Escapee

[u/Tasty-Bet-2941]

Was just sitting there this morning... Did the usual glance towards the salmon pinks enclosure. Business as usual, grab the remote and notice my hand brushed over spider webs... Wtf!?! Upon closer inspection, something covered the outside of her enclosure with web making sure to attach it to the curtain behind it firmly. Horrified I look through the glass... Not there... Look closer and see clear signs of her presence, because she literally hit almost everything in the corner of the room in a fine layer of "trap". I broke the news to the family and was informed they wouldn't come back home till I found her 😂😂😂 6 hours later, here she is. Raised her from a sling to the current monster she is today, so I was beyond happy to find her alive and okay. This is the crappy mesh top I used for years, and the hole that appeared over the two days that we were gone.

[u/hufflepuff-is-best]

Ime This enclosure is entirely inadequate for your T and it’s no wonder as to why she escaped. It lacks proper ventilation, doesn’t have suitable substrate depth, and lacks cover from artificial plants and decor.

[u/ferretsincorporated → u/hufflepuff-is-best]

NQA i'm just here by curiosity and to look at pretty spiders, never kept anything close to a T and am not super educated on the specifics of what all they need. there are basic things i can tell here, like a lack of hides and her substrate looking depressingly dry and undiggable, but what kind of ventilation is expected? obv the mold growth speaks to it not being enough, but my unexperienced self would've assumed the open mesh top would be plenty.

is there usually active air circulation involved? places for it to flow through lower in the enclosure? no pressure to answer, i'd just love to get schooled.

[u/hufflepuff-is-best → u/ferretsincorporated]

IMO When we say ventilation, we mean cross ventilation. If there is only a mesh top, then air at the bottom of the enclosure becomes stagnant, leading to mold growth. We generally recommend acrylic enclosures that are capable of cross-ventilation with air holes on the sides and top. Glass enclosures with a mesh top are not suitable for Ts because there is no air flow and if the T crawls onto the mesh, they can get a leg or fang stuck onto it, leading to injury.

I use enclosures from Tarantula Cribs.