Augacephalus breyeri & differences in cb habit.

[Smotzer]

Thought this was worth sharing to reiterate that even individuals of the same species, from the same sac, set up identically can have differences in behavior and habit preferences.


Augacephalus breyeri:

Examples to the point:
One very heavy webbing with no burrowing
One comparatively minimal webbing, and defined burrow

 

[Tentacle Toast]

And they're kept like that, side by side, on the same shelf, with no significant difference of anything like light from a window landing on one more than the other, or one being closer in proximity to a heat source?

 

[Smotzer]

And they're kept like that, side by side, on the same shelf, with no significant difference of anything like light from a window landing on one more than the other, or one being closer in proximity to a heat source?

yes exactly right next to each other same shelf, same outside environmental conditions, light, etc.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

yes exactly right next to each other same shelf, same outside environmental conditions, light, etc.

That's wild, LoL.
Because I've noticed behavioral changes within THE SAME spiders, just by altering their placement in hight within a room. Previously kept everything at chest level on a shelf, then had a tiered stand made, where I put the terrestrials on the lowest platform, barely 3" from the floor. With that, several of the "pet holes" started spending significantly more time out of their burrows, even during daylight hours (most notably, geniculata, robustum, & a diamantinensis). Their conditions could have only gotten cooler by a degree or two, but the time spent visible went through the roof. Even the "Dominican Purple" makes the occasional daytime appearance now, & none of these, shy the geniculate, did at hight.

Tell me I'm not nuts...

 

[Smotzer]

That's wild, LoL.
Because I've noticed behavioral changes within THE SAME spiders, just by altering their placement in hight within a room. Previously kept everything at chest level on a shelf, then had a tiered stand made, where I put the terrestrials on the lowest platform, barely 3" from the floor. With that, several of the "pet holes" started spending significantly more time out of their burrows, even during daylight hours (most notably, geniculata, robustum, & a diamantinensis). Their conditions could have only gotten cooler by a degree or two, but the time spent visible went through the roof. Even the "Dominican Purple" makes the occasional daytime appearance now, & none of these, shy the geniculate, did at hight.

Tell me I'm not nuts...

You're definitely not nuts! Changes in level/height placement can also lead to differences in airflow levels that can influence behavior at different ages of species, that came to mind just now. Tarantulas in the wild that I have found in a general environment seek out small microclimates in combinations of factors for choosing where to burrow that Ive noticed, various typeexposure defintely is an influence down here.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

You're definitely not nuts! Changes in level/height placement can also lead to differences in airflow levels that can influence behavior at different ages of species, that came to mind just now. Tarantulas in the wild that I have found in a general environment seek out small microclimates in combinations of factors for choosing where to burrow that Ive noticed, various typeexposure defintely is an influence down here.

I thought that perhaps the resonance of my foot falls had an effect, I'd not the slight temperature drop. Stands to reason they'd pick up on "thermals," even within a room....

 

[Smotzer]

I thought that perhaps the resonance of my foot falls had an effect, I'd not the slight temperature drop. Stands to reason they'd pick up on "thermals," even within a room....

Given the fact they sense they're world mostly through vibrations theres precedence to that line of reasoning. It can also be less light lower down especially if theyre in a shelving unit blocking more direct overhead light, which definitely affects the propensity to come out and wait for prey being more crepuscular by nature.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Something as seemingly inconsequential such as how compact the soil is or slight differences in how much water is in the soil could also influence behavior.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

Something as seemingly inconsequential such as how compact the soil is or slight differences in how much water is in the soil could also influence behavior.

LoL, ALL of my spiders seem to appreciate it if I pat the soil down a bit after heavy maintenance, or rehousing. Transferred three to more appropriately sized enclosures a few weeks back, & for several days I thought there was a problem, because none of them left the glass -at all- for days afterwards; they just would NOT set palp on their earth. So one at a time, I took each one out, all the furniture out, & patted everything down nice & firmly (not HARD, just firm), & within the day, they were back to being all over the place, making their tunnels & dungeons, LoL. All arboreal, a versicolor, striata, & metallica ... I'm assuming terrestrials would be less fussy about it, but these guy did NOT like it loose ONE BIT, LoL

Something like soil density could be affected with something as simple as setting one enclosure down with slightly more vigor than the other, yeah? And these crazy little maniacs would pick up on that, LoL.. I just love these things..

 

[DonLouchese]

Well this certainly caught my eye as mentioned of the different circumstances for the same spider can occur different behaviours. I can without a doubt say that I've had about 10 spiders on a "wardrobe" kind of shelf where the feet of the wardrobe would touch the ground. Those spiders were very reclusive to stay outside , ranged from fossorial to arboreal so they all dug holes and made burrows.

