Care Guides
Dubia roaches are one of the most nutritious feeder insects for reptiles, they come in multiple sizes, are very active, and easy to care for. Here is what we have found works best for raising them.
Enclosure- Depending on the size of your colony a 10-30 gallon smooth sided plastic container works well. A 30 gallon bin can hold several thousand roaches. We recommend the container to be opaque to prevent light from entering the sides of the bin. Inside the bin you can use egg flats or cardboard stacked upright for the roaches to climb on.
Heating- One of the most important factors for getting dubia roaches to breed successfully is heat. You want to keep the bins above 80 degrees and have a hotspot of 90 degrees towards the back or middle of the bin. The simplest way to do this is with a small heat mat placed underneath of the enclosure.
Substrate- We do not use any substrate for our dubia roach bins that way it is easy to spot dead roaches or old food that needs to be removed.
Lighting- They prefer to have little to no light, and you will find they are most active in the dark.
Water and Humidity- The best source of water for these insects are water crystals, which are a small plastic polymer that expands when wet. The roaches can drink from this without the risk of drowning. Also they can be disposed of once dirty which helps to keep a healthy and clean colony. The water crystals also help to provide ambient humidity for your enclosure, the sweet spot for humidity is around 60%. The crystals are available on our website.
Feeding- Some of the favorite foods of these tropical roaches are bananas, citrus, and carrots. You can offer many varieties of produce like, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, and apples. In addition to the fresh produce we always have a shallow dish of dry roach food available. We use our own custom made food which we sell on our website.
Once you have everything setup and in place you can develop a weekly schedule of removing dead roaches, sheds, and old food from the bin and replacing the water crystals, produce, and dry food. The maintenance for a small colony is minimal and can be a great way to feed your reptiles.
Baby ball pythons will do well in a ten gallon aquarium however they will quickly outgrow this and need to be moved up to a 20 or even 30 gallon for a larger female. For an adult you want a floor space of about 12" by 30". However many owners use varying sizes of cages so try to get something around that size.
Provide a place for your snake to hide, in the wild they like to burrow into abandoned termite mounds and rat dens to hide. They like to be well hidden so if you have your snake in an all glass aquarium you want to be sure that it has plenty of places to hide and block the view of the outside. You can even put up an opaque barrier like cloth or paper around most of the glass enclosure to help your snake feel more secure.
For bedding you can use paper, aspen bedding, and shredded newspaper. There are a few other options as well, however avoid wood chips like cedar and pine which are toxic to your snake.
Ball pythons should have a hot spot of 90 to 95 degrees and the cool side 80 degrees, this allows your ball python to move between the two sides to thermo-regulate its body temperature. This can be achieved with an under tank heater or an overhead ceramic bulb. UVB is optional, most owners do not use one however it can increase their color and make it look nicer. But they are nocturnal so it is not necessary.
Humidity is important,you want some parts of the cage to be higher humidity. One thing you can do is spray inside the hides to create a higher humidity hiding spot for them, this helps them shed as well. Just remember not to soak the bedding because this can cause mold growth and health issues like scale rot. If you notice your animal having trouble shedding, meaning it is not coming off in one piece then the humidity is too low. You want to keep the humidity around 60%. Always provide a fresh water dish in the cage at all times so your snake can drink when thirsty. Be sure to clean the water bowl often to prevent bacteria growth
You can feed your snake mice or rats exclusively since they are strictly carnivores. Feed your snake a prey size as wide as the widest part of the snake. Feeding every 7-10 days is recommended, however sometimes your snake may not eat during certain times of the year and depending on its age it may take breaks from eating as well. Do not worry if your snake misses a few meals as this is common. Ball pythons can actually go several months without food!
Handling your snake is perfectly fine and they do not mind it usually. Most ball pythons are naturally docile. However they can bite so be sure to know the snake on an individual level and always use caution when handling to avoid any unnecessary bites.
There are many different species of boas, some requiring very similar care while others are completely different. This care guide is for the Columbia Red-tailed Boa which is a really popular pet boa species. Red-tailed Boas reach sizes of 6-8 feet for females and around 5 to 7 feet for males. There have even been some accounts of female boas getting to be 10 feet in length. They live an average of 15-30 years in captivity but there are some cases of captive boas living over 40 years.
