Cobalt Tarantula Care?

Kavyrie · 09-21-12, 05:27 AM

I'm getting a Cobalt Tarantula for free, someone dropped him off at Petco so I'm going to adopt him cause no one seems to want him and he has been there a while. I know they need high humidity, (like 75%-80% from what I have read) but is there anything else I need to know to keep him/her healthy? I was planning on getting a 10G tank for him, would that be alright? I'm no tarantula expert, so any advice would be great!

Tango · 09-21-12, 05:41 AM

They like to burrow, so I would recommend the 10 gallon be filled at least half way with eco earth. The more substrate, the better for these guys.

Other than high humidity and lots of substrate, a shallow water dish is really all they need. Any other decor is more for you than it is for the spider.

I'm sure you already know they are a hands-off species, as they are quite defensive.

Enjoy your new creepy crawly!

SpOoKy · 09-21-12, 07:33 AM

High humidity and deep deep substrate. congratulations of you pet hole lol, That's about all you will see of him

Falconeer999 · 09-21-12, 08:13 AM

I've nothing to add - but I do have a question. How do you clean the cages for these guys? I see it's a "hands off" species, but how do you dig it out to change the substrate? Or do you just leave the poop and other remnants in there to decay over time and just pop the cover a little to toss in some crickets every now and then?

Just curious.

Tango · 09-21-12, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falconeer999

I've nothing to add - but I do have a question. How do you clean the cages for these guys? I see it's a "hands off" species, but how do you dig it out to change the substrate? Or do you just leave the poop and other remnants in there to decay over time and just pop the cover a little to toss in some crickets every now and then?

Just curious.

Well, the feces is white and easy to see. It's normally pretty simple to spot clean with a tooth brush or any long handled tool. Cricket parts and other funk can be pulled out with long handled tongs or something similar. As long as the enclosure is spot cleaned, there is little need to change all the substrate. A 10 gallon tank is a big space for a little spider and it wont get very messy at all with spot cleaning.

DragonsEye · 09-21-12, 10:54 AM

Do keep in mind that when "spot cleaning" use a long handled spoon or hemostat. While they typically will dive deeper into their burrow to hide from a disturbance, some are territorial enough to come charging out and attacking the "intruder".

As has been mentioned, they are almost always "pet holes" meaning that you will likely rarely see any sign of it. If you're lucky it will sit near the entrance with a couple legs visible in the entrance.

A 5 gal tank will likely be big enough though if you check around on things like Freecycle or at thrift stores like Goodwill you might find a free or really cheap 10gal.

Wildside · 09-21-12, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Do keep in mind that when "spot cleaning" use a long handled spoon or hemostat. While they typically will dive deeper into their burrow to hide from a disturbance, some are territorial enough to come charging out and attacking the "intruder".

As has been mentioned, they are almost always "pet holes" meaning that you will likely rarely see any sign of it. If you're lucky it will sit near the entrance with a couple legs visible in the entrance.

A 5 gal tank will likely be big enough though if you check around on things like Freecycle or at thrift stores like Goodwill you might find a free or really cheap 10gal.

I had one like this when I was a noob at keeping spiders. I hated that thing! I can't tell you how many time it tried to run up my arm and almost gave me a heart attack. Not to scare you or discourage you because I don't like spiders, just conveying that they can be aggressive.

rmfsnakes32 · 09-21-12, 12:00 PM

We had a rose haired T and she had a great personality and loved crawling up our arms and hanging out on our shoulders! Got me over my fear of spiders! We got her from craigslist have no idea how old she was but lived 3 years for us. It was really cool to watch her eat and the way they shed their exoskeleton is so neat scared the crap out of me the 1st time I thought I had a 2nd spider in the cage!

Tango · 09-21-12, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildside

I had one like this when I was a noob at keeping spiders. I hated that thing! I can't tell you how many time it tried to run up my arm and almost gave me a heart attack. Not to scare you or discourage you because I don't like spiders, just conveying that they can be aggressive.

As DragonsEye mentioned, they are likely to retreat to their burrow. But using a 10 gallon enclosure (as Kavyrie mentioned) will provide more reaction time if something similar were to happen.

They sure are lightning fast. That's why we have two eyes...one for the maintenance task at hand and one for the spider!

DragonsEye · 09-21-12, 12:37 PM

As long as it only has one entrance to its burrow (and yes sometimes the ornery buggers will make a backdoor for themselves), you can also try covering the entrance during cleanings with a solid sturdy object if you can find one that is not so heavy as to collapse the burrow. Knew a fellow who would cover his T's burrow entrance with a glass lid from a small crock pot when it was time for a tank cleaning. The substrate around the burrow was packed enough that the lid wouldn't collapse the burrow, but far too heavy for the T to push it out of the way. And the lid being clear allowed him to see if the T was at the entrance ready to pounce once the barrier was removed.

Btw, if you wish to try to influence where exactly your new T has its burrow, you can sink a section of PVC pipe in the soil with one of the open ends at the surface. Cobalts will often use such for a starter burrow.

Needless to say, have the tank ready before the T's arrival. When you open the container, do so IN the tank, preferably with the container ON or close (an inch or so) to the substrate's surface -- not high above it. (Unlike insects such as roaches, crickets and such, Ts are very soft bodied creatures. It does not take much of a fall to cause them serious injury or death.) Loosen the lid but don't remove it completely -- especially if the T seems aggitated. Instead use a hemostat to lift the lid off. If the cobalt makes no move to leave the container, no problem. Just close the tank and leave it be. In all likelihood the T will climb out of its own volition.

Tango · 10-01-12, 11:40 AM

How did it go with the new arrival? Update???

Kavyrie · 10-01-12, 06:44 PM

He stole a fishcup lid and a toothbrush from an associate! lmfao Apparently he is rather territorial. But they were also poking at him to get him out on the floor. The manager is going to keep him out on display and see if anyone buys him, if not he is coming home with me. We sold some things and had the space to put him on the floor.

DragonsEye · 10-01-12, 08:13 PM

Are they at least giving the poor thing a hide? It is EXTREMELY stressful for this type of spider to be forced to stay out in the open.

Kavyrie · 10-02-12, 06:07 AM

Yes we have a hide and a fake plant in there. He seems to prefer staying up in the corner above the temp/humidity gauges.

DragonsEye · 10-02-12, 04:49 PM

Odd. Is there some sort of heat source under the tank?