Stupid question.. dont laugh

[sansoucie]

Can tarantulas get caught and stuck in their own web? AGAIN my problem child Usambara has done something wierd, it had webbed itself in it's new enclosure in the corner above ground. I switched enclosures as she has molted and needed a bigger one anyway. Seems to me she is stuck with her legs twisted up in the web and she isnt bouncing off the walls as she usually dies when I go in to refill the water.

ok, you can laugh as long as you answer

 

[Darwinsdad]

got no clue about them getting stuck but one could assume that with all those tiny threads if moved apon right could act just like ropes on thier feet.

 

[sansoucie]

I just helped her get herself loose, but I am still wondering about the possibility of them getting stuck, everything I have read makes this seem very unlikely.... maybe I just have a retarded T.

 

[Texas Blonde]

Ive seen it happen a couple times, mostly with my pokies. One got a hook stuck on some webbing high up when he had flipped over to molt. I had to gently cut the webbing, cause he couldnt move with one leg fully extended like that.

The other was my little P regalis, it got itself wrapped up in an old molt and some webbing so bad that I had to littlerally unwind it. At first I tried just doing this but the T was trying to get away so bad that I thought I was gonna either hurt it or loose it. So I had to use the old fridge trick and it still took me a long time.

 

[sansoucie]

WOW! Mine wasn't that bad... I have her here on my computer desk so I can watch and noticed one back leg was twisted in the web and she wasn't pacing the cage as usual!Good thing she wasn't wrapped as bad as yours, cause I don't think I'd have had the nerve to get her loose!

 

[Tony]

While like sky said they can get snaggeed occasionally, or strangled when the web entwines the 'waist' area, I don't think they can get caught like a fly in a web. I don't think the web they spin is "sticky trapping" web . Spiders that do rely on that type of web can get caught, but they secrete oils onto their 'feet' and are careful to walk on the supporting wires and not the radial ones (orbs).
T

 

[Bark]

From The Straight Dope:

Actually, spiders could get stuck in their own webs--they're just more careful than that. You see, some of the strands are sticky, and others are not. The spiders only climb on the NON-sticky strands. Even if they accidentally set foot on a sticky strand, as long as it's not their whole body or multiple legs, they can still pull their foot free fairly easily. It's not THAT sticky.

That may or may not go for Tarantulas though.

 

[sansoucie]

It's very interesting. The more I think about it, I think my T may have had a blonde moment and twisted her foot.. it wasn't like a sticky kinda stuck.. kind of a "duh, my foot's caught" kinda stuck

 

[Texas Blonde]

With Ts, its really the hooks on their feet that get stuck. It happens, but they can usually free themselves pretty easily. I have heard of webbing getting caught on fangs too, but in these cases, Im sure the T could free itself with its pedipalps. The only time Id really worry about it is if the T is struggling and could hurt itself, or is on its back molting, like my male fasciata was.

 

[Overmenneske]

Actually, spiders could get stuck in their own webs--they're just more careful than that. You see, some of the strands are sticky, and others are not. The spiders only climb on the NON-sticky strands. Even if they accidentally set foot on a sticky strand, as long as it's not their whole body or multiple legs, they can still pull their foot free fairly easily. It's not THAT sticky.

That may or may not go for Tarantulas though.

That does not apply for tarantulas, but for orb webbing spiders.

 

[Malhavoc's]

I dunno about not sticky I jsut fininshed moving my usumbra.. it was pretty sticky webbing.. lol

 

[Overmenneske]

Exactly. All of a tarantulas strands are sticky. An orb webbing spider can also spin strands that are not.

 

[sansoucie]

Well, I will get a pic up tonight, but this usambara has made ANOTHER hammock in the top corner of the cage... It's a given I don't know a whole lot about their behavior, but it is strange. Do any of you that have Usambaras seen this kind of behavior?

 

[Trinity]

OBTs are opportunistic burrowers, some will dig shallow burrows, some will live semi arboreal, and most will adopt preexisting shelters/ burrows. My OBT webbed himself a hammock in the top corner of his enclosure and from there made all kinds of tubes with multiple entrances. When I moved him into a new home, I leaned a piece of cork bark against the side at an angle and he chose to line the space with silk and live there. Never once in my three years did I ever see him burrow, he went from the elaborate semi arboreal maze of webbing to a long silk lined tube web behind the cork bark. So dont worry, your baby's quite normal.

 

[PapaSmurf]

T's can work there way outta there webbing you shouldnt risk getting bit to help it lose i made that mistake with my cobalt......Anyways P.murinus(usumbara) is gonna web the heck outt of its cage if you havent already found that out :}.

 

[Malhavoc's]

I thin kthe risk was worth it with hapolopelma.. I don't own any but terri [Mizm] Ohas owne'd longipedums and a cobalt.. both of which seems to loose their 'feet' I think its from cave ins or getting stuck We haven't seens the cause yet but thats my theory