Now my girlfriend implemented new shelfs , the kind of 4 square ones that are mounted on the wall which causes no disturbance with footsteps , sheltered from cold wind blows (from the windows) etc.

These exact 10 spiders are now the most visible specimens in the collection, probably ever seen as well. It includes 3 Psalmo's which are all outside on corkbark even in sunlight, 2 Brachypelma's , Pamphobeteus , Grammostola and even specimens like M. balfouri , Cyriopagopus sp.

So yeah , indeed outside effects can really shape the behaviour of our spiders , even with just the difference of a shelf that's mounted and the ones that are free standing.

Regards,

Don

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

LoL, ALL of my spiders seem to appreciate it if I pat the soil down a bit after heavy maintenance, or rehousing. Transferred three to more appropriately sized enclosures a few weeks back, & for several days I thought there was a problem, because none of them left the glass -at all- for days afterwards; they just would NOT set palp on their earth. So one at a time, I took each one out, all the furniture out, & patted everything down nice & firmly (not HARD, just firm), & within the day, they were back to being all over the place, making their tunnels & dungeons, LoL. All arboreal, a versicolor, striata, & metallica ... I'm assuming terrestrials would be less fussy about it, but these guy did NOT like it loose ONE BIT, LoL

Something like soil density could be affected with something as simple as setting one enclosure down with slightly more vigor than the other, yeah? And these crazy little maniacs would pick up on that, LoL.. I just love these things..

My burrowing tarantulas sure do like firm soil as well. I have a system for housing spiderlings. I use a mix of topsoil and coco fiber, water it real well, and make sure it is evenly hydrated. Just like preparing to plant seeds. Then I will fill one of those 16 fl. oz. condiment cups with the damp soil and use an empty one to press the soil down evenly. After that I use a plastic drinking straw and make little vertical burrows along one side. Mission complete. After housing multiple burrowing spiderlings this way they all exhibit the same burrowing behavior for a good long while until they start growing up and expanding the burrows. Since space is reduced as they get bigger, they eventually start digging up all the compacted soil to where they just sit in loose dirt. When that happens, they all try their best to keep digging, sometimes web a lot, but get nowhere fast because all the soil is loose. Then the whole process starts over with a rehousing to bigger containers.

For me, a lot of the fun and frustration of tarantulas is trying to figure out what they want. Like a small child that doesn't know how to use words.

 

[viper69]

Thought this was worth sharing to reiterate that even individuals of the same species, from the same sac, set up identically can have differences in behavior and habit preferences.


Augacephalus breyeri:

Examples to the point:
One very heavy webbing with no burrowing View attachment 460022
One comparatively minimal webbing, and defined burrow View attachment 460025 View attachment 460024

True- I see it all the time as well.

 

[Smotzer]

Well this certainly caught my eye as mentioned of the different circumstances for the same spider can occur different behaviours.

So yeah , indeed outside effects can really shape the behaviour of our spiders , even with just the difference of a shelf that's mounted and the ones that are free standin

Yeah I think its important to note as often people will wonder why their tarantula acts differently than it was marketed to be, and these small individual differeances we have all been talking about can make big differences in their general behavioral preferences.

True- I see it all the time as well.

Yupp definitely true!

 

[Kada]

My burrowing tarantulas sure do like firm soil as well. I have a system for housing spiderlings. I use a mix of topsoil and coco fiber, water it real well, and make sure it is evenly hydrated. Just like preparing to plant seeds. Then I will fill one of those 16 fl. oz. condiment cups with the damp soil and use an empty one to press the soil down evenly. After that I use a plastic drinking straw and make little vertical burrows along one side. Mission complete. After housing multiple burrowing spiderlings this way they all exhibit the same burrowing behavior for a good long while until they start growing up and expanding the burrows. Since space is reduced as they get bigger, they eventually start digging up all the compacted soil to where they just sit in loose dirt. When that happens, they all try their best to keep digging, sometimes web a lot, but get nowhere fast because all the soil is loose. Then the whole process starts over with a rehousing to bigger containers.

For me, a lot of the fun and frustration of tarantulas is trying to figure out what they want. Like a small child that doesn't know how to use words.

May I ask what your greater environment is like? for me, that much water and coco = mold. Even if it the mix is minority coco (I live in high heat and high humidity which means high sore loads naturally ).

Are you in a dry place or have some other tricks for mold and coco?

