When should I check on my tarantula?

Sab113

Arachnopeon
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Oct 22, 2023
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Hi guys,

We've had our 1cm Cyriocosmus elegans for about a month and a half. When I first rehoused them, they did the usual exploration of the enclosure, then burrowed down and closed off the hole. There has been no webbing, no sightings of them since and they haven't eaten since they came home - and no, there's no risk of enclosure escape!

I don't want to make the new owner mistake of digging up the enclosure to check if they're okay, but I'm quite concerned that at this point, they might not be okay.

What do you guys think we should do? Wait it out or check on them and risk possible stress?
 

ladyratri

Arachnopen-minded
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Post a photo of the enclosure, and if you have one a photo of the sling before it disappeared.

If a sling that small can burrow completely away, the enclosure is too big. They are much easier to monitor in a small enclosure. Even at 1 inch I kept my sling in a 5oz condiment cup... One that small, I would use a 1 to 2 oz cup.

If it was already plump when it disappeared, it could just be molting in there. I lost a Nhandu sling that size when it burrowed away to molt, in a 5 oz condiment cup, and I'll never know for sure if it was just a bad molt or if that sling would have survived if I'd had it in a more appropriately sized enclosure.
 

Tentacle Toast

Arachnobaron
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Post a photo of the enclosure, and if you have one a photo of the sling before it disappeared.

If a sling that small can burrow completely away, the enclosure is too big. They are much easier to monitor in a small enclosure. Even at 1 inch I kept my sling in a 5oz condiment cup... One that small, I would use a 1 to 2 oz cup.

If it was already plump when it disappeared, it could just be molting in there. I lost a Nhandu sling that size when it burrowed away to molt, in a 5 oz condiment cup, and I'll never know for sure if it was just a bad molt or if that sling would have survived if I'd had it in a more appropriately sized enclosure.
Hopefully your loss will save another...

It's generally advised to leave them alone, but more information is needed to yield the best advice...
 

Sab113

Arachnopeon
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Oct 22, 2023
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I asked the breeder before getting the enclosure and she said it was fine but to be honest, I feel like I was lied to. After purchasing the tarantula, she was very uncommunicative with questions about husbandry etc. She also said it was a juvenile but I'm guessing many people would disagree with both things she said. For future Ts, we will likely keep them in much smaller, but again we were following the advice of someone apparently more experienced.

I've been offering both pre killed prey and pinhead crickets dropped in sporadically but no luck. There is a shallow water dish, and I have been keeping the substrate hydrated using a syringe down one side away from where I believe they are.
 

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cold blood

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fwiw, its expected for this species to burrow away and disappear for long periods...they are extremely reclusive.
 

Sab113

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 22, 2023
Messages
12
fwiw, its expected for this species to burrow away and disappear for long periods...they are extremely reclusive.
I know they like to burrow, though some people say theirs like to be out more than you'd expect! My concern is that they haven't webbed up or eaten since I got them - if they had then I wouldn't be so worried!
 

zsiciarz

Arachnoknight
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Feb 18, 2023
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One of my C. elegans (now a mature male) had a ~two month downtime as a juvenile. Burrow closed off, no interest in roaches until it finally molted and surfaced. I believe it is to be expected with this species. Any other Cyriocosmus species I have are much less reclusive.
 

Charliemum

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Hi guys,

We've had our 1cm Cyriocosmus elegans for about a month and a half. When I first rehoused them, they did the usual exploration of the enclosure, then burrowed down and closed off the hole. There has been no webbing, no sightings of them since and they haven't eaten since they came home - and no, there's no risk of enclosure escape!

I don't want to make the new owner mistake of digging up the enclosure to check if they're okay, but I'm quite concerned that at this point, they might not be okay.

What do you guys think we should do? Wait it out or check on them and risk possible stress?
I have an af elegans, Marilyn, I got her as a 2mm tiny sling, and like yours once she hit 1-2 cm she burrowed down n disappeared, I kept the water dish full n kept putting prekilled in there but she never took it, after 6 months of this, no new web, no food taken , no sign of her I thought the worst tiny sling probably didn't make the moult, forgetting because this sp is so small 1-2 cm probably is a juvenile, so I dug her up expected a t no longer with us but what I found was a very angry female with nothing wrong except I just destroyed her home....oops. I learned my lesson and never dig up now . But that said I would change that viv it's big enough for an af . I kept my girl in a small food container 5x8x8cm from 1.5 cm till she hit 3.5 cm then she went in her adult viv that's 20x10x13 cm n she's done great in it made a beautiful burrow with 2 entries and webbed everything else. She often sits in the entrance for food at night and once a month comes out webs a bit more n goes bk in again.
These tiny t's are alot tougher then ppl think, n don't forget you can't class them the same as other t's because of their size. A 1cm elegans will be further developed then a 1cm Brachypelma for instance so you can't think of them the same. Fingers crossed your little terror is doing the same 🤞 gl to u both.
 

Sab113

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 22, 2023
Messages
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Thanks guys, much appreciated! We will leave it longer to check on her. I have no issue if she wants to burrow down and not pop up for as long as she needs, I just want to know that she's alive and okay!
 

0viWan

Arachnopeon
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FWIW: I instinctively set up all of my enclosures like the Aphonopelma Tank:

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/the-aphonopelma-tank.345690/

I use a small piece of corkbark leaned on the enclosure wall and a little starter-burrow below. Keep in mind I only have NW terrestrials but all of them gladly adopted this style of hide/starter-burrow and built from there. One of the upsides is, that the burrow is visible through the enclosure wall and the sling can be monitored even if sealed off completely:

20231023_120055.jpg 20231023_120122.jpg

I also put a piece of cardboard on the back of the enclosure to ensure privacy.
 
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Sab113

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 22, 2023
Messages
12
A little update - I didn't gid them up but I increased the heat in the room and when I went to check on them in the evening, I saw some little legs poked out of a fresh burrow hole! They struck at food straight away so all is well :)
 

Charliemum

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A little update - I didn't gid them up but I increased the heat in the room and when I went to check on them in the evening, I saw some little legs poked out of a fresh burrow hole! They struck at food straight away so all is well :)
Yay I am glad to hear she's well 😊 n glad you didn't make the same mistake as me! it's probably been a year since I dug Marilyn up n I still feel guilty lol.
 

SpookySpooder

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Jun 21, 2023
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Yay I am glad to hear she's well 😊 n glad you didn't make the same mistake as me! it's probably been a year since I dug Marilyn up n I still feel guilty lol.
I think you can give yourself permission to be forgiven. I'm sure Marilyn forgot a long time ago. 😆
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
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Jan 17, 2020
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It will come out when it's ready to, likely not before that. Until then wait!!
 
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