# Tarantula Ping Pong



## Amoeba (Aug 30, 2011)

Four days ago I was posting in this thread (http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?216317-Proud-first-time-tarantula-owner) and everyone's favorite author made this comment 



Pikaia said:


> They're spiders. That's what they do. Sometimes there's a purpose. Other times they're just doing something, anything to fend off the boredom. As an experiment, I would like you to put one ping pong ball in the cage with it. Nobody seems to believe me, but many tarantulas like to play with the ball in the middle of the night. If you hear a strange noise at 3:00 AM, just smile and go back to sleep. Or, grab your camera for a really unique photo!
> 
> Enjoy your little 8-legged ping pong champion!


So I took the liberty of testing this (and quoting it for my signature) so here are my results and pictures. 


At 11:00 pm (eastern) 8/26/2011 I placed a white pingpong ball (after rinsing with tap water) in both my G rosea (~4.5-5") and A. metallica's (~3-3.5") kritter keeper. Then shut the the door to where they are currently being housed



















I try and check on them daily but I cannot monitor them 24/7 (I am in a tricky housing situation where they cannot sit out in the open as a few of you may also be in) but upon checking today (8/30/2011) I found my G rosea in the corner with legs LI and RI as well as Pedipalps resting on the ping pong ball in the corner where she moved it. I however could not get a picture of this but will try in the future.







So in conclusion I believe you Mr. (or Mrs.) Schultz . I plan on leaving the ping pong ball in with my G. rosea but will remove the other due to lack of interest (didn't expect an arboreal to venture on to the ground but it was worth a shot)

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## popcangenie (Aug 30, 2011)

very interesting but i doubt it was out of "boredom"


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## Amoeba (Aug 30, 2011)

popcangenie said:


> very interesting but i doubt it was out of "boredom"


Your guess is as good as mine to why she moved it and was touching it I should probably check for fang marks huh?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## darksidemxer (Aug 30, 2011)

Lol thats interesing, please report back if it has fang marks


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## le-thomas (Aug 30, 2011)

That truly is amazing. I mean, the reason as to why the tarantula did this is so perplexing and interesting that I feel like there should be studies done on it xD
I laughed when I saw this in response to Pikaia's post. I was about to sig it, but didn't. Yep. Definitely gonna try this with  my rosea. Now I just need to find some ping pong balls :?

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## Amoeba (Aug 30, 2011)

There are a lot more important studies that should be done ahead of "Why a tarantula will mess with a ping pong ball" but this was something I was testing for myself to share with Arachnoboards. I just tried to retrieve the ball from her but the fattie threw me a threat posture... so I'll get it some other time when she isn't on that side of the enclosure.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## le-thomas (Aug 30, 2011)

FLAmoeba said:


> There are a lot more important studies that should be done ahead of "Why a tarantula will mess with a ping pong ball" but this was something I was testing for myself to share with Arachnoboards. I just tried to retrieve the ball from her but the fattie threw me a threat posture... so I'll get it some other time when she isn't on that side of the enclosure.


She likes her ball I guess


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## darksidemxer (Aug 30, 2011)

Lol possesive over her toy...interesting

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## Amoeba (Aug 30, 2011)

No she just doesn't like to be bothered 

<edit> just pulled the top off to grab the ball without interfering with whatever she has going on there are no punctures or scrapes on the ping pong ball. I moved it back to the center to see what she does.


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## AphonopelmaTX (Aug 30, 2011)

Tarantulas like to keep a clean house so the behavior you're looking at is the spider trying to get the ball out of its way.  The ping pong ball is rather large relative to the size of the container it is in.  Remove the ball and replace it with another light-weight object like a balled up piece of paper and I bet it will end up in a corner.  Same goes if you give it a lot of prey items all at once.  When the spider is done eating and has left overs, that too should end up in a corner. This happens all the time with my tarantulas except for the arboreals with a tube they rest in.  In a proper arboreal setup, they will throw out the garbage from the tube hides and not bother lumping it all together in a corner like a terrestrial.


