My Cerbalus negebensis isn’t burrowing

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My spider doesn’t want to dig she just wants to climb like any other huntsman spider. I’d appreciate if you guys could help me

 

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Dig*

 

[NocturnalSkies]

How long have you had her? And on what substrate are you keeping her? I got mine 6 months ago and she wandered the enclosure for a few days before making a burrow. I have her on walnut she’ll sand mixed with a little bit of soil and she made a really straight tube like burrow down to the bottom.

 

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I’ve had her for about 8 months I have her on sand mixed with coco fiber

 

[RezonantVoid]

I’ve had her for about 8 months I have her on sand mixed with coco fiber

Out of curiosity, why add cocofibre? These guys live in sand dunes, I'd assume desert sand is all that is needed, maybe with a bit of excavator clay stirred in

 

[The Snark]

Out of curiosity, why add cocofibre?

I've had to have read way over 100 posts here on AB where people use coco fiber that the animal never encounters, or even a similar substance, in their natural environments. I'm holding off attributing this to some strange fetish or psychosis but........

 

[NocturnalSkies]

Get rid of the coco fiber. Use sand(I use larger grain sand and mixed it with a TINY bit of soil). This is how I have mine set it up. She made her burrow in a week and has been fine ever since I got her 6 or 7 months ago. You can see her in her burrow circled in blue. Keep them super dry and offer water every now and then(really only if they look thirsty, this one had really only taken water once)

 

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Ok I got rid of the coco fiber what’s next

 

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people recommend adding it for better burrowing I thought it was crazy as well but I did it anyways

 

[NocturnalSkies]

Just add some coarse sand(walnut shell sand works well) with maybe a LITTLE bit of soil substrate to help hold a burrow better. Then let it be. Mine recently passed away but it was a mature specimen when I got it and lived it’s full lifespan

 

[mantisfan101]

People will also recommend coco fiber for trapdoors(live in clay loam) and hadrurus(tunnels through hardened clay-sand mix). Avoid it if you can, not sure why everyone’s so drawn to it, look into their natural habitat, and go off of that

 

[The Snark]

people recommend adding it for better burrowing I thought it was crazy as well but I did it anyways

The natural substance they utilize the most in burrowing is clay. Refer to the various uses of cement in construction. A binding material. In concrete, usually no more than 25-30%. Clay is very similar. It is a binder connecting the stronger materials together. And dried clay is, just like cement, very easy to work with. Dried out it is easily crushed to a fine powder then a little trial and error with the other materials at hand you can easily find the minimal amount of clay that performs the two required purposes, Ease of burrowing - construction, while maintaining structural integrity.
Unless you are building bridges or skyscrapers, connecting fibers, be it rebar or wood fiber such as coco, isn't necessary and can inhibit the animal's burrowing. They have claws, not saws.

 

[mantisfan101]

The natural substance they utilize the most in burrowing is clay. Refer to the various uses of cement in construction. A binding material. In concrete, usually no more than 25-30%. Clay is very similar. It is a binder connecting the stronger materials together. And dried clay is, just like cement, very easy to work with. Dried out it is easily crushed to a fine powder then a little trial and error with the other materials at hand you can easily find the minimal amount of clay that performs the two required purposes, Ease of burrowing - construction, while maintaining structural integrity.
Unless you are building bridges or skyscrapers, connecting fibers, be it rebar or wood fiber such as coco, isn't necessary and can inhibit the animal's burrowing. They have claws, not saws.

I’m pretty sure cerbalus are psammophiles, so clay wouldn’t work for them either

 

[The Snark]

I’m pretty sure cerbalus are psammophiles, so clay wouldn’t work for them either

Don't think of clay solely as a construction material but as an adjunct. 1% clay will bind individual grains of sand together, albeit weakly. Think the crust developed on beach sand. Bound together by salt crystals. Clay is a tool for both the terrarium builder and the animal. Tailor the environment to the animals needs, disposition and capabilities.

 

[mantisfan101]

I meant that they live on shifting sand dunes and make trapdoor burrows in the fine sand

 

[NocturnalSkies]

I meant that they live on shifting sand dunes and make trapdoor burrows in the fine sand

Exactly. All along I’ve been saying use a mix of mostly sand lol. I successfully kept one until it’s end of lifespan like this