Homoeomma peruvianum fossorial behavior

[CalicoGremlin]

On July 1st I aquired a Homoeomma peruvianum (~0.75in) sling from a reptile show. Shortly after buying the sling I noticed the burrow was closed up and the sling looked to be in premolt. The burrow window I could see the sling through got covered over on the journey home.
Since then I have seen no signs of life at all. I know slings can be in premolt for a long while. But all of my slings at that size have molted and come back up within a couple of weeks of closing off the burrow. I was concerned they might have mismolted or passed on the way home. I also worried that they might have molted but not come back up to eat.
Yesterday I opened up the burrow entrance and left a headless dubia on the lip. Today the dubia is gone, and the burrow filled in. Yay, they're not dead.
The behavior is throwing me though. I have another "Blue Peru" a Thrixopelma longicolli sling from fear not, which behaves the way I expected from my research. Ie: terrestrial with a small burrow it mostly uses to molt. This one seems to have a deep burrow that it doesn't come out of.
Anyone have experience with this? Or a possible explanation?
Here's the current enclosure. It's the one they came in, I wanted them to molt before rehousing.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

On July 1st I aquired a Homoeomma peruvianum (~0.34 in) sling from a reptile show. Shortly after buying the sling I noticed the burrow was closed up and the sling looked to be in premolt. The burrow window I could see the sling through got covered over on the journey home.
Since then I have seen no signs of life at all. I know slings can be in premolt for a long while. But all of my slings at that size have molted and come back up within a couple of weeks of closing off the burrow. I was concerned they might have mismolted or passed on the way home. I also worried that they might have molted but not come back up to eat.
Yesterday I opened up the burrow entrance and left a headless dubia on the lip. Today the dubia is gone, and the burrow filled in. Yay, they're not dead.
The behavior is throwing me though. I have another "Blue Peru" a Thrixopelma longicolli sling from fear not, which behaves the way I expected from my research. Ie: terrestrial with a small burrow it mostly uses to molt. This one seems to have a deep burrow that it doesn't come out of.
Anyone have experience with this? Or a possible explanation? View attachment 451191 View attachment 451192
Here's the current enclosure. It's the one they came in, I wanted them to molt before rehousing.

I’ve never had one before what’s your question? sounds like your t is fine from your description of it eating a dubia .
No way we can tell if it’s ok you gotta look .
Lots of Ts are burrowers as slings , not just fossorials .

 

[NMTs]

It would help to know the size of the sling in relation to the cup. My suspicion is that the enclosure is too big. I've got a couple tiny Homoeomma slings, and they're in the smallest dram vials I could find - this way, even if they burrow, they're always going to be somewhere that I can see them. For example:

 

[CalicoGremlin]

The sling is about 0.75 to an inch dls. The enclosure is 2in tall with a 3in diameter lid. Now that they've eaten I think I'll rehouse to something with better visibility. I was mostly concerned by the diffence between what I'd read and what I was seeing. Just wanted to be sure it was normal variation and not something to worry about.

 

[viper69]

The mysteries of captive Ts, and all of us trying to figure "why they did that" will never ever end.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

R

On July 1st I aquired a Homoeomma peruvianum (~0.75in) sling from a reptile show. Shortly after buying the sling I noticed the burrow was closed up and the sling looked to be in premolt. The burrow window I could see the sling through got covered over on the journey home.
Since then I have seen no signs of life at all. I know slings can be in premolt for a long while. But all of my slings at that size have molted and come back up within a couple of weeks of closing off the burrow. I was concerned they might have mismolted or passed on the way home. I also worried that they might have molted but not come back up to eat.
Yesterday I opened up the burrow entrance and left a headless dubia on the lip. Today the dubia is gone, and the burrow filled in. Yay, they're not dead.
The behavior is throwing me though. I have another "Blue Peru" a Thrixopelma longicolli sling from fear not, which behaves the way I expected from my research. Ie: terrestrial with a small burrow it mostly uses to molt. This one seems to have a deep burrow that it doesn't come out of.
Anyone have experience with this? Or a possible explanation? View attachment 451191 View attachment 451192
Here's the current enclosure. It's the one they came in, I wanted them to molt before rehousing.

Read my signature …
ratluvr76;2393285 said:
Your tarantula is tarantuling. Who knows why they do the things they do

The mysteries of captive Ts, and all of us trying to figure "why they did that" will never ever end.

Yes agreed .. they do strange things .

 

[NMTs]

The sling is about 0.75 to an inch dls. The enclosure is 2in tall with a 3in diameter lid. Now that they've eaten I think I'll rehouse to something with better visibility. I was mostly concerned by the diffence between what I'd read and what I was seeing. Just wanted to be sure it was normal variation and not something to worry about.

It's pretty common for slings to burrow, even if they would be less inclined to do so as adults - there are even arboreal species that burrow as slings! It's important to keep in mind that most written care sheets or species descriptions that you can find out there are generally referencing adult behavior, and that slings will often behave differently than adults.

 

[Gayleen]

On July 1st I aquired a Homoeomma peruvianum (~0.75in) sling from a reptile show. Shortly after buying the sling I noticed the burrow was closed up and the sling looked to be in premolt. The burrow window I could see the sling through got covered over on the journey home.
Since then I have seen no signs of life at all. I know slings can be in premolt for a long while. But all of my slings at that size have molted and come back up within a couple of weeks of closing off the burrow. I was concerned they might have mismolted or passed on the way home. I also worried that they might have molted but not come back up to eat.
Yesterday I opened up the burrow entrance and left a headless dubia on the lip. Today the dubia is gone, and the burrow filled in. Yay, they're not dead.
The behavior is throwing me though. I have another "Blue Peru" a Thrixopelma longicolli sling from fear not, which behaves the way I expected from my research. Ie: terrestrial with a small burrow it mostly uses to molt. This one seems to have a deep burrow that it doesn't come out of.
Anyone have experience with this? Or a possible explanation? View attachment 451191 View attachment 451192
Here's the current enclosure. It's the one they came in, I wanted them to molt before rehousing.

On July 1st I aquired a Homoeomma peruvianum (~0.75in) sling from a reptile show. Shortly after buying the sling I noticed the burrow was closed up and the sling looked to be in premolt. The burrow window I could see the sling through got covered over on the journey home.
Since then I have seen no signs of life at all. I know slings can be in premolt for a long while. But all of my slings at that size have molted and come back up within a couple of weeks of closing off the burrow. I was concerned they might have mismolted or passed on the way home. I also worried that they might have molted but not come back up to eat.

Mine, as an adult, filled up the entrance to her burrow and disappeared for literally months, then popped back up freshly molted and hungry. She's been hanging out on the surface since then but the other day I saw her digging out the front of the burrow she previously closed so maybe she's planning to do her disappearing act again. She's a strange girl.

 

[herpetogeorgie]

These are Uropelma now aren't they?

I have a fossorial Phormingochilus sp. Ackaya. Thought she'd grow out of it as she got bigger. Nope. 12cm and we still don't don't do anything arboreal. Tarantulas are weird.

 

[Gayleen]

These are Uropelma now aren't they?

I thought they were Uropelma for a hot ten minutes and then turned into Isiboroa.

 

[herpetogeorgie]

I thought they were Uropelma for a hot ten minutes and then turned into Isiboroa.

Yeah seems to be that two research teams independently figured that it didn't belong to Homoeomma, one team erected a new genus, the other placed them in Isiborea. I suppose only time will tell if Uropelma is deemed valid.