Why Do Spiderlings Burrow?

[Hawk115]

This is a newbie question, But why do spiderlings burrow in the first place? i have an adult curlyhair and a sling one also. but since i brought it home i say it because i dont know the gender yet. it molted and ever since then its been burrowed. i got it to eat 3 or 4 times. i have to smash the heads on baby crickets and put them in the hole where it is burrowed. is it okay for them to be in a hole for months at a time???

 

[RonnyT]

This is a newbie question, But why do spiderlings burrow in the first place? i have an adult curlyhair and a sling one also. but since i brought it home i say it because i dont know the gender yet. it molted and ever since then its been burrowed. i got it to eat 3 or 4 times. i have to smash the heads on baby crickets and put them in the hole where it is burrowed. is it okay for them to be in a hole for months at a time???

Slings burrow because they are vulnerable at that size, and want to stay safe in the wild. Also as long as they have water, they are safe in the hole.

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

In short, yes its okay for them to burrow for long periods of time. Its common behavior for them to not come out for a stretch.

 

[sasker]

In the wild, adults burrow as well. The fact that they don't when in captivity is because we do not give them the room to fully develop their natural behaviour. But many species continue to move around dirt when they are adult, including B. albopilosum.

Also, it is not necessary to dump prey items into their burrow. If a tarantula is hungry, it will hunt on the surface or scavenge the prekilled prey that you left outside the burrow. The problem is that young slings molt quite often. Prey items that are not eaten will start to become moldy if you ditch something in their burrow while they are not hungry (because your spider is in premolt).

 

[starnaito]

You can put pre-killed prey near the entrance, but not inside. Best to do so in the evening since they are most active at night. If it's gone in the morning, you'll know it came out to eat. Don't assume it's staying in the burrow 24/7, because they will come out to eat if they're hungry.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

The fact that they don't when in captivity is because we do not give them the room to fully develop their natural behaviour.

Substrate Scrooge/s are substrate Scrooge/s

Seem to me that vulgar dirt, all of a sudden, is like a huge diamond found in Liberia or gold

 

[Hawk115]

In short, yes its okay for them to burrow for long periods of time. Its common behavior for them to not come out for a stretch.

How do I put a water bowl in their for it. Does it get water from eating crickets? I also make sure it's moist or humid in the cage it's in

 

[Dave Jay]

Not knowing the size of the sling or enclosure it's hard to recommend a water dish, but plastic bottle tops are useful, I have come across some that are smaller than usual. A tarantula won't drown, their hair traps a bubble around them, so don't worry about it being too big. I'm using end caps that you block tubing with in my smallest enclosures, but anything that holds water and fits in the enclosure will do within reason. Foodsafe plastic or childrens' toys are preferred because the plastic shouldn't leach any chemicals.
Ideally slings will obtain the moisture needed from their food but even well fed slings are seen drinking.

 

[Moakmeister]

Because they’re hiding from predators

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

How do I put a water bowl in their for it. Does it get water from eating crickets? I also make sure it's moist or humid in the cage it's in

Just put a water bottle cap in the enclosure and fill it up.

 

[Dovey]

They also burrow to achieve the most even habitat in terms of temperature and moisture. Spiders like for it to be just about 75 to 80 degrees F and relatively moist (by local standards here in Arizona, anyway). They can achieve that by burrowing down below the surface. I read a study of our burrowing sand roaches that demonstrated their burrows achieved 72 degrees and 100% humidity in July in the Sonoran Desert when it was 110 on the surface and single-digit humidity. That's a pretty astonishing difference to have burrowed down less than 14 inches! Little spiders are after the same stasis. They are delicate little things in many respects.

 

[Nightstalker47]

why do spiderlings burrow in the first place?

The answer your looking for is instinct. They don't have the ability to reason, or weigh the pros and cons.

In the wild, a burrow provides them with a natural micro-climate and steady temps, they can escape the heat of the day and any predators that dwell above...its also much more moist as you dig down deeper into the soil. Its an all around safer place to be for any wild tarantula.

These points are not valid in captivity though...as mentioned even adults would burrow under natural conditions. Tarantulas don't just sit out in the open in the wild, theres far too much stimuli around them to feel safe, instinct tells them to burrow and hide.

In captivity these rules don't apply, making burrowing purely an instinctual response to their environment. Terrestrial slings are much less likely to burrow if you house them in smaller spaces, the enclosure in itself becomes their retreat and they feel secure enough to avoid excavating altogether.

 

[Hawk115]

Not knowing the size of the sling or enclosure it's hard to recommend a water dish, but plastic bottle tops are useful, I have come across some that are smaller than usual. A tarantula won't drown, their hair traps a bubble around them, so don't worry about it being too big. I'm using end caps that you block tubing with in my smallest enclosures, but anything that holds water and fits in the enclosure will do within reason. Foodsafe plastic or childrens' toys are preferred because the plastic shouldn't leach any chemicals.
Ideally slings will obtain the moisture needed from their food but even well fed slings are seen drinking.

the sling is about the size of a nickel. its in a plastic Tupperware bowl it has 2 or 3 inches of Eco earth as bedding. so a soda bottle lid is a great idea. thank you, i know i sound like a new guy to arachnid's but i use to live in southern cali where i had a spider called a vinageroon that was mean wild so im use to spiders. but thank you for the info. it helps i will be using a britta to filter the water i give it. i will post pics asap so u all can watch the progress of it growing up.