Educated Opinions Please

[Blayde]

I will preface my post by saying that since providing obligate burrows with adequate substrate is a simple thing to do, and since it enables them to live the way they do in the wild, then logic dicates this is the husbandry route you should take.

That being said, I've seen no actual, real world evidence to suggest that keeping them in other ways harms them...at all so long as a few other conditions are met. I've seen haplopelmas, ceratogaryus, and members of other genera (including King Baboons) kept in situations where they couldn't burrow at all, and they did just fine. They adapt as long as they're provided shelter and proper humidity.

People claiming it will harm them are, I would be willing to bet, simply repeating what they've heard rather than commenting from long experience.

I did business with a rather large, rather well known herp business that kept lots of T's without substrate, just because they were easier to deal with that way. They did just fine.

That being said...don't do it.
Give them a proper a mount of substrate. If nothing else your erring in favor of the animal.

Well put. I have noticed the same thing. They will make due as best they can, but I can also see it being a little more stressful on them if they have to struggle to make or find shelter, but they are perfectly capable of building their own. I think if they at least have something for them to hide under, then it might be easier on them.

Ultimately I still think you should provide them with the best setup you can. I actually just rehoused my H. lividum because I wasn't happy how deep his substrate was. Now, it comes right to the top of the KK.