Tarantula hides...

[Lander9021]

There's a lot of hides avalible on the market and some people even make their own, but what is the safest and most appropriate hide for a t or does it depend on certain aspects such as species.
I made a hide for my g.rosea using a quarter of a Coconut shell and I cut a wide "door frame" as it were and sanded it all down so that it is smooth but left the fibre ect on the outside for a more natural look, and she seems to like it. But I have seen really cool hides like sabre tooth cat resin skulls and other jazzy hides ..are these safe to use with a t?

 

[Poec54]

I use cork slabs, at an angle against the sides, for terrestrials and arboreals. Never thought of coconuts, and they grow all over the place here. As much as I love sabre tooth cats, I'm not a fan of skulls in spider cages as it looks tacky to me, kind of like those little plastic divers they put in aquariums.

 

[Lander9021]

I use cork slabs, at an angle against the sides, for terrestrials and arboreals. Never thought of coconuts, and they grow all over the place here. As much as I love sabre tooth cats, I'm not a fan of skulls in spider cages as it looks tacky to me, kind of like those little plastic divers they put in aquariums.

What's a cork slab and I was cracking a coconut to eat and it just happend to break perfectly down the middle so I thought the tarantula would make use of it ...I knew she wasn't garanteed to use it but she seems to love it

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I use cork bark, perfect for T's. As far as i know (i buy cork bark here in Italy, near me) in UK you can buy good quality cork here:
http://www.thespidershop.co.uk/plants-decor-c-36_85.html

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Skulls and items like that aren't the best to use in a Theraphosidae enclosure. Those things are hard, in the unwanted case of a fall due to T/T's climbing, there's bad news waiting only.

 

[Ellenantula]

I use cork slabs for arboreals (angled and glue-gunned in place for stability) and wood half-log hides for terrestrials. Exception is for slings that get cork bark since the wood logs are too big. I imagine anything would work with slings -- even a leaf. I don't really have any slings anymore -- they grew up.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I don't really have any slings anymore -- they grew up.

Ah ah so sweet. Buy some, then

 

[Ellenantula]

Ah ah so sweet. Buy some, then

I oughta. Shame to breed B lats and have all these pinheads/juvies and no Ts needing small sizes anymore!

 

[louise f]

Cork bark all the way. Simple and easy to clean.

 

[sezra]

i guess im kind of boring as i cut a plastic flower pot in half and bury it into the substrate. ive used cork bark etc in the past, but i find flower pots easier to acquire as i dont have a lot of money right now. student life and all that

 

[Belegnole]

A tarantula doesn't think, so it doesn't really care what a hide is made of. A place that creates a sense of security is what is needed. From what I have seen that is usually a smaller space than one would think. For educational and enjoyment purposes find some videos of tarantulas in the wild and you'll see what types of tiny spots they jam themselves into.


As keepers, we choose things based on other criteria than just snug to fit a bug. The best materials are nonreactive and look good when used in a display tank. Cork fits that bill and it's easy to cut as well. If the hide is buried then all sorts of things work. Cheap terracotta pots work well when modified as do plastic cups.

If the enclosure is not a display then it doesn't need to be pretty, it just needs to work. Materials that don't rot, mold or harbor pests are best in my opinion.

 

[Lander9021]

I'm not to fussed what I use as a hide providing its safe and she's comfortable but if it's something that looks good its a bonus, I understand the needs of the t comes priority over how I want her enclosure to be laid out.

 

[lunarae]

I use bark I gather from outside. Scrub it down, boil it, bake it and it's good to go. I'll usually glue pieces together to make a hide like area for ours.They seem to like them, though our A. versicolor's didn't like to stick to the side with the changing climate and hot glue so it fell down. now she wont touch it even though I got it fixed so it wont fall again. Can't say I blame her though. Hot glue on glass is not the best for long term just in case anyone else wasn't already aware. You live and learn.

 

[ErinM31]

Slings are easy -- my B. smithi is content with a leaf (I made a small starter burrow in the substrate for it but it never uses it, only has occasionally run there when feeling threatened. My others slings (Hapalopus sp. Columbia and E. murinus) have made elaborate hides that are a combination of burrowing in the substrate combined with moss and webbing -- more impressive than anything I could make them! For adults, it seems the most important aspect is that it not be able to cause injury by being fallen on top of or burrowed under:

Cork bark seems ideal, but I've never tried it. As it is expensive, I would want to see the exact shape and dimensions I am getting (a common complaint against some of the brands I've seen sold on Amazon).

