Tarantula laying flat

[Formerphobe]

Heat rock? I think I would be afraid of the T cooking itself on a heat rock.

Most Ts will decline food for varying periods of time prior to a molt. They will also usually lay down a molting mat. Don't feed her for at least a week post-molt to give her fangs a chance to harden. If you can visualize her fangs, once they have turned black, she should be ready to eat. They also exhibit various stretching postures after a molt.

 

[Transient]

Haha, just wait until you see it do the opposite and stand straight up on its tiptoes like a table.

I hate it when mine do that :cry: it triggers my arachnophobia.

 

[grayzone]

I always assumed they did that for any surface that was of a desirable temprature, exposing as body much surface area to the surface to speed temperature transfer.

thats a realistic assumption... im convinced lol

 

[Formerphobe]

(Note: this is a 3 yr old thread...)

 

[Stan Schultz]

(Note: this is a 3 yr old thread...)

Quite right! But sometimes it's good to revisit older threads for the updates, and to help newbies who haven't yet learned to use the search function (<hint>, <hint>, <nudge>, <nudge>, <wink>, <wink>).

About the thread's subject:

Have you ever tried sleeping, standing upright? You can do it, but it's not the best sleep you'll ever have. While we don't know if tarantulas "sleep" in the same sense that we do, it is reasonable to assume that they may not comfortably stand in the same position 24/7/365. And, splaying its legs out in all eight directions while resting on its "belly" is a perfectly reasonable posture it might assume to "straighten out the kinks" in its musculature, tendons and the softer parts of its exoskeleton. Or, it could be a new meditation position. Tarantulas seem to do a lot of meditating.

Enjoy your little 8-legged, spread-eagled, guru buddy!

 

[tigasuku]

Heat rock - may be a case by case decision...

Heat rock? I think I would be afraid of the T cooking itself on a heat rock.

Most Ts will decline food for varying periods of time prior to a molt. They will also usually lay down a molting mat. Don't feed her for at least a week post-molt to give her fangs a chance to harden. If you can visualize her fangs, once they have turned black, she should be ready to eat. They also exhibit various stretching postures after a molt.

Hi,

I was concerned about the rock at first and watched carefully. However, it isn't sufficient for out water dragon so I added some resistance to dial down the heat. It might get to 85 degrees depending on the ambient temp and out T seems to be comfortable regulating her (pretty sure about her sex now) heat be standing on, across, or just near the rock. Apparently it work for her but my son and I are pretty vigilant since we both just like to observe her doing whatever she's doing.