Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 683

0 members and 683 guests
No Members online
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,904
Threads: 249,100
Posts: 2,572,078
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, GeneticArtist

A few questions

Printable View

  • 04-07-2013, 03:39 AM
    CDH
    A few questions
    I did a lot of research into BPs but some questions seemed to have multiple answers and some I just can't seem to find at all.

    I bought a Spider BP a month ago and a few days ago she started acting very, what I would call, strange. She started almost darting from one end of her tank to the other very quickly, then she started to rub her face all over her bowl, climb, and hide. A few hours later she began the same rubbing of her face on the glass. That's when I noticed she was rubbing it very hard. I haven't had her very long but the behavior has me a little on edge and watching her constantly. I'm aware of mites and other issues and have checked her over time and time again. I thought it seemed to be shed like behavior but he day I went in and first started to look into buying her I was informed she had just shed the week before (which I'm not sure I believe) but yet she shed a week after I brought her home. So now here it is three weeks later and I'm curious, could she be shedding again already?

    Her temps and humidity are great. I keep a close eye on them. I feed her one mid size mouse once a week. One thing that worries me is I changed her substrate last week before all this started. I asked another BP owner if it was safe to use and was given the go ahead. It's "Exo Terra Moss Mat". Not real moss, just a mat that simulates it and helped to keep her tanks humidity up. I was advised to give her a "dry" spot to go when she wanted it and did that as well. I hope someone can give me some advice.

    I should add that the rubbing/darting issue lasted only a day. Now she seems to be rather sluggish. She's stopped spending her night time trying to pop the top off and get out and just sits around.

    Second question is how often should her tank be fully cleaned? I don't want to over do it seeing as I over clean just about everything. I've been cleaning it out fully once a week. Substrate, tank, hide, and all.
  • 04-07-2013, 09:52 AM
    Inarikins
    What are your temps and humidity and how are you measuring them? Have you been handling her? I'd be worried about her always having damp under her, as that can lead to scale rot. I'd switch to repti-bark or eco-earth where it holds humidity but isn't actively wet.

    Generally a complete tank change and clean is recommended for once a month, with spot-cleaning in there as well.
  • 04-07-2013, 03:13 PM
    CDH
    Re: A few questions
    80F with 60-65% Humidity. I use the temp and humidity gauges from Petco that they suggested I buy. I do handle her but possibly not as much as I should? I get her out and let her crawl around on me and the bed about once a week. I was handling her more at first but she seemed to get nervous and would regurgitate her food so I slacked off a little.

    The mat doesn't stay wet or damp, at least that I can feel. Which could mean nothing, I may just not be able to tell. I was using reptile carpet but the humidity seemed to keep dropping. I'll pick up the stuff you suggested though. I decided against it because I was worried she might ingest it while she feeds. She's a tad sloppy when she strikes and sometimes has issues with eating after she's done constricting. I do have a tub I could feed her in instead.
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1