Reusing an enclosure as is experiment

[BoyFromLA]

When previously occupied enclosure goes vacant for some reasons, what I normally do is clean it thoroughly inside out:

• Take a cork bark or two out, wash and dry them.
• Throw out all webbed up substrates, then pour out some of clean, and reusable substrates for other use.
• Clean all webs and poops that on glass or acrylic wall with razor blade.
• Wash inside and out with water, and paper towel.

But this time around, I did nothing, I mean literally nothing. I wanted to use previously occupied enclosure as is, for completely different tarantula.

Of course, I would not reuse an enclosure that’s previously occupied by an arboreal tarantula for a terrestrial tarantula or vice versa. I would also not reuse an enclosure that’s previously occupied by a heavy webbing tarantula for a not so heavy webbing tarantula.

I did this only because I found following two tarantulas have very similar life / webbing styles, as well as keeping conditions. Now then, Two tarantulas are:

• Heteroscodra maculata
• Stromatopelma calceatum

So this enclosure was previously occupied by Heteroscodra maculata, and webbed up inside pretty well.







And I rehoused Stromatopelma calceatum into this as is enclosure.



It went straight into all webbed up burrow with no hesitation, and stayed there all curled up for at least nine minutes, then very carefully it started to roam around while putting down it’s own webs here and there.

It’s only a day one, I will keep updating how it goes in coming days.

 

[jrh3]

I have done this multiple times with slings. Psalmopoeus and Poecilotheria species both just went right in and adapted accordingly. From what I see they just use whats there already.

 

[BoyFromLA]

I have done this multiple times with slings. Psalmopoeus and Poecilotheria species both just went right in and adapted accordingly. From what I see they just use whats there already.

Interesting. Aren’t Psalmopoeus species web heavier than Poecilotheria species? I rarely see Poecilotheria species web things around unless they are near molt, while Psalmopoeus species web here and there all the time.

 

[jrh3]

Interesting. Aren’t Psalmopoeus species web heavier than Poecilotheria species? I rarely see Poecilotheria species web things around unless they are near molt, while Psalmopoeus species web here and there all the time.

yep, I actually have a p. Metallica sling in a 32oz deli cup that one of my p. Victori was in. The metallica seems to use the whole enclosure. It has knocked down some of the webbing but still uses the base of it.

 

[BoyFromLA]

yep, I actually have a p. Metallica sling in a 32oz deli cup that one of my p. Victori was in. The metallica seems to use the whole enclosure. It has knocked down some of the webbing but still uses the base of it.

Again, interesting.

Like when tarantula pairing, a male instantly notices when it goes into a female enclosure by touching the webbing placed in it, I was wondering if there will be any chances that new owner would notice any traces of previous owner. Have you witnessed such? Not like “Oh! This was previously used by P. victori, I see!” moment, but like any hesitations to go beyond some point or anything like that?

 

[jrh3]

Again, interesting.

Like when tarantula pairing, a male instantly notices when it goes into a female enclosure by touching the webbing placed in it, I was wondering if there will be any chances that new owner would notice any traces of previous owner. Have you witnessed such? Not like “Oh! This was previously used by P. victori, I see!” moment, but like any hesitations to go beyond some point or anything like that?

I have wondered this as well, I wonder if any studies have been done on any differences in species webbing on microscopic level that they can detect.

 

[Nickjuliaschick]

Very Interesting. I have thought of doing this myself, but have not straight moved one spider in to a used enclosure without touching anything. I was always curious if moving various sizes of the same species that when one moves up to a new enclosure just move the next one it. My thought was always does the tarantula know someone else has been here, do they have any sort of different behavior thinking they took over someone else's territory. For this I have always started fresh, but maybe next time I will try it out. Thanks for posting about this.

 

[viper69]

I’ve done it with all ages.

There’s no way that what is in the wild is safer than what is any used setup I have.

 

[BoyFromLA]

There’s no way that what is in the wild is safer than what is any used setup I have.

I completely agree with this. I can imagine many of wild tarantulas often would make vacant burrows, hides, dens, their new homes.

 

[Smotzer]

I had done this and also separately
including pieces of old webbing into new enclosures and they seem to settle in faster in both ways

 

[YungRasputin]

really interesting experiment - i’ve wondered this myself recently but with fossorial species - my guess is that the new species would opportunistically use the tunnels of the previous occupant but haven’t tested this of course - really cool imo

 

[Edan bandoot]

can't see any reason not to if you're dealing with entirely cb specimens. With WCs theres a chance of spreading around latent funguses/viruses/bacteria from the wild.

I personally wouldn't as i like to clean the enclosures up and watch them make it their own.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

On several occasions when an enclosure has gone vacant I've just picked out most of the webbing, cleaned/refilled the water dish, and then just popped the new spider in. Never ran into any issues doing so.

 

[Neonblizzard]

I completely agree with this. I can imagine many of wild tarantulas often would make vacant burrows, hides, dens, their new homes.

Interesting stuff because every year i bet many tarantula burrows are abandoned when the male matures... So that would make sense someone else would come occupy it

 

[BoyFromLA]

Now this would be part two.

I did this only because I found following two tarantulas have very heavy webbing styles, as well as keeping conditions. Now then, Two tarantulas are:

• Dolichothele diamantinensis
• Monocentropus balfouri

So this enclosure was previously occupied by Dolichothele diamantinensis, and webbed up inside pretty well, and Monocentropus balfouri needed a rehouse.





Soon after it touched the ground, it went straight into the burrow with cork bark, and webbings. It stayed at the same spot for quite some time, then it started to check things around while putting down it’s own webbings here and there.



I will keep update.

 

[BoyFromLA]

Update:

• Stromatopelma calceatum
  • After a little over a month of solitude, it finally decided to come out from it’s den, and stroll around.
• Monocentropus balfouri
  • It was busy putting down it’s own web, mostly around it’s burrow, and today it gladly ate one small red runner roach.

 

[PidderPeets]

Are the newly rehoused Ts tearing down any of the old webbing, or simply webbing over it?

 

[BoyFromLA]

Are the newly rehoused Ts tearing down any of the old webbing, or simply webbing over it?

They are using old webbing too, but they are adding new layers, and new adjustments on top of it.

 

[coolnweird]

I have nothing to add, just wanted to thank you for documenting this! Great info to have preserved on the boards

 

[BoyFromLA]

It’s only been a couple of days, though Monocentropus balfouri managed to adjust, upgrade, redesign here, and there. At first glance, you would say it’s not much of changes, but if you look carefully, many things changed little by little.

Top: before
Bottom: after



And yes, I will keep update.