What is my tarantula doing?

[auskie]

I have a ~3 inch Rosehair and after it catches prey it starts dancing around in a circle laying web. It doesn't seem to do anything with the thin layer of webbing, however. I've also noticed flat web pieces around the enclose that don't seem to do serve any purpose other than collect substrate. None of my other tarantulas do this. What do you think it's doing? Here's a picture of him/her just because.

 

[Formerphobe]

It's making itself at home. Since tarantulas have poor eyesight, they depend on their tactile sense to guide them. Laying down 'tracking' webs in their enclosures gives them familiar 'roadways' to travel. The network of webbing also gives them feedback as to when either predator or prey are afoot. They will also more heavily web 'sit spots', molting mats and 'tablecloths'. Periodically, some Ts will roll up their soiled/used web mats, push them to the side and lay new. I rarely, if ever, change out the substrate of my adult Ts. They have customized their enclosures to suit them and it is stressful to them to have to start anew. In the wild, adult females of terrestrial and fossorial species rarely move far from their lifelong burrows. Many arboreals, too, rarely stray far from their tube webs. They create an area that is familiar and comfortable to them.

What other tarantulas do you have? All of mine have varying degrees of webbing throughout their enclosures. Some is more noticeable than others.

Looks like your rosie has quite a bit of ceiling height. General rule of thumb is to allow them no more than one and one-half times their legspan in ceiling height. This minimizes risk of injury due to falls if they should climb the walls.

 

[CreepyCrawlies]

Well, the only info I could find on this is that they are believed to be making a food bed. They think this is a place for pieces of the T's meal to fall onto, where it is later balled up and discarded. I don't know about the validity of that info, but hey, we don't exactly have a perfect understanding of these creatures. They may be right.

 

[viper69]

What Ts do you own or rather how often do you watch them eat? I don't have a single specimen that doesn't do this.

It's always been my impression they do this to lay down new silk to account for any perceived destroyed silk on their part, as they seem to do this in the area where they nailed the cricket!

 

[auskie]

W

What other tarantulas do you have? All of mine have varying degrees of webbing throughout their enclosures. Some is more noticeable than others.

Looks like your rosie has quite a bit of ceiling height. General rule of thumb is to allow them no more than one and one-half times their legspan in ceiling height. This minimizes risk of injury due to falls if they should climb the walls.

I was going to add more substrate but didn't because he didn't seem to be too interested in burrowing or climbing. I'll probably add some more tonight when I go home though. And I have two others, a B. Smithi and a B. Emilia, but they're both slings so that's probably why I haven't seen them spin webs. Neat info though.

 

[Formerphobe]

W

I was going to add more substrate but didn't because he didn't seem to be too interested in burrowing or climbing. I'll probably add some more tonight when I go home though. And I have two others, a B. Smithi and a B. Emilia, but they're both slings so that's probably why I haven't seen them spin webs. Neat info though.

Adult G. roseas rarely burrow in captivity. They do like firmly packed dry substrate, so factor that in when adding more. What I have done with some of my enclosures, to save on substrate, is place a plastic food container (tupperware type) upside down on the bottom of the enclosure and pack substrate on and around it. That way you don't need to use as much substrate and you've effectively lowered the ceiling height.

This is a picture of what my AF B. smithi did with her 'dining room table' - rolled it right up. After this was taken, she rolled it up a bit more, then webbed on top of it.


Slings will web, too. It's just not as apparent as with a larger spider. If your slings are in small containers, you may find that the entire surface of the substrate is covered in fine webbing.

 

[CrystalRose]

What Ts do you own or rather how often do you watch them eat? I don't have a single specimen that doesn't do this.

It's always been my impression they do this to lay down new silk to account for any perceived destroyed silk on their part, as they seem to do this in the area where they nailed the cricket!

Yep all of mine do it too. I find it pretty interesting myself.

 

[cold blood]

What Ts do you own or rather how often do you watch them eat? I don't have a single specimen that doesn't do this.

+1 The bigger they are, the more apparent the webbing is. My sling does it, but the webbing is difficult to see. My rosea often times drops the prey on the "feeding mat", webs it into the mat, then rips it out to eat it. Other times she makes the mat and just eats on it. But I don't think I have ever seen her eat without laying at least a thin mat....often its pretty thick.

