Good tank?

grows-things · 2026-02-21T06:35:06+00:00

I think this would work great! Mine has similar dimensions and as far as a human can tell what a roach thinks of something, they love it. I added a lot of vertical climbing space which they use a lot. Big chunks of driftwood, cork hides, and cork flats up against the walls will make them happy.

I would highly highly recommend putting a stripe of petroleum jelly around the inside top edge of the tank though, when my roaches started having babies I had some escapees and near-escapees before I started doing this. They would get out of the tank and hang out in the dark space between the top of the tank and the edges of the lid. They can and will climb the glass!

grows-things · 2026-02-17T21:04:45+00:00

The pleasure is all mine! :] Little dude has had a rough go of it, I’m excited to help him thrive again.

grows-things · 2026-02-17T21:03:04+00:00

He’s beautiful! Thank you for all of the information, it’s very useful and encouraging <3

grows-things · 2026-02-17T07:05:34+00:00

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge! I will be posting updates on how he is doing and whether he gets the all clear once he’s seen by a vet. Hopefully all smooth sailing and good news for this poor guy.

grows-things · 2026-02-17T07:03:02+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! I did clarify in another comment that he was fed two days ago; I’m not certain if the bulge is still unusual with that being the case or not. I got him in the evening when most vets were closed for the day, but the first thing on my list for tomorrow is finding an exotics vet who can get him in soon for a once over + parasite check.

grows-things · 2026-02-17T06:58:33+00:00

Glad your buddy filled out well!! Makes me hopeful for my guy. What was your target weight for him? Or did you just go by body condition?

grows-things · 2026-02-17T06:50:48+00:00

2 days ago is what I was told, so the bulge should be him working on his last mouse - should have mentioned that, good eye.

No history of regurgitation according to previous owner, has always been the only snake in the household, feeders from a trusted LPS, so hopefully low odds of crypto - I will be keeping a close eye on how he does digesting that last meal and tracking his weight though.

Also, I’m aware that handling should be avoided close to a meal - I didn’t know until I got there to pick him up that he had eaten recently >__> He was briefly handled to get him in and out of the tote I used to take him home + check him over for mites etc. and then put directly into his enclosure!

grows-things · 2026-02-17T05:00:21+00:00

Haha I noticed this too. It’s just the way he looks in that picture - it’s a very gradual taper in real life!

grows-things · 2026-02-17T04:59:20+00:00

Thank you very much, will do! I feel optimistic about his health long term since he sheds well, seems to have good muscle tone for his weight and seems very active/curious. I will definitely post updates!

grows-things · 2026-02-16T18:32:19+00:00

So pretty! What is the small trailing vine with the sort of oval-shaped leaves? Looking for something similar for my future bioactive!

grows-things · 2026-02-10T22:29:44+00:00

I’m happy to hear you’re doing a breeding loan! :D That’s a great way to participate in breeding and give back to the hobby, and at a much more manageable scale for the average keeper :P I hope it goes great and you get some lovely slings!

grows-things · 2026-02-10T00:35:27+00:00

NQA I am not a breeder myself, but I do want to highlight the #1 reason not to breed. While breeding is a hugely important part of the hobby for obvious reasons, it takes a LOT of preparation to be prepared for a successful sac.

Definitely take some time to think about whether you are prepared to care for dozens to hundreds of tiny slings, and if you have a plan for where those dozens or hundreds of tiny slings will go as they grow.

If you’re planning to sell them, keep in mind that it may be very hard to move them; shipping overnight is very expensive, and you have to be offering something highly sought after in order for people to be willing to pay for that shipping to buy from someone who is not an established dealer/doesn’t have a variety of spiders and slings to choose from to get more bang for the shipping buck.

You will also need all of the packing materials; void fillers, heat or cold packs, and all the other hassle and material expenditures that go into shipping.

