She hates her enclosures

KatsuKing

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So, I don't know what's up, I have a female zebra knee, and I've gone through three enclosures now. I build the burrows myself to make it more authentic btw. So at first, she'll go into the burrow, hide, occasionally wander around, and this stays for about four days. Then, she starts shoving everything in her water dish. I'll remove it. Clean the dish, put it back in, and she keeps doing it until the enclosure is soaked and I have to change it. She really likes to web and burrow, but I literally am fighting her with this water dish and trying to find an enclosure she won't soak to death.

She's also in the not eating mood. I got her three weeks ago from PetSmart and they had no info on her.
 

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moricollins

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The tarantula needs time to settle in. This is all pretty normal behavior. The more you disturb the enclosure by replacing substrate the longer it's going to take
 

KatsuKing

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The tarantula needs time to settle in. This is all pretty normal behavior. The more you disturb the enclosure by replacing substrate the longer it's going to take
Right but she keeps soaking it, and I have to take the stuff out or she'll have no water. Is there any way to keep water in there? Is she telling me she doesn't want water? I'm trying to avoid mold.
 

Neonblizzard

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They just love flipping their bowls, some T's do. It's unfortunately a never ending battle with some spiders. Maybe try moving the bowl away from the entrance of her burrow so she's not as likely to fill it up when she's landscaping
 

KatsuKing

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They just love flipping their bowls, some T's do. It's unfortunately a never ending battle with some spiders. Maybe try moving the bowl away from the entrance of her burrow so she's not as likely to fill it up when she's landscaping
I'll try moving it to the side of the burrow. I was thinking of putting it on an incline, but it seems like that won't end well. Should I remove the moss all together? She kicks that in there the most.
 

Neonblizzard

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I'll try moving it to the side of the burrow. I was thinking of putting it on an incline, but it seems like that won't end well. Should I remove the moss all together? She kicks that in there the most.
It's probably not necessary as far as maintaining moisture levels, if it's bugging you remove it.
Opinion is divided on the matter, but I would give that tarantula at least double the floor space.
I think i have to agree now I've looked again. Something a bit bigger might let you put the water dish somewhere it won't get bulldozed
 

CommanderBacon

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My A seemanni took 4 months to settle in. She was just squished into the corner in a stress pose the whole time until I came back from a vacation and bam, she had burrowed.

I rehoused her once since then into a deeper enclosure, and she has been absolutely fine, burrowed immediately. She buried her cork bark hide in dirt and has dumped dirt into her water bowl on occasion, but she has been all over that enclosure and has a long burrow all around the bottom, under 9 inches of substrate.

When my Ts keep filling their water bowl, I just empty and refill it with water once a week so the substrate doesn't get soaked. They won't die if they go a few days with an empty water bowl.

I'd agree with others and recommend moving that spider into a much larger and deeper enclosure, though.
 

sasker

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Indeed, more floor space. Tarantulas that dig often deposit the dug up soil in the water dish first. Instead of refilling every day, I would wait until she is finished digging and only then refill the water dish. Your tarantula will not die from being without some water for a while. With this limited amount of floor space, there is not much room for your tarantula to drop the soil she dug up.

Also, keep in mind that this is a species that needs to dig. How deep is the substrate?
 

xXTristinaXx

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Sorry, I just find it a little cringe that you got it from petsmart and then saying it hates its enclosure. the bowl flipping is completely normal, even my slings just throw substrate into their water bowl. You only need to worry about it not eating if its abdomen, sorry if I'm copying what other people said but 3 weeks is nothing.
I got her three weeks ago from PetSmart and they had no info on her.
That's PetSmart! 🤣
 

DomGom TheFather

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Great points already made.
More floor space wouldn't be a bad idea.
It takes time to settle in.
That waterdish is probably going to keep getting flipped and covered. Leave it and fill less often. Try to stuff it out of the way.
Good luck with your spider. She's a beaut.
 

Matt Man

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if you build the burrow, and the T does not, that is, by default 'less authentic'
Bowl flipping is as normal as it gets
let it settle in
 

DaveM

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Your situation is kinda like what I faced with my wife. A home with more floor space might have suited her better. She was always rearranging things, never seemed quite satisfied with our house.
Just keep her in the basement for a few weeks, and when you bring her back up you'll see that she's happy and settles in just fine.

Oh no! I hear my wife coming... must log out before she sees what I wrote! Bye!
*runs to cower under the bed sheets*
 

viper69

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So, I don't know what's up, I have a female zebra knee, and I've gone through three enclosures now. I build the burrows myself to make it more authentic btw. So at first, she'll go into the burrow, hide, occasionally wander around, and this stays for about four days. Then, she starts shoving everything in her water dish. I'll remove it. Clean the dish, put it back in, and she keeps doing it until the enclosure is soaked and I have to change it. She really likes to web and burrow, but I literally am fighting her with this water dish and trying to find an enclosure she won't soak to death.

She's also in the not eating mood. I got her three weeks ago from PetSmart and they had no info on her.
I hate the container it’s in too. :rofl:

all is normal- which could EASILY be found through RESEARCH. :rolleyes: :rofl:
 

Rigor Mortis

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If the T filling her water bowl is an issue for you, then maaaaybe a tarantula wasn't a good idea. Sometimes they just do crap like that, but especially a T settling in to a new setup. I won't harp on what everyone else has already told you, but you really do need to get used to the idea that the spider is going to hate your decorating no matter what you do.
 

Matt Man

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I keep a stash of bottle caps, gatorade caps etc..... washed and just swap them out as needed
 

TGod

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Sounds like my Acanthoscurria geniculata. As long as its not constantly pacing around and/or climbing up the sides it's probably fine
 
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