 

[Tentacle Toast]

My burrowing tarantulas sure do like firm soil as well. I have a system for housing spiderlings. I use a mix of topsoil and coco fiber, water it real well, and make sure it is evenly hydrated. Just like preparing to plant seeds. Then I will fill one of those 16 fl. oz. condiment cups with the damp soil and use an empty one to press the soil down evenly. After that I use a plastic drinking straw and make little vertical burrows along one side. Mission complete. After housing multiple burrowing spiderlings this way they all exhibit the same burrowing behavior for a good long while until they start growing up and expanding the burrows. Since space is reduced as they get bigger, they eventually start digging up all the compacted soil to where they just sit in loose dirt. When that happens, they all try their best to keep digging, sometimes web a lot, but get nowhere fast because all the soil is loose. Then the whole process starts over with a rehousing to bigger containers.

Nice system you have in place. I was thinking about how to approach it going forward, & I considered thorough wetting the substrate for compaction under its own weight saturated, with time enough in advance of the rehouse to dry thoroughly. Then I thought of borrowing one of my daughter's hippy crystal pyramid/obelisk things, & using the base of that to press it down a bit (because most of the enclosures I use are square), but then I thought about it ....up until this flub of just downright not thinking to do it while setting them up, all I've ever done, as if by instinct as I don't believe I ever really thought about it, was just tamp it down with my fingers...& that has thus far been sufficient. So maybe I don't NEED any elaborate system, as I'm sticking to arboreals going forward, right? AHH, but NO, because this little rufilata sling that joined me a few weeks back now....likes to burrow at the bottom of a piece of cork bark...& I'm SURE it's chosen THAT spot, at least in part, due to the density of the soil there, because I readjusted that particular piece of bark several times, resulting in a small divit of much more compressed earth.
They always give you something to think about, LoL

For me, a lot of the fun and frustration of tarantulas is trying to figure out what they want. Like a small child that doesn't know how to use words.

Hahaha, yep.... except for having to decipher their equivalent tears/smiles for when you're getting it right/wrong, LoL. Although, I definitely recognized the camp-out on the glass as pouting, LoL

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

May I ask what your greater environment is like? for me, that much water and coco = mold. Even if it the mix is minority coco (I live in high heat and high humidity which means high sore loads naturally ).

Are you in a dry place or have some other tricks for mold and coco?

The environmental conditions in the room my tarantulas are in vary wildly throughout the year. Temperature can range anywhere between the mid 50s F to mid 80s F; humidity can range from 30% RH to 65% RH. Of course the higher the temperature, the higher the humidity because chemistry. LOL

I get the occasional mold in my soil mix just like anyone else though. I just either leave it alone or clean it out depending on where the mold is growing. If a blanket forms on the surface then I just grab a spoon from the kitchen and scoop it out, but if it grows at the bottom of an enclosure between the walls of the container and the soil then I just leave it alone. I don't fuss or make a big deal out of mold. The only thing I can think of that might be different from everyone else is that I buy my coco fiber in bulk from a local hydroponics store instead of the pet store. The coco fiber label for hydroponics use says it is rinsed and cleaned before being packaged and comes in 5 kg bricks. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the lack of mold though or if it is more that I let all of my tarantula enclosures dry out from time to time. Maybe a combination of both.

 

[Kada]

The environmental conditions in the room my tarantulas are in vary wildly throughout the year. Temperature can range anywhere between the mid 50s F to mid 80s F; humidity can range from 30% RH to 65% RH. Of course the higher the temperature, the higher the humidity because chemistry. LOL

I get the occasional mold in my soil mix just like anyone else though. I just either leave it alone or clean it out depending on where the mold is growing. If a blanket forms on the surface then I just grab a spoon from the kitchen and scoop it out, but if it grows at the bottom of an enclosure between the walls of the container and the soil then I just leave it alone. I don't fuss or make a big deal out of mold. The only thing I can think of that might be different from everyone else is that I buy my coco fiber in bulk from a local hydroponics store instead of the pet store. The coco fiber label for hydroponics use says it is rinsed and cleaned before being packaged and comes in 5 kg bricks. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the lack of mold though or if it is more that I let all of my tarantula enclosures dry out from time to time. Maybe a combination of both.

Cheers Probably the drier air I would guess. we buy it from farm supply shops as well, also for hydroponics. but we buy loose bags. I'm sure the spores are everywhere anyway. Our rh is normally 70~95%, hard to get things to dry out. I use driers or sun to.dry first then add water. but the mold is quite frequent.

As you state, I may simply be just thinking too much and can leave it. usually i pick it out, but it disturbs surface webs and likely creates unnecessary stress to the T. probably far more than the mold itself....