Curious Behavior

rodillablanco

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2005
Messages
29
I recently acquired a Red Knee ( Brachypelma smithi) from an LPS. It was mislabeled as a Red Leg ( Fireleg? B. bohemi?) as was small and dull in color. I got it for a great price, so I brought it home and fattened it up. I have had this spider for about 4 months now. It has shed twice in that time, most recently about 2 weeks ago.
Here it is with the luxurious toilet paper tube it has always called "home" here:
redknee01.jpg
After the last moult I noticed that the toilet paper tube was standing upright. I thought that the critter keeper must have shifted, or maybe I bumped it when putting it back inside the "incubator" tank I use to house small spiders and crickets. So I put it back down.
Two days later, when I was feeding, the tube was upright again. I put it down and made a note to really be more careful.

The third time it happened, I knew something was up. Now, I can be as spacey as the next guy, but this was a pattern. It was suggested that maybe there's a poltergiest. I don't believe so, there's been no knocking in the walls, and the bottle of cricket water has never been flung at me mysteriously. I think the spider is actually picking it up and standing it on end.
So the fourth time (documented here) I took a picture when feeding on May 30, 2014. I put the tube in the place it used to like it so well. Next day, it was still there. But this morning, June 1, 2014, well... here's the picture:
redknee02.jpg
The spider is definitely standing the tube up and putting it in the corner. Is it: 1) moving it to hunt?, 2) Getting it out of the way like an old toy it no longer wants, or 3) engaging in a little re-decoration? What do you think?
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
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Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
I think it needs to have its home brought up to code, so to speak. You should strive for it to flourish, not merely survive. The species, especially as youngsters, loves to burrow. Mine is a little over 2.5" and it has lived its entire life so far, basically underground, in a burrow it created. Your 1" of substrate does not allow that, which is probably why it turned its sights on the tube. Then there's the paper tube....horrible hide. Get something more stable and not made of something that can absorb moisture and mold. Cork bark would be perfect. Back to the sub, with the height of the KK, it needs to be filled at least halfway to prevent falling injuries. You have waaaaaay too much room between the top and bottom, its really not as safe as it could be right now. Then I ask, is that a sponge in the water dish???? If it is, get it out asap, they are not needed and actually are a beacon for mold and bacteria, potentially causing much more harm than good (there is no positive). If its a rock in there, obviously disregard, its hard to tell and because it came from LPS, I know they like to sell them...along with heating pads, which I hope you don't have.

Good job on the rescue, now its time to improve its home. I know this may not be what you were looking for when you posted, but its only going to help going forward. Good luck.
 

rodillablanco

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2005
Messages
29
Yeah, it's a rock. I think I shall add a depth of coconut bedding. Pretty Cool that it was trying to say that.... "Get this tube out of here" I've never seen a T move something in such a calculated manner. And I have actually had dozens of them over the years.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
As Cold Blood wrote. Keeping paper based products in their home is an EXCELLENT way to grow mold, and potentially sicken or kill your T. The same for the paper I see in the water dish, you'll be growing the cure for cancer in that in no time, but your T might die.


As for behavior, they do move things around. My boehmei moved her plastic water dish end over end w/2 legs across 3 walls of her container, sort of like a hockey puck.
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
2,336
When I first got into tarantulas back in the 1970s, Brachypelma smithi, one of the most common species available then, were frequently sold under the common name Mexican Red Leg. Made for a lot of confusion when other red legged tarantula species started showing up. Number one reason to learn and use scientific binomials.

Looks like your guy/gal may be in need of a larger home (more floor space) soon anyway. Unless it is frigid in the room, you won't need the heating pad/disc/whatever. You could set the new enclosure up with deeper substrate and a partially buried cork round or half round as a hide. That's not to say your 8 legged friend won't dig up or rearrange whatever you set up in there. Some spiders do like to customize... I have a few who routinely rearrange everything in their enclosures. My subadult male B. smithi buries his hide, unburies it, moves it, buries it again, wash, rinse, repeat. Same with his water bowl. One of my B. boehmei will move all of her substrate to one end of her tank. I turn the tank around, and she moves all the substrate back the other way. She has a hide buried in there somewhere, I haven't seen it in a couple of years. G. pulchra subadult male recently uncovered his buried clay pot hide and moved it.

Here's one of my favorite pics of my G. rosea trying to move her ping pong ball up the side of her tank.
 

rodillablanco

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2005
Messages
29
As Cold Blood wrote. Keeping paper based products in their home is an EXCELLENT way to grow mold, and potentially sicken or kill your T. The same for the paper I see in the water dish,
There is no paper in the water dish. When did this become arachnotrolls? Thanks Coldblood and Viper for hijacking this thread with your desire to show just how much you know. This is a temporary hold. Once there might have been a discussion of the cool things spiders do. But not anymore. Thanks again!
Guess my 9 years on arachnoboards is over.
 

