To clean or not to clean?

[maggiefiasco]

So my B. auratum has been eating furiously lately. As such, she's also been pooping a lot! lol

Her usual custom is to nab her prey, walk it into her little coconut shell burrow, and eat inside there. She happy-dances and webs while she is eating, so she's kinda turning in circles inside the hide while she chomps and webs a little bit. A day or so later, I will find that she has used the webbing inside of her hide like a little mat, which she then apparently rolls up and brings outside of her hide. It kinda turns into a little clump of substrate held loosely together with the webbing.

I've found 2 such rolled up webs/clumps of substrate recently, as well as bolus in a corner of her enclosure behind/just to the side of her hide. She seems to be eating happily, pooping, and then doing a little housekeeping to bag it all up and bring it outside of her hide.

My question is, obviously I remove the bolus and the dead cricket parts... but these little rolled up balls of web/substrate, does she want me to remove these as well?

With the way she's placed them next to her hide, it almost looks like she placed it there purposely? She's an adult T, not a juvenile and I've never seen her display any interest in digging or burrowing formally. But if she's trying to use these little clumps/rolls of sub and web as building material to enhance her hide, then maybe I should leave it?

I dunno, thoughts?

 

[TownesVanZandt]

What you´re describing are boluses. Just remove them

 

[Devin B]

If shes removing them from her hide, then its most likely garbage to your T. I'd remove them.

 

[maggiefiasco]

What you´re describing are boluses. Just remove them

That's the weird thing though! NONE of my other T's have ever done this, their poop is just obvious and on its own. They all seem to have a little corner of their tank where they either seem to poop, or move their poop to.

Even inside of Teresa's enclosure, they're separate. There's an obvious poop zone, easy to see and identify. I took the tongs last night and picked up all of those obvious poops, but then there's the clumps of the sub/web with nothing inside! Just two of these really loosely balled clumps of substrate bound together with webbing and no poop inside of it?

I was like "Okay lady, is this going out with the trash or were you gonna build a fort out of it??" lol

 

[Venom1080]

I never clean tarantula poop. Just doesn't do anything.

 

[maggiefiasco]

I never clean tarantula poop. Just doesn't do anything.

I keep wondering about this. Like, if I choose not to clean even the poop, whats the worst case scenario here? Nothin happens?

What about the pile of sub/webbing? What is that even and why does she make one? Watching her do it reminds me of somewhat human behavior -- spreading out a picnic blanket, having a picnic and getting crumbs everywhere, maybe pooping near the picnic once you're done with the food, then tucking in the edge of the blanket, balling it up and throwing the whole thing in the trash. lol

 

[cold blood]

Ive never removed a clump of webbing and substrate...I know what you are talking about, I see them when I do re-houses....I just leave it.

 

[Venom1080]

I keep wondering about this. Like, if I choose not to clean even the poop, whats the worst case scenario here? Nothin happens?

What about the pile of sub/webbing? What is that even and why does she make one? Watching her do it reminds me of somewhat human behavior -- spreading out a picnic blanket, having a picnic and getting crumbs everywhere, maybe pooping near the picnic once you're done with the food, then tucking in the edge of the blanket, balling it up and throwing the whole thing in the trash. lol

Nothing. I leave all webs and stuff too. Just no reason to move it.

 

[Paul1126]

I never clean tarantula poop. Just doesn't do anything.

Does it not drive you crazy? Especially if they crap on the walls.

 

[FrDoc]

Does it not drive you crazy? Especially if they crap on the walls.

My A. Avicularia seems to enjoy decorating the sides and top of its enclosure with dukie murals, and it can get some distance.

 

[Paul1126]

My A. Avicularia seems to enjoy decorating the sides and top of its enclosure with dukie murals, and it can get some distance.

Exactly what my GBB does, now I just leave it until it becomes so unsightly

 

[WoofSpider]

Does it not drive you crazy? Especially if they crap on the walls.

My A. avic is the only T that I clean up the poo from. For all my others, it's such a tiny amount and so innocuous that there just is not any real reason to clean it up.

The A .avic, though, likes to spray it all over the walls making things rather unsightly. Even then, I'm only cleaning it up for my own benefit.

 

[Paul1126]

The A .avic, though, likes to spray it all over the walls making things rather unsightly. Even then, I'm only cleaning it up for my own benefit

Every single one of my spiders do this on the wall, I actually thought my boehmei's enclosure was cracked this morning, nope it was poop.

 

[Thekla]

And how would you even clean up something like this?



I honestly thought my little B. vagans had built that tunnel to make itself a cosy home, but now I see it's just the toilet for the real estate it's building in front of its hide/cork bark.

 

[viper69]

does she want me to remove these as well?

If boli, yes. If rolled up substrate mats, you may remove them. Ts are tidy, and when they roll up, it's like "out with the old, in w/the new".