Mature Nhandu Tripepii enclosure set up

[AtoZ]

I am talking about Eggnog (don’t judge me - they all get names lol) mature, suspected female Nhandu Tripepii. It’s been climbing about the enclosure and hasn’t seemed to really settle in over the last 8 weeks - what am I doing wrong??? I’ll tell you quickly about the enclosure…16”long - 10 inches high and 8” deep. A little less than half the enclosure has 5 inches of substrate covered by a cork bark hide. The other half of the enclosure has 3 inches of substrate and is where the water bowl is overflowed once the substrate in that area dries out. Immediately after introducing the enclosure, it burrowed at the deep and dry end and actually repurposed the substrate so I didn’t have mounds of it on the surface. I was amazed. Where did it all go?!? It hollowed out that whole side of the enclosure, using the cork bark as the entrance. The landscaping was done through an entrance it cteated, but it has since been sealed. It comes in and out through the cork bark entrance. For the most part, it’s on display in the shallow end of the enclosure but I do find it retreating into the abyss 30 % of the time. I have never seen it drink but it spends a lot of time at the water bowl. For the last week, it’s had a “get me outta here” attitude - climbing on the walls, legs sticking out is the air holes…and so on. I’m going to take pics of the enclosure so you can see what I’m working with. I’ll post the spider first and come back with pics of the enclosure. I’m open to any constructive criticism about the set up. I want to do right by my critters.

Here’s the enclosure

 

[Cmac2111]

Tarantulas can take a long time to settle in a new environment, so don't stress about that yet. His/her excavating the place is actually a good sign that they're settling in relatively well. If your tripepii is a climber (mine is too), then it's a good idea to raise the level of the sub in the shallow end. N tripepii are big, heavy bodied new world T's, for whom the threat of falling can be particularly dangerous (at least half full is a good level IME). Also, I don't know if your enclosure has a mesh lid, but if it has then this is dangerous for climbers as they can get their claws stuck in the mesh, struggle, fall and lose one or multiple legs as a result. Nice name btw, mine is called peach fuzz. I absolutely adore tripeppi they are my fav looking T's, can be super feisty though, and watch out for some really nasty hairs (ignore the paper towel bits in the sub from when I unboxed her, they aren't there anymore lol)!

 

[AtoZ]

Wow! You have a beautiful specimen. It has crossed my mind to increase the depth of the “shallow” end - and I will, for its safety. Thanks for confirming my suspicions on that point.
Eggnog is super spicy. She’s one of my 3 spice girls - the other two are my Pterinopelma Sazimai and my Acanthoscuria Geniculata. I think all 3 hate me lol! But I love them as they are!
I’ll layer up more substrate in the shallows and see how it does with that. She attacks the water when I add it, so this will be interesting.

 

[cold blood]

It spends a lot of time at the water bowl because your sub is dry....this species is moisture dependent; it should have damp sub...and not just a small area of damp sub.

Pour a cup of water in there.

She attacks the water when I add it,

This is a feeding response.

 

[AtoZ]

She does eat really well, but in this instance, I know it to be defensive behaviour because she has been refusing food (huge booty on this gal and probably in premolt). When I add water, she slaps the ground around it. I offered her prey it was refused again (and she never refuses unless in premolt) I went back to spot cleaning and adding water, and she was up on her back legs, showing her fangs-Almost bent over backwards. She is a very defensive T and always stands her ground. This is not a specimen that will retreat. If I’m inside doing some very minor spot cleaning, I will start at the opposite end of enclosure- where she isn’t, and she will go out of her way to follow. I have a few Ts who don’t like having their things touched.
Anyway, I’ve got a little more sub for her to work with and it’s moist now. Thank you everyone, for the advice re. my enclosure.
And just a side note-I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I poke and prod my T - I am very careful and respectful, but I just happen to have a very defensive specimen. I do not enjoy her incessant threat posture. The only time I don’t get one from her, is when she is accepting prey.