B. hamorii Active After Sundown. Normal?

[joossa]

I've had my female B. hamorii (my first T ever) for about a month now. She is a little over 4.5in DLS (closer to 5in, I'd say). When I got her, I rehoused her into a 10G tank, which has about 6.5in of packed down totally dry Reptisoil (mix of peat moss, soil, sand, and carbon) as substrate. Has two water dishes in corners of the tank that I keep filled up always. I never overfill the dish, mist the tank, or add water to the substrate. Because she has the space, she has two plastic/resin hides (one looks like wood/bark and the other looks like a rock). The fake plants in there are all really soft and non-pointy, including the cactus, which is super soft and bendy (reason I ended up using it). See pics below.

I've tried feeding her a live cricket twice (once about 3 weeks ago and once last weekend) and she clearly refused both attempts. Prey was taken out immediately after she didn't take it. Not worried about that since her abdomen is a good size.

All has been going well in terms of her settling into her new home. She has used one of her hides, but is mostly out in the open. During the day, the room she is in is brightly light. She is not near the window, but the room gets tons of natural bright light. High temp in the day is about 82F and low at night is about 70F. Heated and cooled by central air.

Here is the thing that I would like like to know if I should be concerned about... One month is not necessarily a long time and I am still getting used to her and her behavior. During the day, she is a total rock, no matter where she is... in her hide, on top of the hide, or just on the substrate. What I've noticed is once 6PM hits and the sun sets, if the lights in the room are not turned on (meaning, the room becomes and stays dark), she will become real active and start doing laps around the enclosure. As a part of this, she tries to climbs the walls, but never really makes to the top. I am not really concerned about a fall since she only has 5-6in of vertical space. She is mostly going up against a wall or a corner, comes down, and continues her lap to the next wall. I have noticed this every single evening since last Sunday when I offered her food last. She's also 100% not a mature male.
Is this normal behavior for this type of T? If not, what could be casing her to do this? What can I change to help her out?
Maybe this is just her "personality" and normal behavior for her and I have to get used to it?

 

[Tarantuland]

I’m not even gonna read that novel you wrote but you have a pretty spider. it’s common for them to be active at any time of day, really. I’d remove the rock-a fall onto it could be dangerous, and push the hide one half into the substrate and get it a burrow started. If you have a mesh lid, figure out how to replace it with acrylic as the spiders legs can get stuck in it.

It looks like you’ve possibly got a mature male though, which if so means he’s just gonna wander around the enclosure looking for a lady until he dies. In the first pic you can kind of see hooks on the front legs but that may be an optical illusion. He probably won’t eat much or burrow but will drink water

 

[spideyspinneret78]

They're nocturnal animals, so it's completely normal for them to be active when it gets dark. It can also take them a while to settle into a new enclosure so be patient.

 

[Poonjab]

Normal

 

[Broom Hilda]

First of all she is beautiful. I have a B. hamorii and she has very similar behavior. Since tarantulas are nocturnal they sleep during the day, but since they don’t have eyelids they look awake to humans.

 

[dman13760]

seems like completely normal behavior...... also, nice job on the set-up. A lot of new keepers would have put in just a few inches of substrate. You made that stuff rainnnnnn! Very nice

 

[Storm76]

If the spikes on the plant on the right side where the waterdish is, are hard and not bending - remove too. Otherwise, with my girl I tend to keep one corner of the enclosure slightly moistened - despite the fact that she has a waterdish. And low and behold, I do find her sitting in that spot quite often. They aren't from the desert.

 

[viper69]

No time to read your thesis—-> Damn it, they are nocturnal animals!!!!!!!!!

 

[8 legged]

I've had my female B. hamorii (my first T ever) for about a month now. She is a little over 4.5in DLS (closer to 5in, I'd say). When I got her, I rehoused her into a 10G tank, which has about 6.5in of packed down totally dry Reptisoil (mix of peat moss, soil, sand, and carbon) as substrate. Has two water dishes in corners of the tank that I keep filled up always. I never overfill the dish, mist the tank, or add water to the substrate. Because she has the space, she has two plastic/resin hides (one looks like wood/bark and the other looks like a rock). The fake plants in there are all really soft and non-pointy, including the cactus, which is super soft and bendy (reason I ended up using it). See pics below.

