# Tarantula laying flat



## Silvi (Aug 16, 2008)

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning I find my G. Rosea laying completely flat with it's legs stretched out completely flat, as if something smooshed him.
Then after he eventually picks up his legs as if nothing happened.
Does anyone know why it does this? Is he sick, is he too weak, is he too hot? Anything?

Thanks.:?


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## jrmrbcax (Aug 16, 2008)

HA I'm looking at the one at work doing the same exact thing


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## clearlysaid (Aug 16, 2008)

Completely normal behavior for a lot of tarantulas.  They're just stretching out or something.  A lot of them do this the days after molting but I've seen my spiders do it all at random times.

Reactions: Like 2 | Helpful 1


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## Silvi (Aug 16, 2008)

Thank you!


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## PsychoSpider (Aug 16, 2008)

Just stretching

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## jrmrbcax (Aug 16, 2008)

I have yet to see this tarantula molt and it's stretching lol


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## ensldspaez (Aug 16, 2008)

When we finally got everything right in our rosie's tank that was the first thing he did was lay flat I just means he's happy and comfortable!!!


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## Tarantula_man94 (Aug 16, 2008)

just stretching if u ask me

Reactions: Agree 1


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## jnfenrir (Aug 17, 2008)

Haha, just wait until you see it do the opposite and stand straight up on its tiptoes like a table.


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## GForce14063 (Aug 17, 2008)

I notice this behaviour when they are hungry I think more surface area for detecting prey.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Kamikaze (Aug 18, 2008)

My L. klugi does this all the time even when he's full


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## Kid Dragon (Aug 18, 2008)

My 6"+ _B. smithi_ does this for a few weeks after molting. She is phat!  kd


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## hairmetalspider (Aug 21, 2008)

Yoga.

After a day of staring at our ugly human mugs, they need some way to unwind.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Cocoa-Jin (Aug 21, 2008)

I always assumed they did that for any surface that was of a desirable temprature, exposing as body much surface area to the surface to speed temperature transfer.


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## Robert Jordan (Aug 22, 2008)

Your T is a good for nothing stoner and needs to start pulling some weight around the house. Tell it to get a job and a hair cut.

Reactions: Like 3 | Funny 3


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## phyrphreek (Aug 22, 2008)

Mine does it every morning. I feel the same way in the mornings. Try adding a little black coffee to his water.

(No, really..please don't)

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sooner (Aug 22, 2008)

My rose likes to dig a slight depression in the medium then stretch out in the hollow.

Of course, it sounds very relaxing.  Nice soft peat moss bed that's warm, what spider wouldn't want to relax there?


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## Shrike (Aug 22, 2008)

I see my Grammostoloa rosea exhibit this behavior every once in a while.  I guess its no coincidence that afterwards, she pounds down a dozen crickets, a few cans of pringles, and a package of oreos.


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## Odinp13 (Aug 22, 2008)

jrmrbcax said:


> I have yet to see this tarantula molt and it's stretching lol


Maybe they also do this to gauge wether it's getting time to get a larger suit.  Or stretch to make the old skin fit better 'til nature brings the new one.


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## tigasuku (Nov 23, 2011)

Our G. rosea had my son concerned enough today that he called me at to tell me that it was laying flattened out - I had noticed this behavior the day before.  Just now I noticed it again (the enclosure is on my desk) and thought that she (not verified) was preparing to molt.  Upon further inspection we saw her shed exoskeleton at the entrance of her hide.  She's cuddling with her heat rock, which she has been doing lately, outside of the hide.

Since we really don't know when the molt actually occurred we plan to just leave her alone for several days.  However, she did lay down a lot of silk a couple of days ago so I think the molt only happened recently.  This is our first molt and it looks like it went well since we didn't even notice until it was over.

So, laying down new carpeting around the hide entrance, not eating for awhile (she's usually voracious), and laying flattened out and close to a heat source spells molted for our G. rosea.  I'll try for photos tomorrow as long as she doesn't seem stressed by the attention.

We're just happy she came out o.k.


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## Formerphobe (Nov 23, 2011)

Heat rock?   I think I would be afraid of the T cooking itself on a heat rock.

Most Ts will decline food for varying periods of time prior to a molt.  They will also usually lay down a molting mat.  Don't feed her for at least a week post-molt to give her fangs a chance to harden.  If you can visualize her fangs, once they have turned black, she should be ready to eat.  They also exhibit various stretching postures after a molt.


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## Transient (Nov 24, 2011)

jnfenrir said:


> Haha, just wait until you see it do the opposite and stand straight up on its tiptoes like a table.


I hate it when mine do that :cry: it triggers my arachnophobia.


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## grayzone (Nov 24, 2011)

Cocoa-Jin said:


> I always assumed they did that for any surface that was of a desirable temprature, exposing as body much surface area to the surface to speed temperature transfer.


 thats a realistic assumption... im convinced lol


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## Formerphobe (Nov 24, 2011)

(Note: this is a 3 yr old thread...)


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## Stan Schultz (Nov 24, 2011)

Formerphobe said:


> (Note: this is a 3 yr old thread...)


Quite right! But sometimes it's good to revisit older threads for the updates, and to help newbies who haven't yet learned to use the search function (<hint>, <hint>, <nudge>, <nudge>, <wink>, <wink>).

About the thread's subject:

Have you ever tried sleeping, standing upright? You can do it, but it's not the best sleep you'll ever have. While we don't know if tarantulas "sleep" in the same sense that we do, it is reasonable to assume that they may not comfortably stand in the same position 24/7/365. And, splaying its legs out in all eight directions while resting on its "belly" is a perfectly reasonable posture it might assume to "straighten out the kinks" in its musculature, tendons and the softer parts of its exoskeleton. Or, it could be a new meditation position. Tarantulas seem to do a lot of meditating. 

Enjoy your little 8-legged, spread-eagled, guru buddy!

Reactions: Like 1


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## tigasuku (Dec 4, 2011)

*Heat rock - may be a case by case decision...*



Formerphobe said:


> Heat rock?   I think I would be afraid of the T cooking itself on a heat rock.
> 
> Most Ts will decline food for varying periods of time prior to a molt.  They will also usually lay down a molting mat.  Don't feed her for at least a week post-molt to give her fangs a chance to harden.  If you can visualize her fangs, once they have turned black, she should be ready to eat.  They also exhibit various stretching postures after a molt.


Hi, 

I was concerned about the rock at first and watched carefully.  However, it isn't sufficient for out water dragon so I added some resistance to dial down the heat.  It might get to 85 degrees depending on the ambient temp and out T seems to be comfortable regulating her (pretty sure about her sex now) heat be standing on, across, or just near the rock. Apparently it work for her but my son and I are pretty vigilant since we both just like to observe her doing whatever she's doing.

Reactions: Face Palm 1


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