Tarantula burrow idea

This is something I came across in a book on snakes and reptiles. The author suggested using a clear polycarbonate enclosure that had two doors, one on the side and one on top. You would then use paper mache and concrete to form a burrow in the half of the enclosure that had a door in the side, of course leaving a hole for the animal to get out into the "outside" section of the enclosure. The side with the burrow could be cleaned easily when it came time to do so because of the door, and the animal could be observed easily. Has anyone done this? I would like to try it at some point.

interesting idea. firstly, it depends on what sort of Ts you want for this enclosure..

certain Ts dont do well with exposed burrows (defeats its purpose wouldnt it?) it'll then just make its own borrow some where else! ive did try to make one borrow with an eye hole..sadly, after a few weeks, my b.smiti just made his own borrow some where else..

My concern with paper mache is that the glue could be toxic, and it seems like it would collapse or get moldy quick if you kept the enclosure humid. However, for a dryer climate T that likes to take up residence in abandoned burrows or hollowed out logs, I think it would look pretty sweet. You could even cover the side of the tank when not viewing to encourage it to take up residence in the burrow, and simply remove the cover for viewing or handling whenever needed. Don't think it'd work well for true burrowing species though; they aren't all opprotunistic, and many prefer to dig their own.

ronald might said:

certain Ts dont do well with exposed burrows (defeats its purpose wouldnt it?)

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Yes, sorry- the side with the exposed burrow would normally be covered so that no light would get in. A heavy dark sheet I guess.

that would be a great idea.. but then again..really depends on the species, nature and personality of your T..what T are you planning to put in your wonderful idea?

I have a C. Crawshayi that I might like to try this with when it gets older. I was thinking that I could pack the burrow with substrate so that the animal could dig it out itself. In response to RoachGirlRen, the paper mache is only a structure to mold the concrete over. The cement or concrete should completely seal it.