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- May 7, 2004
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I finally got around to taking some quick pictures of how I house small to medium size tarantulas that are fossorial in nature, but may not exhibit a fossorial nature in captivity. I mainly use this type of housing for Aphonopelma species, but I found it works for Grammostola, Brachypelma, and Tliltocatl species as well. Although when any of the species in the aforementioned genera get to their large adult size, I usually house them in the same manner just scaled up to an appropriately sized container. The idea is to recreate the conditions tarantulas would use in the wild in selecting a burrowing site. In my own observations of wild Aphonopelma species in the suburban areas of Texas, I noticed the majority will build a burrow along side something large and sturdy in the ground such as a sidewalk, a large bolder, base of trees, etc. The foam bricks in the pictured containers provide a simulation of sorts for these large structures.
This method of housing small to medium fossorial tarantulas started with a single wild caught Aphonopelma hentzi I collected many years ago from a park in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. This is why I use the term "Aphonopelma tank" when referring to this type of setup. It was amazing to see that the wild caught A. hentzi took to it and lived just as it did in the wild. After the years went by and more people started posting videos of wild tarantulas on YouTube, I noticed ground dwelling tarantulas from all over the world build burrows associated with large buried objects in the ground. Thus I tried this out with exotic species of ground dwelling tarantulas and they all took to burying themselves underneath the foam bricks in the same manner as Aphonopelma hentzi.
From the pictures, the method of construction should be obvious so I won't go into how they were put together, but here is a list of materials I use. The tanks themselves maybe really ugly to look at, but I'm more for function and cost-effectiveness. These "Aphonopelma tanks" show that you don't need a large expensive setup to see natural behavior in tarantulas.
Materials
Aphonopelma seemanni
Tliltocatl vagans
Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback"
Close up of Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback" burrow entrance
This method of housing small to medium fossorial tarantulas started with a single wild caught Aphonopelma hentzi I collected many years ago from a park in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. This is why I use the term "Aphonopelma tank" when referring to this type of setup. It was amazing to see that the wild caught A. hentzi took to it and lived just as it did in the wild. After the years went by and more people started posting videos of wild tarantulas on YouTube, I noticed ground dwelling tarantulas from all over the world build burrows associated with large buried objects in the ground. Thus I tried this out with exotic species of ground dwelling tarantulas and they all took to burying themselves underneath the foam bricks in the same manner as Aphonopelma hentzi.
From the pictures, the method of construction should be obvious so I won't go into how they were put together, but here is a list of materials I use. The tanks themselves maybe really ugly to look at, but I'm more for function and cost-effectiveness. These "Aphonopelma tanks" show that you don't need a large expensive setup to see natural behavior in tarantulas.
Materials
- FloraCraft brand floral foam bricks. Can be found at any craft store such as Michael's in the US
- Sterlite ShowOffs plastic containers
- Solo brand 1-2 ounce plastic condiment cups for water
- Soil is a blend of top soil and coco fiber
Aphonopelma seemanni
Tliltocatl vagans
Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback"
Close up of Aphonopelma sp. "Diamondback" burrow entrance