Are there any dwarf fossorials?

Wolf135

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 14, 2016
Messages
179
Fossorials are probably my favorite T type since their tunnels remind me fantasy rpg's but in the future I plan on getting into dwarf Ts due to them not taking up much space.
 

kingshockey

Arachnoangel
Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Messages
826
c elegans mine is basicly just a jar of dirt only way i know its alive is by always looking for moved /new piles of sub or i get a lucky glimpse of it along the sides of its soup deli cup
 

NMTs

Spider Wrangler
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Messages
1,331
Heterothele gabonensis and Heterothele villosella are more or less fossorial and only get to be around 3". They're old world, but pretty shy and not prone to being really defensive. Any from the Euthycaelus genus could be considered fossorial NW dwarves. My E. colonica is very fossorial - I don't think I've ever seen her out of her burrow aside from when I rehouse her. She's gorgeous, though!
 

winter

...
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jun 4, 2020
Messages
65
I have had two Neoholothele incei; they both behaved like fossorials and are dwarfs.
 

slocoj91

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Messages
61
Heterothele gabonensis and Heterothele villosella are more or less fossorial and only get to be around 3". They're old world, but pretty shy and not prone to being really defensive. Any from the Euthycaelus genus could be considered fossorial NW dwarves. My E. colonica is very fossorial - I don't think I've ever seen her out of her burrow aside from when I rehouse her. She's gorgeous, though!
Aware this isn't the most recent thread, but I was really surprised at H villosella and gabonensis being described as 'more or less fossorial"! I've had one of each since they were small enough to live in their vials and neither have ever burrowed in the 6/7 months I've had them. They've barely disturbed any dirt. Both quickly set up web 'nets' across the fake foliage in their enclosures around the 'upper' level, while leaving a little 'sky' space, then worked on constructing a lower bunch of webbing they could pop up from or through, and eventually web tunnels - but all still above ground. The gabonensis has had one of my favourite enclosures for a while due to the webbing, and when the villosella caught up to its first enclosure after the vial it didn't do much different from the first time. Will hang out relaxed in the middle of it's enclosure while I'm feeding the others. Great feeding response, rest of the time couldn't care less - and it doesn't have a tonne of upper webbing, moreso focused on creating a carpet this time. Gabonensis is never in a rush to move either, I'm more likely to see legs waiting to ambush something - in that sense the web tunnels get treated a lot like traditional ones - but on the odd occasion I find them chilling in a more exposed spot they don't see a need to shift. I got a H sp"Mahonda" a month or so ago and they're more likely to shift if disturbed. But again, no burrowing, just webs starting around the fake foliage. And even though they do typically move when disturbed, they only do so if they're on the edges of or outside their web tube - they did the upper bit around the foliage, then brought it down and made 'carpet' which was then expanded further and further - or if the disturbance is directly above/adjacent to them while theyre within it.

I find this quite interesting due to how they all seem to be acting pretty similarly. I imagine they could be treating their web tubes as they would a burrow, but it still makes me wonder why that instead of burrowing. The Mahonda is bigger than the other two, and they are in an enclosure of an appropriate size. My gabonensis technically moved into their current enclosure far too soon - I now follow keeping slings in smaller containers so they may be less likely to burrow, and if that were the case for these guys I'd assume what I was seeing due to that. Except the Mahonda is doing the same sort of thing, and the gabonensis has had 3 molts in its current enclosure and I suspect could manage another two before reaching the stage where I'd be thinking of rehousing. Of course there are also always oddballs in every bunch!
 

Wolf135

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 14, 2016
Messages
179
Aware this isn't the most recent thread, but I was really surprised at H villosella and gabonensis being described as 'more or less fossorial"! I've had one of each since they were small enough to live in their vials and neither have ever burrowed in the 6/7 months I've had them. They've barely disturbed any dirt. Both quickly set up web 'nets' across the fake foliage in their enclosures around the 'upper' level, while leaving a little 'sky' space, then worked on constructing a lower bunch of webbing they could pop up from or through, and eventually web tunnels - but all still above ground. The gabonensis has had one of my favourite enclosures for a while due to the webbing, and when the villosella caught up to its first enclosure after the vial it didn't do much different from the first time. Will hang out relaxed in the middle of it's enclosure while I'm feeding the others. Great feeding response, rest of the time couldn't care less - and it doesn't have a tonne of upper webbing, moreso focused on creating a carpet this time. Gabonensis is never in a rush to move either, I'm more likely to see legs waiting to ambush something - in that sense the web tunnels get treated a lot like traditional ones - but on the odd occasion I find them chilling in a more exposed spot they don't see a need to shift. I got a H sp"Mahonda" a month or so ago and they're more likely to shift if disturbed. But again, no burrowing, just webs starting around the fake foliage. And even though they do typically move when disturbed, they only do so if they're on the edges of or outside their web tube - they did the upper bit around the foliage, then brought it down and made 'carpet' which was then expanded further and further - or if the disturbance is directly above/adjacent to them while theyre within it.

