 2-4 black/brown crickets, moths, flies, other large insects, and an occasional small lizard or pinkie mouse.
Full Grown Size 4.5 to 5 inches.
Growth Medium speed.
Temperature 75 to 85° F.
Humidity 78 to 82%. All tarantulas that have at least a 3" legspan.
Water shallow, wide water dish filled with pebbles safety measure for your spider and pebbles prevent cricket´s drowning. .
Temperament Docile and active.
Housing Spiderlings can live in a tall clear plastic container with lots of air holes due to ventilation being an important must. Adults can live in a 10 to 40-gallon tank, depending on the number of tarantulas. This Avicularia species can be kept communally in a large, well-planted terrarium with many hiding spots and broad-leaved plants but not recommended as you may find one a little bit fatter.
Height is more important than floor space.
Substrate 2 to 3 inches of peat moss, potting soil, or wood chips.
Decor Branches, live plants, vines, etc. make good hiding places and provide a base for the web due to being heavy Webbers. Moss can be added for floor cover.
Other Names Guyana Pinktoe Tarantula, Common Pinktoe Tarantula, and South American Pinktoe Tarantula

Curly Hair

The Curly Hair Tarantula is an ideal tarantula species for a beginner because of its docile temperament and relatively large size.
Type Terrestrial.
Diet Spiderlings eat pinhead crickets or just a cricket leg as call it cricket drumsticks, and other small insects. Adults eat large black/brown crickets, other large insects, small lizards, pinkie mice, and an occasional fuzzy mouse.
Full Grown Size 5 to 5.5 inches.
Growth Slow speed.
Temperature 70 to 85° F.
Humidity 75 to 80%. All tarantulas that have at least a 3" legspan.
Water shallow, wide water dish filled with pebbles safety measure for your spider and pebbles prevent cricket´s drowning.
Temperament Docile and calm.
Housing Spiderlings can live in a clear plastic deli-container with air holes. Adults can live in a 5 to 10-gallon tank. Floor space is more important than height.
Substrate 2 to 3 inches of peat moss, or potting soil.
Decor Logs, driftwood, cork bark, etc. make good hiding places.
Other Names Honduran Curlyhair Tarantula, and Woolly Tarantula

Small to Tiny spiderlings water bowl not required just a light misting once every one to two weeks
Adult about the same help´s to keep Humidity about right if it falls to low.

Prongs are a good idea to use when cleaning uneaten/dead food and they also help with feeding tricky food as well as gently moving your spider.

All uneaten/eaten food must be removed within 24hrs as this a main cause of mite infestation which can cause major problems.

To high humidity could cause mites also.

Spiderling´s & Mites

What I have found out from a spiderling I bought which had mites the best ways that worked for me due to my spiderling being small was 1 use a damp Q-Tip done over 1-2 weeks done quickly as not to cause stress as this method gently removes mites very slowly it worked for me, secondly I waited for a molt again remove the molt with in 24hrs or as soon as your spider has moved away from molt as the molt will have mites attached, third the disinfecting of it´s home two ways of doing this 1 substrate removed and binned, followed by warm soapy water or tiny amount of bleach diluted, all decor must be done same way as soapy/bleach water.

Adults & Mites

Same way as spiderlings but use a artist paint brush with large reptile tweeter’s, other method you could also try Bathing Mites Away for an excessive population of mites might be washed off the tarantula itself with a dilute solution of mild liquid soapy water. Dip the artist´s paintbrush into the soapy water and gently wipe the mites away.

You possibly may get a display of aggression from your docile pet.

Be careful not to get fingers or other body parts near the fangs, or you may discover what a tarantula bite is really like.
Be careful to avoid getting water on or into the book lungs.

Try to rinse some of the soap water off the tarantula with clear water. Do not allow any water to get near the book lungs; merely rinse off the prosoma and legs.

Molting Problems

This could me your spiders not being able to get fully out of their molt, and this is usually due to their being kept in those too dry conditions for them.

Need for moisture varies among species. Crucial to find out what species you have. Some species that prefer dryer conditions and are being kept too wet may literally fall apart when they attempt to molt, legs falling off and the spider dying from bleeding to death and perhaps fungal or bacterial problems that led to their losing their appendages. This is quite different from a spider getting stuck in its molt and not being able to extricate its legs from the molt.

Carefully Removing Your Spider To Clean It´s Home
What I do with all my spider´s example Docile species I gently nudge them to a tub that I have placed within the viv and slowly & gently coax it in to it and then place lid on top I basically use a old cricket tub and just remove tub with spider.

Where with my aggressive ones I do similar with more care a caution to me with the use of 18" tweezers or prongs.