4cm Curly Hair help please

[Zeeboss]

Hello i have a 4cm Curly Hair (hobby form) encloser with a burrow, it used to live in a small jar encloser and loved burrowing around the sides, ihave changed the encloser hoping it dont burrow again but it has and closed off all entrances, i have removed the soil from the entraces and left a dead meal worm down hoping it will still be alive. I woke up and it has closed both entrances again what is it doing? Before it used to eat alot of crickets and meal worms but now closed off so i cant see inside.

 

[Serpyderpy]

It's a tarantula being a tarantula. Slings will burrow for safety, digging it up is just stressing it out even more. Often when they hide, that means they feel safe, and more often than not, a sling that suddenly seals itself away is going to molt.

Just leave it alone.

 

[FrDoc]

Enclosing itself in the burrow may be an indication of imminent molting, but not necessarily. Sometimes T’s will “close the doors” because they don’t want to be bothered. Slings in particular are generally very reclusive as a natural defense. Whatever the case, it’s very normal T behavior, so fret not. You did well by leaving pre-killed prey, just remove it if it remains more than a day. I’ll leave you with this, DO NOT bother you specimen! As much as you may want to, don’t give in to the temptation to “check on it”.

 

[Zeeboss]

Enclosing itself in the burrow may be an indication of imminent molting, but not necessarily. Sometimes T’s will “close the doors” because they don’t want to be bothered. Slings in particular are generally very reclusive as a natural defense. Whatever the case, it’s very normal T behavior, so fret not. You did well by leaving pre-killed prey, just remove it if it remains more than a day. I’ll leave you with this DO NOT bother you specimen! As much as you may want to, don’t give in to the temptation to “check on it”.

I will not be able to remove it as it has also closed off where i had left it, on the soil it is going all dusty colour should i remove the layer?

Enclosing itself in the burrow may be an indication of imminent molting, but not necessarily. Sometimes T’s will “close the doors” because they don’t want to be bothered. Slings in particular are generally very reclusive as a natural defense. Whatever the case, it’s very normal T behavior, so fret not. You did well by leaving pre-killed prey, just remove it if it remains more than a day. I’ll leave you with this DO NOT bother you specimen! As much as you may want to, don’t give in to the temptation to “check on it”.

Hello thank you for the reply, i cant remove the meal worm as it has closed it over that too, the soil outside the encloser looks like a dusty colour should i remove that layer?

 

[Arachnophoric]

Stop reopening the burrows for one. If it's hungry, it'll open one of the entrances and poke it's legs out for food. Burrowing and sealing the entrances is usually sling talk for "I'm in premolt, leave me alone." As long as the sling has access to water, either via moistened substrate or bottle cap, it'll be fine. Just let the little guy do its thing, tarantulas know how to tarantula.

Like @FrDoc and @Serpyderpy said, slings are shy and most species will burrow to some extent when they're small and given the substrate depth to do so. B. albopilosum is especially guilty of this. At its size though, you should start seeing it more often in the next few molts.

 

[Zeeboss]

Stop reopening the burrows for one. If it's hungry, it'll open one of the entrances and poke it's legs out for food. Burrowing and sealing the entrances is usually sling talk for "I'm in premolt, leave me alone." As long as the sling has access to water, either via moistened substrate or bottle cap, it'll be fine. Just let the little guy do its thing, tarantulas know how to tarantula.

Like @FrDoc and @Serpyderpy said, slings are shy and most species will burrow to some extent when they're small and given the substrate depth to do so. B. albopilosum is especially guilty of this. At its size though, you should start seeing it more often in the next few molts.

Thanks again i have had the the little fellow for allmost 4 months im eaiting on the malt, i have left it alone for a month but i ooened it last night to see if its still alive etc but now i know its still alive after re covering entrances i shall leave it, thank you for the help got worried

 

[Arachnophoric]

Thanks again i have had the the little fellow for allmost 4 months im eaiting on the malt, i have left it alone for a month but i ooened it last night to see if its still alive etc but now i know its still alive after re covering entrances i shall leave it, thank you for the help got worried

Always hard getting used to Ts and their weird way of life. Hard not to get worried sometimes, but as long as your T is plump and has water it's safe to assume that it's okay, even when you can't see it. The burrow being resealed is also a pretty sure sign that your T is fine.

Unless zombie mealworms developed the ability to web.

