Hey guys,
I'm looking into buying a leo for my son and I. We're still debating over whether we want the tangerine morph, the mark, or the normal. I prefer the mark and normal, my son is in love with the tangerine. So once we figure out which one we want for sure we'll be placing an order.
But before we get to that i had a few basic questions. I've been reading dozens of care sheets and articles on these guys over the last few weeks and most have the same info, but a lot contradict each other. During my research before getting into the tarantula husbandry hobby i found that care sheets give you a general sense but the real information is found here in the forums from experienced keepers.
So here i am
Back to the tarantulas. I have 2 colonies of roaches i use to feed the tarantulas, dubia and lateralis, i can't stand crickets because of their short lifespan and stink. Do i need to go buy crickets for the leo or can i feed them the roaches? Also the roaches have a higher calcium content than crickets, do i need to dust them or will having the calcium available in the habitat suffice? I will be getting meal worms/super worms for the gecko, i use them to supplement the roach diet for my tarantulas.
Temperature ranges is another concern. Because of where i live i have need of an air conditioner for maybe a whole week out of the summer. daytime temps in the summer range from mid 70s to low 80s, winter i keep the room the leo will be in 73-79. I've read care sheets and seen youtube videos saying this will be fine, others say no you need higher temps and a basking spot, others yet say don't worry about basking, they're nocturnal and don't bask in the daytime.
So for the experienced keepers, will these temp ranges be ok with a heat pad on the hot side to keep it in the upper 80s? Is that enough of a difference on the hottest days of the summer when the ambient room temp is 82?
I'm looking into buying a leo for my son and I. We're still debating over whether we want the tangerine morph, the mark, or the normal. I prefer the mark and normal, my son is in love with the tangerine. So once we figure out which one we want for sure we'll be placing an order.
But before we get to that i had a few basic questions. I've been reading dozens of care sheets and articles on these guys over the last few weeks and most have the same info, but a lot contradict each other. During my research before getting into the tarantula husbandry hobby i found that care sheets give you a general sense but the real information is found here in the forums from experienced keepers.
So here i am
Back to the tarantulas. I have 2 colonies of roaches i use to feed the tarantulas, dubia and lateralis, i can't stand crickets because of their short lifespan and stink. Do i need to go buy crickets for the leo or can i feed them the roaches? Also the roaches have a higher calcium content than crickets, do i need to dust them or will having the calcium available in the habitat suffice? I will be getting meal worms/super worms for the gecko, i use them to supplement the roach diet for my tarantulas.
Temperature ranges is another concern. Because of where i live i have need of an air conditioner for maybe a whole week out of the summer. daytime temps in the summer range from mid 70s to low 80s, winter i keep the room the leo will be in 73-79. I've read care sheets and seen youtube videos saying this will be fine, others say no you need higher temps and a basking spot, others yet say don't worry about basking, they're nocturnal and don't bask in the daytime.
So for the experienced keepers, will these temp ranges be ok with a heat pad on the hot side to keep it in the upper 80s? Is that enough of a difference on the hottest days of the summer when the ambient room temp is 82?