Curly-Hair enclosure?

[Leos r gr8]

Hi everyone
My first Tarantula, a Curly hair will be arriving in the next few days. I have some knowledge from what I have read about, but most articles have very contrasting ideas about what is right. Could you guys please point me in the right direction with regards to the enclosure:
>Substrate(The most asthetically appealing please)
>Size of the cage
>Natural looking hides
>Water-must I provide it? If so, how: Spray/Bowl?

My spider is 4cm long, any ideas about how old it may be? At this size, how frequently must I feed it? What quantities of what feeder insects must I feed it?

Thanks

Liam

[Durban Keeper]

Your best bet is online caresheets. I would use cocopeat (bed a beast) as substrate. make it a few cm's deep as curly's love to burrow. I would use a crickets for africa tub or even maybe a 2lt ice cream container for now. use a glass tank if you like, I'm just trying to give you size indications. A treated piece of tree bark makes a lovely natural looking hide.
For now I would wet one corner of the enclosure's substrate, soon you can upgrade him to a shallow water bowel with little stones in (to prevent him from drowning!)

Age will depend on sex, boys will grow quicker then girl as far as I know. I Would feed it roaches (lobster) one appropriately sized every other day is cool.

Enjoy your new pet!
Good luck. They are extremely hardy, I'm sure you will be just fine!

Dean

[Karin]

I agree with Durban Keeper. I have a Curly, and they are beasts whe it somes to eating. An enclosure the size of a 2l iscream tun will be fine for the T. Floor space is more important than height as these guys are terrestrial. At 4cm, you could use a bottle cap as a waterdish. If you want to use something that is "aesthetically appealing" you could alsways add a few pebbles in the waterdish to keep it shallow. I use flower pots as hides - either the plastic kind of the ceramic ones, and they work fine. Any plastic plants that you get from petshops / nurseries and that has beeen boiled can be used to decorate your enclosure. Add enough sub, but at 4cm your Curly might not burrow, they normally only burrow as slings.

Enjoy your guy and post some pics!

[Leos r gr8]

Thanks so much guys! I got a brick of tha palm meat stuff and boiled it, placed some of it in the enclosure(A clear deli tub) and the T burrowed straight down into it! I will definetly post a few photos asap!

Thanks again for the replies guys

Liam

[Leos r gr8]

Finnaly got my act together and took some pics, he moulted yesterday so is looking bright and shiny!




Now to get that skinny little abdomen fattened up again!

[Leos r gr8]

[ClintonT]

Awesome man! Good luck with him/her. My Curly is a real feisty one. Each time I feed he gives the tweezers a good go, really quite funny. It is about 4-5cm now.

Regards
Clinton

[Karin]

Congrats! It will grow from a little blue dot to a feisty monster in no time!

[Leos r gr8]

Haha, thanks guys. I'm really happy with him

[Leos r gr8]

Lost my curlyhair yesterday Left home in a hurry and also left her terrarium lid not shut properly... one thing lead to another and she is gone.

[Ice Cold Milk]

... one thing lead to another and she is gone.

She is just missing?

check low, it's unlikely she will climb.
Check warm places first, like heat pads, appliances.
Then check drafty or wet places like doors, pipes, bathrooms.

[Leos r gr8]

Thanks ICM, ya... missing. I have looked everywhere, she was just so small she could fit into anything. Going to check again now.