 

[Zeeboss]

Great to hear thank you so much

 

[Vanisher]

It has never ever in historic or even prehistoric history happend that a tarantula has closed off its burrow to commit suicide! If this have happend it must have been an extreemly, EXTREEMLY depressed one!? Dont worry, the spider knows what hes doing!

 

[Arachnophoric]

It has never ever in historic or even prehistoric history happend that a tarantula has closed off its burrow to commit suicide! If this have happend it must have been an extreemly, EXTREEMLY depressed one!? Dont worry, the spider knows what hes doing!

Only species I've heard of closing itself off and starving/dying of thirst as a result are young P. muticus. Sometimes those things seal themselves off and come topside for nothing.

 

[Vanisher]

Really? Never heard that! I have never gad small P muticus, so i dont know. This sounds strange

 

[EtienneN]

Only species I've heard of closing itself off and starving/dying of thirst as a result are young P. muticus. Sometimes those things seal themselves off and come topside for nothing.

I think there was clay mixed in with the substrate that sealed the P. muticus juvies in, I think it was primarily happening in Europe. Or else there was something wrong with the sling and it died of something that had nothing to do with the burrow collapsing.

 

[Arachnophoric]

I think there was clay mixed in with the substrate that sealed the P. muticus juvies in, I think it was primarily happening in Europe. Or else there was something wrong with the sling and it died of something that had nothing to do with the burrow collapsing.

Tom Moran had a it happen to him with a couple juveniles. It's the only species I'd have any concern with doing it - my AF will web off the entrance of her burrow despite me knowing full and well she's hungry and waiting for food.

 

[Vanisher]

If that is true, many slings in nature would have died by this. I dont think it has something to do with that the slings burrow, mearly that the substrate was all wrong, or that the sling was ill. I cant believe ut has something to do with burrowing.

 

[Arachnophoric]

If that is true, many slings in nature would have died by this. I dont think it has something to do with that the slings burrow, mearly that the substrate was all wrong, or that the sling was ill. I cant believe ut has something to do with burrowing.

In nature, prey items can be found in the ground. In captivity, not so much unless you're letting mealworms burrow in the substrate. Thus it being a risk for P. muticus in captivity.

I'm also sure a lot of slings die in nature regardless.

 

[EtienneN]

In nature, prey items can be found in the ground. In captivity, not so much unless you're letting mealworms burrow in the substrate. Thus it being a risk for P. muticus in captivity.

I'm also sure a lot of slings die in nature regardless.

Yeah but why only P. muticus? Why not H. gigas or other true fossorial species?

 

[Arachnophoric]

Yeah but why only P. muticus? Why not H. gigas or other true fossorial species?

Not sure. It might happen with them too, but I keep both P. muticus and H. gigas - the gigas has never blocked off the burrow entrances, not even in premolt, while my P. muticus does it on the regular.

Tarantulas be weird, yo.

 

[Vanisher]

Yes, i guess you have a point there! But it has also to do with how you set it up. Slings should be housed in small (area wise) enclosures with a good well compressed substrate. If they are, i dont think burrowing matters. I have kept slings in small (area wise) but rather deep enclisures and many have burrowed 5 inches to the bottom. They have always come up to surface and taken prey if hungry. Many times i have seen people keeping slings in oversized enclosure with loose soil and lots of clutter. Of course they gonna have a hard time eating

 

[FrDoc]

I guess this is another thread hijack scenario, but, whatever. Regarding the P. muticus discussion raised above, there was a very interesting thread on this several months ago. I believe the consensus of opinion, validated by experiential anecdotes, is that generally those situations fatal to the specimens were ultimately the result of dehydration while burrowed.

 

[Arachnophoric]

Yes, i guess you have a point there! But it has also to do with how you set it up. Slings should be housed in small (area wise) enclosures with a good well compressed substrate. If they are, i dont think burrowing matters. I have kept slings in small (area wise) but rather deep enclisures and many have burrowed 5 inches to the bottom. They have always come up to surface and taken prey if hungry

I know some people keep their P. muticus in shallower substrate than normal to try combating the issue, it seems regardless of how much substrate you give the darn things they make a beeline to the bottom anyway.

Here's the video where Tom talks about what happened with the two P. muticus that died and the two juveniles he got following/his experiences with them sealing themselves away and having problems as a result.