Coco fiber

[Chris LXXIX]

Actually I provided to the 90% of my obligate burrowers coco fiber as substrate and I have yet to see a burrow 'collapsing'.

I do understand the substrate's personal choices (for instance, I don't use coco fiber only, but also Irish moss peat etc) but honestly I don't get this fear... Do you think that a P. murinus or C. marshalli (just for throw a couple of names) burrow made of coco fiber would collapse only because said substrate is dry (obviously, due to those species care requirements)?

No

Those T's are 'engineers', there's their web which is/acts like a 'glue'. That wouldn't happen if the set up is correct, if there's the 'right' amount of substrate inches, and last but not least, a quality coco fiber.

Same with the obligate burrowers that require a more 'moist' environment, no issues. As said, I have yet to see a coco fiber burrow crumbling, and basically we can say that I keep only obligate burrowers

 

[Smotzer]

Peat moss is the way to go IMO it for me holds moisture as well as shape well. Tarantulas reinforce their burrows with web, I’ve never had anything collapse before.

 

[JPG]

Many species web their burrow but some don't from my observation. All of my Grammostola species are kept in pure dry coco fiber and they keep digging in circle because it keeps collapsing

 

[Dorifto]

For anyone going to breeding or is within the breeding side of the hobby, I suggest using coco fiber for obligate burrowers.

How do you add the substrate? Moist and pack it down or pack it down the dry substrate and then moist it? It makes a huge difference.

In the first option, the moisted clay bonds all together, and when it's dry, it will hold the shape forever. Te second option, bonds it, but in a much lighter way, you can remove substrate easily if you want.

Actually I provided to the 90% of my obligate burrowers coco fiber as substrate and I have yet to see a burrow 'collapsing'.

I do understand the substrate's personal choices (for instance, I don't use coco fiber only, but also Irish moss peat etc) but honestly I don't get this fear... Do you think that a P. murinus or C. marshalli (just for throw a couple of names) burrow made of coco fiber would collapse only because said substrate is dry (obviously, due to those species care requirements)?

No

Those T's are 'engineers', there's their web which is/acts like a 'glue'. That wouldn't happen if the set up is correct, if there's the 'right' amount of substrate inches, and last but not least, a quality coco fiber.

Same with the obligate burrowers that require a more 'moist' environment, no issues. As said, I have yet to see a coco fiber burrow crumbling, and basically we can say that I keep only obligate burrowers

My pulchra was brown (coco dust everywhere) until I swapped to topsoil hahahahahaha.

I'm in the opposite side, I prefer topsoil over coco fiber for burrowers hands down. My pulchra's burrow looked much better and she didn't rearrange it so frequently. Also the way it looks makes the enclosure more natural imo. They usually web the burrows when it's flimsy, to give it more estability, so why not to provide them a better and cheaper one?

Peat moss is the way to go IMO it for me holds moisture as well as shape well. Tarantulas reinforce their burrows with web, I’ve never had anything collapse before.

Topsoil has peat moss...

 

[Smotzer]

Topsoil has peat moss...

Depending on what part of the world it’s from…

 

[USNGunner]

Topsoil has peat moss...

Whoa, I'm with @Smotzer. In the US, if it has peat moss it is probably "potting soil" and that label needs read really well. They put all kinds of crap in that stuff. Not just fertilizer.

 

[Smotzer]

Whoa, I'm with @Smotzer. In the US, if it has peat moss it is probably "potting soil" and that label needs read really well. They put all kinds of crap in that stuff. Not just fertilizer.

Yes I have used some Top soil from the US and it is free of peat moss. Maybe if you bought top soil from Canada it would have peat in it. But peat comes from a different type of area than typically top soil does.

 

[Dorifto]

Sounds like US topsoil is made of bricks, dead bodies and coco fiber

Here they use peat from ireland, but looks like they are banning it.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

My pulchra was brown (coco dust everywhere) until I swapped to topsoil hahahahahaha.

I'm in the opposite side, I prefer topsoil over coco fiber for burrowers hands down. My pulchra's burrow looked much better and she didn't rearrange it so frequently. Also the way it looks makes the enclosure more natural imo. They usually web the burrows when it's flimsy, to give it more estability, so why not to provide them a better and cheaper one?

I don't even question personal tastes, and the fact that coco fiber isn't 'natural looking', which is true since T's in the wild doesn't exactly crawl on coco fiber, it's beyond the point in this 'coco fiber made burrows are collapsing' issue.

I'm not a fanboy of coco fiber, I do use other substrates as well (like real Irish moss peat etc). Just that I have yet to see, in all of those years of T's keeping, a burrow of mine (made by the spiders I kept/keep, using the provided coco fiber) collapsing. And I'm talking about really hardcore obligate burrower T's, like M. robustum, H. gigas, E. murinus, various 'Haplos' etc.

I don't, never actually, used/use coco fiber in 'bricks', but top quality one, fully dried and ready to use sold in well sealed bags. Cheap as heck in Italy.

Here a couple of (coco fiber made) "vintage" burrows of mine, I can guarantee you that are still today very solid

 

[Dorifto]

Get a pulchra, and it will put those enclosures upside down

Nice Ts!!!

 

[VaporRyder]

Is coco fibe the same as coir or the stuff I used years ago branded as ‘eco-earth’?

If so, that’s what most of mine get - with a sprinkling of vermiculite mixed in. I have had small amounts of fluffy white mould on the surface, on occasion. Easily spot cleaned and nothing to worry about.

I recently tried this other, pricier, substrate; which is more clay like and apparently designed for rainforest species - South American terrestrials and Asian arborleals - and which is apparently good for burrowing.

To be fair though, I’ve never had a problem with coir for burrowing. My adult female von wirthi was perfectly happy with it, back in the day, in her 8 inch burrow. I thought they all reinforce their burrows with webbing anyway?

 

[Dorifto]

Many species web their burrow but some don't from my observation. All of my Grammostola species are kept in pure dry coco fiber and they keep digging in circle because it keeps collapsing

Give topsoil a try, never had any single issue again with my pulchra. As you said, they usually don't web their burrows, so if the substrate is too loose and they don't stop "rearranging" it, sometimes they burrow so much that make the burrow inestable, and collapses.

I packed mine slightly moist and once it dries it hardens a bit, while it's still easily burrowable for them.

 

[JPG]

Give topsoil a try, never had any single issue again with my pulchra. As you said, they usually don't web their burrows, so if the substrate is too loose and they don't stop "rearranging" it, sometimes they burrow so much that make the burrow inestable, and collapses.

I packed mine slightly moist and once it dries it hardens a bit, while it's still easily burrowable for them.

I would except it's almost impossible to find a topsoil with no additives in Canada unless bought in massive amount. I've searched for couple of months and end up using organic potting mix instead. I used to mix peat and coconut for arid species but availability and quality of peat had gone down significantly.