I've tried feeding her a live cricket twice (once about 3 weeks ago and once last weekend) and she clearly refused both attempts. Prey was taken out immediately after she didn't take it. Not worried about that since her abdomen is a good size.

All has been going well in terms of her settling into her new home. She has used one of her hides, but is mostly out in the open. During the day, the room she is in is brightly light. She is not near the window, but the room gets tons of natural bright light. High temp in the day is about 82F and low at night is about 70F. Heated and cooled by central air.

Here is the thing that I would like like to know if I should be concerned about... One month is not necessarily a long time and I am still getting used to her and her behavior. During the day, she is a total rock, no matter where she is... in her hide, on top of the hide, or just on the substrate. What I've noticed is once 6PM hits and the sun sets, if the lights in the room are not turned on (meaning, the room becomes and stays dark), she will become real active and start doing laps around the enclosure. As a part of this, she tries to climbs the walls, but never really makes to the top. I am not really concerned about a fall since she only has 5-6in of vertical space. She is mostly going up against a wall or a corner, comes down, and continues her lap to the next wall. I have noticed this every single evening since last Sunday when I offered her food last. She's also 100% not a mature male.
Is this normal behavior for this type of T? If not, what could be casing her to do this? What can I change to help her out?
Maybe this is just her "personality" and normal behavior for her and I have to get used to it?

Maybe you got one of those vampire-tarantulas!

 

[joossa]

Thanks, all for the input. I know they are nocturnal, but was under the impression that this species is largely sedentary, even at night.

I’m not even gonna read that novel you wrote but you have a pretty spider. it’s common for them to be active at any time of day, really. I’d remove the rock-a fall onto it could be dangerous, and push the hide one half into the substrate and get it a burrow started. If you have a mesh lid, figure out how to replace it with acrylic as the spiders legs can get stuck in it.

It looks like you’ve possibly got a mature male though, which if so means he’s just gonna wander around the enclosure looking for a lady until he dies. In the first pic you can kind of see hooks on the front legs but that may be an optical illusion. He probably won’t eat much or burrow but will drink water

Thanks! I should have included a TLDR.
She's a female. No hooks, just weird angle on that one photo.

If the spikes on the plant on the right side where the waterdish is, are hard and not bending - remove too. Otherwise, with my girl I tend to keep one corner of the enclosure slightly moistened - despite the fact that she has a waterdish. And low and behold, I do find her sitting in that spot quite often. They aren't from the desert.

That one plant is super soft and bendy. The "spikes" are not sharp and really soft and gummy.
Interesting to hear about the moistened sub.

Maybe you got one of those vampire-tarantulas!

She's out for blood! That explains it.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

It looks like you’ve possibly got a mature male though

How? You can clearly see the pedipalps in the OP's second pic and there are no palpal bulbs.

 

[Smotzer]

One month is not necessarily a long time and I am still getting used to her and her behavior.

Nope ‘adults’ can take at least that long to fully settle it in. Normal.

What I've noticed is once 6PM hits and the sun sets, if the lights in the room are not turned on (meaning, the room becomes and stays dark), she will become real active and start doing laps around the enclosure.

They are crepuscular and or nocturnal. Normal normal normal

Since tarantulas are nocturnal they sleep during the day

I’m sorry but no they do not sleep during the day, that is just plain false. They do how ever have the ability to reduce activity and lower metabolic rate but they do not sleep.

 

[Postmalone35]

Beautiful! Completely normal behavior.

 

[Tarantuland]

How? You can clearly see the pedipalps in the OP's second pic and there are no palpal bulbs.

I was looking on a phone and the second pic looked like hooks. I can see now I was wrong tho

 

[Matt Man]

settling in, checking out the new digs. I rehoused 3 Ts yesterday, all are doing the "What the heck is this?" but they are all settling in to their more expansive new set ups