Goliath bird eater help!please....

[K.Baker]

If anybody could give me some info on how to keep a s'ling goliath
as happy as possible(housing,humidity levels/easiest way to obtainthe humidity,heating,substrate etc...
IT WOULD BE VERY VERY MUCH HELPFULL!!!
thanx soo much
Kevin.:D

[Drew S]

Their care is similar to most Tarantulas, however I find they need a bit higher temperature/humidity than some...

Enclosure: 10 gallon aquarium works well, or critter keepers for smaller animals.
Substrate: 4"+ of eco-earth, moss, etc.

Cork bark to make caves and a water dish can be placed inside.

Temperature: 80-85 average
Humidity: High, 70-80% average (light daily mistings will help)

They are a fairly defensive species, and really like to flick hairs at you, so if you decide to attempt handling them (I don't recommend it), keep that in mind.

Good luck.

- Drew

[K.Baker]

THANK YOU THANK YOU DREW you dont know how much that little bit of info made me feel that is all i wanted just to ask ???
once again sorry everyone and thanx alot drew i mean it ~!!

[K.Baker]

If its not too much trouble DrewS or anybody else 4 that matter that dosent hate my guts alredy!
i have just one kind of mind buster for me. Every thing you have sad is awsome but what dose any body find best for keeping the high humidity levels cuz most my other speices dont need like you said quite that high a level but i am willing to do what it takes i just need a few tips if anybody has any tricks of there own i would love too hear them and thanx for all the help everybody!!
P.S. is there any kind of humidity retaining lids you can get that i havent heard of or somthing alike? thanx again

[Bartman]

Well not using an aquarium with a screen top can help. So you could building your own, pretty small wooden, tank that is sealed iwht epoxy just so when the humidity is high it wont rot the wood.

For the high humidity you could get either an automatic mister or one of those foggers.

[Dani33]

You could make a plexi glass top with some holes for air/ventilation.

[Dragoon]

Limit the air flow, that is how you keep the humidity high. Its your tank, so you decide how to limit the air flow, be it wood, plastic, etc. I like clear lids, so I use thin sheets of lexan that I cut up.
Remember, a spider does not require huge amounts of oxygen, so a few air holes are enough. Too many holes, and you lose your humidity.

Good luck, and I think Aidan threw the first shot here, his response was real uppity and rude. Not in the least helpful, I would have gotten mad, too. I have no clue what a "GBE" is, either, and I will verbally smack him if he tries to tell me I don't deserve my 40 tarantulas. They are all growing and thriving like weeds.
D.

[Drew S]

Yeah, as others said, making a custom lid for a 10 gallon would work great to keep humidity up. There are also acrylic enclosures manufactured specifically for spiders and other invertibrates that are pretty awesome, so you could look into one of those as well.

As a temporary solution, you could always cover the top with a damp towel.

[Pixie]

Goliaths are fairly easy to care for (like any other T for that matter!) and it's not much harder to take care of a sling. Humidity is important for this species especially when still very small.

Fun thing about this species is watching them grow :) Every molt puts a good 1" or more on them! Make sure the humidity is up when it's getting ready to molt but otherwise, don't overdo it. It dosn't need to be a swamp either :D

Even if it were someone's first T, it is more of a challenge but not unmanageable. I've heard some start with pokies and usumbaras (EEEK)! I don't see much difference in caring for a goliath compared to a pissed off rosie aside from the size of the T.

Pixie

[K.Baker]

thnaks millions guys .
you guys a very helpfull and very genourous!
thanx again i will take all of it into carefull consideration .
i think i saw one of those acrilyc cages at port credit mabey tey would be the easiest way even thoe they are pricey it dont matter if it wil do the job best than that is what i have to have!
thanx again Kevin

[Tarcan]

Here is my opinion on the subject...

First, T. blondi spiderlings are fragile animals. A lot more then tiny hatchlings of A. geniculata or L. parahybana for exemple... Why is T. blondi such a good seller?!, because I see loads of people killing them with bad conditions and buying a new one all the time...

Of course, they are not impossible to raise for a newbie, as long as one knows how to take care of them properly...

There are three extremely important factors to consider:

1. Temperature: This is the most common mistake when raising T. blondi. People keep them too warm (often the case with a lot of other Ts, but T. blondi is a lot more sensible to this)... I keep mine never higher then 22 Celcius and let it drop in the 19-18 Celcius at night... You should not let it go over 24 Celcius for too long if you want to have great success... I have a special section in my spider room where I keep my higher altitude species that requires low temps, like M. mesomelas, P. subfusca, etc.

The two other factors are interelated...

2. Humidity and ventilation: T. blondi spiderlings will do a lot better in higher humidity environment. I keep mine around 90%. Now this is air humidity, that does not mean T. blondi is an aquatic animal like I have seen some people doing... you do not need a mud field to reach 90% humidity... but the tricky part is that T. blondi spiderlings are very sensible to low ventilation, they are a lot more prone to fungus growth on their legs that can lead to big problems... normally one will reduce ventilation to raise humidity, which is the wrong approach here... the good thing is that if you keep them at my suggested temparature, evaporation will occur a lot slower (obviously, if you keep them warmer, humidity will evaporate faster...) so you do not need to reduce the ventilation much to obtain the same humidity...

