# Avicularia and humidity



## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Most of the caresheets on the internet concerning Avicularia almost always state that they must be kept in a high humidity environment with several mistings per week. 

There is also something that some people call SADS (Sudden Avic Death Syndrome) which is just another name for husbandry error by the hobbyist. 

Avicularia slings have also got a bad name due to a large percentage of them dying, supposedly for no reason. 
Generally the reason why they die is because some hobbyists fail to supply one important thing. . . . Ventilation. 
The lack of ventilation combined with high humidity = stale stagnant air. Which is the main reason why avic slings die.

I very rarely lose Avic slings, probably because I keep them dry with multiple ventilation holes at all levels of the tubs to provide cross ventilation, from a few mm above the substrate level up to the tubs rim and in the lid. 

I NEVER mist or spray the tubs, preferring to use a syringe (from local chemist. . 50p) to squirt water directly onto the webbing once per week.





A few months ago after talking to a friend about this subject, I decided to do a little experiment with a large Avic versicolor sling regarding water and humidity.

I put the versicolor sling into a clean empty tub with multiple holes on all sides with a cardboard toilet roll. Thats it. Nothing else.

The sling was fed once every two weeks with a small red runner roach and taken out once per week and allowed to drink from a milk bottle top.

No other water was allowed nor was any put into the empty tub by misting etc. The ambient humidity was not measured. 
Temperature average was 25C but went up as high as 32C and as low as 21C

Guess what ? Despite only having one drink per week and living in totally dry conditions with NO misting or spraying, the Avic versicolor grew and moulted three times with no problems. 

How long has the versicolor been kept in these conditions ? . . .4 1/2 months. . . 20 weeks (28th April) which kinda of shows how badly the so called caresheets are wrong. 
I will be moving the versicolor this week back into a 'normal' tub with substrate and bark.



Notice the multiple ventilation holes at all levels.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

PeterUK said:


> Most of the caresheets on the internet concerning Avicularia almost always state that they must be kept in a high humidity environment with several mistings per week.
> 
> There is also something that some people call SADS (Sudden Avic Death Syndrome) which is just another name for husbandry error by the hobbyist.
> 
> ...


ronald baxter once told me during a phone call, that he has seen avics thriving in a tree in the middle of a dry field in venezuela, where the humidity was at semi-arid levels. & i have had for the past 3 months a large juv versi in an upended petpal, & i rarely remember to mist- she has moulted once already, & feeds ravenously.


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## russm (Aug 28, 2009)

Great post mate. 

I just picked up my first acid sling yesterday and was keen to see what people thoughts were on the death syndrome.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

Very informative : victory:


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## dragon's den (Oct 6, 2010)

russm said:


> Great post mate.
> 
> I just picked up my first acid sling yesterday and was keen to see what people thoughts were on the death syndrome.


Mind it doesn't burn your hands.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

dragon's den said:


> Mind it doesn't burn your hands.


What if it craps in your eyes ?


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## dragon's den (Oct 6, 2010)

Veyron said:


> What if it craps in your eyes ?


Crumble a rennie into them.


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## russm (Aug 28, 2009)

dragon's den said:


> Mind it doesn't burn your hands.


Stupid predictive text. :lol2:


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## Smudge375 (Dec 22, 2012)

Interesting read.
I've never had an Avic die on me. I mist and for larger Avics I do keep a water bowl in with them but I do have lots of ventilation holes from top to bottom of their containers as well as on top.


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

I agree ventilation is key keep mine the same as you can see below plenty of ventilation not had any problems


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

When i kept avics they were always dry and sprayed once a week and allowed to dry out naturally. Never lost one either


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## SeaMilk (Aug 5, 2013)

Its funny you say this my friend has had a Avic Avic adult in a 30x30 cube and dry as a bone except syringing the web once a week and has been fine for almost 2.5 years now


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

I think most spiders do fine with low humidity if they are fed often. They get liquid from the prey items. 

If you stop feeding for 6 months, I suppose it'd be a different story.


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## NikDan (Aug 31, 2013)

I lost a avic purpurea last week i was gutted as he was my first avic it had plenty of ventilation but i did used to mist 2-3 times a week one morning it was just very sluggish and struggled to cling onto the side of the tub. It curled up and died later that night. Im going to do as you say with my two other avics with a small waterbowl in the bottom of the enclosure and feed twice a week and see how it goes.