Bone is generally lightweight (thinking of most skulls I've handled here -- a sabertooth with massive tusks may be an exception!) but hard and so could work as long as the top is close enough to the top of the enclosure and there are no sharp protrusions so that falling on it is not a hazard.

Terra cotta pots are both heavy and hard and thus seem a bad option to me. If you're looking for cheap -- I have a small Jiffy peat pot (note that this would be a BAD option for a terrarium not bone-dry as they will mold badly) as a hide for my adult female Euathlus sp. red and she uses it on occasion. It is not the most aesthetic option (perhaps I might improve it with some dried moss on the outside) but she didn't use at all the resin log nor the curved piece of bark (well, she does sit upon the latter) and was not burrowing into the substrate as I had expected her too.

Coconut huts sounds a good option but will obviously look more at home in some terraria than others.

Curved bark or wood (so long as it is not too heavy and is either cork or in a dry terrarium) seems like it should be good option for a tarantula to crawl or burrow under as they might desire, but mine have not (take that with a grain of salt as that reflects only one species and an N of 2, lol).

Constructed hides can look great and made to fit your tarantulas' needs (if, thou mere human, believe you can fathom the arachnid psyche ) Viper69 told me of some creative uses and modifications of pipe (see he's posts in my thread concerning my Euathlus sp. red enclosures http://arachnoboards.com/threads/ideas-for-making-my-euathlus-sp-reds-more-comfortable.281809/
I carefully made a hide/burrow for my male E. red out of lightweight rock, starting from the bottom of the enclosure and working up, making sure all was stable and would not collapse with burrowing, and then putting substrate over rock on the top to cushion any fall. I thought it looked cool and would make an ideal home for a small tarantula. He proceeded to fill it in with substrate.

Good luck!

 

[Sana]

I use anything that I find interesting that isn't a rock or something that is the same hardness. I'm currently in process on an arboreal enclosure that will contain a doll sized wicker chair and lots of fake plants. We're calling it the "secret garden enclosure".

 

[BorisTheSpider]

I have seen people use black PVC piping . It's dirt cheap and can easily be cut with Dremel Tool . Just be sure to use some sandpaper to round off the edges and smooth the corners . I will admit it doesn't look that bad . Although it seems a better fit for large scale breeders where cork bark wouldn't be cost effective . It won't mold like wood and is easily cleaned .

 

[viper69]

I use two things primarily, and I'm constantly looking for new types of hides. I try all sorts of things, out of my own curiosity, not because I think the T will "like" it better.

I use cork slabs the most, followed by PVC pipe. I take PVC hot glue the outside and add hermit crab flat coco fiber. Then I hot glue that, and add moss on top for some terrestrials. I also sand the interior of the PVC to rough it up slightly, so it's not smooth. I do this to give the T something to grip onto a bit, and for the webbing to anchor at smaller micropoints. I believe that makes things easier for the T.


I wish I had access to coconuts like Poec does because I read an excellent thread on using those. The guy did a great job using them.

 

[KezyGLA]

Plant pots burried into the substrate or Cork bark/wood (baked) leaning against the sides for terrestrials.

 

[viper69]

I use two things primarily, and I'm constantly looking for new types of hides. I try all sorts of things, out of my own curiosity, not because I think the T will "like" it better.

I use cork slabs the most, followed by PVC pipe. I take PVC hot glue the outside and add hermit crab flat coco fiber. Then I hot glue that, and add moss on top for some terrestrials. I also sand the interior of the PVC to rough it up slightly, so it's not smooth. I do this to give the T something to grip onto a bit, and for the webbing to anchor at smaller micropoints. I believe that makes things easier for the T.


I wish I had access to coconuts like Poec does because I read an excellent thread on using those. The guy did a great job using them.

@Vindicta what exactly do you disagree with in my quote? Simply disagreeing doesn't help anyone. If you have some knowledge to share, other than your ability to click on "Disagree", please feel to share it and help the hobby out

 

[Abyss]

I custom make/sell hides for arboreals and terestrials
~just a cheap advertisement haha~

Msg me if interested tho, prices are not too bad at all even with shipping!