T does not like substrate? its been a week now

CptMcSwaggens

Arachnopeon
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my new Grammostola pulchripes is always at the sides of her enclosure for about a week now, she often goes down but goes back to the sides after a while. i really worried about it
 

CJW

Arachnopeon
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I'm in a similar situation, my B. hamorii spends the majority of its time kind of half-climbing the sides and it's been in there for almost two weeks now. I've heard that they do this when the substrate is too damp but mine's completely dry.
 

The Grym Reaper

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my new Grammostola pulchripes is always at the sides of her enclosure for about a week now, she often goes down but goes back to the sides after a while. i really worried about it

Pics of the T and enclosure would help.

How moist are you keeping the substrate? This species can appreciate a little more moisture than you'd provide for G. rosea/porteri but, for the most part, they don't like damp substrate, letting it dry out should help.

I'm in a similar situation, my B. hamorii spends the majority of its time kind of half-climbing the sides and it's been in there for almost two weeks now. I've heard that they do this when the substrate is too damp but mine's completely dry.
Is it mostly doing this on hot days? I've found that some of my Tarantulas climb up towards the vents of their enclosures when the room heats up, they seem to be drawn to heat.
 

user 666

Arachnobaron
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my new Grammostola pulchripes is always at the sides of her enclosure for about a week now, she often goes down but goes back to the sides after a while. i really worried about it
did you tamp down the substrate? what material is it?
 

CJW

Arachnopeon
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Is it mostly doing this on hot days? I've found that some of my Tarantulas climb up towards the vents of their enclosures when the room heats up, they seem to be drawn to heat.
Possibly, it's difficult to say because it has been fairly warm (for the UK) for the past few weeks but then again I've only had it for as long so I've nothing to compare it against. I've got it in a small exo terra breeding box that has lots of vents exactly where it's climbing so you could be onto something. The only other thing I can think of is that the substrate might not be firm enough for its liking, but that's the Ts fault for remodelling the enclosure.
 

Nightstalker47

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Was she just rehoused? She's probably just getting used to her new home, it can take a few weeks for them to get settled in. There's also the possibility that your keeping her too moist, they don't like wet sub and will often avoid it until it dries off. Keep them predominantly dry with a water dish, pictures would help for some perspective.
 

Trenor

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When it is warm my Ts will often climb up the sides of the enclosures. If the substrate isn't too wet you're likely fine.
 

CptMcSwaggens

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sorry i cant provide pics, my phone got stolen. well shes in a 10Wx12Lx7H(inch) clear bin. and shes almost around 6". her substrate is damp but not too damp, its coco peat
 

CptMcSwaggens

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Pics of the T and enclosure would help.

How moist are you keeping the substrate? This species can appreciate a little more moisture than you'd provide for G. rosea/porteri but, for the most part, they don't like damp substrate, letting it dry out should help.



Is it mostly doing this on hot days? I've found that some of my Tarantulas climb up towards the vents of their enclosures when the room heats up, they seem to be drawn to heat.
sorry i cant provide pics, my phone got stolen. well shes in a 10Wx12Lx7H(inch) clear bin. and shes almost around 6". her substrate is damp but not too damp, its coco peat
 

Nightstalker47

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yes but not too much that is concrete, soft enough so she can easily burrow down
It's best to pack down the substrate, if it's too loose their burrows are more likely to fall apart, they also don't like walking on loose sub as it doesn't feel like solid ground.
sorry i cant provide pics, my phone got stolen. well shes in a 10Wx12Lx7H(inch) clear bin. and shes almost around 6". her substrate is damp but not too damp, its coco peat
They don't need any damp substrate at that size, you can overflow the water dish once in a while but the rest of the sub should be dry. With the culminating factors (loose/damp substrate) I can see why your T may be avoiding the ground. If you can make those adjustments it should help with your current predicament.
 

The Grym Reaper

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sorry i cant provide pics, my phone got stolen. well shes in a 10Wx12Lx7H(inch) clear bin. and shes almost around 6". her substrate is damp but not too damp, its coco peat
Let it dry out completely, and just overflow the water dish once in a while.

yes but not too much that is concrete, soft enough so she can easily burrow down
I pack the substrate down a hard as I can manage without breaking the enclosure, Tarantulas are excellent diggers, it won't be a problem.
 

CptMcSwaggens

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thanks for all your responses m gonna try to adjust it first thing in the morning. and ill give you updates for knowledge purposes
 

Trenor

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thanks for all your responses m gonna try to adjust it first thing in the morning. and ill give you updates for knowledge purposes
I really think you are fine. It really just sounds like normal behavior.

Good luck.
 

The Grym Reaper

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Possibly, it's difficult to say because it has been fairly warm (for the UK) for the past few weeks but then again I've only had it for as long so I've nothing to compare it against. I've got it in a small exo terra breeding box that has lots of vents exactly where it's climbing so you could be onto something. The only other thing I can think of is that the substrate might not be firm enough for its liking, but that's the Ts fault for remodelling the enclosure.
I'm in the UK too so I know about the weather lol (down south though), @Trenor pointed it out on another thread but I've noticed my girl does the same, whenever it gets hot or I have the heater on she's up against the vents, I have her in one of those Exo Terra medium flat enclosures, not that dissimilar to the breeding boxes so she can't climb far as the side vents are just above substrate level, my A. geniculata used to climb and press herself flat against the heat mat on the side of her enclosure when I used one, I noticed she's more active and climbs less since I stopped using it.
 

CptMcSwaggens

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shes been doing fine now. thanks for everything although she still likes to stay on the sides, but not too often. she also hasn't dug her burrow yet
 

mconnachan

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shes been doing fine now. thanks for everything although she still likes to stay on the sides, but not too often. she also hasn't dug her burrow yet
At 5" she probably won't, just provide a hide for her, a piece of cork bark buried into the substrate, with an opening to the surface at an angle, she'll start using it most likely......
 

Anoplogaster

Arachnodemon
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One thing I've learned is not to expect an animal to use their enclosure the way you intended. They will make their own decisions. As long as their body condition is healthy and they are eating, I usually don't question what they do:)

As long as they are actually set up properly, of course!
 
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