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## HowseR21 (Nov 5, 2011)

First of all, apoligies for the thread revival, not too old I suppose so I can get away with that  

So I'm getting a couple of Avic.Versicolor slings on wednesday and I found these containers that I had some sweets in last easter. Love the shape and they're strong plastic and nice and clear.

As mentioned in this thread about cross ventilation I've gone stab happy with the sewing needle and put in a lot of ventilation as I don't want stale air.

I'm planning on putting some substrate in the bottom.....Spider life or Coco fibre?

And a few bits of decor such as cork bark/plants for it to construct a web between or on.

Could someone please tell me if they think the containers look ok or should I change them in any way. I'm always open to constructive critisism : victory:


Side ventilation, all the way round in a similiar pattern:











Top ventilation












So the best way to keep avics hydrated is to just squirt a bit of water onto their web a couple times a week? If someone could just confirm this all to me that would put my mind at rest :no1:


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## NikDan (Aug 31, 2013)

Those containers look great to me plenty of ventilation and enough height. I use 50/50 for all my substrate so its up to you wont really matter considering you wont be misting substrate and they wont be using it. I just very lightly mist the opposite side of my avics enclosures once a week if that.


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## HowseR21 (Nov 5, 2011)

NikDan said:


> Those containers look great to me plenty of ventilation and enough height. I use 50/50 for all my substrate so its up to you wont really matter considering you wont be misting substrate and they wont be using it. I just very lightly mist the opposite side of my avics enclosures once a week if that.


Ah cool cool, I'm just stuck between misting one side or wacking a few drops on the web.... I've got 3 slings coming in a day or 2 and I don't want any deaths. After all It would be my fault should any die... :/


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## Hakase (Oct 4, 2013)

i know its a different species but what about E.cyanognathus aka blue fang?

My avics seem fine, but my blue fang keeps coming out of her burrow and goes in a death curl....then i mist her like mad and she recovers. Rince repeat every month or so....she is doing fine but if i dont "hold her hand she would die"

any tips or advice. also kept well ventilated and fairly moist. maybe too moist? i really dont know with her....she is super fast and normally in her self build burrow and never seen.


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

I keep mine in the same container as Rikki446. I have plenty of ventilation holes in the actual container but I have cut the center of the lid away and glued in some mesh. I only spray once a week and have had no losses.


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## DrummyGooders (Aug 18, 2013)

Got my first Avic a month or so ago. Veriscolour, L2, about 1 cm.

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...ure206433-avicularia-versicolour-l2-jules.jpg

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...ure206434-avicularia-versicolour-l2-jules.jpg

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...06445-avicularia-versicolour-l2-jules-her.jpg

When I first got her I only had a glass cube about 3x3x3" to put her in, but it didn't have much ventillation in there. After doing my reading I knew I had to get her a better home, so I got a small plastic food jar with a screw lid, went stab happy with a heated paperclip and put lots of vent holes in. I don't mist but about once a week I put a little water in the opposite side of where she normally hangs out. She's seems fine and has been eating well. So yeah it seems the Avics are not as moisture dependant as people make out.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

HowseR21 said:


> First of all, apoligies for the thread revival, not too old I suppose so I can get away with that
> 
> So I'm getting a couple of Avic.Versicolor slings on wednesday and I found these containers that I had some sweets in last easter. Love the shape and they're strong plastic and nice and clear.
> 
> ...


I would if i was you cut part of the lid out and cover with mesh


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Pipe gauze is great for this kind of thing as it's small. 50p for a pack of 5


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

Update 

While feeding the collection on Dec 14th last year I had a 1 inch Avicularia diversipes do a runner under the shelving units. 
I saw it about a week later walking between the large planted tanks but ran behind them before i could catch it.
Tonight while checking on a few new additions I noticed a websock on the side of my AF P ornata's tank. 
A careful moving of the tank next to it and a catch cup and a not very pleased Avic diversipes was back in its jar. 

The 1 incher was now a 2 incher :2thumb:

That is just over 8 weeks without any water or food, also due to the heating being supplied by an oil filled radiator, the ambient humidity is very low (not measured)
Since Dec 25th the temperature has been turned down to 20F, dropping a few times to 18F at night.

