Digging for food, enrichment or unusual?

[bofuu]

Usually when I feed my B. Hamorii I'll place the food directly in front of them, but recently I've been allowing the occasional dubia roach to burrow itself in the substrate. It started when one got away from me before my tarantula had noticed it. Since dubia roaches are relatively harmless, I figured I'd leave it for the day and hunt it down the next day if my tarantula hadn't eaten it. I came back to find they'd dug down where the roach was hiding and caught it. A couple weeks later I decided to feed a roach again and let it go to see if my tarantula would dig for it again, and they did!

I've done this a few times now and they've always successfully dug up and caught the roach, which has me wondering about whether or not this could be enriching for them or if it's an unusual behavior. I couldn't find any posts about digging for food, but b. hamorii are natural borrowers, so I can't see it being too harmful unless they can't catch the prey.

I'm quite new to tarantulas, so I'm interested to hear if anyone else has any input. I know spiders aren't typically considered to require much for enrichment, but if extra hunting activity can provide it, I think that would be interesting.

 

[FrDoc]

Yes, tarantulas will dig up prey items, and it is fun to watch. However, I would suggest not doing this as a practice as that one roach, worm, whatever which will escape notice could be the one that damages, or worse kills a molting spider. I lost a scorpling and a sling early on in my keeping days to “feeders“. Learn from other’s mistakes.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

I always render my feeders harmless by face crushing but that sounds very entertaining.

 

[bofuu]

Yes, tarantulas will dig up prey items, and it is fun to watch. However, I would suggest not doing this as a practice as that one roach, worm, whatever which will escape notice could be the one that damages, or worse kills a molting spider. I lost a scorpling and a sling early on in my keeping days to “feeders“. Learn from other’s mistakes.

Absolutely, I never leave any food longer than a day, and I never let any crickets or worms run loose. Only the occasional dubia roach, since they don't bite, but even then I don't leave them.

I always render my feeders harmless by face crushing but that sounds very entertaining.

Crickets and worms always get a bit of a squish, since they're capable of fighting back. Dubias are really the only one I've ever considered not rendering harmless, since they're relatively harmless already

 

[DomGom TheFather]

I wouldn't trust a hungry dubia.
I have seen what they will do to their own when lacking protein.
If one got away and resurfaced famished during a molt they might bring the pain.

 

[Smotzer]

They are not harmless to a molting tarantula. Your practice is honestly not the smartest, it’ll be the one time it digs, and your tarantula molts and it will be in danger. Risk vs. Reward....

 

[Colorado Ts]

Usually when I feed my B. Hamorii I'll place the food directly in front of them, but recently I've been allowing the occasional dubia roach to burrow itself in the substrate. It started when one got away from me before my tarantula had noticed it. Since dubia roaches are relatively harmless, I figured I'd leave it for the day and hunt it down the next day if my tarantula hadn't eaten it. I came back to find they'd dug down where the roach was hiding and caught it. A couple weeks later I decided to feed a roach again and let it go to see if my tarantula would dig for it again, and they did!

I've done this a few times now and they've always successfully dug up and caught the roach, which has me wondering about whether or not this could be enriching for them or if it's an unusual behavior. I couldn't find any posts about digging for food, but b. hamorii are natural borrowers, so I can't see it being too harmful unless they can't catch the prey.

I'm quite new to tarantulas, so I'm interested to hear if anyone else has any input. I know spiders aren't typically considered to require much for enrichment, but if extra hunting activity can provide it, I think that would be interesting.

That's pretty cool. My spiders just seem to ignore the B.dubias if the burrow. I crush their heads so they don't burrow, but stay mobile long enough for the spider to show interest and feed.

 

[viper69]

Usually when I feed my B. Hamorii I'll place the food directly in front of them, but recently I've been allowing the occasional dubia roach to burrow itself in the substrate. It started when one got away from me before my tarantula had noticed it. Since dubia roaches are relatively harmless, I figured I'd leave it for the day and hunt it down the next day if my tarantula hadn't eaten it. I came back to find they'd dug down where the roach was hiding and caught it. A couple weeks later I decided to feed a roach again and let it go to see if my tarantula would dig for it again, and they did!

I've done this a few times now and they've always successfully dug up and caught the roach, which has me wondering about whether or not this could be enriching for them or if it's an unusual behavior. I couldn't find any posts about digging for food, but b. hamorii are natural borrowers, so I can't see it being too harmful unless they can't catch the prey.

I'm quite new to tarantulas, so I'm interested to hear if anyone else has any input. I know spiders aren't typically considered to require much for enrichment, but if extra hunting activity can provide it, I think that would be interesting.

Drop a ping pong ball in there for certain adult NW terrestrials- you’ll see things

 

[Matt Man]

I too have seen them dig in adult Ts, it's pretty cool but I wouldn't suggest as a practice
for all the aforementioned reasons

 

[bofuu]

All valid reasons not to make it a regular habit, and I certainly wasnt planning to, I was more interested in it as an occasional enrichment activity. There's never any food placed in the habitat during molt or pre molt, and like I said before food is never left in. This is my only T, so it's pretty easy to keep track of whether or not they are about to molt or if they didn't eat.

I certainly don't intend on making it a regular practice, don't worry!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Since dubia roaches are relatively harmless

since they don't bite,

Not sure where this myth that Blaptica dubia are harmless comes from but they do cannibalise which means they're perfectly capable of harming a moulting/freshly moulted tarantula.

Treat every feeder as if it could harm your T given the chance.