G. pulchripes burrowing?

Stella Maris

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Do G. pulchripes slings tend to burrow? I know I have read and been told that many species burrow as slings but I really don't see that behavior with my B. baumgarteni, B. vagans, and now my G. pulchripes.

I have provided hides (pvc pipe) for all of them and they don't appear to actually "hide" inside them.

Should I be trying to give my G. pulchripes enough substrate to burrow or see if he will take a liking to his hide first?
 

Stella Maris

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I just saw in another thread that PVC pipes/couplers can cause release of toxins over time? Is this only if you heat it and cut it that way? What if you sawed it in half?

Also is Poly Alloy the same as PVC?
 

KezyGLA

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PVC pipe is fine. I wouldnt worry about toxicity unless you were burning it while in the enclosure
 

nicodimus22

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I just saw in another thread that PVC pipes/couplers can cause release of toxins over time? Is this only if you heat it and cut it that way? What if you sawed it in half?
*Cut PVC gives of toxic gasses. Just don't cut it.

Back on topic, I don't know if I have a weird one or not, but my G. pulchripes sling never burrowed. It used a fake leaf I provided for cover when it was tiny, but didn't dig a real burrow.
 

cold blood

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My experiences are that when housed in larger enclosure, they are more inclined to burrow...slings in an over size enclosure almost seem driven to burrow. (I experimented with 100's of terrestrial slings in different size housing).

Excessive burrowing is probably actually more natural behavior (and is in no way harmful or a "real" worry), but it does make monitoring the t more difficult, if not impossible, and it also results in a much less aggressive eater, which leads directly to slower growth rates (often significantly slower).
 

Moakmeister

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Mine burrowed immediately when I got her because I had her in an oversized enclosure. She stayed hidden for over two weeks and I thought she was actually molting, but I rehoused her and she's been much happier and more active since then. She still digs, but never hides for more than a few hours at a time and constantly shovels substrate around. If a sling burrows for more than a few days I'd recommend a smaller enclosure.
 

BobBarley

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My experiences are that when housed in larger enclosure, they are more inclined to burrow...slings in an over size enclosure almost seem driven to burrow. (I experimented with 100's of terrestrial slings in different size housing).

Excessive burrowing is probably actually more natural behavior (and is in no way harmful or a "real" worry), but it does make monitoring the t more difficult, if not impossible, and it also results in a much less aggressive eater, which leads directly to slower growth rates (often significantly slower).
Do t's even need the room we give them? If I house an AF Brachy in a deli cup, are there adverse affects and why?
 

Stella Maris

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*Cut PVC gives of toxic gasses. Just don't cut it.

Back on topic, I don't know if I have a weird one or not, but my G. pulchripes sling never burrowed. It used a fake leaf I provided for cover when it was tiny, but didn't dig a real burrow.
So what happens if I sawed it in half?

My sling is pretty small, maybe 1/2 inch leg span. Would a 2oz+ or 5.5 oz deli cup be recommended for the sling's enclosure?
 

BobBarley

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So what happens if I sawed it in half?

My sling is pretty small, maybe 1/2 inch leg span. Would a 2oz+ or 5.5 oz deli cup be recommended for the sling's enclosure?
Tiny slings probably won't hide in pvc pipes because of their openness relative to themselves. I use condiment cups for slings that small.
 

viper69

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Tarantula's burrow, my god what will science discover next! Adults will as well in captivity.
 

cold blood

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Do t's even need the room we give them? If I house an AF Brachy in a deli cup, are there adverse affects and why?
Well the t does need to stretch out.:shifty: As for adverse effects, I'm not about to experiment on undersize enclosures, I mean, there's a reason why we upgrade enclosures.:D
 

Ungoliant

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Do t's even need the room we give them? If I house an AF Brachy in a deli cup, are there adverse affects and why?
At a minimum, it needs enough space to successfully molt. This means some horizontal and vertical clearance to slip out of the old exoskeleton.
 

Rittdk01

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I had two identical in size. Both housed identically, except for the color of the lid. One burrowed for a month, the other did not. The burrowed came out aand stayed out since reemerging. It's a bit smaller since it's molted once to twice for the one that never burrowed.
 

darkness975

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Do t's even need the room we give them? If I house an AF Brachy in a deli cup, are there adverse affects and why?
Yes they need some room. They need to be able to move and molt and dig a little. You can't just throw it in a cup and say it works. That's like keeping bettas in those horrid shot glasses. It might survive for a while but it won't live too long.
 

Jeff23

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Do G. pulchripes slings tend to burrow? I know I have read and been told that many species burrow as slings but I really don't see that behavior with my B. baumgarteni, B. vagans, and now my G. pulchripes.

I have provided hides (pvc pipe) for all of them and they don't appear to actually "hide" inside them.

Should I be trying to give my G. pulchripes enough substrate to burrow or see if he will take a liking to his hide first?
Definitely give them plenty of substrate.

I have four G. pulchripes slings. One of the four burrowed in the deli cups for a couple months when it was smaller. It took the cork bark hide and water dish with it into the burrow so I am not sure that it realized it was burrowing during all of that bulldozing that was occuring. None of mine are burrowing now as they are approximately juvenile size.
 
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