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## Amoeba (Aug 30, 2011)

I've never found a bolus from her only poop. but I will try the paper ball idea


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## Amoeba (Sep 2, 2011)

Gonna update this: I took her out to do some cleaning since she likes to poop on the sides. When I placed her back in she took her frustration out on Señor Ping Pong...not wanting her to mangle a fang or any such unpleasant outcome, I have removed the ping pong ball and will replace it with a paper ball.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## newspidermom (Sep 2, 2011)

Thought this ping pong thing was interesting so I went out and got a few to put in with my larger Ts.  I just check on them and the only T that has moved it is my newly aquired PZB..Xena. I had a feeling I'd get some action from her cause she's also a water dish flipper...lol.   I had put it in the center and now it's shoved all the way into her hide...lol. She is sitting on the ouside back corner of her hide. Her hide is comprised of soft coconut husk and she has tightened up the inside to where it hugs her snugly, so the ping pong ball is in there snug too.  I'm curious to see how she gets it out of there. There's no back entrance to the hide and no room for her to get around either side of the ball. Time will tell.

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## deathkorps (Sep 3, 2011)

popcangenie said:


> very interesting but i doubt it was out of "boredom"


it was probably more of a "what the deuce is this thing doing here? crazy hairless thing putting this here for no reason, to the corner with you mystery sphere!"

Reactions: Funny 2


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## boxofsorrows (Sep 3, 2011)

I also read the thread and decided to give it a try with my two Euathlus. The truculentus (sub adult) has moved the ball around from one corner to another a couple of times, the sp 'chile red flame' (juvenile) has so far pretty much ignored it.


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## deathkorps (Sep 3, 2011)

im sure if this was tried with an OBT it would simply use the ping pong ball to create some device to eat everyones souls in its obvious conquest of the world.

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## newspidermom (Sep 3, 2011)

Ok..like I said Xena my PZB put the ball into her hide last night. Got up this morning and checked and she did get it out. Probably had to climb over it to get behind it.  None of the other Ts I gave one to have moved them.  Only her. Here's last night and this morning pics.

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## DaveM (Sep 4, 2011)

Hardcore! Good for you, FLAmoeba, putting people's claims to the test. I wonder why they do this? Seems from what you're saying that they don't always just shove the ball out of the way, but sometimes attack it. Interesting, and I want to know why.


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## xhexdx (Sep 4, 2011)

They do this with water dishes, too.

Pretty much what AphonopelmaTX said - they're remodeling and don't like it where you put it.


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## Anastasia (Sep 4, 2011)

Actually while back I remember there was couple pages discussion on this topic
I think this vid been presented
[YOUTUBE]dxCrykpx7k4[/YOUTUBE]

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## Amoeba (Sep 4, 2011)

DaveM said:


> Hardcore! Good for you, FLAmoeba, putting people's claims to the test. I wonder why they do this? Seems from what you're saying that they don't always just shove the ball out of the way, but sometimes attack it. Interesting, and I want to know why.


I never had my doubts since Stan Schultz (or Marguerite Schultz. I think they share that account) aka Pikaia has been studying tarantulas longer than I've been alive, but that is the fun of science, testing things for yourself. My G. rosea was put in a funny situation to be trying to bite the ball (She crawled out of the catch cup and ended up with L1 resting on the ball which moved causing her to see it as a threat) so I'm unsure if they actually will go out of their way to throw a few fangs towards Señor Ping Pong. I've had a question bouncing (pardon the pun it was intended) around in my head since I started testing this. I'm curious to see if the color of the ball affects the spiders interaction with it. For example if a T would act differently around a orange ball rather than a white one. Side thought I was wondering the effect of a blue top to the kritter keeper affects my Avic in a positive/negative way since they can see blue. As for why they do it AphonopelmaTX answer seems most correct: Tarantulas will clean house of things like bolus I just read some thread about Haplopelma spp eventually pushing their old molts out of the burrow so I assume this is why but it could just be in their way or they could just be bored. :biggrin: Who knows maybe one day when my slings grow up I'll finally teach them to play beer pong. I'm not done with this, tarantula behavior is very interesting to me (I just got done watching my Avic clean itself with some mouth liquid I assume was digestive fluids but don't know it was wet and clear and coming from the mouth parts then disappeared) :laugh: that ended up being very long winded....<Edit> and in my long windedness missed seeing Anastasia's awesome video


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## newspidermom (Sep 4, 2011)

LMAO! That vid is tooo funny! Saw some good fang shots which makes me wonder if the T was trying to attack it or just usings its fangs to try and grip it. Either way is there a possibility of it hurting its fangs?


