Throwing dirt?

Lucashank

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
71
My E. cyanognathus is like a caged monkey, I swear. All she's been doing all day is literally throwing dirt and squirting her poop across the enclosure.
I have never even heard of a tarantula being able to throw something, and I mean it goes far!

Does anyone else own a tarantula that does this?
 

nicodimus22

Arachnomancer
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
715
I once put a cricket in to the enclosure of my G. pulchra. It crawled into the hide where the T was, and was promptly launched across the enclosure. Translation: "Not hungry. Go away." :punch:
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Actually this is a thing (throwing poop) that said genus, seems to love :banghead:

The furniture on the left of the enclosure of my female E.murinus is full of poop I keep clean :-/

And something similar happened to another user here, Andrea82 if I'm not wrong :)
 

Kendricks

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 18, 2017
Messages
153
I once put a cricket in to the enclosure of my G. pulchra. It crawled into the hide where the T was, and was promptly launched across the enclosure. Translation: "Not hungry. Go away." :punch:
Please tell us you filmed this in HD. Please...
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
I once put a cricket in to the enclosure of my G. pulchra. It crawled into the hide where the T was, and was promptly launched across the enclosure. Translation: "Not hungry. Go away." :punch:
are you sure it didnt jump...? :angelic:
 

Tim Benzedrine

Prankster Possum
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Messages
1,496
Actually this is a thing (throwing poop) that said genus, seems to love :banghead:

The furniture on the left of the enclosure of my female E.murinus is full of poop I keep clean :-/
Why would you keep poop clean? Is that even possible? ;)
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Why would you keep poop clean? Is that even possible? ;)
I'm certain you have heard of 'Coprophagia'. Well, since "we are what we eat", at the end, why not? Why not cleaning that a bit? Don't tell me you are like those reckless vegans that doesn't even clean veggies? o_O

Anyway, happens that I love E.murinus poop :troll:
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
My E. cyanognathus hasn't thrown anything yet but it does poop all over the place, its old gaff looked like a bloody Jackson Pollock painting lol.
 

Paiige

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
335
Mine is a little poop monster too. Fortunately for me hubby is the one that picked it out so clean-up is his responsibility with this one. He's getting quite familiar with poop cleaning, between his Avics and this little guy :D

Haven't seen it throw dirt yet but it's still pretty small and has plenty of time to learn tricks :p
 

Lucashank

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
71
I found this video:
From watching my girl throw dirt for the last few days straight, I'd say their P. irminia wasn't even aware she was being watched lol.
And I finally got a short video of my girl throwing dirt, but I'm not sure how I could post it here. She is practically burying the other side of her enclosure.

Now that I think of it, I should build her a basketball hoop.
 
Last edited:

Stella Maris

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 28, 2017
Messages
180
From watching my girl throw dirt for the last few days straight, I'd say their P. irminia wasn't even aware she was being watched lol.
And I finally got a short video of my girl throwing dirt, but I'm not sure how I could post it here. She is practically burying the other side of her enclosure.

Now that I think of it, I should build her a basketball hoop.
Do they "throw" clumps of dirt because they are trying to clean out their burrow/nest? Or using it as a defense mechanism?

I couldn't tell from the video if that P.irminia was purposely trying to aim at her owner or not. I keep reading that tarantulas don't have very good eye sight, but do arboreals have better vision(?) than terrestrial species? Or do we just not know?
 

Lucashank

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 8, 2017
Messages
71
Do they "throw" clumps of dirt because they are trying to clean out their burrow/nest? Or using it as a defense mechanism?

I couldn't tell from the video if that P.irminia was purposely trying to aim at her owner or not. I keep reading that tarantulas don't have very good eye sight, but do arboreals have better vision(?) than terrestrial species? Or do we just not know?
My E. cyanognathus is digging her burrow further down, so I think she is simply moving the dirt. I assume she throws it so she doesn't have to leave the opening of her burrow.
In that video, I think the tarantula was digging and was just moving the dirt. It may have just been lucky that she was throwing the dirt in that direction, in which the person chose to take advantage of. I believe if she were defending herself in any form, she would not have acted so relaxed, as you can see when she slowly returns to her hiding place.
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
Do they "throw" clumps of dirt because they are trying to clean out their burrow/nest? Or using it as a defense mechanism?

I couldn't tell from the video if that P.irminia was purposely trying to aim at her owner or not. I keep reading that tarantulas don't have very good eye sight, but do arboreals have better vision(?) than terrestrial species? Or do we just not know?
I think arboreals would probably have marginally better eyesight than terrestrials.

I think the tarantula was digging and was just moving the dirt. It may have just been lucky that she was throwing the dirt in that direction, in which the person chose to take advantage of.
I'd agree as I've seen Rob C's video where his female P. irminia shoots a stream of poop at him during a rehouse, I believe they'd prefer to poop snipe than throw bits of dirt.
 
Top