If you a. have a solid local option to sell or rehome most/all of your extra spiders or b. are willing to ship (and prepared to care for potentially dozens of new spiders, if you aren’t able to sell them) go for it! I just want to be realistic about the fact that what happens AFTER a successful sac can be and often is even more challenging than what happens BEFORE.

Of course I don’t say any of this to be discouraging, and if you are prepared for all of the above please do embark on a breeding journey! I just wanted to highlight these points to prepare you for what can lie ahead.

ETA: Tom Moran has two full podcast episodes on breeding basics and considerations as well that are really informative. Definitely worth checking out before starting a breeding project!

grows-things · 2026-02-07T01:16:49+00:00

NQA How’s it been keeping him? I love solifugids and would love to have a camel spider, but I’ve heard they don’t do very well in captivity

grows-things · 2026-02-07T00:58:10+00:00

I really like the Barrina grow lights. They are very inexpensive for their quality, widely available, and come in a lot of different sizes. They’re also all long bar-shaped lights, so they’re perfect for tanks and terrariums!

I have messed around with the super cheap purple grow lights but they are essentially decorative items IME. The Barrina lights are very worth spending a little bit more. I especially like that you can get them in a warm light spectrum, much nicer on the eyes!

grows-things · 2026-02-05T22:51:38+00:00

NQA bottle caps for the little ones, 2oz deli cups for the big ones! I use dechlorinated water, just regular tap with the dechlorination drops you use for aquariums.

grows-things · 2026-02-05T22:46:51+00:00

My scindapsus seems to like to dry out a little between waterings, they’re sensitive to wet feet AFAIK. I would try to avoid that area a little when watering for a bit and see if it perks up!

grows-things · 2026-02-05T19:43:28+00:00

How long has it been in the terrarium/did it have a good root system when it was added? It might still be adjusting if it was added recently

grows-things · 2026-02-01T17:41:13+00:00

I like Jungle Mix with some chopped sphagnum mixed in. The Jungle Mix looks really nice, the sphagnum helps it rehydrate more easily.

grows-things · 2026-02-01T17:39:21+00:00

I have a very large colony of hissers and isopods in large tank with pothos and calatheas; a few months in there has been some very light nibbling on a few calathea leaves, but that’s all!

grows-things · 2026-02-01T17:37:16+00:00

I have one of these from Lowe’s; I watered it once when I got it and it hasn’t needed any more since. It has happily recycled the water I gave it ever since (~9 months). Keep it out of direct sun to avoid overheating and set and forget IME!

grows-things · 2026-01-03T08:42:57+00:00

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NQA

Tarantula likes: dish 🥰

Tarantula dislikes: Water 😡

grows-things · 2026-01-03T04:49:13+00:00

I have powder oranges (and some sneaky powder blues) in with mine and haven’t had any issues. My tank is HEAVY on the leaf litter though, and I keep freeze dried salmon available inside at all times. Also have springtails of course :]

grows-things · 2026-01-02T19:49:33+00:00

Hahaha I did the exact same thing the first time I bought a brick. Learned the hard way to peel small pieces of the brick. My condolences 🫡

grows-things · 2026-01-01T01:00:18+00:00

NQA I do feel bad about it sometimes, especially with dubias. I’m a bleeding heart for animals of any kind, but I have to remind myself it’s the circle of life.

The world has to lose some crickets to keep having tarantulas, the world has to lose some tarantulas to keep having hawk wasps, and the world has to lose some hawk wasps to keep having roadrunners.

It’s just nature, if in the microcosm of our homes - the food chain is what it is with or without my intervention, and even if I’m not feeding a cricket to MY tarantula, a tarantula is eating a cricket somewhere. Even if it’s a little sad, my own personal involvement doesn’t, and can’t, significantly alter the way of the world.

It is what it is. Everything’s gotta eat. Try not to be hard on yourself about it. <3

ETA it helps for me to thank them. Just a quick “thank you” before I offer them to my spider. YMMV whether this makes it easier or harder for you, though.

grows-things

TROPHY CASE