I've got a few emptied Ostrich eggs a few years back, and would like to know if a cut ostrich egg will be safer in a vivarium as appose to using coconut hides for my tarantulas? Or would I need to treat the egg hides with resin before I use them?

Sounds like a very good idea to me. I think if you just wash it properly it would be fine.

My mom gave me six, a couple of years back. I will try and find more, from her friend as she gave out loads of ostrich eggs to people. I think her parents owns a farm in Oudtshoorn. Will wash it with diluted Jik bleach, and let it dry out in the sun. Think it would be nice for a hide and breeding. By cutting it in half with a jewelers saw and adding clay with pins to line up the whole egg one could safely remove an egg sack if needs be

iclazion wrote: My mom gave me six, a couple of years back. I will try and find more, from her friend as she gave out loads of ostrich eggs to people. I think her parents owns a farm in Oudtshoorn. Will wash it with diluted Jik bleach, ...

Ostrich eggs? Only in South Africa! :laugh:

Bleach is not necessary, and it could be potentially harmful to the tarantula! There should be nothing in the eggshell that might infect or infest your tarantula. Merely wash it with a little mild, dilute, dish washing soap, rinse it well, and let it dry.

My first concern is that it may allow too much light through the shell, and the tarantula may reject it as a result. They prefer dark places to hide.

In another lifetime I remember trying to sleep late in the morning in a camping tent that I'd set up in the open. When the sun hit it at 5:00 AM I had to wear sunglasses to find the zipper on the tent flap! Different circumstances, same principle.

Also, as I remember, ostrich eggs are fairly good sized. Might they be too large for most tarantulas to feel comfortable in? When in its burrow, a tarantula is in contact with the walls on all sides. This is another way in which our captive care regimes differ from life in the wild, BTW. Maybe you'll have to install another, smaller, opaque hide inside the eggshell? :silly:

"My mind works like lightening. One brilliant flash and it's gone."