Why don't b. smithi female burrow in captivity?

[Sharno]

Everything I have read about how B. smithi live in the wild indicates the females live in deep burrows. Yet in the hobby they are a display animal that spends most of it's time on the surface, and may go into an above ground hide if provided one.

So why are they not digging deep holes? In the wild do they only go into pre-made holes and if there's not one available they do not dig one?

Has anyone had a B. smithi that digs a solid, deep burrow, or any burrow at all?

I would think in the wild staying above ground with that coloration would make them easy pickings from predators.

 

[Envoirment]

One reason is likely because owners don't provide a lot of substrate for it to dig. Another is that digging a burrow is to create a hide, but if you already provide them with one, they don't need to create their own.

 

[EulersK]

These are opportunistic animals. As has been said, they will take advantage of whatever you give them. On top of that, we know that it is their instinct to burrow down when they are too hot. Very few of us live in homes that reach over 100F, so they simply don't need to burrow. They have the shelter of the hide and the comfort of manageable temperatures - why waste the energy to burrow at all?

On top of all that, we know that many animals behave very differently in captivity for no apparent reason. Tarantulas are no different.

 

[Haemus]

My B. smithi spends A LOT of time in her burrow. There's substrate piles around the entrance, so she's been doing some digging. Understandably so, since she's likely in premolt. Prior to that however, she was always out.

On a side note, I was prepared for my juveniles to to be shy and mostly hidden when I first got them. It's been a pleasant surprise at how visible and active they are.

 

[Vanessa]

The entire enclosure might act as a burrow. It is enclosed, temperature controlled, sheltered... I'm sure that it fools them to thinking that they are already in a burrow.

 

[basin79]

My girl spends 99.9% of her time out of her burrow/hide. Only going in it if I startle her or she's in premolt. Her hide is a slab of cork bark against the back of her enclosure and a hole I dug for her. She's not bothered going deeper or wider etc. Seems it serves it's purpose.

 

[Andrea82]

B.smithi I have has made good use of her hide, she is using it to stuff her fake plants in, along with her waterdish. This way, she can overlook her domain without the stupid obstacles, perched on top of her piece of bark.

 

[Kieffer]

I rehoused my b. Smith to a larger enclosure this past weekend. In the year I have owned it, it has only burrowed once as a small sling.

After the rehouse, it has dug out quite the burrow. I'm impressed.

 

[Jeff23]

My B. Smithi has plenty of substrate, but has never dug any at all. It has a nice hide above the substrate and uses it when eating and sometimes if the room is brighter due to outside light coming in.

 

[ErinM31]

They're gorgeous and they know it! My B. smithi sling never burrowed (and I'd say the substrate is deep relative to their size) and when I provided them with a hide, they filled it in with substrate!

 

[Coconana]

My AF has been lazily excavating here and there, but she's more than happy to use her --now modified--hide that I provided. I'd chalk it up to conservation of energy.

I've noticed that she does go on dirt shoveling kicks though! In the future, I was thinking of moving her to a much deeper enclosure and just placing a small starter's hole to see where she chooses to go with it.

 

[Bread]

Mine uses neither, she has a hide but fills it in with substrate, if anything she prefers balancing on top of her water dish (whilst it's full)

 

[ledzeppelin]

I've never seen my smithi in her hide. I have seen her ON her hide quite a lot- I also had to dig out her hide as it was filled with substrate on several occasions.. In vain of course. I guess she thinks she's too pretty to hide.. She's apparently also too pretty to move from the dish when I want to change it, but ranting has another thread.. Anyway, mine doesn't hide at all. This is what I have to share.

 

[mistertim]

My sub-adult female B. smithi seems to change her burrowing/bulldozing habits with every single molt. Once after a molt she stayed in her burrow for a solid 2 months. Then after she molted she was out more. Now after her most recent molt she has turned into a bulldozer...she completely buried her hide and just sits out in the open now, while occasionally moving substrate around for the hell of it. Tarantulas are weirdos.