Baby Red tail boas can be housed in a 10 to 20 gallon cage. Floor space is more important then height as they spend most of the time on the ground. Babies may enjoy climbing but as they grow and get heavier they tend to stay more on the ground. Adults will need to be housed in a cage that is at least 4 feet by 2 feet but larger may be necessary if it's a female or a bigger specimen. It's very important to make sure you can house a snake that gets 8 feet long before purchasing a baby boa.
There are many options for substrate including paper, aspen bedding, coconut husk, and newspaper just to name a few. There are many brand name beddings out there that are safe for boas. Just be sure never to use pine or cedar as these are toxic to your snake. Also avoid any bedding that could have pesticides, chemicals, or bacteria in it.
Keep the cool side of the tank around 75 degrees and the hot spot of the tank 90 degrees. UVB lighting is not necessary but can provide some benefit if used.
Always provide a water bowl for your boa. They will drink from it and soak in it often when they are shedding, and it also helps keep the humidity high in the cage. You want the humidity to be fariely high to allow for proper shedding but make sure it's not so high that mold develops or the bedding gets really wet.
Boas can be maintained being fed every 7 to 10 days. Some boas will eat more often some less often however do not worry as they, like many other snakes, can go a long time without food. Smaller more frequent meals are usually better. Avoid feeding large meals as this could increase chances of regurgitation. You don't want to feed any prey item larger then the largest part of the snakes body which is three quarters of the way down its body.
Handling these large animals can be really amazing. Caution should always be taken when handling any animal but most boas are very friendly and can make great pets to handle. It's important to know your individual snake's temperament to avoid any unnecessary bites.
Basic Western Hognose Care Facts
- Western hognose snakes are a relatively small species, adult males only get to be about 15-20 inches while females can grow to just under 3 feet. Juveniles can be kept in a 5-10 gallon tank but once they are fully grown you can keep them in a 20 gallon.
- Keep the cool side of the tank around 80 and the hot spot 90. Using a under tank heater(like heat tape or a heat mat) or overhead ceramic heat bulb is your best option. They do not require any UVB light.
- Hognose snakes like to burrow so provide a substrate like aspen bedding, wood chips, or shredded newspaper. A few hides in the cage is good as well to offer privacy and make your hognose feel secure. You can use many different hide options like coconut shells, any store bought artificial hides, ceramic hides, and log hides. There are a lot of options just make sure they are safe for your snake and easy to clean or replace if you have to.
- Always provide fresh clean drinking water. Hognose snakes do well in very dry conditions so their is no need for high humidity. If you notice any shedding problems like stuck shed or it's not coming off in one piece, then a light misting before they shed will help allow your snake to shed in one piece.
- Feed your hog nose mice or rats every 5-7 days you want to feed a prey item no bigger then the largest with of your snakes body. Smaller meals more frequently is usually healthier for the animals and promotes better growth.
Bearded Dragon Care
- Bearded Dragons get to be anywhere from 15-24 inches long, with males getting bigger then females. Juveniles can be kept in a 10 gallon but will quickly outgrow it and need to be moved up to an adult size 20-40 gallon enclosure.
- For substrate use paper towels, newspaper, paper, or reptile carpet. Alternatively you can use aspen chips or even sand for adults however you want to be careful because impactions can occur in younger animals on sand and aspen bedding.
- Always provide a bowl of fresh clean water for your bearded dragon. You want to keep the humidity low for bearded dragons, however when they shed you can give them a misting to help them shed better.
- Bearded Dragons are omnivores and will eat a mix of leafy vegetables, fruits, and insects. Like mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, apples and bananas. The vegetables should make up the bulk of the diet and fruit should be an occasional treat. For insects you can feed crickets, mealworms, superworms, and dubia roaches. You want to dust all the food in a calcium and vitamin powder either every feeding or every other feeding.
- Bearded Dragons require UVB light. As well as UVB you want to provide a hot spot of 100 degrees and the cool side of the tank should be in the upper 70s.
- Bearded Dragons enjoy basking under their heat light, providing a flat rock or surface for them to bask on is good. At night they do like to hide so provide a hide, especially for juveniles.
Fact Sheet For Proper Leopard Gecko Care
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Provide a hotspot of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you can achieve this with a heat mat under the tank, just make sure it doesn't get too hot, you may need a thermostat for it. The other half of the enclosure should be room temperature(at least 70 degrees but high 70's is better) this allows your gecko to thermoregulate. Meaning when they get cold they can go warm up on the hotspot and when they get hot they can cool down on the room temperature side.
