what size do arboreal Ts start becoming, well, arboreal?

Warren Bautista

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I want to start gettin some arbs for my small collection, specifically the Avicularia and Poecilotheria genuses(sp?). To clarify the question, when does an arboreal sling/juvie turn from terrestrial/burrower behavior to arboreal behavior. (Ugggh, I hate laptop keyboards, so may grammar errors!)
 

UrbanJungles

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It varies from species to species...some like P. irminia will start a burrow underground and build it skyward, living like this well into adulthood is they aren't disturbed. Avics usually take to an arboreal lifestyle much earlier on as smaller slings.

By the 3" mark most arboreals are well, more arboreal.
 

Sathane

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I agree with much of what has already been said but it really depends on what you give them to work with.
If you put them in a low enclosure with plenty of space but not much height they will stay closer to the substrate.
If you give them a tall enclosure with something to climb and anchor webs to they will be much more inclined to build their webs much higher.

There are some exceptions but this is normally what happens IME.
 

Hamburglar

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I have about a 5 inch P. rufilata that have never left its burrow. It started it when it was around 2 inches after I rehoused it. It has been remodeled a couple times but it has never moved up even though it has plenty of room. I just figured it stayed where it was comfortable.
 

DreadLobster

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I've only owned 6 arboreal slings, but all of them were pretty much arboreal from the start. I'm sure it varies from sp. to sp. and then even more depending on the individual, though.
 

Nomadinexile

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avicularia

I only have experience with a few Avicularia slings, but they have all been off the bat. They came in to-go little deli dishes, but acrylic little cages with some height from container store, and even the second instar A. avicularia run right up the bark and don't seem to come down except for food and water.
 

Moltar

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IME, Avics are the only genus that is arboreal from the git-go. Other species will go to the trees somewhere in their juvenile to early subadult stages. My 7" P cambridgei still spends some time in a burrow every once in a while.
 

NixHexDude

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I have about a 5 inch P. rufilata that have never left its burrow. It started it when it was around 2 inches after I rehoused it. It has been remodeled a couple times but it has never moved up even though it has plenty of room. I just figured it stayed where it was comfortable.
Crap. Mines at 1.5"ish and is burrowed. I was hoping in a few molts the burrow would be left behind.
 

jme

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my avic versi's were all arborial right from the start i always made sure to give them more hight then length though also with my P. cambridgie i have done some expeirimenting put 2 in tall enclosures they webed and became arborial imediatly put 3 in lower enclosures and they have awsome tunnel systems i think it totaly depends on the enclosure
 

RelyK

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my 2" P. ornata is living under a piece of bark on the substrate...
 

EightLeggedFrea

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My A avic that I got as a freebie never burrowed. Always stayed on the walls in the open, behind a piece of bark. My P. irminia and P. regalis, both bought as adults, did the same.
 

Drachenjager

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I want to start gettin some arbs for my small collection, specifically the Avicularia and Poecilotheria genuses(sp?). To clarify the question, when does an arboreal sling/juvie turn from terrestrial/burrower behavior to arboreal behavior. (Ugggh, I hate laptop keyboards, so may grammar errors!)
Genus is singular and Genera is plural :p
my avics are mostly arboreal acting from the time they are able to crawl out of the sac lol and by 3/4-1" act like the adults. at least thats been my experiance.
 

Zcreator

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I'll agree with the above--my avic avic and versicolor never lived on the ground. The trick is to keep them from webbing the top of the vial closed!
 

PlaidJaguar

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I'll agree with the above--my avic avic and versicolor never lived on the ground. The trick is to keep them from webbing the top of the vial closed!
I flipped the container upside down to avoid this problem. So of course my versicolor built its web on the bottom, right along the seam of the lid. :facepalm:
 
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