The Great Chilobrachys Substrate Debate of 2017.

Arachnomaniac19

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So, what have you found that your guys prefer to make their homes out of? My old fimbriatus and my Penang pink like to web, but my dyscolus and Saraburi like to dig. What do you start your guys off with: lots of substrate or just a little bit? I always use a lot at first.
 

YagerManJennsen

Arachnobaron
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For my fimbriatus I supply web anchors so they don't need to burrow. I just used coco fiber since it's what 95% of my collection has.
 

Trenor

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They like to burrow so give them plenty of substrate. I use whatever I'm currently using as substrate and keep it slightly moist.
 

Chris LXXIX

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There isn't a single valid excuse for being a 'substrate Scrooge' so lots of inches of substrate, as a rule, always :)

From that point you can even try with this genus EulersK's set up, which is a less 'reclusive' one, even if the last words are always the spider one.
 

basin79

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Well I'm pretty mad I went with just anchor points for my fimbriatus instead of deep substrate as well. I only used around 3" of eco earth to hide the plant I'd used for the anchors. She's webbed up absolutely fantastically but a month or so ago she started to dig too and obviously quickly found the tub floor.

Can't bring myself to ruin all her hard work with her webbing as she's added to it almost every night since I've had her.
 

Trenor

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Well I'm pretty mad I went with just anchor points for my fimbriatus instead of deep substrate as well. I only used around 3" of eco earth to hide the plant I'd used for the anchors. She's webbed up absolutely fantastically but a month or so ago she started to dig too and obviously quickly found the tub floor.

Can't bring myself to ruin all her hard work with her webbing as she's added to it almost every night since I've had her.
Mine loves to web and has put out a lot but it dug a burrow really early on. It's out a lot but uses the burrow a lot as well. It's getting about ready for it permanent enclosure after the next molt. So I'm pretty excited to plan that out. It's always fun to see what they do with the enclosure you setup. I try to imagine how they will set it up and see how close I get.

It's not too late to do the move. Just think, the longer you wait the more of her hard work you're going to have to mess up. She'll rebuild and will likely be happier with a new setup.
 

basin79

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Mine loves to web and has put out a lot but it dug a burrow really early on. It's out a lot but uses the burrow a lot as well. It's getting about ready for it permanent enclosure after the next molt. So I'm pretty excited to plan that out. It's always fun to see what they do with the enclosure you setup. I try to imagine how they will set it up and see how close I get.

It's not too late to do the move. Just think, the longer you wait the more of her hard work you're going to have to mess up. She'll rebuild and will likely be happier with a new setup.
Very true. It's still gutting. I'll wait until she sheds so I 100% know I'm not disrupting her more than absolutely necessary.
 

Moonohol

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I've given mine plenty of coco fiber to burrow down in to as well as anchor points. Both of my Chilobrachys sp. electric blue slings have created burrows as well as webbed up pretty heavily. So far, caring for them has been a breeze. I think just about any sling is going to feel more comfortable when you give it plenty of room to burrow. There's no reason not to.
 

Trenor

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Very true. It's still gutting. I'll wait until she sheds so I 100% know I'm not disrupting her more than absolutely necessary.
Yeah, I had to tear down the MM P.ornata home he built when I sold him for breeding. It was one of the more elaborate home builds any of my pokies have made so far. I was sad to have to mess it up.
 

basin79

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Yeah, I had to tear down my MM P.ornata home he built when I sold him for breeding. It was one of the more elaborate home builds any of my pokies have made so far. I was sad to have to mess it up.
I'm sure he forgave you as he got to do what he wanted to do ultimately.

I'm sure you've seen my girls enclosure on the webbing/anchor points threads. It's really, really smart.

I'll try my best to save what I can when I redo her enclosure so she doesn't feel completely think it's a brand new home.
 

EulersK

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From that point you can even try with this genus EulersK's set up, which is a less 'reclusive' one, even if the last words are always the spider one.
The last bit couldn't be more true.

I've found that it depends on the size of the spider. Slings all the way through subadults seem to burrow if given the opportunity, even if they also web heavily like @basin79 brought up. It's only my full grown adults that give up burrowing entirely and never move a piece of dirt again. My C. fimbriatus has 1" of substrate, and hasn't burrowed in the 1.5 years she's been in that same enclosure. Just webbing, that's all - not even dirt curtains. Same goes for the C. huahini (since traded off) that had an enclosure for 9ish months and C. andersoni that had an enclosure for over a year.

These spiders are some of the quickest to settle into a new enclosure that I've seen. I really wouldn't be too upset about rehousing for whatever reason.
 

basin79

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The last bit couldn't be more true.

I've found that it depends on the size of the spider. Slings all the way through subadults seem to burrow if given the opportunity, even if they also web heavily like @basin79 brought up. It's only my full grown adults that give up burrowing entirely and never move a piece of dirt again. My C. fimbriatus has 1" of substrate, and hasn't burrowed in the 1.5 years she's been in that same enclosure. Just webbing, that's all - not even dirt curtains. Same goes for the C. huahini (since traded off) that had an enclosure for 9ish months and C. andersoni that had an enclosure for over a year.

These spiders are some of the quickest to settle into a new enclosure that I've seen. I really wouldn't be too upset about rehousing for whatever reason.
My lass is an adult female. Although she'd never shown any inclination to dig before she has now. That typed I only got her as an adult.

That's why I feel guilty now as she obviously wants to dig down.
 

EulersK

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My lass is an adult female. Although she'd never shown any inclination to dig before she has now. That typed I only got her as an adult.

That's why I feel guilty now as she obviously wants to dig down.
"That typed..." :rofl:

Yeah, I hear you. We preach all the time that tarantulas have individual temperaments. How long has she been in this enclosure?
 

basin79

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Man, so she was in there for half a year before starting to burrow. Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Yes. She just completely webbed everything up first. Then one morning out of the blue she'd drag substrate out of one corner.
 

ComputerDellLI

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I have an adult female fimbriatus and she used to burrow when I got her, but once I put her in a new enclosure with about three and a half or four inches, she didn't even try to burrow and just built a web castle between her anchor points. It's been that way for about a year now.
 

Minty

@londontarantulas
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I have an adult female fimbriatus and she used to burrow when I got her, but once I put her in a new enclosure with about three and a half or four inches, she didn't even try to burrow and just built a web castle between her anchor points. It's been that way for about a year now.
Probably because she didn't have enough substrate to try and burrow.
 
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