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Keep your gecko in a 10 or 20 gallon tank. This is a good size for one or two geckos, you can also use a 20 gallon tank for larger geckos or if you want to keep a few together.
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Provide a hiding place for your gecko, they spend a lot of time hiding away in small dark crevices in the wild, without one they can become stressed. You can get creative with this, you could use a coconut shell, clean rocks, plastic products, there are a lot of options. They also make many artificial hides that you can buy at any pet store.
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Always have clean drinking water for your gecko. Be sure it is free of Chlorine and or other harmful chemicals, spring water is a good choice.
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Feed your gecko every couple of days Mealworms, Crickets, or Dubia Roaches dusted with a calcium and vitamin powder. For more information on feeding click here
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Provide a substrate of newspaper, paper towel, or reptile carpet, avoid any loose substrate that your gecko could consume
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Spray your gecko down with water to help them when they shed. You can use a regular clean spray bottle or a pump action sprayer, whatever works best for you.
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Be sure your gecko has enough humidity to shed. This can be achieved with regular misting or you can place a humid hide box in their enclosure. Take a plastic container, cut a hole for your gecko to get inside, and fill it with damp paper towel or damp coco fiber.
What to Avoid
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Do not use sand as a substrate it can cause impactions
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Do not feed your gecko wild caught insects, they can have diseases or harmful toxins that can hurt your gecko, you don't know what those insects have consumed and if they are clean or not. Always buy your feeders from a reputable source, we sell feeders here
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Do not use a bright overhead light, it can hurt your geckos eyes, especially if they are albino and very sensitive to light, this can cause them stress.
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Do not house two males together they will fight. However you can house multiple females together. Make sure that they are around the same size, and when you first put females together you should make sure they are all eating well together and getting along.
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Do not grab your gecko by the tail, they can drop it and they will lose their tail. It will however grow back but not the same as it once was.
The Sulcata Tortoise also know as the African Spur Thigh Tortoise is the third largest tortoise species in the world and one of the most popularly kept tortoise species. Large male Sulcatas can grow to be up to 200 pounds! This is a rare example but it is not uncommon for a sulcata to reach 100+ pounds. Most females typically are around 70 to 100 pounds. However this kind of weight takes a long time to achieve, as sulcatas can live to be 100 years old! Baby sulcatas start off being able to fit in the palm of your hand. They do the majority of there rapid growth within the first 10 years. After that they will continue to grow their whole lives but at a much slower rate.
Housing these tortoises can be difficult especially for a larger adult. But babies can be kept indoors quiet easily for the first few years of live. You want a cage that they have plenty of room to move around in, something like a tortoise table which is commonly sold at pet shops, or a cage that is 4 feet by 2 feet usually is a good size. Really you want the biggest enclosure you can use but not so big that your tortoise would get lost and not be able to find its water, food, and heating. For a larger tortoise, eventually you will need to have a large open space to keep them. For most people an indoor enclosure is not practical and you will need to move them outside. This is where doing your homework on getting a new pet is so important because most people buy a little sulcata baby and they don't realize or prepare for how big it will get. If you live in a cold climate you might not be able to keep it outside. That is why sulcatas are best kept if you live in a warmer environment where you can keep them outside most if not all of the year. For an adult sulcata the larger the enclosure the better(again not so big that its unnecessary and you can't find your sulcata). What's important is to make sure the enclosure is secure, you want the walls of it to be at least 2 feet tall as well as 12 to 24 inches buried into the ground to make sure the sulcata can't dig under the cage.
For an outdoor enclosure with a larger tortoise the grass and natural terrain is obviously what would be on the floor. However for the substrate of an indoor enclosure your going to want to use aspen bedding, reptile bark, cypress mulch, or coconut fiber. There are many more options and a lot of people have success with many different bedding choices. The important thing is that it's absorbent and free of any harmful additive or pests. Usually buying a good quality organic product works well. Sulcatas like to dig so giving them a few inches of bedding for them to do that is good. Also placing multiple hiding spots either with containers they can hide under or plastic plants they can find shelter in is a good idea to reduce stress.