I find this quite interesting due to how they all seem to be acting pretty similarly. I imagine they could be treating their web tubes as they would a burrow, but it still makes me wonder why that instead of burrowing. The Mahonda is bigger than the other two, and they are in an enclosure of an appropriate size. My gabonensis technically moved into their current enclosure far too soon - I now follow keeping slings in smaller containers so they may be less likely to burrow, and if that were the case for these guys I'd assume what I was seeing due to that. Except the Mahonda is doing the same sort of thing, and the gabonensis has had 3 molts in its current enclosure and I suspect could manage another two before reaching the stage where I'd be thinking of rehousing. Of course there are also always oddballs in every bunch!
In my experience some fossorial Ts will just web up everything if there's enough anchor points.
 

HooahArmy

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 12, 2022
Messages
239
Ephebopus uatuman. I have never seen any of the mature females in my friend's collection to be over 3.5" or so, and I heard on the web that the males are even smaller between 2-3". These guys make the most intricate tunnels, even as slings. My own 1" buddy had a whole system going with 5 entrances within half a month since I adopted him/her.

The H. villosella also can vary. My mum has 3 that came from the same brood. 2 have dug tunnels while the last fellow barely touched the soil and made a web-tunnel set instead. Go figure.
 

slocoj91

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Messages
61
In my experience some fossorial Ts will just web up everything if there's enough anchor points.
Ah cool, that's fun! Maybe how we end up with 'semi arboreal' as a term. I was also thinking maybe my environment is typically a comfortable one for them and maybe they don't need to burrow to reduce temperature, but the thread reply above this suggests otherwise. I really like my little experience of fossorials so far, main downside is just the heavy tanks of dirt. And continuously wondering if there's actually still a living tarantula in there when legs are absent for a bit.

My Idiothele mira was a big eater in the beginning and barely took time for molts (still only about 1.5" legspan though last time I saw) but since rehousing a couple of months ago she has had one meal and then locked down. I probably overdid the size of the enclosure because I really don't want to make them rebuild too frequently, and I wont pretend I was excited at the prospect of potentially unearthing them every time either! They have very gracefully created the top portion of their home next to the wall so I can occasionally get vague glimpses of movement, but the sheer density of the web means that's all. Other than the suggestion of fluff moving, the only other indication that there's someone still in there had me doing a double take last night. I repositioned the water bowl after cleaning, and at the same time moved two pieces of leaf litter adjacent to where her web-mud roof is so I could see if she was near the surface with a light. Walked past last night and had to do a double take, then remind myself I had definitely moved them. Looks like she had gone scouting at some point and grabbed them back, along with a couple of others, and then left them piled up near to where they had started. I consider myself told - the unwebbed leaves are there for a reason. Despite not seeing her a great deal she is one of my favourites - I say she, btw, but is yet to be seen of course.
 

slocoj91

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 28, 2022
Messages
61
Ephebopus uatuman. I have never seen any of the mature females in my friend's collection to be over 3.5" or so, and I heard on the web that the males are even smaller between 2-3". These guys make the most intricate tunnels, even as slings. My own 1" buddy had a whole system going with 5 entrances within half a month since I adopted him/her.

The H. villosella also can vary. My mum has 3 that came from the same brood. 2 have dug tunnels while the last fellow barely touched the soil and made a web-tunnel set instead. Go figure.

I really want an E uatuman! But sadly not sure how often, if ever, they are available in the UK. Thoroughly gutted that I only got over my arachnophobia enough to finally try keeping spiders *after* bleeding Brexit.

Both interesting and funny (to me) that your mum's villosella had different approaches within the same brood. I know theres obviously variety among tarantulas but with so many unknowns even little bits of information like this make me curious about the instincts involved - like when Ts from the same sac in one home are molting practically together. I would imagine they're probably in identical setups in the same space, but if not then I'd love to know ant details if you have them and don't mind.
 

campj

Captive bread
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Messages
479
Phlogiellus johnreylazio (assuming it's fossorial anyway, very little info) and Sahydroaraneus raja. A few months late, but if you're still interested @Wolf135....
 
Last edited:

NMTs

Spider Wrangler
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 22, 2022
Messages
1,331
Phlogiellus johnreylazio (assuming it's fossorial anyway, very little info) and Sahydroaraneus raja. A few months late, but if you're still interested @Wolf135....
I second S. raja - awesome little T's! Very busy burrowers.
 
Top