# Obligate Burrowing Tarantulas



## Mojo Jojo (Nov 4, 2002)

Where can I find more information on Obligate Burrowing Tarantulas?  I want to know what separates them from other terrestrial tarantulas that exhibit some burrowing behavior.  I also want to find out all the different species of tarantula that are considered to be obligate burrowers.  

Thanks, 

Big Dragonfly


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## MrDeranged (Nov 4, 2002)

To be honest with you, I'm not sure if anyone has ever put together a comprehensive list of which are obligate and which are opportunistic.

I can say that in general anything in the Hysterocrates or Haplopelma genus are going to be obligate burrowers....

Edit:  As to your question as to the difference between obligate and opportunistic.

Obligate burrowers will make their own burrow.  It is said that in many cases they will do much better in captivity if they are allowed to burrow.  The downside is that you rarely if ever get to see them

Opportunistic burrowers will take any old hole they find and make adjustments to it to fit it to their needs.  They will not in general create their own burrow from scratch.

Scott

BTW, welcome to Arachnopets


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## Immortal_sin (Nov 4, 2002)

that is my understanding as well.
In fact, from what I have heard, if the obligate burrowers are not given the substrate to burrow, they may stress out. I don't have any Hysterocrates, but I do have Haplopelmas, and whenever I redo their containers, they seemed quite stressed (won't eat, huddling in corners etc) until they have dug their burrows.
I got smart and decided to help them out, I started a burrow for them, where *I* wanted it, and both my H lividum used my starter burrow and enlarged it. In fact, my adult female is so comfortable in what I started for  her, she hasn't felt the need to dig any deeper, and I am now seeing her 100% of the time, as opposed to 0% from before


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## galeogirl (Nov 4, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Immortal_sin _
> *I don't have any Hysterocrates, but I do have Haplopelmas, and whenever I redo their containers, they seemed quite stressed (won't eat, huddling in corners etc) until they have dug their burrows.*


This is true for Hysterocrates gigas as well, in my experience.  If not given enough substrate to burrow, they generally will not thrive.  I think it's mostly due to their high humidity requirements.


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## Mojo Jojo (Nov 4, 2002)

I have an A. geniculata.   It used to burrow alot when it was a young juvinile.  But it doesn't anymore.  

I have a B. vagans s'ling.  It was burrowing alot when I first got it.  But when I put a pill bottle into its vivarium, it just hangs out in there now.  Is this good?

I just got a B. angsturoum (spelling?) -- Costa Rican Red s'ling and a  c. fascitum -- Tiger Rump s'ling.  Are these guys going to be borrowers?

I also have a P. cambredgi s'ling, and if it turns out to a burrower, then I will demand my money back!  =D -- Actually, I think this is turning out to be my favorite t that I have.  I like webbers.  It's a fast son of a gun though!

Thanks

Big Dragonfly


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## Code Monkey (Nov 4, 2002)

I avoid obligate burrowers like the plague (witness my thread about whether the "burrowing" P. cancerides really is a burrower before I get one). If I'm going to house and feed you, I expect to see you


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## galeogirl (Nov 4, 2002)

I do see my H. gigas quite a bit, actually.  It comes out at night and wanders around on the surface.  It also puts on some pretty amazing hunting displays.  I've watched it rear up on its hind legs to knock moths out of the air or off of the lid of the enclosure before consuming them.  My H. lividum on the other hand, make an appearance every month or two if I'm lucky.


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## Lycanthrope (Nov 4, 2002)

ive found that even my "obligate burrowers" thrive well in a burrow i have premade for them. my H.lividum for example, i burried a half coconut hide at a slant so that its like a mound with an entrance near the top/front. she couldnt be happier, as is seen in the fact that i only see her maybe once a week at 5 am when im leaving for work.


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## krucz36 (Nov 4, 2002)

i've got an H. lividum, aureopilosum, and minax. the aureopilosum is in a cage that does not have much burrowing room, and it is an unhappy bug. the lividum and minax have tons of room, and i never see the buggers, but i presume they're happy since crickets keep disappearing. 
so, if that counts for anything.
i have one gigas with a burrowable cage that she won't burrow in, and another one in a non-burrow cage with a hide. though i got each as spiderlings, the one with the hide and no burrow is almost twice as big as the other (all other factors equal). who knows?
i am going to get my H. aureopilosum a new tank this week though. poor bug.


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## Immortal_sin (Nov 4, 2002)

IME, slings burrow more than juves or adults anyway (except for the above mentioned obligate burrowers)
My A genic does not burrow, nor does it hide anywhere, it just hangs out all the time. My B vagans will burrow somewhat, but not as much as she did when she was younger. 
My C fasciatum didn't burrow at all, just mucho webbing, and the P cambridgei is arboreal, so probably not a whole lot of burrowing there, either.


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## krucz36 (Nov 4, 2002)

until it molted out male, my P. cambridgei spent all its time burrowing. freaky bug. 
also, my genic won't burrow at all, it won't even go into the hide i provided it. ah well, who knows. maybe i'll set up a huge terrarium and let it go nuts.


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## Tarantula Lover (Nov 4, 2002)

*hey*

i agree with H.gigas, and again like scott said WELCOME!!!


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## JacenBeers (Nov 4, 2002)

I am not a huge fan of the spiders that hide most of their lives. I really like arboreals. They are by far my faves.


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## Lasiodora (Nov 4, 2002)

For some reason I really like obligate burrowers. It's cool to see them sitting outside their burrow waiting for food. I hadn't seen my king baboon in a year. I was very surprised by his size when I moved him into a bigger container. He molted, who knew. I also bought a hercules baboon sling recently. Who I also seldom see, but they are both still awesome spiders.
Mike
_______________________
"QUESTION:
WHEN WILL THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH?
ANSWER: WHEN THE EARTH FALLS TO PIECES!!"
_Tupac Shakur_


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## Ephesians (Nov 4, 2002)

Keep in mind, however that not all obligate burrowers will burrow.  You could get a FREAK like my h. lividum.  She refuses to burrow.  Go figure.  She burrowed once when I first got her and hasn't since.  Dunno why!  I put her in a larger container a while back for about 2 weeks...a container with a DEEP substrate and pre-started burrow...she wouldn't touch it.  So I put her back in her old pet pal with the same hideout she had...(a ceramic cave with one large entrance and a "window") .  This time she completely blocked off the "doorway" and crawls in and out of the "window".  Its sooo freakin hillarious.  The first time I saw her she was upside down halfway hanging out of the window.  I was like...WTF!?  I just pictured...."Hey Marcus, I left the key on the dinner table inside...can I get a hand?  I'm not too fond of "hanging around"...LOL.  It was so cutest thing I have ever seen a tarantula do.  But even so I still see her 99.9% of the time just wandering about.  Go figure.


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