Sulcata tortoises are from North and central Africa in that climate they experience high heat but also low drops at night. During the day you want to give your sulcata tortoise a hot spot of 100 degrees and keep the ambient temperature around 70-85 degrees. At night they can experience a drop in temperature (turning the heat light off and letting it drop to room temperature is fine) They can actually handle night time lows of 45 degrees! As for lighting they do require UVB lighting. If they are kept outside obviously letting them get a lot of natural sunset is important. But indoors a good quality UVB light they can get under is needed.
Always provide them with a shallow bowl of water they can get into and soak. You are going to have to change and clean the water often because they usually defecate in the water dish. Providing a humid hide(a hiding place where they can go into with higher humidity) is very important to prevent pyramiding which is when there shell grows abnormally and this can cause issues down the road. This can be achieved with a plastic container with dirt underneath it and sprayed down so it's very humid. Along with this, soaking baby sulcatas twice a week really helps them stay hydrated as they tend to dehydrate faster then adults. Lastly misting the enclosure is a good way to increase the overall humidity.
Sulcatas love to eat and they will eat a wide range of grasses, vegetables, and fruits. However your sulcata's diet should be mostly made up of grasses and lower nutrient plants. Fruit should be a very occasional treat. For baby sulcatas spring mix salads work well with a tortoise pellet diet which there are many on the market including mazuri tortoise diet which is really good. Any green leafy vegetable is a good choice. Adult sulcatas will eat a lot of grasses including alfalfa, lawn grasses, orchard grass and a few others. Adults sulcatas can eat a lot of food so grasses are the most effective way to provide that.
You want to avoid handling your tortoise as they don't really enjoy being picked up, however when left to move on their own older sulcatas tend to enjoy human contact and can have great personalities. But as babies it's best to avoid picking them up because this can stress them out.
Crested Gecko Care
Crested Geckos are amazing pets and really cool animals, also they are a very simple reptile to take care of. Here are some of the main care requirements.
- For the heating requirements keep them between 65 and 80 degrees. Try to avoid the higher temps and allow for a slight drop in temperature at night. Because of these temperatures they require no additional heat source(in most cases).
- They are nocturnal and do not require any UVB light.
- As for an enclosure, height is more important then floor space. They make many tall style glass aquariums. Alternatively you can use plastic products as well. A 10 gallon is good for a few babies and a 20 gallon will comfortably hold a few adults. You can fill your enclosure with artificial plants for your crested gecko to climb on and hide in. They like to climb so most of the furnishings should be elevated because they spend very little time on the floor.
- For a substrate you can use paper towels, coco fiber, or reptile carpet, to name a few options.
- Be sure to offer your crested gecko a bowl of fresh water at all time, and spray the enclosure to maintain a high humidity level. You do not want to spray it so much that it is constantly soaked because mold can become an issue. It is good to allow it to dry out some in between misting. Avoid the humidity dropping below 50 percent.
- Crested Geckos can be fed strictly on a powdered diet. However some people do choose to feed them live insects as well like crickets and meal worms. Feeding your Crested Gecko is very easy, all you do is mix the powdered food with water, you want it to be around the consistency of apple sauce, and give it to them in a bowl. There are many powdered foods available on the market.
African bull frogs get quiet large, they are the second largest frog species in the world, fully grown they can be anywhere from 6 inches for females and 10 inches for males. Large males can weigh over 2 pounds! To house these frogs you want a 10 gallon cage for juveniles under 5 inches and a 20 gallon or larger for adults. A glass enclosure works really well with a secure screen top.
For the substrate of the enclosure coco fiber is a good choice, it's great at holding humidity. Alternatively peat moss works well. Just be sure any substrate you use is free of insecticides, pesticides, harmful chemicals, and insects/parasites. Whatever bedding you use you want to be very clean, most organic soils will work.
Keep the temperature in the cage between 77-85 degrees. You can have a drop to the low 70s at night. Offering a temperature gradient by making one side of the tank warmer and one side cooler is a good idea.
In the wild these frogs will sit in shallow water in the mud. You want to provide them with high humidity by keeping their substrate wet as well as a bowl of water or an area of shallow water for them to soak in. Be sure to change the water and bedding often to prevent any mold or bacteria growth.
African bull frogs are voracious eaters, they are pretty much always willing to eat and will eat anything from crickets to large rats! There are many options to feed your frog like crickets, night crawlers, roaches, mealworms, mice, rats, locust, pretty much any common feeder insects. Feed your frog every other day when they are babies and when fully grown you want to offer food every three days. You can also dust the food with a calcium and vitamin powder as needed.(follow the instructions on the container of the supplements you use.)
