Tarantula behavior...

[Shanigirl]

Hello! It's been awhile since I posted. I do try to check in everyday. My G. pulchripes Tilly is an interesting girl. In December she blocked up one side of her hide with substrate and webbed up the other. She then stayed in there until the day after the first day of Spring. She did not molt. I Thought it was neat that she came out at the beginning of a new season. She opened up the previously blocked up side of her hide. She is now quite active and is digging at two corners of her 10 gallon tank. I originally thought I left the substrate like that when I added some more for her, but she went right back to digging in the same two corners. Has anyone noticed the digging at the corners behavior? Just curious. Also, she still has not eaten since I got her in early October. I offer her something once a week. Thanks for any info you can send.

 

[Scoolman]

My four 2.5" G pulchra all seem to prefer the corners of their enclosures for burrowing. They start their burrow in the corner, then, when they hit the bottom, they turn and dig the chamber going away from the corner along the edge of the eclosure making the interior completly visible. Perhaps they realize there is a stable wall for their burrow reducing the possibility of a cave in. Just a thought.

 

[Slappys_g1rl06]

My G. pulchripes LOVED to burrow as a sling. It seems that, not only will corners do, but anything that penetrates the substrate will be a suitable anchor for a new burrow. I had driftwood jammed between the walls of the kk I kept him in when he was smaller and he made a good sized burrow under them. Even when I rehoused him, he'd start a burrow under the driftwood I placed in there.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

That's so great that you were able to observe that in captivity. In my observational studies of the Aphonopelma species of north Texas, I applied the same burrow location preferences found in the wild to captivity and found that my captive Texas Aphonopelma species exhibited the exact same behavior as they do in the wild which is practically the same as what you observed- seasonal activity and inactivity. To the same point as you made, wild Aphonopelma species in a suburban habitat build their burrows next to sidewalks using the concrete as a wall and/ or ceiling to their burrow. So I essentially built a "sidewalk" in a tall and wide plastic box with a block of floral foam and the spiders built their burrows right next to it using the floral foam as the ceiling. After construction I have one that never leaves its burrow and two that exhibit seasonal roaming and burrow reconstruction (the latter I'm trying to figure out what makes them do that). Roaming and burrow reconstruction is also a wild behavior of north Texas Aphonopelma spp, by the way. My 4 inch Aphonopelma species have a bigger box than what they need to live in captivity, but watching them live the way they do in the wild every year is very much worth it. I even got the same results with a 2 inch A. seemanii. After being housed appropriately, it plugged up its burrow, opens it to eat (sometimes), the re-plugs it.

It is my opinion that most, if not all, ground dwelling theraphosids from the Americas will burrow and live exactly as they do in their natural habitat if provided with some sort of sturdy structure within their enclosure and an appropriate substrate to dig in. I'm anxious to start experimenting with this with an adult T. blondi or A. geniculata. I even want to see if I can get an adult G. rosea to construct its own burrow in captivity- something I don't think has been observed yet.

- Lonnie

 

[Shanigirl]

Hi Aphonopemla TX! Thanks for the reply and info. I guess in an "off season" they almost go through sort of a hybernation? Funny thing is, the temperature inside is usually the same but it's like they have this internal clock or knowledge that tells them when it is time to come out! Tarantulas (all animals actually) are just so amazing!

 

[micheldied]

My G. rosea burrows all the time, especially at the corners or sides.
She never actually uses them though...

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Hi Aphonopemla TX! Thanks for the reply and info. I guess in an "off season" they almost go through sort of a hybernation? Funny thing is, the temperature inside is usually the same but it's like they have this internal clock or knowledge that tells them when it is time to come out! Tarantulas (all animals actually) are just so amazing!

Interestingly enough, it's been thought by Aphonopelma researchers that have studied their yearly activities that, as you said, an internal clock was what made them seal themselves into their burrow for the winter. The researchers thought it was more of an internal clock than temperature or other environmental factors due to this behavior occurring at different times of the year, temperatures, etc. In other words they all didn't "close and reopen shop" at the same time or at predictable intervals. As for hibernation, arthropods don't hibernate (like a bear for instance). They go through a period of inactivity when the environment isn't suitable for their survival- arthropods don't sleep per se.

It is odd though that your G. pulchripes, a species of the southern hemisphere, would display seasonal behavior in accordance with the northern hemisphere. Either what you observed really wasn't a seasonal cycle or it adapted to the northern hemisphere. I think the latter is most likely. It would be awesome if you got more captive born/ bred G. pulchripes and set them up the exact same way to see if all of them do that or even see if that same one seals itself up again this December. Then you would have good material for an article for the ATS or BTS.

- Lonnie