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## MMAFogg (Nov 7, 2012)

This is great, I'm going to give this a go with my Lp and see what he makes of it!  I will report my findings!!


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## SuzukiSwift (Nov 7, 2012)

I tried it with my G.rosea, she spent a while trying to eat the ball! lol She would climb onto it with ALL her legs, roll onto her side, stand up and do it again! haha! Now she's given up, made it part of her web instead

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## Nanomite (Nov 7, 2012)

Could they probably think that they suddenly have an eggsac? 
Because they roll it the same way


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## Kodi (Nov 7, 2012)

For some reason I think Pikaia was joking and now everyone is taking it very seriously...


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## catfishrod69 (Nov 7, 2012)

I think her hide looks like a nest. And oh whats this? A golden egg?





newspidermom said:


> Ok..like I said Xena my PZB put the ball into her hide last night. Got up this morning and checked and she did get it out. Probably had to climb over it to get behind it.  None of the other Ts I gave one to have moved them.  Only her. Here's last night and this morning pics.


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## Amoeba (Nov 8, 2012)

Kodi said:


> For some reason I think Pikaia was joking and now everyone is taking it very seriously...


While I would not put that past him, I don't believe that to be the case. You know how in elementary school your teacher would make a volcano with vinegar and baking soda? It wasn't because they were trying to trick you but because they were showing you how something worked. This is similar, it's a extreme way of demonstrating a natural behavior. Ts don't enjoy playing with pingpong balls or balls of paper and are often seen fanging them.


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## SuzukiSwift (Nov 8, 2012)

Amoeba said:


> While I would not put that past him, I don't believe that to be the case. You know how in elementary school your teacher would make a volcano with vinegar and baking soda? It wasn't because they were trying to trick you but because they were showing you how something worked. This is similar, it's a extreme way of demonstrating a natural behavior. Ts don't enjoy playing with pingpong balls or balls of paper and are often seen fanging them.


That's what I've been meaning to ask you about, is it possible their fangs can be damaged by trying to bite the ball? I know they're probably smart enough to not bite so hard as to damage themselves, but 'if' they perceive it as a threat do you think they would go to extreme lengths to eliminate that threat?


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## Amoeba (Nov 8, 2012)

SuzukiSwift said:


> That's what I've been meaning to ask you about, is it possible their fangs can be damaged by trying to bite the ball? I know they're probably smart enough to not bite so hard as to damage themselves, but 'if' they perceive it as a threat do you think they would go to extreme lengths to eliminate that threat?


Like others suggested in this thread if you're worried about it but still want to see the behavior just ball up some paper and put it in there.

I had a PZB that tried to murder a paper towel like it was her worst enemy.


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## naychur (Nov 13, 2012)

Yes, this is on my T-to-do list! I have 3 large Ts ( G pulchtipes, GGB, and a Brazilian Redhead). Has anyone tried the ping pong balls with these species? Has anyone noticed a difference in reaction between males and females? How big are the Ts when the ping pong ball is introduced?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2


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## naychur (Jan 5, 2013)

I finally got around to getting ping pong balls for my Ts: 

My MM GBB has not touched the ball.  : (
I am holding off on my Brazilian Redhead as she is in pre-molt.

My G puchripes was a site! Approximately 1year old, he resides in a 10 g tank. (no leg measurement yet). I put the ball in the center of the tank and left the room. Came back a little while later and "Creepy" had the ball in his legs in the corner. A few more minutes go by and Creepy has the ball in the center of the cage, wobbling on top of it with his feet barely touching the ground. I figure he was trying to attack/eat it, so I put some crickets in his enclosure and he proceeds to have dinner. I get the ball while he is pre-occupies and there was no marks nor punctures! Very entertaining to watch!

