G. Aureostriata in hiding

[Sicel1304]

Hey all

So my 4" female Chaco has barricaded herself inside of her burrow for the past month or so. Temperature is around 65-70 degrees, and humidity is at a stable 60%. She's had fresh water, and I keep throwing in one or two crickets every week and they're disappearing, so I assume she's eating well.

My question is, do you think she's nearing a molt because she's sealed herself up? (Her last molt was over a year ago, last October) Or is she just being "anti-social"? :}

Thanks for your time,
Les

 

[gumby]

She is trying to keep warm would be my guess. 65-70 is a little on the cold side you may want to get a heating pad for half her cage. My Ts seem to stay in the open for the most part and dont do a lot of moving around. I have also found that the less direct light they are in the less they seem to burrow and hide. I have some shelves that I have my Ts on and if you put a sheet in front they seem to like that and dont go into hiding as much. Thats just what Ive noticed though.
scott

 

[xgrafcorex]

could very well be a molt then. theres always a chance its just being a weird t hah but i wouldn't be surprised if it was going to molt sometime soon.

 

[Sicel1304]

She is trying to keep warm would be my guess. 65-70 is a little on the cold side you may want to get a heating pad for half her cage.
scott

Do you guys think a heating pad would be a good idea for her cage?

 

[MindUtopia]

65-70F is perfectly fine. That's what I keep all my T's at and none of them are barricaded in. My guess is she's just taking to her burrow. Some T's do notice changes in season and she may just be preparing for winter. My friend, for instance, has an A. seemani that we never see several months out of the year because she hides away. If she is actually eating those crickets and isn't just killing them defensively and storing them somewhere, she's not in pre-molt. I wouldn't worry about it, burrowing is just one of those things that T's do.

 

[Windchaser]

I wouldn't worry about the temperatures. That is pretty much the temperature range that I keep mine at during the winter and I have yet to experience any problems.

 

[Becky]

My G. aureostriata stays in her burrow most of the time. She burrowed under her piece of cork bark and when she's moulting she does web up all of the exits. The only time she really comes out is to eat, and to drink...the rest of the time she just sits in her burrow. She's approaching a moult now, and so has started to venture out more, to drink...this is really the only time i see her, except for feeding.
I'm sure it's nothing to worry about If she moults, she'll push the exuvium out anyway good luck x

 

[Sicel1304]

Thank you guys for all the responses. My house does tend to be a bit on the cold side most of the time, so I sometimes worry about my Chaco's well-being.

Since the humidity in the tank is starting to get on the low side (Around 60%), do you think I should start misting the tank to keep it at a more optimal range (Maybe around 75% or so)?

Also, I've been thinking about a second T....but I can't decide which one. The G. Aureo is my first, and I've had her about 4-5 months now with no problems. :}

 

[Windchaser]

Don't bother measuring or keeping track of the humidity level of the enclosures. Make sure it has a water dish. For a species like G. aureostriata this is all you really need. For other species that do require more humidity don't waste your time measuring the ambient humidity. Observe the substrate and moisten when it gets too dry. Besides, the hygrometers (those dial and strip ones) sold in pet shops are basically worthless and very inaccurate.

 

[Rizzolo]

i think heat and/or change of container will help

just based on my experience with my Chaco - about the same size, F- she hid while i had her in a larger container and she was at 65-70. however, she didn't eat well either. then i put her in a smaller container, changed the location of the container and heated her up to about 75-78. within a week, she was eating and never hides (coconut shell) for more than a short while. now, she would take a roach every day if i would give it to her and she is much faster when i put food in. of course, this is anecdotal evidence, but it was a dramtic change.

good luck
david

 

[Windchaser]

just based on my experience with my Chaco - about the same size, F- she hid while i had her in a larger container and she was at 65-70. however, she didn't eat well either. then i put her in a smaller container, changed the location of the container and heated her up to about 75-78. within a week, she was eating and never hides (coconut shell) for more than a short while. now, she would take a roach every day if i would give it to her and she is much faster when i put food in. of course, this is anecdotal evidence, but it was a dramtic change.

good luck
david

Your observations really aren't all that surprising. Being cold blooded creatures their metabolism is affected by the ambient temperature. They will be more active in warmer temperatures and less active in cooler temperatures.

The life span of a tarantula is governed by the number of molts it has. Speeding up its metabolism will increase the molting frequency which in turn will shorten the life span, measured in time, of the tarantula. This also applies to food. Increased food intake will increase the molting frequency as well.

 

[Sicel1304]

Right now, I have her in a 10 gallon aquarium with about 5-6 inches of substrate. What I did, was I bought her one of those "half log" hides (SEE BELOW) and put one end into the substrate at an angle, so there is only one entrance into it. This way, she could have a nice dark spot that she can retreat into if need be. For her size though, her home is rather big for her, which could be a bad thing.


http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Pro...105_cp_2_Nao_12_sku_504408_familyID_5963.aspx

 

[MindUtopia]

Right now, I have her in a 10 gallon aquarium with about 5-6 inches of substrate. What I did, was I bought her one of those "half log" hides (SEE BELOW) and put one end into the substrate at an angle, so there is only one entrance into it. This way, she could have a nice dark spot that she can retreat into if need be. For her size though, her home is rather big for her, which could be a bad thing.


http://www.petco.com/Shop/petco_Pro...105_cp_2_Nao_12_sku_504408_familyID_5963.aspx

Your enclosure isn't terribly big. It's certainly on the larger end of what would work, but since you say she seems to be catching crickets, that's nothing to worry about. I think all the behavior you are noticing is just normal T behavior and doesn't indicate anything out of the ordinary.

 

[ogershok]

My Chaco is doing the exact same thing right now. What has impressed me the most is the superb camoflage she has constructed over the hide opening. She covered the opening with a thin veil of webbing then placed bits of the soil substrate on the webbing so that it looks exectly like the rest of the substrate. I'm assuming she's molting in there because she has been an absolute pig for a few weeks and then just did this hiding maneuver. By the way - refering to her as "she" is purely optimism.

 

[Amanda]

I have two juvi G. aureostriata from the same sac. Both are in the 2"-2.5" range. They are kept in the same room, on the same shelf right next to eachother, in nearly identical enclosures. One of them is out all the time and accepts food whenever it is offered, except for pre and post-molt. The other stays under its cork bark hide with all entrances barracaded with dirt. She comes out after a molt, eats everything I throw at her for a week and a half, then closes herself back up again for a month or more, molts, and the cycle begins again. She doesn't even take crickets during that time.

The two couldn't be more different, and they receive identical living conditions and identical care.