Now, you can decide whatever you want... but I have kept and successfully raised MANY T. blondi spiderlings with that method and never lost any. My approach is based on J. M. Verdez caresheet on the subject, and if you guys are not inclined to trust me, you might trust the guy who had over 300 succesfull breeding of over 40 species...

One common mistake in what I call the North American approach of the hobby is to confuse the "survivor" aspect of Ts... they will survive in many different environments... but are they really thriving and happy Ts? I have expressed my opinion on the subject on this board quite a while ago...

I hope this helps, good luck

Martin

[K.Baker]

thnax alot everybody i will be deffinatley studying all of you every words~!!
thanx tons and sorry again Aidan no hard feeling man~!!
i now understand that you were just trying to let me know they can be a handfull ~!!
But i will do everything in my power and hence everything i can buy to make this a easy a possible~!!

[Joozt]

One thing I missed in this (good) discussion is the water dish. Even when small I use a (small obviously) waterdish for my T. blondi. When it comes to molting, internal hydration is much more important than the environment humidity, since they need that internal moisture to let the old skin ease off the new skin.
Ow, and tarcan: Why do you think that your way is the best way? just that you never lost a blondi sling doesn't say that they are happy (which they ofcourse very well could be, but you just can't ask them). If a T is actively hunting prey down, molting regularly and without problems, I would say that's a happy T.
greetz,
Joost

[Dragoon]

Yes, I'm curious too....
What would indicate a thriving animal instead of a surviving animal?
I ask, because I'd like mine to do more than just survive...they make me happy by living here, I'd like to give what little I can back!
D.

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

We're all happy friends now, why was my stuff deleted? :P No more fighting over here, me and Kev are all good now :D.

Aidan

[Tarcan]

First, I never claimed my Ts were happy, if you read carefully, I never said so... what I meant is that we might be missing something by associating the fact our Ts surviving and being alive to a sufficiently acceptable result... it was an open question for reflexion... I may be wrong.

Again if you read carefully my post, I said my approach was based on J. M. Verdez caresheet for the species, and I will trust Mr. Verdez over pretty much anyone on any boards... I did not invent the technique, I just took tips from pretty much one of the world's top hobbyist!

"When it comes to molting, internal hydration is much more important than the environment humidity, since they need that internal moisture to let the old skin ease off the new skin. "

Yes, internal hydration is the most important, environment humidity will prevent the spider from dehydrating, that is the idea... I always provide water to drink, but I am not a bone dry philosophy hobbyist... where people are wrong is when they raise the humidity just prior to molting, useless... the most important period is the whole period between two molts, not the molt itself... if the spider is well kept, this will be a real joke...

For me, a happy T is a T that breeds... why is most of the breeding happening in Europe where hobbyists are trying to reproduce the natural environment of their animal? Compared to very few breeding where people keep their animals on bone dry conditions with a water bowl?

Everybody has their views and techniques, I mentionned the way I work. If I chose them is because I think they are the best for my animals. I could be wrong, I could be right but in any case I am always ready and open for better ways.

Martin

[Dragoon]

Thanks for the explanation, Martin!
Please don't be defensive, I , for one, greatly appreciate hearing your opinions on the lives of our pets. I respect the amount of research and thought you put into the hobby. It far outshadows that of the average keeper.
I had no idea that most of the breeding takes place over in Europe. And your assessment that sucessful breeding indicates a 'happier' animal is a good one. I think that is true of all taxa.

Thanks for giving me something to think about. I have read a lot of posts supporting the 'all they need is a water dish' method of keeping, and thought it sounded great...for the keeper.
I tried letting my T.blondi's cage dry out slowly, and ended up with a spider sitting in its waterbowl a lot of the time. I was afraid she had drowned once, and pulled her out with a gloved hand. She just slapped me for interrupting. I didn't like that so I have changed it.
Thanks much for posting.
D.

[Joozt]

Very good reply Martin. I never meant that your spiders are not happy, looks like you've put a lot more research than I into keeping spiders. I'm much more of an instinctive t-keeper, trying to see when a spider is happy and when not. I'm not at all a bone-dry-enthusiast, why should a spider (such as the blondi) which comes from the rainforests live on dry soil, that is only for the ease of keeping imo! The only spiders I really keep bone-dry are the G.rosea and P.murinus (ofcourse with a water dish). I try to take the best care possible, and check where they come from, but other than that I go by my instinct.
greetz,
Joost
ps. and I'm from europe;)

[K.Baker]

On the topic of the T.blondi?
Any body want a possible trade for a 1st or 2nd molt King Baboon?
Anybody interested i have been trying to track one down for ever but no luck ~!!
The Baboon is on pin heads right now but is very active and a great eater for the little thing that it is.No probs at all with this spider i am just set on having a Goliath more than anything if any one can help even if just for sale name your price and i would love to hear it~!!
thanx
Kev