Aphonopelma seemanni Enclosure problem

[Prowelder96]

i posted when I got this girl yesterday, she’s settling in quite well but what I’ve seen from some of you all and some big YouTube T collectors on this species is that they like moisture and burrowing. As pictured she has a typical enclosure of a terrestrial species but I added all the substrate I had left and filled it more than I usually do in case she wants to make a burrow, is not showing interest as of yet but stays under log and comes out rarely. Only thing I’m worried about at this point is with the moisture having a mold issue especially with the wooden log, any suggestions if I start to see mold? Pics of enclosure below. Sorry for so many questions I’m just use to having dry species

 

[Greasylake]

Its only been a day so I'm not surprised that you haven't seen any burrowing. Fossorials usually take a few days or weeks before they start digging, so be patient. As for mold, you can use springtails to keep the enclosure clean, use cork bark instead of that wood hide, or just pluck out mold as you see it popping it.

 

[boina]

These wooden half logs really don't work with moist substrate, they get mold like crazy. I'd switch it out for cork bark. Other than that use springtails.

 

[antinous]

Take out the log, put in another hide like cork bark. It has proper ventilation so I don’t think it’ll mold, but as someone has said, get springtails if you’re worried. Are those pics taken after you put in more sub? If so, it needs more. It takes time for T’s to get settled in so no need to worry for that part.

 

[Prowelder96]

It’s already getting mold on the bark of the hide (face palm) I don’t have any cork bark at the moment so I guess the poor girl is gonna be hideless for a while

Also what are springtails?

 

[Greasylake]

It’s already getting mold on the bark of the hide ‍ I don’t have any cork bark at the moment so I guess the poor girl is gonna be hideless for a while

If you make a starter burrow it might hide in the hole until it decides to start digging. I never gave my C. fimbriatus or E. murinus hides and that's pretty much what they did.

 

[Greasylake]

Also what are springtails?

They're small insects that eat garbage. They eat mold, uneaten food, spider poop and even molts. They're great at keeping mold from appearing in moist enclosures.

 

[Prowelder96]

thanks you guys have been helpful, never done a starter burrow or any burrow for that matter, any suggestions? May be a stupid question I’m just not wanting to stress her out more when I take the log out in a minute

 

[Greasylake]

thanks you guys have been helpful, never done a starter burrow or any burrow for that matter, any suggestions? May be a stupid question I’m just not wanting to stress her out more when I take the log out in a minute

Scoop a little bit of substrate out with a spoon to make a little tunnel entrance. It should recognize the start of the burrow and dig there.

 

[lostbrane]

If you’d like to incorporate the cork bark into the burrow, you’d want to mostly bury the cork bark in the substrate leaving a gap just big enough underneath the partially buried cork bark for it to fit and then hopefully if it takes to it it will begin excavation.

 

[Dovey]

I wouldn't think you would need to be in such a big hurry to remove the half log until you can replace it with a cork bark. I have an E. murinus that has excavated quiet an elaborate burrow underneath a wee pine log that I've never bothered to replace.

I do keep springtails in her habitat, and that may have something to do with it. I highly recommend them. You just have to find someone with a colony that will share some out to you. If you were in the Phoenix area, I could give you some! Oh, West Virginia. Well drat!

 

[Prowelder96]

I really appreciate it man! That’s awesome of you to offer, I spoke with jon3800 on Facebook and he gave me some tips on a temp fix to my problem, my girl is all set until I get some cork bark or something that isn’t wood, thank you guys so much for the input.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Use it in a cage for a arid species ? Like g rosea . Get cork bark for sure !
Some species just need a waterdish.

 

[Ungoliant]

Only thing I’m worried about at this point is with the moisture having a mold issue especially with the wooden log, any suggestions if I start to see mold? Pics of enclosure below. Sorry for so many questions I’m just use to having dry species

Those wooden logs are prone to molding. A slab of cork would be more mold-resistant. (Bury most of the cork at an angle so that just a starter entrance is there. She'll excavate the rest of her burrow.)

Improving ventilation and adding cleanup crews like springtails can also help control mold.

That being said, a little mold is not a problem. I just scoop it out when I find it.