Lets talk dirty...

[RickysReptiles]

Ok, lets chat about dirt!

My B. Smithi loves to dig, just like most B. Smithis. Thing is... after a little while her caves almost always...well.... cave in. The dirt just doesn't stay compacted enough for her to dig in. I mean, when I put her in I compact the dirt as much as I can, but over time it dries out and eventually her caves will collapse.

I'm using regular planting soil, without any additives etc. What are other options?

Lets discuss.....

 

[Poec54]

I use bagged top soil from Home Depot, no additives. Works great, holds its shape, no collapse.

 

[RickysReptiles]

I use bagged top soil from Home Depot, no additives. Works great, holds its shape, no collapse.

That's what I use. At first it was great, when it was moist. That let to a lot of mold though...so I dried it out. Now that it's dry it doesn't hold as well.

 

[Sana]

I'm using the same soil as Poec54 on his recommendation and I'm loving it. I add sphagnum moss to my species that need a little moisture since I live in a very dry climate. The moss is holding moisture levels for several days more as compared to the drier species that don't have it. The cheap top soil is holding shape for my burrowers amazingly. No cave ins yet and the tarantulas seem to prefer it over coco fiber. Individuals that never burrowed on the coco fiber now dig and rearrange and make lovely architecture with their top soil.

 

[Tfisher]

I throw a mix of a lot of different things. I like to use cork bark chipped into small pieces about .5 in - 1in with soil, coco fiber, moss and a small about of vermiculite and sand. I only use sand at the very bottom then later up with the mixture. I've found that my borrowers like to use their water dish to help with the building process. Also if you t keeps making it in the same place improvise. Use a half log or a few pieces of bark to create a structure or support for their den. If they don't like it they will fix it to their liking. Good luck and let us know what you do

 

[truecreature]

Is top soil more of a seasonal thing? Because I've looked at our Home Depot and the website before and it's not stocking it. I've been wanting to give it a try since my spiders don't seem to like their cocofiber very much.

 

[TLover007]

My B. Smithi loves to dig, just like most B. Smithis.

Your B smithi digs??? I have owned about 10 of them in my T hobby over the years and not one of mine dug... not even when in pre-molt... strange how their personalities differ...

Oh and sorry for not sticking to the subject... i get special dirt bricks for Ts that i use... cheap safe and my caves never... cave LOL

 

[RickysReptiles]

Your B smithi digs??? I have owned about 10 of them in my T hobby over the years and not one of mine dug... not even when in pre-molt... strange how their personalities differ...

Oh and sorry for not sticking to the subject... i get special dirt bricks for Ts that i use... cheap safe and my caves never... cave LOL

Really? Yeah. She loves to dig!

 

[TLover007]

Really? Yeah. She loves to dig!

Not one of them ever... and its not like the dirt is to shallow... i give each one lots of dirt and a nice hide etc etc... mine never even uses the hide... like i said not even when pre molt or during the molt itself...

 

[skippydude]

OP obviously has a sling or juvenile, which love to dig and cave in the tunnels. It's just bull dozing stuff around and that is normal behavior for small brachys. Changing the sub won't change this behavior, the T will however grow out of it.

 

[cold blood]

Not one of them ever... and its not like the dirt is to shallow... i give each one lots of dirt and a nice hide etc etc... mine never even uses the hide... like i said not even when pre molt or during the molt itself...

+1 skippy

Mine was a burrow making master until it hit 3"...hasn't dug or moved any substrate since. It did have one single burrow collapse while molting. When its dry its not really heavy when it does collapse like it is when moist, so I think the dangers are minimal. Generally a t will re-enforce their burrow with copious amounts of webbing, which really makes their burrows quite stable.

 

[TLover007]

OP obviously has a sling or juvenile, which love to dig and cave in the tunnels. It's just bull dozing stuff around and that is normal behavior for small brachys. Changing the sub won't change this behavior, the T will however grow out of it.

I dont think behavior change was his problem... i think he was trying to find a beter dirt so that the T is more comfortable diging without it falling down on the T "cave-in"

 

[cgrinter]

None of my B. smithi dig, but my G. pulchripes sling does and seems pretty bad at it. It'll dig in the corners and any sort of burrow is just dirt on its back for a day or two until it gives up and moves to another corner to do the same thing. I gave her a small hide and now she has stopped the digging. Other spiders on the same coco-fiber substrate can produce beautiful tunnels, so it just seems some species (or even spiders) are better than others at burrowing. Even my B. albopilosum manages to make a nice tunnel.

 

[RickysReptiles]

My T's last molt was 3.25" diagonally. She may outgrow the digging, and that's fine - but for now she seems to enjoy the digging. Her soil is around 5" deep though. He last tunnel collapsed on her and I thought she was a gonner... but she dug herself out eventually. Once that happened I flattened everything out again and then she dug another tunnel. This one seems to be holding...for now.

I'm moving her into a wall mounted enclosure that is 48" wide x 8" deep x 8" high (I'll post pics once I've got it done). It'll made from black PVC with an acrylic door on the top. That's another thread, altogether. Long story short, though, I was just curious about the soil mix for when I move her into that enclosure. If shes going to stop digging eventually anyway, then it's not really a big deal. Sh'es my only T, so I'm always learning.

 

[Poec54]

That's what I use. At first it was great, when it was moist. That let to a lot of mold though...so I dried it out. Now that it's dry it doesn't hold as well.

Top soil will vary regionally. In Florida (which was submerged on and off between ice ages) many of us have 'soil' in our yards that's mostly beach sand. They truck in real soil from nearby states. Do outdoor nursery departments stay open in the winter up north?

 

[Tfisher]

Top soil will vary regionally. In Florida (which was submerged on and off between ice ages) many of us have 'soil' in our yards that's mostly beach sand. They truck in real soil from nearby states. Do outdoor nursery departments stay open in the winter up north?

Not here in ny.

 

[skippydude]

I dont think behavior change was his problem... i think he was trying to find a beter dirt so that the T is more comfortable diging without it falling down on the T "cave-in"

Young brachys and grammostolas dig caves and then destroy them. Doesn't really matter what kind of substrate you use. I personally call this behavior bull dozing because it can't really be described as tunneling or burrowing to make a permanent hide They are just digging and moving stuff around.

 

[RickysReptiles]

Young brachys and grammostolas dig caves and then destroy them. Doesn't really matter what kind of substrate you use. I personally call this behavior bull dozing because it can't really be described as tunneling or burrowing to make a permanent hide They are just digging and moving stuff around.

Good to know. When do they stop? My T is roughly 4.5 years old.

 

[cold blood]

Good to know. When do they stop? My T is roughly 4.5 years old.

4.5 years tell us zip...what's the t's DLS?

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

I'm using regular planting soil, without any additives etc.

do you know if it is peat based? I use the cheap peat based top soil, and it holds its shape even dry. Don't know the availability up where you are, though.