I have a few questions about care for a T. stirmi. I have looked everywhere and just keep finding conflicting information. My girl is about 3 1/2" and I have her in a plastic shoebox style container (12 x 8) with 3 1/4" holes on each corner on the lid, none on the sides. There is about 3 inch of Eco Earth in it. She has a suitable size burrow as well. There is also some moss and a water dish. I have a hydrometer in there (I know they aren't the most reliable though) and it shows 70% humidity. I know they aren't as moisture dependent as a T. blondi, but I want to make sure she has enough if not too much. Also, how much should she be eating? On one website I read about little clay balls (I can't remember what they are called) to put on the bottom, cover with water and put the Eco Earth on top. Anyone ever used these?
And while I'm at it, I also just got a C. schiodtei and a P. nigricolor and can't find any info on them either.
Thanks for any help...its greatly appreciated!!

Here are some pics of the T. stirmi's lid and enclosure

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Using a bottom substrate which just holds water will allow you to keep the bottom layers of water holding substrate (Eco-Earth in your case) at 100% saturation. The substrate will then dry towards the top, giving you a humidity gradient to the top of ambient humidity. If your room humidity is 60% then you have a gradient from 100 to 60%, but with those small holes, you probably have 100% to 85% honestly... The point is that a gradient is the way to go, it allows the animal to pick a level it is most comfortable at. I would add that using a very deep substrate in conjunction with a dampness gradient by adding water via 1/2" PVC will remove all concerns you have over humidity. Let the animal decide, which is how I keep nearly all my animals. I water down the side, soaking the bottom substrate, and keeping the surface dry. The burrower then can pick a depth. And I also do not have to fight as many annoyances, such as fungus or gnats or mites. By the way, those are all harmless, but sometimes annoying to look at.

If you'd like to read more, I suggest reading posts on here or arachnoboards by long term members or those with post counts over a few hundred. Also, keep asking questions. No one is an expert in all 950+ species and their care and breeding.

Lastly, a deep substrate with the gradient will work for those other species too, although I would let the Asian species dry out a bit more.

Christian

Thank you so much for the info Christian. Should I have more holes in the lid?

I think those are fine if you let the surface dry down a bit.

I can tell you a little more about C. schioedtei, as I just recently became addicted to them.

Treat them like an arboreal Haplopelma. Meaning that you'll want the same kind of dampness/humidity, but in addition to providing enough room to burrow, also make sure that you have adequate ventilation and a means for your spider to climb. In their native habitat, they're often found in tree hollows, or at the base of trunks. You don't need a ton of height, just enough to give it the option of climbing, burrowing, or both.

Hope this helps! They're gorgeous spiders!!

Jen

Sounds like a good cage. Young T's are aggressive feeders provided the prey isn't too big; they've got to get up to size fast to survive.

Depending on the spider's size, I use disposable 3 oz and 1 oz plastic soufle cups for water bowls, as inevitably either a cricket dies in the bowl or the spider relieves itself there, and it's better to be able to throw the bowl away. You don't want a bacteria build up and you can't use bleach or cleaning fluids. For hatchlings I use the plastic tops from water bottles (start saving yours!).