Jeff23
Arachnolord
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2016
- Messages
- 619
Is anyone else using some moisture on their B. albopilosum substrate and getting good results from it? I have noticed that most people preach the idea of water dish only with no moist substrate for all of Brachypelma genus. And while that probably works fine, mine just proved to me that it is happier with some moist substrate. I am curious on how much moisture and how often others provide for theirs. I don't want to over do it. This girl is the Honduran variety, but I also have slings in the Nicaraguan form so I am open for discussion on both of them.
The enclosure below has a half cylinder of cork bark angled into the substrate so that it was initially provided with an entrance on the right side. The same day I received my 2" female from Jamie, my girl immediately made use of the hide and covered the entrance. I have not seen her for four months and she had not eaten anything for the past couple months. I was a little worried so I moistened the left side of the substrate at the very end of the cylinder near the enclosure wall.
Less than a week later she created the mound below (approximately 2" high). There is a burrow entrance at the top of this mound. She also dumped a molt (removed) on the top of the mound. She ate a cricket as well. I can see where her burrow reached the side of the plastic down in the substrate, so I taped a flap to protect the burrow from light.
I think this proves that Brachypelma albopilosum will burrow if conditions are right rather than just using the available hide provided to them. My enclosure has about 7" of substrate.
I haven't found an accurate map of where the Honduran form resides in the wild. It looks like the Nicaraguan variety may get more rain in its wild version.
EDIT* Let me know if you can't see the pictures - I just opened a Flickr account.
The enclosure below has a half cylinder of cork bark angled into the substrate so that it was initially provided with an entrance on the right side. The same day I received my 2" female from Jamie, my girl immediately made use of the hide and covered the entrance. I have not seen her for four months and she had not eaten anything for the past couple months. I was a little worried so I moistened the left side of the substrate at the very end of the cylinder near the enclosure wall.
Less than a week later she created the mound below (approximately 2" high). There is a burrow entrance at the top of this mound. She also dumped a molt (removed) on the top of the mound. She ate a cricket as well. I can see where her burrow reached the side of the plastic down in the substrate, so I taped a flap to protect the burrow from light.
I think this proves that Brachypelma albopilosum will burrow if conditions are right rather than just using the available hide provided to them. My enclosure has about 7" of substrate.
I haven't found an accurate map of where the Honduran form resides in the wild. It looks like the Nicaraguan variety may get more rain in its wild version.
EDIT* Let me know if you can't see the pictures - I just opened a Flickr account.