MarkmD

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Messages
1,835
You should change the hide to something more suitable/simple, maybe even a plastic or ceramic flower pot, plus as said more substrate.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
desire to show just how much you know.
First, name calling is not needed nor wanted in this forum, if you have an issue w/that, take it up w/the mods. If offering some unrequested help/advice is being a "troll" then this ENTIRE forum is one big troll clan HAHAHAHHAHA Talk about exaggeration! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

Second, I commented on cool T behavior. There was no hijacking; I cited one my own Ts as an example, ie your "cool things that spiders". So I have no idea where your mini-rant is coming from. You only focused on ONE part of my post, or perhaps you didn't even read the rest.

Third, people make comments and/or offer advice on a wide range of issues when someone makes a post, ESP if there's a picture. I have yet to see a thread where everyone focused on ONLY what the OP asked about, ESP when a picture is involved.

Fourth, I have no desire to show "how much I know". I come here to learn. Typically people who say those types of comments are insecure about themselves. Besides, the information I wrote does not indicate I'm a mental giant, just enthusiastic about tarantulas. Case Closed.

---------- Post added 06-01-2014 at 02:48 PM ----------

I was just trying to help. But now I will say, if its been in there for 4 months and 2 molts, its obviously not being used as a temporary hold.
To a tortoise it's definitely temporary :clown:
 
Last edited:

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
Good job on the rescue, now its time to improve its home. I know this may not be what you were looking for when you posted, but its only going to help going forward. Good luck.
Viper I hear ya, I even added this ^, and then got a positive response from the op 20 minutes later...only to get called a thread hijacking troll by the same person a few hours later despite my not even being online during that time. :/

As the thread is amply named "curious behavior"
 

Micrathena

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 1, 2013
Messages
212
There is no paper in the water dish. When did this become arachnotrolls? Thanks Coldblood and Viper for hijacking this thread with your desire to show just how much you know. This is a temporary hold. Once there might have been a discussion of the cool things spiders do. But not anymore. Thanks again!
Guess my 9 years on arachnoboards is over.
All right, all right, you just need to calm down. They were just trying to help, and a dramatic "guess I have to leave now" is unnecessary. Perhaps you could express yourself more politely?
(Can't believe I'm playing mediator to people probably older than me.)
 

TLover007

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
143
When I first got into tarantulas back in the 1970s, Brachypelma smithi, one of the most common species available then, were frequently sold under the common name Mexican Red Leg. Made for a lot of confusion when other red legged tarantula species started showing up. Number one reason to learn and use scientific binomials.

Looks like your guy/gal may be in need of a larger home (more floor space) soon anyway. Unless it is frigid in the room, you won't need the heating pad/disc/whatever. You could set the new enclosure up with deeper substrate and a partially buried cork round or half round as a hide. That's not to say your 8 legged friend won't dig up or rearrange whatever you set up in there. Some spiders do like to customize... I have a few who routinely rearrange everything in their enclosures. My subadult male B. smithi buries his hide, unburies it, moves it, buries it again, wash, rinse, repeat. Same with his water bowl. One of my B. boehmei will move all of her substrate to one end of her tank. I turn the tank around, and she moves all the substrate back the other way. She has a hide buried in there somewhere, I haven't seen it in a couple of years. G. pulchra subadult male recently uncovered his buried clay pot hide and moved it.

Here's one of my favorite pics of my G. rosea trying to move her ping pong ball up the side of her tank.
Hahaha why is there a ping pong ball in your Ts enclosure??
 

Jones0911

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
406
I recently acquired a Red Knee ( Brachypelma smithi) from an LPS. It was mislabeled as a Red Leg ( Fireleg? B. bohemi?) as was small and dull in color. I got it for a great price, so I brought it home and fattened it up. I have had this spider for about 4 months now. It has shed twice in that time, most recently about 2 weeks ago.
Here it is with the luxurious toilet paper tube it has always called "home" here:
View attachment 127292
After the last moult I noticed that the toilet paper tube was standing upright. I thought that the critter keeper must have shifted, or maybe I bumped it when putting it back inside the "incubator" tank I use to house small spiders and crickets. So I put it back down.
Two days later, when I was feeding, the tube was upright again. I put it down and made a note to really be more careful.

The third time it happened, I knew something was up. Now, I can be as spacey as the next guy, but this was a pattern. It was suggested that maybe there's a poltergiest. I don't believe so, there's been no knocking in the walls, and the bottle of cricket water has never been flung at me mysteriously. I think the spider is actually picking it up and standing it on end.
So the fourth time (documented here) I took a picture when feeding on May 30, 2014. I put the tube in the place it used to like it so well. Next day, it was still there. But this morning, June 1, 2014, well... here's the picture:
View attachment 127293
The spider is definitely standing the tube up and putting it in the corner. Is it: 1) moving it to hunt?, 2) Getting it out of the way like an old toy it no longer wants, or 3) engaging in a little re-decoration? What do you think?

I have two A. geniculata that I raised from slings and I have been using toilet paper holders and will continue to, the mold has no effect on the Ts at all.

I don't know how many people live in your house but there's five people in mine so I just save the toilet paper holders until I need them for new Ts or to replace old hides.

as you can see from my now juveniles the mold doesn't harm them at all and they STILL eat even with Abdomens this size lol.

remember these animals eat animals that are already dead and who knows what else in the wild so mold barely touching their feet won't hurt them.

I can't wait for the next molt!!





 
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