Cobalt problems

[Frostbyte]

A few weeks ago .. maybe 3 , I moved my Cobalt into her new enclosure. Its a tall plastic filing type box . I put in 6-7 inches of bed a beast and vermiculite. Its a damp ( not wet ) set up. I threw in a few fake leaves to add color and gave her a water dish. I even started a tunnel for her. Day #1 she sat in the started tunnel , so I figured ok kewl shes goinna be ok with this. A few days later she has webbed every inch ABOVE the substrate. Looks more like an Avic than a Cobalt. Also Im guessin shes 3.75-4" will she get bigger ? Thanks !

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Doesn't seem she cares for the substrate, or she simply prefers an arboreal type existence.

I would try switching her to peat/potting soil mix or peat. An easy way to get them to burrow is to use a toilet paper tube buried diagonally into the substrate.

In the wild, when this species is found in rice paddies, their burrow extends upward in many cases, forming an anthill type burrow leading to an arboreal tube amongst the rice plants.

At any rate, she probably considers the entire container as her burrow.

She should get around an inch bigger unless she's a "runt."

 

[vulpina]

I agree try a peat/potting soil mix, none of my burrowing species has failed to burrow into that substrate.

Andy

 

[Harmeke]

Myself i use a potting soil and vermiculite mix the vermiculite. The cobalt i have now is on straight vermiculite and has a hide that she burrows under. But i am going to switch to the potting soil/ vremiculite after she molts to see if she will make a turret burrow

Kyle

 

[MizM]

My lividium didn't burrow in her enclosure for 5 months!!! Just when I had decided she was a confirmed terrestrial!

Just give her the opportunity to climb, burrow, whatever she wants. Then just wait......

 

[phoenixxavierre]

I believe that many of the wild caughts who were burrowers BEFORE captivity and who refuse to burrow when within captivity, do so because they are in a sterile environment. Their previous environment was anything but sterile. They shared their homes with countless organisms, mostly microscopic ones and very tiny ones. The new sterile environment they are introduced into is a foreign environment to them and not very "homelike."

Just a thought on difficulty in wild caught burrowing species (any wild caught species, really, burrowing or not).

Take care.

 

[Frostbyte]

Well thank u all for the help .. when u say soil .. u mean plain potting soil ? I dont wanna get mites or any othe bugs. Thanx AGAIN !

 

[manville]

yeah he meant plain potting soil or peat moss. Both works great