A. versicolor webbing?

[lunarae]

So I have to ask anyone who has A. versicolor species. What are the webbing rates of yours and what type/size of enclosure do you have them in? By that I mean size of enclosure compared to size of the T. I ask this because I wonder if the size dictates how much they web or not. I have seen numerous enclosures out there on youtube and the like, of A. versicolor where they seem to web the whole thing up. This always seems common with containers of a smaller size. As though because they are in a small container, they take the whole thing as their home. Thus webbing it up all over and making it very hard to see them in my opinion. It also seems to be dictated by the type of container to, like the plastic half gallon jugs and such.

Where as I can say with mine, and the various set ups I've done that has given ours a lot of space as it's grown in each of it's enclosures, ours has webbed very little. no more then the area she claimed as her own which is significantly small in my opinion. I would say our T is 3in now maybe a little more, and her webbing is roughtly 4-5 in long, 2-3 in wide at most within the cornered bark against the glass that was provided to make a really good funnel web for her if she so chose to use it. There is plenty of space above this for her to expand and grow on the bark, if she desired but she doesn't. It's been the size that it is for months now and that's with at least two molts taking place in it with no expansion done. That need to spin webbing all over the place doesn't seem to exist.

Granted this could simply be because each T is different in it's own way, but I do wonder if it has to do with the size of the tank, which is an exoterra 12x12x18. It could be argued that's way to big (But that's not what this conversation is about as well as I find that utterly absurd), but she does come out and explore from time to time, only late late at night though. During the day she is in her web usually but sometimes even then she will come out and just chill.

So question is, does size of the tank really dictate size of the webbing or the amount of webbing do you think? Does a bigger enclosure actually encourage less webbing for A. versicolor specifically. Or is it just how our specific T seems to be.

 

[RMJ]

I have only ever had my femail A. Versi in one tank but then she came to me as a sub adult and I wanted her to have a decent sized home with no need for changes. She took several weeks to web it up and is a tube type structure right at the top of the enclosure. I would say only 10% of the viv is webbed.

She is 3.5" and the enclosure is 20 x 25 x 50cm

I would love for her to do more and cover 50% as with the LED lighting and plants etc it would look beautiful

 

[Trenor]

My a.versicolor is about 3" and has been in its current enclosure for almost a year. I use an inverted acrylic box for its enclosure that opens from the bottom. When it was first put in (at about 3/4"), it laid out small fine webbing that is kinda hard to see all over its enclosure and then it made it's tube in one corner. The Tube was just big enough across to allow it to fit. It ran along the top of the enclosure edge and down the back to the ground. After each molt, it tears down its old tube and remakes (not always in the same place) a new tube that is just it's size. Often bundling up its old webbing into thicker pieces it may or may not use on its new structure. Other than that it didn't web heavily.

I feel there are several things that can affect how much webbing they put out. One of them is the enclosure. I use an inverted enclosure that opens from the bottom. I rarely do anything in the top part of the box (the place where the T lives and works). The water dish and all of the prey items go in the bottom section. At its earlier size sexing wasn't likely to happen so, I let it toss down the molts instead of tearing down the webbing to get it out. This lack of web destruction is one reason why I think there is less webbing in my enclosure.

Some of the heavily webbed up enclosure I have seen in videos online are opened from the top and often cause webbing attached to the lid to tear off and fall back down into the enclosure. This accumulates over time getting thicker till it forms an almost second lid/cap in the enclosure. Some tear into the tubes to get out molts and that also affects the webbing. I know they can make more so tearing webs isn't a problem. Which is what they do and that increases the webbing in the enclosure.

The enclosure placement might affect webbing. If it's getting too much light on one side the tarantula may web more to block/reduce the light. I think some keepers 'interact' more with their Ts which may make them want to web heavier.

Some species of tarantulas are heavy webbers like my C.cyaneopubescens female. Her enclosure looks like it snowed and then dried. Webbing is everywhere and it is thick. I've not seen that with my A.versicolor which has made wispy delicate tubes to fit its size.

 

[lunarae]

I'm still torn between if mine is male or female. I get various opinions one way or the other. Though after getting to see that video on sexing that was put up in my absence, I'm pretty sure ours if male now. >.> May have to wait for another molt to confirm.

@Trenor I think you may have something there. I do think it has to be various factors, but being in a set up where their web is continuously destroyed each time the enclosure is open may inspire the instinct to web more. So perhaps it's not the size that's really the factor for the T itself, but the size factor can contribute in the sense that it can help the keeper from having to disturb the webbing depending on how they set it up as well. With my 2x2x4 armec box enclosure from Jamiestarantulas. The arboreal one with the screen on the side, I always had the biggest part at the top, so basically when I did open it, I never disturbed her web when she was in there. And she never webbed that much in there outside of the funnel she made. The 2.5 she was upgraded to later she didn't web outside of the area I set up for her hide, and I never had to disturb her when doing tank maintenance and such because of how I set it up. With the Exoterra I can manage most maintenance without messing with her or taking her out for the size that it is and the very small area compared to the rest of it, that she took to. took her out yesterday cause I did some extensive maintenance to the whole thing and she's right back to where she started. Webbed the entrance where I opened it to coax her out, but that was it and she's back where she wants to be. I keep calling it a She hoping I'm wrong. lol