G. pulchripes burrowing?

[boina]

Do t's even need the room we give them? If I house an AF Brachy in a deli cup, are there adverse affects and why?

There is such a thing as sensory deprivation. Practically all animals show some sort of exploratory behaviour, some more, some less. If they don't get a chance to do so at all, like snakes in those tubs some breeders like to keep them in, they may still eat and grow, but they get lethargic and their behaviour changes, i.e. they react more strongly to any kind of disturbance. Depending on temperament they may either freak out or get overly aggressive. I've no sources right now, it's just something I learned and experienced when studying animal behaviour and working in a zoo. Btw, sensory deprivation is used in human torture.
Personally I like to keep my Ts in larger enclosures, like 15 gallon for larger terrestrials with lot of structures, like two hides to chose from and some wood and stuff. They may not need it, but I think they show more varied behaviour and that's what I want to see after all.

 

[cold blood]

There is such a thing as sensory deprivation. Practically all animals show some sort of exploratory behaviour, some more, some less. If they don't get a chance to do so at all, like snakes in those tubs some breeders like to keep them in, they may still eat and grow, but they get lethargic and their behaviour changes, i.e. they react more strongly to any kind of disturbance. Depending on temperament they may either freak out or get overly aggressive. I've no sources right now, it's just something I learned and experienced when studying animal behaviour and working in a zoo. Btw, sensory deprivation is used in human torture.
Personally I like to keep my Ts in larger enclosures, like 15 gallon for larger terrestrials with lot of structures, like two hides to chose from and some wood and stuff. They may not need it, but I think they show more varied behaviour and that's what I want to see after all.

I'm all for adults in over-size enclosures...for the record, it was slings and juvies I was referencing, not adults.

 

[Stella Maris]

Well I feel like an idiot now. I just realized that my G. pulchripes sling is missing a leg. Which is odd because I haven't handled or manipulated him since rehousing him.

 

[BobBarley]

Well I feel like an idiot now. I just realized that my G. pulchripes sling is missing a leg. Which is odd because I haven't handled or manipulated him since rehousing him.

Nothing wrong with a missing leg. Could've dropped it during transit, maybe a bad molt, etc. It'll grow back. Losing a leg will not hinder it in any way.

 

[Stella Maris]

Nothing wrong with a missing leg. Could've dropped it during transit, maybe a bad molt, etc. It'll grow back. Losing a leg will not hinder it in any way.

He appears to be doing okay otherwise. I just didn't realize it until today. He molted recently from what I understand, possibly even as of last week.

 

[BobBarley]

He appears to be doing okay otherwise. I just didn't realize it until today. He molted recently from what I understand, possibly even as of last week.

Then yeah, no issue. I've heard of t's literally losing all of their legs and still getting to the next molt thanks to their owner.

 

[Ungoliant]

Then yeah, no issue. I've heard of t's literally losing all of their legs and still getting to the next molt thanks to their owner.

Just a flesh wound!

 

[Lokee85]

Do G. pulchripes slings tend to burrow? I know I have read and been told that many species burrow as slings but I really don't see that behavior with my B. baumgarteni, B. vagans, and now my G. pulchripes.

I have provided hides (pvc pipe) for all of them and they don't appear to actually "hide" inside them.

Should I be trying to give my G. pulchripes enough substrate to burrow or see if he will take a liking to his hide first?

I would like to offer my experience thus far with my two brachypelma slings in regard to burrowing. When I first go the two of them (B. albopilosum and B. vagans) I set up their enclosures nearly identically but for one thing: in my albo's enclosure, I poked a starter hole under the cork bark hide, but I forgot to do so under my B. vagans hide.

After settling in, my albo started burrowing right away, digging elaborate tunnels that are really fun to watch (if your lucky to get them to burrow against the side). My B. vagans, on the other hand, didn't dig a burrow, but rather just cleared out the hide for use.

Well, I ended up changing out their substrate and remembered to poke a starter hole in each enclosure this time, and they have both now dug out tunnels for their burrows.

I think providing a starter hole encouraged them to burrow more than just providing a hide would have (although that's not to say they wouldn't have dug without the starter hole, either).

 

[nicodimus22]

I have provided hides (pvc pipe) for all of them and they don't appear to actually "hide" inside them.

I cut little hides out of small PVC for my slings at first...then EulersK told me that he had accidentally killed a few slings that way. It seems that PVC, when cut, starts releasing toxic gases for a long time. If it hasn't been cut, they should be safe.

Full conversation here: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/lets-see-those-enclosures.291738/#post-2593604

 

[CWilson1351]

I got a G. pulchripes sling at the end of January and it has never burrowed. I bought two more today and they both have burrows in the vials. One is significantly more of a burrower than the other.
As for the PVC, I also thought it had to be heated before outgassing occurred. Glad to know ahead of getting any for hides though. I'll definitely be avoiding it now.

 

[Jeff23]

I got a G. pulchripes sling at the end of January and it has never burrowed. I bought two more today and they both have burrows in the vials. One is significantly more of a burrower than the other.
As for the PVC, I also thought it had to be heated before outgassing occurred. Glad to know ahead of getting any for hides though. I'll definitely be avoiding it now.