You want to try to avoid handling your frog. Like most amphibians it is best to limit handling to whenever necessary, such as cleaning the cage. They can inflict a powerful bite so use caution and always pick them up from behind their front legs, fully supporting their large weight.
Rose hair tarantulas are found in Chile, Bolivia, and Argentine. They can grow to be anywhere from 3 to 6 inches long. They reach sexual maturity within 4 years usually, making them a fairly slow growing tarantula. While males only live to be 3-5 years old at most, females can live to be 10 years old or more.
Babies can be housed in small deli cups and moved up to larger deli cups or even critter cages until they are fully grown and ready to move into an adult size aquarium. For an adult anywhere from a 2 to 10 gallon aquarium works well. They don't need a lot of space and they want to feel secure. Usually a 5 gallon with floor space and a few hiding spots like a half a log, coconut shell and artificial plants, works well.
There are many options when it comes to substrate, you can use coco fiber which is my favorite because it's clean and holds humidity very well. You can also you peat moss or potting soil, just be sure that it's organic and free of pesticides and any other harmful chemicals. Some people even use gravel or a mix of soil and gravel. Vermiculite is also another commonly used substrate.
Rose hairs do best when kept around 76-84 degrees. 80 seems to be the best for most keepers so try to get it around there. As for lighting these tarantulas do not need any lighting and in fact do better when kept away from direct sunlight and kept in the shade or in the dark.
If you want to provide a water bowl make sure it's very shallow and the tarantula can easily get in and out of it, because it can be very easy for a tarantula to drown if the water bowl is too big. I like to keep water bowls in my tarantula cages however some people choose not too. You want to keep the humidity fairly high in the cage especially in the burrows. Spray under the hiding spots really well since this helps trap in the humidity. The rest of the cage should be misted every few days.
Rose hair tarantulas will eat many different prey items including crickets, mealworms, dubia roaches, and even small mice. Offer your tarantula food once or twice a week. You will learn how much your individual tarantula eats and can adjust the amount of food accordingly. Typically it's around three to five food items per week.
Rose Hair Tarantulas are actually very docile in nature and many people decide to handle them. If you are not comfortable with this then it is best to not handle your tarantula as any fall could seriously injury it. Also they are venomous and some people can have a more severe reaction then others even though the venom is mild. I suggest if your not experienced with tarantulas that it's best to not handle them.
Blue Tongue Skinks are native to Australia. There are different species and subspecies, including the northern and eastern blue tongues as well as the indonesian blue tongue. This guide is specifically for the northern blue tongue which is one of the most popular, however the care for these skinks is very similar among all species so most of the information can be applied to all.
Babies can be housed in a 10 to 20 gallon cage but will outgrow it quickly. Adults should be kept in a 3 foot by 2 foot cage. Floor space is more important then height as these skinks pretty much never climb. They have very short and stubby feet which are not ideal for climbing, Instead you will commonly find blue tongues burrowing into their substrate.
Blue tongues like to burrow and hide so straw or aspen bedding makes a great choice. You can also use paper products like newspaper which is easy to clean however I would add some hiding places if your using newspaper to allow your blue tongue to feel more secure in its cage. Even if you are using a substrate that they can burrow into it's still good to have extra hides as this helps to reduce stress.
The cool end of the cage should be 75-80 degrees with the hot spot of the cage being 90-100 degrees. UVB lighting is a good idea however many people keep their blue tongues without it and have great success.
Always provide a water bowl for your blue tongue. The humidity should be relatively low around 25 to 40 percent is ideal. You do not want it so humid where the bedding is wet or there is condensation on the sides of the cage because this can cause molt growth, and cause respiratory issues for your animal. Typically a large water bowl and some light misting when your animal is shedding will be all you need.
Many people feed their blue tongue a primary diet of dog or cat food, using one without grain or filler products is a good idea. It seems to help them grow faster and better by not having to process the grains or other fillers found in lower quality dog food. You should also feed fruits and vegetables like kale, lettuce, green beans, beet greens, cabbage, squash, apples, bananas, berries, water melon, and pretty much any other commonly eaten fruits or vegetables. The fruit should be given much less occasionally, feeding mostly vegetables and the dog and cat food. Never feed citrus, avocados, rhubarb, and onions.
