tarantula chewing on screen top??? i imagine that this could be a problem...

[EndlessForms]

i re-housed my 5" parahybana a couple weeks ago, and she often climbs around on the top and walls. not worried i guess she's just exploring and i have nice, deep substrate so a fall wouldn't be a problem..but i saw that she was sticking her fangs through the screen [it's the heavy black screen tops like from petsmart not the thin-mesh screen...] is this a problem? i mean does it mean she's not happy with her environment? could she hurt herself doing this?

she's being house in a ten gallon with like 6" of peat moss substrate. she seems to like it..one of my friends recently did a project top use plexiglass instead of screen because he heard of a parahybana breaking it's fangs on screen...

 

[grayzone]

you said it best... shes just exploring.. if you rehoused her a while ago , shes gettin used to new surroundings... has she started "redecorating" yet lol... my parahybana did all the time... anyways as to the fangs.. im not sure why they chew on the screen... maybe its for extra grip while upside down hangin from mesh, maybe it wants out?, maybe it just FEELS GOOD lol.. same reason they chew bark and such... or a dog will chew on rubber? My L.p. would even "chew" the glass rocks that i had in his water dish then cart them all over the tank.... TARANTULAS ARE STRANGE part of the fun this hobby brings is speculating on why Ts do weird things

 

[Scoolman]

If she were to get hung up she could very well break a fang. They can also very easily chew through aluminum screen tops. Just keep a close eye on her, so you can interveine if she gets caught. Hopefuly she will calm down after she feels she has explored every corner.
Is her enclosure humid enough, if not sh may trying to escape to a more humid area, just a thought.

 

[grayzone]

schoolman you are 100% correct.. i forgot to bring that up...damn adult a.d.d. lol... to the op.. like schoolman said it DOES put your t at risk of a few things so def. keep an eye on the situation... mine did the exact same thing seriously and it eventually calmed down. once it hit about 5.5 " (got it at about 4.25"?) i never saw it really climb again. either way if the problem persists id start lookin into a new lid to avoid eventual stress/heartache

 

[EndlessForms]

If she were to get hung up she could very well break a fang. They can also very easily chew through aluminum screen tops. Just keep a close eye on her, so you can interveine if she gets caught. Hopefuly she will calm down after she feels she has explored every corner.
Is her enclosure humid enough, if not sh may trying to escape to a more humid area, just a thought.

it's not aluminum. it's a lot thiker and harder...

what humidity should lp's be kept at? i know their a semi-rainforest sp. but everyone i know keeps 'em dry and they are just fine she seems just fine..

you said it best... shes just exploring.. if you rehoused her a while ago , shes gettin used to new surroundings... has she started "redecorating" yet lol... my parahybana did all the time... anyways as to the fangs.. im not sure why they chew on the screen... maybe its for extra grip while upside down hangin from mesh, maybe it wants out?, maybe it just FEELS GOOD lol.. same reason they chew bark and such... or a dog will chew on rubber? My L.p. would even "chew" the glass rocks that i had in his water dish then cart them all over the tank.... TARANTULAS ARE STRANGE part of the fun this hobby brings is speculating on why Ts do weird things

haha yeah thats what i thought, but i don't want to take any risks with my little guys

 

[grayzone]

I kept my L.p. in humidity rangin from 60 to 70 degrees and all went GREAT... till it matured MALE... i bought it as "confirmed female":wall::wall: i had a red heat lamp on one side of its tank above the waterdish and his hide on the opposite. that way plenty evaporation would happen and if it was too hot he could cool off on the opposite end in its hide... he was happy as can be UP UNTIL the day i had to coax all 7.5" of him into a deli cup to be shipped off... what a nightmare.. big and amazingly fast is a scary combo

 

[EndlessForms]

I kept my L.p. in humidity rangin from 60 to 70 degrees and all went GREAT... till it matured MALE... i bought it as "confirmed female":wall::wall: i had a red heat lamp on one side of its tank above the waterdish and his hide on the opposite. that way plenty evaporation would happen and if it was too hot he could cool off on the opposite end in its hide... he was happy as can be UP UNTIL the day i had to coax all 7.5" of him into a deli cup to be shipped off... what a nightmare.. big and amazingly fast is a scary combo

lol i hear you...mine has been kept at room temp on dry substrate and seems to be doing fine..she's been eating, webbing, and drinking...

 

[grayzone]

sounds like a happy t to me........ good job an good luck

 

[hassman789]

Lol I have the thin mesh on my B. albopilosum. It hasn't been chewing though so I'm hoping it doesn't start! There is a picture in Tarantula Keepers Guide of thin mesh that a tarantula chewed through.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

My 7.5" L. parahybana and 5" G. pulchripes do this frequently. I have the LP in a 10 gallon with peat and the pulchripes in a 5 gallon with peat. Haven't rejoiced them, and they both do this quite often. The pulchripes chews on the screen every time it gets up there. I just do what I can to gently get it off.

What I have noticed though, is that this behaviour started now that it is summer and I keep my ceiling fan on all night. I don't know if it is to blame or not.

And for the LPs, I keep both dry at room temp and they do fine. My first one just molted a couple days ago with no problem.