Fossorial enclosure set up?

PhilMcWonder

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 29, 2018
Messages
187
When dealing with burrowing species, what is the best way to set up an enclosure?
How do you avoid "Pet holes"?
Feel free to share pictures of your setups.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
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Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
How do you avoid "Pet holes"?
Not purchasing Theraphosidae that are, obviously, 'pet holes'. That's their nature, you can do nothing about. When an obligate burrower settle, he/she 'disappear' in such burrow/tunnel system.

Yes, I can spot mines at night (anyway not on a daily basis) but isn't like viewing terrestrials like, example, A.geniculata.

There's no tricks or 'insider tricks' to share: you need to provide a lot of substrate inches, that's mandatory, and the last 'word' is only the spider one.

Since they are opportunistics like every other T's, I do offer always a piece of cork bark with nearby/just under, a pre-starter hole. They do accept that, but that's all.

The set up is in general, very spartan (but is everything they need).

Lots of inches of substrate (moist substrate for Asian and/or certain Africans such Hysterocrates spp. and NW hardcore burrowers like Megaphobema robustum, Ephebopus spp.), a piece of cork bark, the water dish. A couple of fake leaves, depends by the species.

Nothing else from me :)

Ephebopus murinus catching a B.dubia, note all of that web.

E. murinus.jpg

C.lividus out in the open for less than 10 seconds, the time needed for grab a prey and turn back v

C.lividus 1.jpg

That's the set up of my 0.1 S.subspinipes, as you can see there's more stuff inside, but for a reason. While 'pet hole', they are 'pedes and 'pedes loves to hide under leaves, stones etc

Scolopendra set up.jpg
 
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Liquifin

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,110
When dealing with burrowing species, what is the best way to set up an enclosure?
How do you avoid "Pet holes"?
Feel free to share pictures of your setups.
What your asking for is almost impossible. Burrowing species will burrow, equaling a pet hole. If you want to see them, then just wait until dark, when they're out and active. Unless your specimen is within the oddball of T.'s, its basically impossible for what your'e asking. I have one oddball, which is my A. seemanni. She dig burrows into a construction site, but she isn't a pet hole like other peoples specimens. And she has 6'' of substrate.
Here's a picture of her enclosure. Note- Originally the hide was mostly buried and the enclosure was flat, but as you see, it's not anywhere as it once was when I housed her in it.
IMG_0694.JPG
 

Enrgy

Arachnosquire
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Mar 16, 2018
Messages
135
That is how the name “pet hole” came about lol
 

Minty

@londontarantulas
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Feb 2, 2018
Messages
488
It's simple. Give them an enclosure that is deep and has lots of substrate. The deeper, the better (that's what she said).

You can add cork bark, a water dish and some leaf litter, if you like. I'd recommend the water dish, the other two aren't essential.
 

AnObeseHippo

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 18, 2018
Messages
268
The pet hole is the coolest part though! I usually see it emerge in the middle of the night or early morning.

I’d give it a starter burrow/hide on the side of the enclosure, and shade that side so no light gets in. It’ll likely burrow there and you can check on it occasionally. I just have that side of the enclosure against the wall normally.
 

0311usmc

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
332
When dealing with burrowing species you are in possession of an enclosure filled almost to the top with dirt that will contain a hole, guaranteed. There is nothing you can do to see it and in all honesty you won't see it all that much but that's what makes them special. You see them once in a great while. All you need to keep a happy fossorial is dirt and lots of it. If you don't see it enough buy another one, try again lol.
 

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Jmanbeing93

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
142
When dealing with burrowing species you are in possession of an enclosure filled almost to the top with dirt that will contain a hole, guaranteed. There is nothing you can do to see it and in all honesty you won't see it all that much but that's what makes them special. You see them once in a great while. All you need to keep a happy fossorial is dirt and lots of it. If you don't see it enough buy another one, try again lol.

What's the size of the containers in the second and last photo? Looks decent, where did you find them?
 

Vanisher

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
2,533
When dealing with burrowing species, what is the best way to set up an enclosure?
How do you avoid "Pet holes"?
Feel free to share pictures of your setups.
If set up enclosure for fossorials the right way, avoiding pet holes is impossible. In fact most speicies of tarantulas are pet holes. There are exeption like A geniculata, G rosea and others, but most tarantulas are more or less pet holes, especially fossorials IMO
 
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