# Avic webbing the corner of terrarium.



## TomC88 (Feb 5, 2018)

My Brother and I have have our first two Tarantulas for our collection. Two Juveniles, an Avicularia - Columbia Pink Toe and Cyriopagopus schioedtei - Malaysian Earth Tiger I know a big contrast and not the best tarantula for a beginer as it is defensive. As we discovered after it had threat posture on transfer to its home. But it has settled in fine and no more issues with that one.

My question is this we have two Terrariums with cork barks as hides and lots of plants, substrate and water dishes. The Cyriopagpus has made a home behind and inside the cork bark and you hardly see it apart from feeding. However the Avicularia has webbed and made its home in the top right of its terrarium on the glass. Is this normal and why would it not hide in the cork bark or make a lair. 

Thanks for any advice.


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## boina (Feb 5, 2018)

Avicularia and C. schioedtei have vastly different requirements for their enclosure. You may think they are both arboreals and that's it but that is not the way it is - at all.

Avicularia: True arboreals. They live "upstairs" and hardly ever touch the ground. They need cork bark and a lot of fake plant cover in the _upper_ areas of the enclosure and nothing much on the ground. They also need little humidity - dry substrate works best - and lots of ventilation.

C. schioedtei: Like all Asian 'arboreals' they spend their juvenile time on the ground and many adults keep living on the ground. They need enough substrate to make a shallow burrow and cork bark at an angle _on the ground_. They also need moist substrate at all times.

Edit: Btw, if you set up your enclosure right you are never ever going to see your schioedtei. That alone makes them an unsuitable species for a beginner - you won't know when it's in pre-molt, you won't see when it molts, you won't see how fat it is, you won't ever actually see it eat... have fun.

You may want to post pictures of the enclosures so people can give you more specific tips.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## viper69 (Feb 9, 2018)

I love to point out the obvious- All your questions should have been answered by you doing proper research BEFORE getting these exotic animals.

I STRONGLY suggest you research by reading on the forum here about the exotic animals in your care. Their lives depend upon your level of commitment.

You picked an OW tarantula as a first T -- that's a terrible idea . What's worse is that it seems you didn't even research the animals you have by the way it sounds. "discovered", if you did research ahead of purchase there would have been NO discovery of this species temperament.



TomC88 said:


> However the Avicularia has webbed and made its home in the top right of its terrarium on the glass


Nothing remarkable there. 



TomC88 said:


> Is this normal


Yes 



TomC88 said:


> why would it not hide in the cork bark or make a lair


Arboreal animal

Reactions: Award 1


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## Anoplogaster (Feb 9, 2018)

Avics are full arboreal. They have a natural instinct to go upward. If you don’t have any attachment points high up in the enclosure, they will use the corner.

Reactions: Like 1


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## TomC88 (Feb 9, 2018)

viper69 said:


> I love to point out the obvious- All your questions should have been answered by you doing proper research BEFORE getting these exotic animals.
> 
> I STRONGLY suggest you research by reading on the forum here about the exotic animals in your care. Their lives depend upon your level of commitment.
> 
> ...


I  do not take kindly to being patronised. I did my research and we have built to Arboreal enclosures one with more substrait for the Malaysian Earth Tiger. I am fully aware it was an Old World species. As long as we are carefull there should not be any issues all we do is feed it and do not disturb it at all. It is hidden inside its burrow at the back of its cork bark. However I was just being curious about the Avic because I assumed it would have used the cork bark as a hide.  It frequently moves from the corner to the bark. I did not apreciate being made fun of because we are beginers I fully well did my research before buying them. However I am not going to post a comment about webbing in the corner if I had no idea the Avic was going to do that as we wouldn't have known.  Lots of people ask questions about the behaviour of there T's everyone is different and may behave different than others of the same species.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## viper69 (Feb 9, 2018)

TomC88 said:


> I  do not take kindly to being patronised. I did my research and we have built to Arboreal enclosures one with more substrait for the Malaysian Earth Tiger. I am fully aware it was an Old World species. As long as we are carefull there should not be any issues all we do is feed it and do not disturb it at all. It is hidden inside its burrow at the back of its cork bark. However I was just being curious about the Avic because I assumed it would have used the cork bark as a hide.  It frequently moves from the corner to the bark. I did not apreciate being made fun of because we are beginers I fully well did my research before buying them. However I am not going to post a comment about webbing in the corner if I had no idea the Avic was going to do that as we wouldn't have known.  Lots of people ask questions about the behaviour of there T's everyone is different and may behave different than others of the same species.



