Did my tarantula just move her terrarium's moss?

[SassyTheSpider]

Sassy's terrarium includes a hollow half-log with an opening and a large piece of moss at its end. One morning I woke up to the moss being several inches away from its usual place. Are tarantulas known to move things, because I have no idea how it was repositioned? The moss chunk is slightly larger than Sassy.

 

[schmiggle]

Are tarantulas known to move things

Yes. That's probably what happened.

 

[ThorsCarapace22]

I have a pretty good size piece of wood in my seemannis enclosure and it moved it from the corner to the middle. Unreal.

 

[The Snark]

If a T can dig a 2 inch hole a foot deep in hard clay, I don't see moving the furniture about as a serious challenge.

 

[Thekla]

Do you really think I would put the moss in the water dish???

 

[EtienneN]

Do you really think I would put the moss in the water dish??? View attachment 320060

Well, obviously that’s where it goes!!! Jeez oh man, aren’t you up to speed on Tarantula ‘Feng Shui’???? The moss must go into the water to bring light into the Garden of the Seven Suns!!!!

 

[schmiggle]

Do you really think I would put the moss in the water dish???

View attachment 320060

I dunno, you strike me as a "moss in the water dish" kind of a person.

 

[StampFan]

Sassy's terrarium includes a hollow half-log with an opening and a large piece of moss at its end. One morning I woke up to the moss being several inches away from its usual place. Are tarantulas known to move things, because I have no idea how it was repositioned? The moss chunk is slightly larger than Sassy.

While you're sleeping that spider is bulldozing around more than you think.

 

[Andrea82]

What species is your spider? I can't really make it out from your avatar...

 

[Sarkhan42]

My terrestrials all tend to ruin anything I set up for them in time. Especially my albos, they will absolutely trash anything I give them that isn't nailed down

 

[MBArachnids]

Just on the topic of T's that mess up our "great" ideas.

My Chilobrachys sp. Cambodia Blue has the habit of digging under the water dish and then tunneling down, ensnaring the water dish with webs and basically using it as part of her tunneling system. I naturally decide to leave them there because she seems to fancy it.

I am now 7 water dishes down the line and my enclosure is looking like a water dish storage facility.

 

[The Snark]

Something for you T observers. The Haplopelma Minax, Thai blacks in our yard always leave the debris around their holes alone. They keep the entrance clear and that is about it.
So is this unique to the genus/species, unique to our area, or a difference between wild in situ Ts and those in containments?

 

[SassyTheSpider]

What species is your spider? I can't really make it out from your avatar...

Sassy is an A. seemanni! Really docile and sweet

 

[Andrea82]

Sassy is an A. seemanni! Really docile and sweet

How long have you had him/her? He/she looks very 'leggy', did you buy him/her as a male or female? Could you post pictures of his/hers pedipalps?

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Something for you T observers. The Haplopelma Minax, Thai blacks in our yard always leave the debris around their holes alone. They keep the entrance clear and that is about it.
So is this unique to the genus/species, unique to our area, or a difference between wild in situ Ts and those in containments?

Tarantulas around the world keep the entrance and immediate area surrounding their burrows clear of debris. Except when they are doing some maintenance in the interior, then dirt will pile up around the entrance. One day the hole will be clear of dirt and debris with a silk veil, the next there could be a mound of dirt surrounding that hole. This same behavior you see in wild tarantulas is manifested in captivity by them constantly moving things around.

 

[The Snark]

Tarantulas around the world keep the entrance and immediate area surrounding their burrows clear of debris.

Except for Cheech and Chong. I wouldn't be surprised to find a miniature VW bug, rusting with the engine missing beside Chong's hole among the other trash and debris and Cheech, who's hole more closely resembles a decrepit cave keeps forgetting he's supposed to be reclusive and leaves a leg or two visible. BHOA, the over-achiever seems to have delusions of grandeur, her/his hole now a little over 2 inches across and dirt kicked as far as 6 inches from the hole. I'm not sure what the plan is with ENE where it appears to be cohabiting in a possibly active snake hole.
Nobody has been webbing yet. The yard so brimming with bugs they are virtually raining down the holes right now. It appears the general plan is to get the holes established while the earth is still moist and loose. In about 3-4 months the high clay content will turn them into natures concrete.

 

[SonsofArachne]

My B. hamorii took her deli cup water dish, carried it to her hide, and placed it on top of the hide where it stayed for about a year. Moving a piece of moss would be child's play.

 

[Andrea82]

My B. hamorii took her deli cup water dish, carried it to her hide, and placed it on top of the hide where it stayed for about a year. Moving a piece of moss would be child's play.

Yeah, I had a B.hamorii stuffing everything, waterdish, bark, plants, boli, discarded web, in her hide and perch on top of it like she's queen of the mountain

 

[Asgiliath]

My terrestrials all tend to ruin anything I set up for them in time. Especially my albos, they will absolutely trash anything I give them that isn't nailed down

MINE TOO. They tear their plants out of the sub, throw moss everywhere, flip water dishes. I have one AF who has webbed dirt over her whole hide (that she just sits on top of.)

NOW the a. seemanni’s are my biggest water dish trashers...because, fossorial...

 

[Andrea82]

MINE TOO. They tear their plants out of the sub, throw moss everywhere, flip water dishes. I have one AF who has webbed dirt over her whole hide (that she just sits on top of.)

NOW the a. seemanni’s are my biggest water dish trashers...because, fossorial...

YES! Someone mentions fossorials and waterdishes again so I can put this up again! (not mine, courtesy of Greg Rice)