Singapore Blue: Excavation/Substrate Depth and Container Size- Owners Chime in.

So I have had 2 Lvs. As you know they are incredible tunnelers and will often take the substrate they excavated out and place it right on top of the original substrate level. In effect making a taller tunnel.

While I have done well with them. The one area I always underestimate is just how TALL they will continue to pile up the substrate. I have one now that is doing great, and made the substrate go to the very top of the container.


I'm not looking for a scientific ratio here, but I'm wondering how deep I should make the substrate, and just how much space I should allow between the substrate and the top of the container?

OR would I be better off with providing a cork tube sunk into some substrate (maybe 1/3 the length of the cork tube into the substrate?) thus avoiding the massive piling up of substrate? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this aspect of its behavior, but I'm looking to avoid having the opening of its tunnel be right at the edge of the container's opening, esp with larger specimens.

Thanks!

I always gave my LVs around 4-6 inches give or take, as well as a cork round. Mine generally used any excavated dirt for dirt curtains around the cork, making themselves a few different escape tunnels.

freedumbdclxvi said:

I always gave my LVs around 4-6 inches give or take, as well as a cork round. Mine generally used any excavated dirt for dirt curtains around the cork, making themselves a few different escape tunnels.

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Thanks! Did you sink the cork round into the sub at all, if so, how deep?

I was considering 5" of sub at least, and realized, w/out a cork round, I will likely end up with a 10" tall substrate level, hence my question.

Usually I placed it about 3" or so into the sub. They would take care of the rest.

It would definitely seem an overly tall container is needed for these juvies to be seen. As you said, they just keep going up and up and up. Thanks for posting this, as I'm about to rehouse both of my freshly molted 3 inchers as soon as they harden up and take a feed. Can't wait to get a look at them. From what I have read and heard, this instar is when the females start to show adult coloration!

I usually put my LV slings in 32 oz deli cups, with an inch of substrate, a piece of plastic plant, some long fiber sphagnum, and a small water bowl. They'll excavate soil when digging, and shape it into a turret almost to the top of the cup. They'll use silk to hold it together and mix in soil and sphagnum for camouflage. This means there's not much substrate left at the bottom anymore.

My larger LV juveniles, adults, and subadults don't do anything like this. They'll stay under cork slabs and do a little digging, but nothing like the slings and small juveniles do. No turrets. Out of my 17 species of Asian arboreals (Poecilotheria, Cyriopagopus, and Lampropelma), only 1 individual has made a retreat that's on the side of the cage (and not on or under the substrate) a Cyrio Sulawesi black SA female. Everybody else is acting terrestrial. Granted, they're quite capable of zipping around the sides of the cage doing high speed laps, and occasionally do.

Poec54 said:

I usually put my LV slings in 32 oz deli cups, with an inch of substrate, a piece of plastic plant, some long fiber sphagnum, and a small water bowl. They'll excavate soil when digging, and shape it into a turret almost to the top of the cup. They'll use silk to hold it together and mix in soil and sphagnum for camouflage. This means there's not much substrate left at the bottom anymore.

My larger LV juveniles, adults, and subadults don't do anything like this. They'll stay under cork slabs and do a little digging, but nothing like the slings and small juveniles do. No turrets. Out of my 17 species of Asian arboreals (Poecilotheria, Cyriopagopus, and Lampropelma), only 1 individual has made a retreat that's on the side of the cage (and not on or under the substrate) a Cyrio Sulawesi black SA female. Everybody else is acting terrestrial. Granted, they're quite capable of zipping around the sides of the cage doing high speed laps, and occasionally do.

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Hey man thanx for the post. Im receiving my 4cm LV sling probably Wednesday cant wait...

Im crazy... and I Love Ts!!!!

Poec54 said:

I usually put my LV slings in 32 oz deli cups, with an inch of substrate, a piece of plastic plant, some long fiber sphagnum, and a small water bowl. They'll excavate soil when digging, and shape it into a turret almost to the top of the cup. They'll use silk to hold it together and mix in soil and sphagnum for camouflage. This means there's not much substrate left at the bottom anymore.

My larger LV juveniles, adults, and subadults don't do anything like this. They'll stay under cork slabs and do a little digging, but nothing like the slings and small juveniles do. No turrets. Out of my 17 species of Asian arboreals (Poecilotheria, Cyriopagopus, and Lampropelma), only 1 individual has made a retreat that's on the side of the cage (and not on or under the substrate) a Cyrio Sulawesi black SA female. Everybody else is acting terrestrial. Granted, they're quite capable of zipping around the sides of the cage doing high speed laps, and occasionally do.

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Poec are you laying the slabs flat on the sub and they tunnel underneath? Or are they propped up somehow? Interesting that the larger ones don't tunnel anymore like sllings.

I ask because I'm trying to figure out if I should go with a taller container, or a rectangular shape like a fish tank if they are acting more terrestrial as opposed to arboreal/tunneling.

viper69 said:

Poec are you laying the slabs flat on the sub and they tunnel underneath? Or are they propped up somehow? Interesting that the larger ones don't tunnel anymore like sllings.

I ask because I'm trying to figure out if I should go with a taller container, or a rectangular shape like a fish tank if they are acting more terrestrial as opposed to arboreal/tunneling.

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I use flat cork slabs with half-grown and up spiders, at an angle against the side. They like having a place to hide, and then do some digging to customize it. These days slings usually don't get cork (I've blown thru so much of it), and get a plastic plant and sphagnum for the building blocks of a retreat. 32 oz cups work great until they're about 3".

---------- Post added 04-25-2014 at 07:45 PM ----------

TLover007 said:

Hey man thanx for the post. Im receiving my 4cm LV sling probably Wednesday cant wait...

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BTW, I keep the soil of my Asian arboreals slightly moist, not as dry as with Avics. They're not as sensitive to moisture/humidity as Avic slings are. I squirt a little water in the substrate and lightly mist their turret/silk when it gets dry.

Okay will rememer that tip thank you very much!! I havent done my complete research on the LVs... but the weekend is still long haha

Im crazy... and I Love Ts!!!!