ok so i have a new lasiodora parahybana and was wondering how often i should clean her enclosure.i use a mixture of vermiculite (80%) and top-soil (20%) for the substrate.I keep it at about 70-80% humidity with the aid of a sponge and water dish.i feed it a small cricket everyday.I noticed that the tank just really stinks now.so getting to the point, how often should i clean it?i don‘t want to disturb the stress level of my spider by removing it from it‘s enclosure and wrecking her burrow to clean out cricket husks every day.so rather than, how often should i clean the enclosure, i guess i‘m really asking on how should i clean the enclosure?a lot of internet sources give me different advice.i was wondering on getting help from someone who has had a brazilian salmon pink bird eating spider and would like to pass on the knowledge.
I have an L. Difficilis which is similar to L. Parahybana. None of my spiders' habitats ever stink, and I never clean their habitat because spiders are so clean naturally. If your spider's habitat stinks it could be a few things. The sponge could be harboring some sort of fungus, I don't recommend sponges for this reason (and they are a good breeding ground for parasites). Instead I use a shallow water dish with pebbles in it so that the spider doesn't drown. To create humidity and keep my spiders hydrated I mist one half of their habitat lightly dampening the substrate every third day. You are in my opinion over-feeding your spider. My L. Difficilis is big 8 female and I still only feed her one cricket a day over the weekend, meaning one at a time. Thus Friday, Saturday and Sunday she gets a cricket. Then nothing for another week. That way you avoid the spider refusing the cricket and winding up with dead crickets in the habitat (which are the source of foul smells). My smaller spiders get one cricket a week (I am consistent and usually feed all of them on Saturday). If the cricket is not immediately eaten I remove it shortly thereafter. If you leave a cricket in the habitat for too long it may feed on the spider. I would advise you to remove the spider and replenish the substrate. I do not recommend sand. Coconut husk or even better vermiculite substrate. Please feel free to email me if you have any other questions.
No. Just make sure you do have your exhaust manifold installed, and try to run as much exhaust pipe down below the floorboard. Carbon monoxide is what I would worry the most about.
you get so detailed! not needed, well in my opinion. tarantulas are wonderful keeps because they are so hardy and easy to care for. ruin her burrow, shell make another, it happens. if you need to then do so. I just used some spanish moss for my ground, but you have a burrowing spider so i think sand should actually work better. and probobaly hold less smells and what not. Alls you need to do is remove the T, moving her to another tank. and replace the groundingbedding, floor, whatever you want to call it. clean out her burrow, dead cricket build up inside the tank is whats causing the smell most likely. and you dont need to feed it once a day. actually a couple crickets every couple days or so is just fine. mine hasnt eatn in a few months (by choice, ive tried feeding her, its just what they do / ) feeding less often will keep smell down hopefully because less waste.