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2


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## MMAFogg (Feb 16, 2013)

I did it last night, I put one in with my Lp

He moved it about quite a bit then decided to bite it!!

I took it out a while later so it didn't hurt his fangs.


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## naychur (Feb 20, 2013)

Creepy (G pulchripes) still having fun with his ping pong ball.  GBB MM never touched it, so I took it out.  M cabocla still looks a little small to introduce a ping pong ball into her enclosure.....the enclosure is a bit small for a ping pong ball as well.  

I'd love to hear if anyone else has a G pulchripes that plays ping pong!


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## tyrantuladub (Feb 20, 2013)

I do believe I'm gonna try this out with Alessa, my G. rosea and see what happens.


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## Stan Schultz (Feb 22, 2013)

First, you'll need to read *C. M. Kornbluth's* novella, *The Marching Morons* to get a feeling for the true depth of my meaning here. If you get really interested in the subject, you need to see *Idiocracy* as well.

Now, I am beginning to develop the hypothesis that, just as humans display a wide range of character traits and levels of intelligence, so do tarantulas. There are some tarantulas who aren't smart enough to tie their own shoe laces without adult supervision, and there are those operating at the genius level. Those operating at the genius level love to play ping pong. The dolts sit there and stare stupidly at the ball with a little drool running out of the corner of their mouth.

But then that's just my opinion. 

Enjoy your little 8-legged Olympic superstars!

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## catfishrod69 (Feb 22, 2013)

I have a female G. rosea that like to dump her waterdish, pick it up above her and hold it against the bottom of the enclosure lid, then walk around sliding it along with her .





Pikaia said:


> First, you'll need to read *C. M. Kornbluth's* novella, *The Marching Morons* to get a feeling for the true depth of my meaning here. If you get really interested in the subject, you need to see *Idiocracy* as well.
> 
> Now, I am beginning to develop the hypothesis that, just as humans display a wide range of character traits and levels of intelligence, so do tarantulas. There are some tarantulas who aren't smart enough to tie their own shoe laces without adult supervision, and there are those operating at the genius level. Those operating at the genius level love to play ping pong. The dolts sit there and stare stupidly at the ball with a little drool running out of the corner of their mouth.
> 
> ...


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## brotony101 (Feb 22, 2013)

Catfish, you should paint "Round 1" on it, play boxing on the tv in the background and record it for YouTube! Would be a riot.:laugh: 





catfishrod69 said:


> I have a female G. rosea that like to dump her waterdish, pick it up above her and hold it against the bottom of the enclosure lid, then walk around sliding it along with her .


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## catfishrod69 (Feb 22, 2013)

Haha yeah that would be pretty funny stuff!





brotony101 said:


> Catfish, you should paint "Round 1" on it, play boxing on the tv in the background and record it for YouTube! Would be a riot.:laugh:


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## Stan Schultz (Feb 22, 2013)

catfishrod69 said:


> I have a female G. rosea that like to dump her waterdish, pick it up above her and hold it against the bottom of the enclosure lid, then walk around sliding it along with her .


She desperately needs a ping pong ball!

---------- Post added 02-22-2013 at 08:30 PM ----------




Kodi said:


> For some reason I think Pikaia was joking and now everyone is taking it very seriously...


Kodi - My memory is getting poorer and poorer as time progresses. Which aspect of this whole conversation did you think was in jest?


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## catfishrod69 (Feb 22, 2013)

Ive got some, and have been thinking about it. But have read how most people say its just a object they want to move and cant get rid of. But this girl "plays" with her water dish alot. Even when she is done with it, ill find her moving it some more. Ill be feeding/watering, and hear a noise, and look over. Sure enough, she is doing someting with that water dish.   I think ill give her one, and see what happens.





Pikaia said:


> She desperately needs a ping pong ball!

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