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Tank size. I'm used to reptile cages.

clffdvr Aug 15, 2007 11:01 AM

I'm concerned that my T might be at a disadvantage in his ten-gallon tank.

I read that an adult Red-Kneed can live just fine in a 12" X 12" x 12" cage. To me that screams "Too small!!" But I'm ignorant about T's. Perhaps they are evolved to sit at their burrows and ambush a beetle six times per year. In that case, cage size would not matter because they do not have an in-bred nature to hunt over a large area. Is that the reason they can tolerate small tanks?

I imagine I would build a box with five 12" (or 16" sides, and one clear acrylic front. I would fill it with six inches of peat. Does that sound good?

Roger

Replies (3)

TheVez2 Aug 16, 2007 08:05 AM

>>I'm concerned that my T might be at a disadvantage in his ten-gallon tank.
>>
>>I read that an adult Red-Kneed can live just fine in a 12" X 12" x 12" cage. To me that screams "Too small!!" But I'm ignorant about T's. Perhaps they are evolved to sit at their burrows and ambush a beetle six times per year. In that case, cage size would not matter because they do not have an in-bred nature to hunt over a large area. Is that the reason they can tolerate small tanks?
>>
>>I imagine I would build a box with five 12" (or 16" sides, and one clear acrylic front. I would fill it with six inches of peat. Does that sound good?
>>
>>Roger

12" cubed, seems a bit small for an adult smithi. But probably not by much. An adult can have a legspan of 6-8". The general rule for size is 1.5Xlegspan for width and height and 2.5Xlegspan for length.

Yes, they are adapted to sit in their burrows and wait, they rarely move more than 2 ft from their burrow entrance in the wild.

Didn't we cover all this just a few posts ago?
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KJ Vezino
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clffdvr Aug 16, 2007 10:28 AM

Yes we did go over this already. But then I read again about habitat size, that stated New World T's can't do well in a five-gallon habitat. That article said that a "large" habitat is 12" X 12" X 12". That seems kind of small, but I'm helpless as a newbie to written info. I combat that by asking questions. So I asked about it again. There is conflicting info out there. Sorry,I don't mean to bombarge the forum with different forms of the same question.

14 years ago my wife let my 15 year-old son buy two tiny little neon-green lizards. Little did she know what she was in for. She certainly didn't want a fifteen pound lizard in the house. He kept them in the cage together, and they fought over the prime spots in the cage. Plus he didn't keep the cage cleaned of feces. So I took over, and in the Internet found out what iguanas *really* need to survive in captivity. Over the next fourteen years I became just short of an expert on keeping Green Iguanas. If I had memorized the different medicines and the doses per kilogram, and learned what the values in the blood sample report means, I would truly be an expert. I'm starting at rock-bottom with T's, and you-all are helping me a lot. I thank you for that, because I know newbies can be a bit tiring. I hang out at a few iguana forums just for the purpose of catching the newbies and giving them advice that seems so pedestrian to the other members, while it is brand-new important info to the newbie.

Again, I sincerely thank you for your help.

Roger

TheVez2 Aug 16, 2007 12:25 PM

No worries, I'll explain it over and over if it'll help. I treat T forums the same way you do the iggy forums. Always here to help.

And yes there is a lot of conflicting advice out there, find 5 sources and you're likely to find 6 different opinions.

The hobby is still relatively new and there really isn't a lot of science to it. One person's findings or opinions will not always work for another.

That thing about new world Ts and a 5 gallon is wierd. New world Ts range from 2" full grown to 12" full grown. So to use a blanket statement about the use of a 5 gallon tank is just bogus. a 5 gallon would be perfectly suited for any new world terrestrial species with a full grown legspan of up to about 5 or so. Much bigger and you'd want to look into a 10 gallon. After 8-9" then you'd go to a 20 gallon, or custom built.
-----
KJ Vezino
My Gallery

American Tarantula Society
British Tarantula Society
Nebraska Tarantula Enthusiasts Club
Wiccan Tarantula Circle

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