Tarantula Bites Plant..?

[WizardTheSpinoMan]

Unfortunately I didn't get to catch this on camera. But while watching my G Pulchripes walk around her enclosure, I saw her open up her fangs and kinda bite/scrape her fangs against the fake plant I put in there. I doubt it's because of hunger because I just fed her a few days ago.
Not sure what this behavior means. If anyone has an answer, please let me know. Thanks

 

[Liquifin]

Sounds like a tarantula doing construction and re-arranging its enclosure.

 

[WizardTheSpinoMan]

Sounds like a tarantula doing construction and re-arranging its enclosure.

That's kind of the thought I had. But what confuses me is that she didn't try to move the plant. Simply spread her fangs almost like she was about to bite, then kept moving

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Like this?

 

[WizardTheSpinoMan]

Like this?
View attachment 469462

Quite similar. Yes.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Probably just redecorating. Mine was tearing down old web here and made new tunnels. Made me double take when I walked by though, lol. My genic bit and swung on a piece of leaf wedged in the substrate until he ripped it free, then carried it to his water dish to dump it.

 

[Marcostaco]

Tarantulas are survivors for millions and millions of years but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are smart lol

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I had to remove fake plant because my Phampho refused to walk in that area or even even touch it. I never saw attack, but it could’ve happened.

Tarantulas are survivors for millions and millions of years but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are smart lol

Yep attacking plants is quite normal. Maybe they think there could be a predator or pray, hiding in it. Or they’re just silly.‍

 

[WizardTheSpinoMan]

Tarantulas are survivors for millions and millions of years but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are smart lol

Yeah lol... They're very odd

 

[viper69]

Nothing to worry about

 

[fcat]

My A seemani has a beef with her plant that goes way back. She is very curious whenever I open the lid, and let me tell you, she notices everything I add/change. And apparently I'm always wrong. I haven't experimented with a single shred of moss but maybe I should, see how neurotic she really is She's a total control freak and has always had other intentions for her plant, but it's affixed, so it's just her punching bag for now (it's fake).

She's one that would've been a great candidate for proving that ping pong balls are just annoyances, so I would never do that to her, but I do add leaves from time to time. She has a burrow and therefore a surface and I like to think it's something that would occur in the wild...random debris showing up. It's something for her to do while she waits for a male that will never show

 

[Spinnenfritzi]

I had my N. coloratovillosus in a rather heavily planted enclosure with a fern and Moss...it was very beautiful.
My wife and i laughed really hard at her attempts to destroy it all. The sight of her steming all her weight against her backlegs to uproot the fern or pulling the leafs off....

While it looked funny to me... i eventually rehoused her into a different enclosure with different setup (which she seems to enjoy more)

 

[gabrieldezzi]

Unfortunately I didn't get to catch this on camera. But while watching my G Pulchripes walk around her enclosure, I saw her open up her fangs and kinda bite/scrape her fangs against the fake plant I put in there. I doubt it's because of hunger because I just fed her a few days ago.
Not sure what this behavior means. If anyone has an answer, please let me know. Thanks

I've seen both my A. chalcodes and A. avicularia engage in this. My theory is that they do it for grooming purposes maybe? Or as some of the other posts suggested, maybe rearrangement.