Does a hiding Tarantula mean stress?

[Tinyspiderzz]

I've noticed that a theory floating around that if you rarely see your tarantula, even at night, it's a sign your parameters are off and the T is stressed, is that accurate? Or do some species just hide 24/7 except for feeding?

I'm not worried about my own T. My juvenile N.incei 'Limbo' seems predictably nocturnal and sometimes is even active in the early evening and is eating well just a curious question!

 

[mygeniculataisnuts]

Your t hiding doesn’t always mean this. Fact is most Ts are reclusive. They’re blind (almost) and ambush predators. They wait for their prey in a burrow or behind some thick webbing and pounce when the time is right. Your T hiding in a hole is perfectly normal. Also depends on the T but also the personality of that T they’re individuals. You can have an A genic that loves the open and another that burrows in the same type of enclosure next to it. It can also depend on foot traffic in a room. They pick up on vibrations and if you have people running around all the time then they won’t come out same if you’re hovering over them 24/7.

That being said if you are worried post a few pics of your enclosure in full and someone might be able to help.

That being said if you are worried post a few pics of your enclosure in full and someone might be able to help.

Ignore this bit. Didn’t see the last part of the post lmao.

 

[Motherofspiders112707]

Some T’s really do just hide 24/7. I have a Chilobrachys Dyscolus that I never see, but I know he’s okay because he’s constantly renovating his tank and making new tunnels, and there’s obviously no smell. My little M. Balfouri sling is pretty reclusive too, but he’ll come out when he wants too and is also constantly renovating his home. I do my usual maitenance obviously, and drop food in when that time of the week comes around, but sometimes Tarantulas really are just home bodies

 

[Gevo]

Some species and some individuals just hide more than others, and most are more likely to hide if they’re close to molting. This would not be a reliable sign of poor husbandry at all.

I think there’s a dangerous habit amongst some tarantula keepers of characterizing their tarantulas a certain way and expecting to be able to control their behaviours to an extent, and they use this in place of proper research on their animal. It’s like they just want to go off vibes or something. Examples: worrying every time they see their tarantula in a “stress pose” and wanting to know how to make them “happy”, worrying when they don’t see their tarantula moving around enough, worrying when they see their terrestrial tarantula climbing the walls. And yet on the other end of the spectrum, I see literally dozens of people a year NOT realize that their Avic shouldn’t be on the ground for weeks on end and that they’ve suffocated the poor thing by giving it a swamp to live in.

For the vast majority of tarantulas, the parameters are very simple and hard to screw up—if you do some basic research first. Too many people are out there worrying about all the wrong things.

 

[kingshockey]

No just means it's doingvwhat it wants to do

 

[gabrieldezzi]

I've noticed that a theory floating around that if you rarely see your tarantula, even at night, it's a sign your parameters are off and the T is stressed, is that accurate? Or do some species just hide 24/7 except for feeding?

I'm not worried about my own T. My juvenile N.incei 'Limbo' seems predictably nocturnal and sometimes is even active in the early evening and is eating well just a curious question!

Does a sleeping human mean exhaustion?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I've noticed that a theory floating around that if you rarely see your tarantula, even at night, it's a sign your parameters are off and the T is stressed, is that accurate? Or do some species just hide 24/7 except for feeding?

I'm not worried about my own T. My juvenile N.incei 'Limbo' seems predictably nocturnal and sometimes is even active in the early evening and is eating well just a curious question!

No my t albo juvy hides all the time and I rarely see it. Here’s a sighting.

 

[Mustafa67]

I've noticed that a theory floating around that if you rarely see your tarantula, even at night, it's a sign your parameters are off and the T is stressed, is that accurate? Or do some species just hide 24/7 except for feeding?

I'm not worried about my own T. My juvenile N.incei 'Limbo' seems predictably nocturnal and sometimes is even active in the early evening and is eating well just a curious question!

No

 

[viper69]

No

 

[l4nsky]

I've noticed that a theory floating around that if you rarely see your tarantula, even at night, it's a sign your parameters are off and the T is stressed, is that accurate? Or do some species just hide 24/7 except for feeding?

I'm not worried about my own T. My juvenile N.incei 'Limbo' seems predictably nocturnal and sometimes is even active in the early evening and is eating well just a curious question!

You're likely referring to a few statements I've made recently here on some threads. IMHO, yes absolutely, although stressed really isn't the correct term.

Are you stressed when you want to stay inside instead of going outside in the dead of the winter cold or into the oven of the summer heat? Not really, you're just waiting for better conditions.

The problem is, we as hobbyists really never provide those better conditions. We just blame the animals, label them "petholes", and tell others to avoid them instead of really digging in and realizing where the real problem truly lies: it's us.