Is a red light for a tarantula ok?

Question

i have a red heating lamp for my tarantula its stays about 80-85 degrees in there...is this ok....do i need to mist my cage since the lamp is in there

Answer 1

I assume you have a Rose Hair based on your other question..

If your home is climate controlled to a normal temperature, then you don't need any kind of heat lamp. I use a redlight to heat the room my tarantulas are in over winter, but, you have to be careful with them. I aim my redlight at the floor being careful not to aim it within any of the enclosures. They build up heat quickly in some enclosures and you can end up with a baked tarantula. I have some tropical tarantulas that do need to be kept warmer.

What you need to keep in mind is that Grammostola rosea (rose hair) comes from the Atacama desert area of Chile which is the second driest climate in the world. The average daily temperature there over the last 5 years, was 16.6 celsius or about 62 degrees. In other words, there's no reason to provide heat. Actually, the highest temperature recorded there in a 5 year period was only 98 degrees. So, you run a lot more risk of overheating G. rosea then you do of keeping one a bit too cold..

Here's a good care sheet on G. rosea

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthre...

His info on the Atacama desert is a tad off, but, the rest of the info is good..

Here's an interesting article on temperature and humidity variations in the Atacama region if you're curious..

http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/spaceward...

Answer 2

Tarantulas originate from warm climates. As a general rule they should be kept at approximately 75—85F. Scrubland tarantulas should have a humidity level of between 60 and 75% and rainforest species should be 75-90%

Humidity can be raised in an enclosure by adding more water for example by lightly spraying.

If humidity is too high then cease introducing any water for a period of time (possibly days) until the level has come down. No enclosure should ever be 100% humidity.  This would be too wet, encourage mould and kill the spider.