First off, I wasn't patronizing you. I don't feel I'm superior to you, different than you- YES, not superior.

If you had done research you would have found instantly that Avics are arboreal, and without even using any critical thinking skills, would know an Avic found up top would be normal. This too is easily found information.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## TomC88 (Feb 9, 2018)

Sorry if I offended. I knew what Arboreals meant I was just curious as to why it was not using the cork bark. rather than the top of the enclosure itself. So your saying they go to the highest point regardless if the cork bark does not touch the top.


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## BoyFromLA (Feb 9, 2018)

TomC88 said:


> I was just curious as to why it was not using the cork bark. rather than the top of the enclosure itself. So your saying they go to the highest point regardless if the cork bark does not touch the top.


Tarantulas will choose wherever they want to make it their home regardless of any human effort for providing nice looking cork barks or hides for them. That being said, most arboreal tarantulas often choose to make top lid their home even with the cork bark or hide already provided.


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## viper69 (Feb 9, 2018)

TomC88 said:


> Sorry if I offended. I knew what Arboreals meant I was just curious as to why it was not using the cork bark. rather than the top of the enclosure itself. So your saying they go to the highest point regardless if the cork bark does not touch the top.


Thanks for clarification- the way you worded your first post made 2 people think the same thing.

They go to the highest point 99.99% of the time, it's in their DNA hah. Though every so often an Avic can be found on the sub in captivity. One of mine did for many manths, almost a year. She's never done it again though.

Sounds like your cork bark is on the ground, you need something that is vertical. A picture would be useful here.













0.0.1 A. huriana - Lunch



__ viper69
__ Aug 8, 2016
__ 3
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huriana




						0.0.1 A. huriana - Lunch


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## Dennis Nedry (Feb 9, 2018)

Get some fake plants that each to the top for the avic to make a web castle around it. It's entirely normal for it to hang around the top.

If you're not doing anything stupid I think you might be able to get away without being bitten by the schioedtei given that it's reclusive species and would probably retreat to a hiding spot instead of bolting out of the cage. Just use caution and always remember that it's an animal that could probably send you to a hospital when rehousing and doing basic maintenance


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## Ungoliant (Feb 10, 2018)

TomC88 said:


> Sorry if I offended. I knew what Arboreals meant I was just curious as to why it was not using the cork bark. rather than the top of the enclosure itself. So your saying they go to the highest point regardless if the cork bark does not touch the top.


Sometimes you can get them to build lower than the top of you have good anchor points below but nothing at the top. However, if the cork is just laid horizontally on the ground, she likely won't use it.

If you orient the cork vertically and hang leaves/vines around it (as anchor points for webbing), she'll be more likely to build her retreat there.


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## boina (Feb 10, 2018)

TomC88 said:


> Sorry if I offended. I knew what Arboreals meant I was just curious as to why it was not using the cork bark. rather than the top of the enclosure itself. So your saying they go to the highest point regardless if the cork bark does not touch the top.


If you have only cork bark that's probable not enough. They don't make their web behind bark but among leaves. Just fill up the upper half of the terra with everything you can find that resembles leaves.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## TomC88 (Feb 10, 2018)

Good sugestions yes the cork is vertical I am not that dumb. yeah we will have to see if we can get leaves on the top. I do not mind the T being on the enclosure it seems to move from the top to on the bark. Also hardly see the other T and it has a burrow and a tube so we usually just drop the roach into the tube. I have never seen it come out.

Reactions: Optimistic 1


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## SIM (Mar 6, 2018)

TomC88 said:


> Also hardly see the other T and it has a burrow and a tube so we usually just drop the roach into the tube. I have never seen it come out.


Like some of the other brought up, be careful with that burrower [not just because it's OW and packs a punch] but because you'll never see it and so if you feed it without knowing it's in pre/post molt or while it's molting, the prey could really harm/kill your T


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