---------- Post added 03-28-2014 at 03:04 PM ----------

Looks like your rosie has quite a bit of ceiling height. General rule of thumb is to allow them no more than one and one-half times their legspan in ceiling height. This minimizes risk of injury due to falls if they should climb the walls.

+1 Looking at the aquarium, in order to make it terrestrial safe, its going to take a lot of sub to make the ceiling less than 8 inches high. And 8" is considering for an adult. With a 3" t, the ceiling should be about 5" from the floor. I made the same mistake when I got my first.

 

[Silberrücken]

Happy Meal - Tarantula-style!

My MF G. sp 'formosa' demonstrates this very well. Enjoy!

[video=youtube;6UA40v3G29s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UA40v3G29s[/video]

 

[GG80]

My rose does this everytime she catches prey. She'll pounce, hold the prey with her fangs, wait for up to 20 minutes and then the dance and webbing will begin. The floor of her enclosure is littered with web beds and she has built a big one which spans the floor inside her hide.

 

[viper69]

My MF G. sp 'formosa' demonstrates this very well. Enjoy!

[video=youtube;6UA40v3G29s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UA40v3G29s[/video]

Looking at that video sure makes me think that E. sp Yellow/Reds might get dropped into the Gramma. genus once they are classified. That looks like a slighter lighter E sp Red/Yellow but w/out the Red or Yellow.

 

[edgeofthefreak]

... and 'tablecloths'....

All 'feeding mats' are now officially 'tablecloths'. CHANGE APPROVED!

Looking at that video sure makes me think that E. sp Yellow/Reds might get dropped into the Gramma. genus once they are classified. That looks like a slighter lighter E sp Red/Yellow but w/out the Red or Yellow.

And viper... I hope you LOVE that I LOVE how much you LOVE the Euathlus genus. I hope they get properly described and classified, sometime BEFORE the NEXT decade!
Mine is still fingernail sized (finally fingernail sized)!!!

/end_hijack

 

[Poec54]

My rose does this everytime she catches prey. She'll pounce, hold the prey with her fangs, wait for up to 20 minutes and then the dance and webbing will begin. The floor of her enclosure is littered with web beds and she has built a big one which spans the floor inside her hide.

Not a dance. They do that for a couple reasons. Silk holds the prey together as they work it and tear it apart in feeding; keeps parts from falling. It also tangles up the prey so that if it were to revive, it wouldn't be able to escape.

 

[LordWaffle]

Looking at that video sure makes me think that E. sp Yellow/Reds might get dropped into the Gramma. genus once they are classified. That looks like a slighter lighter E sp Red/Yellow but w/out the Red or Yellow.

Not to mention the similarities in growth speed and behavior. I look forward to them being classified. Whenever that ends up happening.

 

[viper69]

Adult G. roseas rarely burrow in captivity. They do like firmly packed dry substrate, so factor that in when adding more. What I have done with some of my enclosures, to save on substrate, is place a plastic food container (tupperware type) upside down on the bottom of the enclosure and pack substrate on and around it. That way you don't need to use as much substrate and you've effectively lowered the ceiling height.

This is a picture of what my AF B. smithi did with her 'dining room table' - rolled it right up. After this was taken, she rolled it up a bit more, then webbed on top of it.
.

My GBB did the same thing. Her web mat was so thick she couldn't fold it beyond half way, even after anchoring it down from the beginning of the process. It was amazing to watch her slowly lift it up, spin anchors down. She was a one woman, 8 legged block and tackle crew. It was really very COOL.

---------- Post added 03-28-2014 at 08:50 PM ----------

And viper... I hope you LOVE that I LOVE how much you LOVE the Euathlus genus. I hope they get properly described and classified, sometime BEFORE the NEXT decade!
Mine is still fingernail sized (finally fingernail sized)!!!

/end_hijack

Right on my man!! Euathlus sp Red & sp Yellow WORLD DOMINATION!!! They are one of THE BEST beginner Ts (tied for 1st in my book). Anyone that thinks there is no such thing as a "beginner" T is a meth or crack addict IMO, and would need to undergo a drug test to demonstrate otherwise!! ;P

My tiny sp Red finally molted after 5 months. Its leg span is now about the size of my pinky fingernail. My 2 sp Yellows have been on an eating binge. I find these sp Red/Yellows can eat much more frequently than the previous reports I found during my research before I bought my first one.