Is this normal behavior?

[DoucheBgalo]

My G. Pulchripes usually hangs out on her log/hide all day and sometimes just chills in her hide. She really doesn't do much, but hang out there. Then one day, I came back from school only to discover that she has dug a huge burrow underneath her hide. I really didn't think much of this as I've heard G. Pulchripes do tend to burrow. There's still an opening in her burrow and she hangs out in the entrance. That's where I'd usually drop crickets, where she would just jump on them relentlessly. Now I wake up and see that the entrance is now closed. I don't know if she's molting or what have you. I don't really want to disturb her by picking up her hide and checking in, but I also don't want her trapped in there with no chance of escape. I don't know what to do. I'll post a pick of her enclosure when my gf gets home cus her phone has a camera.

 

[xhexdx]

Hi, Douche.

It's a spider.

Perfectly normal.

Species name isn't capitalized.

How's the weather in Poopershnaggle?

 

[DoucheBgalo]

Hi, Douche.

It's a spider.

Perfectly normal.

Species name isn't capitalized.

How's the weather in Poopershnaggle?

Oh alright cool. I was just worried whether she was about to molt or something, though she hasn't given any inkling of that happening. Anyways yeah, I'll try to worry a little less about her then.

It's been raining for a couple days here in Poopershnaggle. It's pretty cool and stuff. lol

 

[Falk]

She will come out when she feels to, just leave her alone.

 

[Abby]

She might be getting ready to molt, or is just taking a break. I had a N. chromatus sling that burrowed for about 3 weeks and it was driving me crazy.

I then noticed that if I looked at the dish from one of the sides I could actually see him a bit. I expected to find him recently molted, but....he was just grooming his feet as contentedly as ever but no molt. He finally came out, ate a few times, and one morning I woke up to a molted baby, ad this time he didn't even burrow.

Crazy babies....I wish I had a tiny camera in their burrow so could see what they do. I think sometimes they burrow to better control their humidity, but that's just a guess on my part.

Keep us posted on your baby

 

[DoucheBgalo]

She might be getting ready to molt, or is just taking a break. I had a N. chromatus sling that burrowed for about 3 weeks and it was driving me crazy.

I then noticed that if I looked at the dish from one of the sides I could actually see him a bit. I expected to find him recently molted, but....he was just grooming his feet as contentedly as ever but no molt. He finally came out, ate a few times, and one morning I woke up to a molted baby, ad this time he didn't even burrow.

Crazy babies....I wish I had a tiny camera in their burrow so could see what they do. I think sometimes they burrow to better control their humidity, but that's just a guess on my part.

Keep us posted on your baby

Yeah, she still hasn't come out of her burrow. I'm starting to worry, but on what your account is, I'll try and think that she's just hanging out in there. I'm going to put a couple of crickets in her cage to see if they disappear in time.

I really do wish I have a camera as well. Gotta contact Animal Planet to go see where they get those cameras that go in burrows. Or at least order a colon camera from a doctor or whatever. Haha. Yeah.

 

[Abby]

Hahahaha I actually did buy an endoscope camera to spy on my OBT.
It's a camera/USB microscope, and so far I've used it to look under the couches, and wonder at all the stuff that accumulates there, and to spy on my OBT when she went hiding for over a month.

I was able to poke a tiny hole in her webbed tunnel and see her chilling.
I wish I had a set camera in each of their burrows so I could monitor them when I'm at work, and see what they do when I'm not home....they'll probably just be on the same spot I left them in the morning

I've read that as long as the tank does not start smelling bad, then we should just assume our tarantulas are fine.

 

[DoucheBgalo]

Oh that's good haha. My T still hasn't gotten out of her burrow. I guess she'll be fine for now. Yeah, there's a tiny hole on the side of her burrow where she took some of the substrate out and now there's a little window there. I can see her just chilling. I even tapped the glass and she just moved her abdomen and whatever. So yeah, I can't wait till she comes out.

 

[Kathy]

I have one and I was worried about the same thing! It's normal, trust me......mine has literally been holed up since about June. I did peak on her a couple of times and she was fine. She came out for a day or two and then went back in and covered up the openings again so I can't see her. I can tell you she was fat as a pig. Drop food in once in awhile and it will crawl in where she is and she will eat. Mine even dug a hole I could peak in on the side of the glass like yours did....until I think I annoyed her by shining the flashlight in it - now she covered that up.....

 

[Abby]

Hehe Kathy, mine did the same.

I now tape a piece of dark paper where the "window" is, and I take a quick peek every once in a while, or they get annoyed with me, and they cover it with substrate again.