E. murinus questions...

worm's girl

Arachnoknight
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Jul 13, 2007
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So I have a female skeleton shes about 3-4" and shes great and all but she sits out all day. i know i know, why am i complaining? it just seems weird because she doesnt hide a whole lot. is that normal? there isnt any visible web (note visible, i see her lay down some when shes eating cuz she's sloppy and she leaves a trail of cricket parts where ever she goes) and shes eating regularly with no problem. theres poop all over the glass so i know she wonders around all night. i just think its wierd that shes out all day, hanging out by her water dish (she drinks a lot of water, but i keep the humidity up to around 75%) i put a flower pot in the dirt so she can hide but she doesnt dig or anything. and the container she came in that i think she was in for probably a couple weeks had no web or burrow. is she just a wierdo and i need to not worry just be grateful i dont have a pet hole? i think i may have been spoiled by beautiful OBT webs!
 

Becky

Arachnolord
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Sep 17, 2006
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How deep is her substrate? Have you started a burrow for her? Is the substrate wet? They like it a bit wetter than most.

Try them and see how she goes.

I have a Haplopelma minax A/F that doesn't burrow or anything. I've tried everything to get her to! She's having none of it. She does use her hide though. No webbing, no digging.. nothing.
Let us know how she does when you've started one off for her :)
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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Hiya wormsgirl. As i recall we both got skeletons from the same guy at the same show. (Same clutch?) Mine is behaving similarly. She has done some digging but not the deep tunneling i expected. Initially she seemed to settle into the new habitat remarkably quickly but it didn't last. Now she spends lots of time scrunched up in a corner looking stressed and ignoring food although she does eventually eat it. Also some some time is spent up against the walls as though she's looking for an escape route. 'Tis a quandry.

I wonder if the requirements for this species aren't quite what i thought. I've got 7"+ substrate med-moist but not wet. I mist a couple times a week and let it dry before misting again. There is plenty of ventilation (maybe too much?) The t has been in this environment for almost 3 weeks now and if anything she acts more stressed than 2 weeks ago.

Any suggestions from the readers on housing?
 

worm's girl

Arachnoknight
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sounds super familiar etown....heres a pic of what i did, its about 7" on the high side and 2" on the low. she goes in the pot occasionally otherwise she likes that corner! the substrate looks dry in the pic but i assure you i mist every other day and it isnt dry.
 
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cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
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E. murinus, I believe, are obligate burrowers so you'll probably want to take the hide out and level out the substrate like etown has. 7 inches all the way across will work fine. I would start a hole for them to finish in each corner. You can always fill in the others once one is taken. Treat it like a Haplopelma and give it a few weeks to get used to it. I have a little one that is in a large deli cup and it's burrowed all over it. Try that and see what happens.
 

WARPIG

Arachnoangel
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Jun 29, 2007
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I have a lil E. murinus (7/26) 1.5-2" and she dug a hole straight away and raised it up over the strate by making a trumpet shaped mouth which extends at least an inch over the strate. Its pretty cool to see her legs in the trumpet and as she scoots down, I can see her in the side of the KK.

Like it was suggested, maybe leveling the strate will encourage her to make her own hide.
 

worm's girl

Arachnoknight
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well it seems to me that all the slings/juvies tend to act about the same way, they all seem to like to burrow and web and do cool stuff....but maybe when they grow up they get lazy. i'll just give her a couple weeks and hope she adjusts. if she doesnt, i'll level it out.
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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well it seems to me that all the slings/juvies tend to act about the same way, they all seem to like to burrow and web and do cool stuff....but maybe when they grow up they get lazy. i'll just give her a couple weeks and hope she adjusts. if she doesnt, i'll level it out.
I'd say just go ahead and level it out, maybe even make it higher. Burrowers like skeletons and cobalts get pretty stressed when they don't have enough 'strate to dig. Also, it might not be a bad idea to get some sphagnum moss (whole moss, not chopped up peat) on the surface of the strate to hold some moisture. I have some moss strewn about and a few silk plant leaves. These are to hold moisture when i mist which she seems to really like. Also she may use the moss to line the burrow and maybe construct a door or "turret". Just yesterday i decided to start upping the humidity with some vigorous spritzing on the side of the tank where the moss and leaves are and she seemed to really appreciate it. This morning she was hanging out all up in that side of the tank.

I'll post a pic of my enclosure tonight when i get home. It'll be here in this thread.
 

Vanisher

Arachnoking
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well it seems to me that all the slings/juvies tend to act about the same way, they all seem to like to burrow and web and do cool stuff....but maybe when they grow up they get lazy. i'll just give her a couple weeks and hope she adjusts. if she doesnt, i'll level it out.
If it will eat and not behave to odd, i think it is no worrys. I have a friend whose King baboon refuse to dig for 6 month, then suddenly she dug her burrow! /Johan
 

harrypei

Arachnoknight
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Oct 30, 2006
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I use a piece of cork as a hide for mine, and she never dugged deeper but instead stays in the cork hide and webbed her surroundings pretty good.
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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Pics as promised

OK Wormsgirl, here's the pics of my setup. This is the first one of these styrene tub type containers i've used. They're cheap and great dimensions-wise but not great for display. If i want to watch her do her thing tho' i just take the top off and put a plexiglass sheet over like i did to take the pics.

Top view:



Side view:


Note the substrate depth. Also in the top view there are actually two hides. The PVC piece on the left has a 45deg bend and an open bottom so she can burrow down. On the bottom left corner there is another hide started under the leaves. She hasn't done anything with this but shove moss into it. Also not that where she's hanging out is where i mist every other day. When i mist i get the 'strate but also (more) spray the silk plant and the moss. the purpose there is to keep humidity up without necessarily making mud.

I'm new to the world of humidity loving burrowers like haplo's and Ephebopus so if i'm doing anything wrong i'd appreciate a heads up from any charitable reader.
 

worm's girl

Arachnoknight
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thanks guys...we'll see what happens. i dont want to change too much too fast so i'll probably leave her alone a while and then make changes
 
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