Blue tongue skinks do really well with handling and have great personalities typically. They are heavy and large lizards so any fall can be really bad for them. Be sure to support the animal fully and try to hold the animal over soft surfaces or close to the ground just in case. They rarely bite and are very curious, which is another reason why blue tongues are such great pets.
Paravaejovis Hoffmannius spinigerus or the Striped-tailed scorpion (also commonly referred to as the devil scorpion), can be found throughout Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, they are a very common species in the area. They also are a commonly kept species as pets.
Scorplings (baby scorpions) are only a few millimeters long and can be housed in a small 2 oz deli cup. As they molt and get bigger eventually they can be moved to larger deli cups and then at adult size the could be moved in to a 1-5 gallon aquarium. An adult will only get to be around 2 inches long, so they do not require much space.
A mixture of peat moss and sand works very well with this species. The peat moss or sphagnum moss helps hold humidity levels. A walnut shell or a small piece of cork bark makes an excellent hiding spot for them.
Room temperature is usually fine as these Scoripoins do well around 72-80 degrees. They do not need any special lighting and prefer to be kept in the shade/dark areas.
You can place a very small water bowl into the enclosure however I do not and instead to prefer to mist the enclosure between once and twice a week. The moss and peat in the cage help hold humidity and moisture for the scorpion. This way there is no chance that your scorpion could drown in the water bowl, which unfortunately can easily happen if the bowl is to large.
Feed crickets, mealworms, and dubia roaches. Scorplings may need to be fed fruit flies or pin head crickets, you can also cut a cricket or mealworm in to smaller pieces to feed smaller scorpions.
The Striped Devil Scorpion can move very fast. They can be held but it is best to avoid it if you are not experienced keeping/handling scorpions, since it would be easy to get stung or for your scorpion to run away. Their sting has been compared to that of a wasp, but their venom is not deadly (as long as there are no allergic reactions to it).
The Venezuelan suntiger is an arboreal tarantula native to Venezuelan and can be found in parts of Brazil and Guyana. They get to be around 5-6 inches in length and can live between 5-20 years. Females live much longer anywhere between 10-20 years while males only around 5-6. They also have beautiful orange and red markings on their legs, and stripes on there abdomen, giving them the name suntiger.
As slings(babies) they can be kept in small film containers or any small plastic container, however because this is an arboreal species it should be taller then longer, so the tarantula can climb, as it molts and grows you can continue to increase the size of its enclosure until it is fully grown and at this point a large plastic food jar like a pretzel jar or a similar container will work well. Alternatively you could use a glass enclosure that is for an arboreal species. Make sure there are plenty of air holes to allow for air exchange, but not so many that you have trouble keeping the humidity high.
They will not spend much time on the ground so a vermiculite/peatmoss substrate works very well to hold humidity in the cage. You should have a piece of cork bark or some type of structure in the cage going up so the tarantula can web around it and climb on it. You will see them spend most of their time n the side of the bark or in a web they made. They tend to make very elaborate webs.
Keep the temperature between 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. They are nocturnal, so providing them with a shaded or dark spot is good as they do not like the bright light.
No water dish is needed especially since they are arboreal they rarely would come down to drink. However you want to keep the humidity high around 80-90%. The easiest thing to do is spray them once to twice a week. It is good to let the enclosure dry out before spraying again as constant high humidity conditions can cause bacteria growth. They also get a lot of moisture from there food.
Feed crickets, mealworms, and dubia roaches. If it looks too big for them to eat them you probably should feed smaller. When they are slings small pin head crickets or small crickets work well and once they are a few inches in length they can easily eat large crickets. They can eat a pretty large meal considering their size, as adults they can eat large roaches and crickets and some can even eat small mice!
It is not recommended to hold this species, they move very fast and are very skittish. A bite from them, although not deadly, is very painful. The toxin released activates the same neuroreceptors as that of capsaicin which is found in peppers. The reactions can include burning, nausea, dizziness, and muscle spasms. For this reason I suggest observing them from afar, and only handling them when you need to rehouse the tarantula or clean its enclosure. When this is done be sure it is in a space where if the tarantula gets away it can be easily caught with a small net or a container. Usually the best way to rehouse tarantulas is to place the old container inside the new enclosure and gently cox out the tarantula with a soft tipped pair of long forceps or a small wooden stick of some sort. Then carefully remove the old enclosure from the new one.