Cork Bark: Tube vs Flats

[brothaT]

I have these species of arboreal or semi-arboreal Ts:

P. Rufilata
P. Regalis
H. Maculata
A. Versicolor
P. Irminia
P. Cambridgei

I'm going to buy a bunch of cork bark tomorrow and was wondering if there is any real benefit to any of these species in getting a tube instead of a flat piece of cork? Obviously I'd prefer to get the flat pieces so I can see the T better and they are cheaper, but if one of them really prefers a tube then I can definitely get a couple pieces.

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

well I have to say, all of the T's you have are gonna be pretty active except for the pokies, they tend to hide a bit more. This is from personal experience but I think all T's would like a cork tube just because it makes for a very good hide. I have a few tubes in a couple enclosures, one being an a. metallica but it is pretty active so its inside of the tube like 40-50% of the time. If you had a pokie with a cork tube, you can say bye bye lol. Either way you go your going to find that the T will do something with the cork bark. If I were you I would pick up a few of each and see what you like the look of in the enclosure itself, if you make the rest of the enclosure nice for the T you will find that it will usually do other things than just sit inside of its tube.

btw, avics are weird and might web in random places. sometimes a piece of cork bark isnt even required for an avic.

 

[brothaT]

well I have to say, all of the T's you have are gonna be pretty active except for the pokies, they tend to hide a bit more. This is from personal experience but I think all T's would like a cork tube just because it makes for a very good hide. I have a few tubes in a couple enclosures, one being an a. metallica but it is pretty active so its inside of the tube like 40-50% of the time. If you had a pokie with a cork tube, you can say bye bye lol. Either way you go your going to find that the T will do something with the cork bark. If I were you I would pick up a few of each and see what you like the look of in the enclosure itself, if you make the rest of the enclosure nice for the T you will find that it will usually do other things than just sit inside of its tube.

btw, avics are weird and might web in random places. sometimes a piece of cork bark isnt even required for an avic.

That's what I was thinking as well. I guess for the T a tube would be better every time just because it allows for more variety and hiding places, but as you pointed out I don't want to create a pet hole. All of my Ts are slings/juveniles at the moment so I really haven't had any experience with adult behavior. I'll probably buy a couple bark tubes and try them out on one of the Psalmopoeus species. I guess I was just curious to know if a tube was required for certain arboreal species like a hide is required for terrestrials.

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

I have noticed that the psalmopoeus sp. like to burrow more when they are younger, even my big cambridgei burrows. If I were you I would provide the pokies with maybe a half tube, or like a tube witha small crack in it. If you cant make the cork bark tube the way you want it, you can boil it, and it will soften up a ton, then it will be plyable for you to make what you want. The versi probably wont bother to web on the cork bark, so I would just throw a flat in there. I would offer the psalmo's some cork bark but also provid plenty of substrate to burrow.
I would throw a flat in the h. mac enclosure too, you might see more of it.

 

[ShellsandScales]

If you had a pokie with a cork tube, you can say bye bye lol. .

I will testify to that! I set my big girl up with a really nice bark tube to get her comfortable for breeding and haven't seen more then a leg since. I'm used to seeing her almost every day! kind sad but I'm sure she likes it better.

 

[blackcadillac70]

same here they feel more comfortable in the tube and come out rarely.and i have found it makes cage cleaning easy just take the bark out and clean there not coming out of that tube unless you take a brush and force them out.

 

[penny'smom]

Place the open side of the tube against the tank wall, and you may still be able to see them, depending on how heavily they web the inside. If you are talking about a complete tube, you're s.o.l.

My irminia is the only one of my arboreals big enough for cork yet, and she has a flat piece leaned against the tank wall. Actually, it's a 1/2 gal pickel jar. she has webbed a burrow tunnel on the diagonal from one corner to the other, running behind the cork. However, she's usually on the front of her cork unless she's seriously pre-molt. Then it's burrow time, 24/7.

 

[blackcadillac70]

by the way if you have large adults.like i have pokie females 6+make sure that the diameter is atleast 4" because they will molt in there and the need the room to get out of there molt.i had a scare with this.

 

[brothaT]

by the way if you have large adults.like i have pokie females 6+make sure that the diameter is atleast 4" because they will molt in there and the need the room to get out of there molt.i had a scare with this.

Whew, that's a relief. I ordered them today and I got 2 4" pieces at 14" long. I hadn't even thought about the molting issue though.