PVC outgasses at higher than acceptable levels without you doing anything to it. It shouldn't be used for any living creatures and is slowly being phased out except in special purpose situations. If you heat PVC, outgassing occurs at a very high rate. But all plastics have outgassing to some degree. It is best to look up any plastic that you plan to cut or heat/melt to verify its safety.

 

[Stella Maris]

Well Cocoa Muffin sort of built a hole in his house but he doesn't go inside of it.

 

[Lokee85]

Well Cocoa Muffin sort of built a hole in his house but he doesn't go inside of it.

"Cocoa Muffin" I love the name! I have a B. albopilosum named FuFu Cuddly Poops, affectionately nicknamed Poops or Poopsy lol.

 

[nicodimus22]

PVC outgasses at higher than acceptable levels without you doing anything to it.

I've searched quite a bit for info on PVC and invertebrates after what EulersK told me about the dangers of cutting it, and have never seen anything to back up the above statement. I did find that some books and keepers recommend it as a possible hide, as long as you're not cutting or heating it.

https://books.google.com/books?id=as9UDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT19&lpg=PT19&dq=pvc+tarantulas?&source=bl&ots=sat2jFSNIV&sig=iN3jAohWN2DXoacyYBHXy50bERw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinreDdzNzSAhVEeCYKHWDqDFYQ6AEITjAL#v=onepage&q=pvc tarantulas?&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=Q7TbAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA366&lpg=PA366&dq=pvc+tarantulas?&source=bl&ots=u4R-L1b0p4&sig=4EtgA_Je_xPX2FDMm6gV-cCKgRc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinreDdzNzSAhVEeCYKHWDqDFYQ6AEIUTAM#v=onepage&q=pvc tarantulas?&f=false
http://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/tarantula-hides-caves-made-from-pvc.1105/
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/items-that-are-toxic-to-tarantulas.216401/
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/tarantula-hides.282164/#post-2455642
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/14-toys/19348-pvc-dangerous-releases-chemical.html

There are more, but you get the point.

Can you please link us the information that supports your claim? If it's a legit problem, I have some changes to make, as I'm using molded PVC (no heat or cutting) for my slings.

 

[Jeff23]

I've searched quite a bit for info on PVC and invertebrates after what EulersK told me about the dangers of cutting it, and have never seen anything to back up the above statement. I did find that some books and keepers recommend it as a possible hide, as long as you're not cutting or heating it.

https://books.google.com/books?id=as9UDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT19&lpg=PT19&dq=pvc+tarantulas?&source=bl&ots=sat2jFSNIV&sig=iN3jAohWN2DXoacyYBHXy50bERw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinreDdzNzSAhVEeCYKHWDqDFYQ6AEITjAL#v=onepage&q=pvc tarantulas?&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=Q7TbAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA366&lpg=PA366&dq=pvc+tarantulas?&source=bl&ots=u4R-L1b0p4&sig=4EtgA_Je_xPX2FDMm6gV-cCKgRc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinreDdzNzSAhVEeCYKHWDqDFYQ6AEIUTAM#v=onepage&q=pvc tarantulas?&f=false
http://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/tarantula-hides-caves-made-from-pvc.1105/
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/items-that-are-toxic-to-tarantulas.216401/
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/tarantula-hides.282164/#post-2455642
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/14-toys/19348-pvc-dangerous-releases-chemical.html

There are more, but you get the point.

Can you please link us the information that supports your claim? If it's a legit problem, I have some changes to make, as I'm using molded PVC (no heat or cutting) for my slings.

I don't want to set off a panic for you so maybe you should read up on things and get additional opinions. I am NOT a plastics expert. I am an electrical engineer. If you decide to remove any PVC objects, I don't think you need to panic and change out all of them in one night, but I would switch them over time if they were in my tarantula enclosures.

It isn't the cutting that increases the outgassing of plastics. It is the heat. Usually cutting will create heat. I want to clear that up because some people use soldering irons and other tools for their creativity in this hobby as well. PVC continues to have outgassing over the entire life of the product. It just doesn't have a high level as it settles in open atmosphere and normal temperatures away from sunlight.

If you continue past the initial part of the article below (down a few paragraphs), you will find that it has been shown that outgassing does cause problems for certain electronic applications. Thus there has been a need for higher quality plastics to overcome the problem. Someone might argue that electronics heat up, but that is only the case in the electrical enclosure. Fiber Optic sensors and other optics are usually mounted out on the machinery rather than next to heat producing power supplies, transformers, etc. So the outgassing is occurring without you altering the plastic.

https://www.plastics-technology.com/articles/id/plasticsoutgassing

Some PVC is manufactured with DEHP in it. This chemical is banned in the EU. PVC is also being removed from the medical industry. In my view it isn't worth the roll of the dice for your treasured tarantulas. But this is a decision that you will need to make.

Here is an interesting article by a plastics manufacturer that also provides a different perspective. I noticed that in this article it mentions that Polyethylene (HDPE) also has a high outgassing rate. But since it isn't getting the attention there must be some difference on the chemicals involved that make it less of a health risk (is my guess). But maybe we need to study this more.

https://www.directplastics.co.uk/why-engineering-plastics-outgas-and-why-should-you-care.html