So yet again it seem the 'care sheets' are misleading and/or wrong : victory:
and this is after someone recently was telling me that Avic diversipes were a delicate species :lol2:


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## AchatinaAchatina (Jan 22, 2014)

This is awesome Peter, thanx ***9786;


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## fazzer (Jul 19, 2009)

*Humidity*

Here you on the ventilation Peter , but with rainforest species Humidity plays a very important part in there breathing capability , without it there book lungs do not function properly


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## AchatinaAchatina (Jan 22, 2014)

Hi Fazzer...what do you suggest in terms of humidity ? Misting ? Or just a few drops every few days...thanx ***9786;


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## fazzer (Jul 19, 2009)

*Humidity*

Hi personally I mist every couple of days , ventilation is very important , to achieve this I have a wall mounted fan set on low just to keep some air movement in my spider room . Also the spiders housing has at least two vented areas top and bottom , when I say bottom I mean just above the substrate . I was discussing the humidity requirements with my vet the other day he is well travelled and is a spider keeper himself and is in total agreement . I was saying there seems to be a lot of bad advice regards to humidity and temperature requirements in the spider circles of late . I understand certain spiders do well with lower temps and humidity especially those from chile and surrounding areas , the species that live in these regions have evolved to deal with the conditions there, the same goes for rainforest species . Should really go without saying , you can't argue with evolution.


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

AchatinaAchatina said:


> Hi Fazzer...what do you suggest in terms of humidity ? Misting ? Or just a few drops every few days...thanx ***9786;


Here's an update of the versicolor that was in the enclosure I posted a pic of in 2013 in this post 

Still kept the same way plenty of ventilation and I spray the webbing and sides roughly 1 -2 times a week just enough so my substrate gets slightly wet but not soaked hope this helps


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)




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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

Going into a exo nano when I get the time to move my p irminia out and into her new enclosure


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

fazzer said:


> but with rainforest species Humidity plays a very important part in there breathing capability , without it there book lungs do not function properly



Really :gasp: 

So the 3 versicolor and 1 Peru Purple sacs that ive had this year that contained just over 350 slings that have not been sprayed or misted must all be broke ? 

All have been kept at room humidity with a single piece of slightly damp paper kitchen toweling in a 5L sweet jar with multiple ventilation holes . . . . perhaps they havent read the same books as you ?


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## fazzer (Jul 19, 2009)

*Humidity*

Ye Really . Slightly damp kitchen towel in a sweet jar with ventilation holes is going to create an adequate humidity is it not ? Or am I missing something


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## AchatinaAchatina (Jan 22, 2014)

Well i suppose being a begginer to Avic it feels safer to go with the majority and with what works for them. Although after doing a ton of research into Avic versi care it is rather fustrating to have so much conflict on the subject turning something that should be enjoyable into a worry...of course people are bound to suggest what works for them but wouldnt it be nice to have someone who has properly studied and researched the Avics in particular so that newbies and experienced owners can feel sure in their husbandry without the conflict just as much as they are with their B.Smithi etc

Rikki..Beautiful T :flrt: also the Grammostola Pulchra you sold me is doing great...i bought one of those spider lair enclosures that Gregory French makes, so he/she has been spoiled :2thumb:


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## rikki446 (Nov 24, 2011)

Thanks it's good to here that it's doing well nice to hear an update i realy like them enclosures I think g pulchra are a good display species as they can be quite active moving substrate around in regards to a avic humidity I read somewhere that although the areas they live in are humid their natural habitats have less humidity because they live higher up in the trees there is less humidity and better air circulation than the forest floor were humidity is generally recorded is there any truth in this ???


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## AchatinaAchatina (Jan 22, 2014)

And that's exactly what it's been doing since I transferred him/her into its new home...made a right mountain :lol2:


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## Little charmer (Oct 12, 2014)

This topic fascinates me. I recently received a few slings and several versis and when researching their care requirements I read almost everywhere to mist. I found a brilliant youtube video from a well known breeder and online enthusiast. And took the humble opinion that my setup and care would be adequate . However this is sadly not proving to be the case. I've used tall deli cups with a large mesh top vent and misted a few times a week. All has been great and all were happily eating and webbing up their little enclosures. However over this last week all have stopped eating and two have very slowly come to a standstill over a couple of days and literally "fallen off their perches" so I'm guessing it's "not so SADS"? And perhaps over humidification leading to infection?? 
Dom


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