Hi All,

I am a beginner and I would like to know if the cold weather could have any effect on the eating habits of my T's, I have an Avic Versisolor, Chaco Golden knee and Brachypema Boehmei...my Avic is munching away but my Chaco and Brachy really couldnt give a damn about the crickets...should I leave the crickets inside their containers, also I think my Brachy might me in the process of molting...

Please advise also can my T's get sick? And not eat? I am aware of the Avic A.S.D.S.

Yes, cold weather will definately have an effect on the tarantula.
The spider would probably become less active and therefore eat a lot less and increase its time between moults.

Is this a bad thing though? IMO, no. In the wild there would be cold spells and this I would think serves as a bit of a "recovery" period for the spider. I generally keep my spiders at room temperature, which means in the winter my spider room would drop to around 15 degrees I estimate. The spiders usually cut down on their feeding (Saving me from buying crickets/roaches) but also just giving them a break from their normal summer routine of eating and moulting. To add to this, when it comes to breeding my spiders, the cold spell comes in useful for the process that I use to breed them. Giving them seasons as they grow up to maturity also helps me in the breeding process I think. As long as you are comfortable with the temperature in the room without dressing like an eskimo, the spider will be fine.

As long as the temperature doesn't drop below 10 degrees for extended periods, the spider will be fine and eat less.

As for leaving crickets in, I would not recommend it (Especially if you think the spider is in premoult). If you need to, leave the cricket over night, but remove it the next morning if the spider hasn't eaten.

...how does a beginner get it's hands on A.versicolor? Just curious

I know Hendrijs just bred some but before that these were pretty hard to find. Anyway back on topic, Cerat summed it up nicely.

I however, try to keep slings that may be ready to molt in warmer temperatures as I definitely find through experience that I lose far too many slings to bad molts during winter. My house is pretty cold in winter though...

HeteroScuderia wrote: I however, try to keep slings that may be ready to molt in warmer temperatures as I definitely find through experience that I lose far too many slings to bad molts during winter. My house is pretty cold in winter though...

If you can slightly warm them up, you can, but if it is not possible, its not a train smash.

Had my Avic avic moult last night. Pretty sure it was the coldest night we have had in Centurion this year so far. She was also last given water around 2 months ago when I rehoused her, so her tank was pretty dry. Hardy little buggers.

Agree with Cerat :reallysick: . They do need a winter cycle as much as any other creature. I have 2 heat pads in my massive lizard tank I house all my T's in. At night the temperature drops to about 19 and during the day it's about 27. In my opinion it is ideal for them. In summer the temperature at night is about 22 and during the day 31 or so.

I have seen many keepers use heat lamps in a confined space and dont understand why they woke up to biltong in there enclosures. This is very true for small slings.

So dont overdue it! Its a good rule of thumb when it comes to T's. They are hardy and not baby's. I can assure you if you had to sit outside all night in the cold... you would end up dead long before your T's

Lol I have my contacts....my Avic was a pressie from a very good friend, and I know he will be reading this so again, Thank you for my lovely Avic lol...... :happy:

Thank you so much, I have great news my Brachypelma molted during the night, I left the heating pad on and I am assuming this helped with the molt.