G. pulchra burrowing

I got two G. Pulchra slings awhile back and had read that they can/do burrow but I'm still amazed at their ability to bulldoze substrate and burrow. One of my slings decided to remove itself from display and burrow under it's hide. Three weeks went by no sign of it nor it being out. No hole for entrance or exit. I decided to check on it and was surprised at what I saw. It had a self made cavern size burrow under there..lol. There's enough room for a bunch of 1 inch slings to go in there! The substrate is loose not packed so this also amazes me how it gets the substrate to not fall back in the burrow. I have named it Agent Underground. I just hope the 24/7 escavating underground isn't going to be a life long thing.

My other G. pulchra sling prefers to be out in the open. It has bulldozed some substrate but that is all. Molted out in the open the other day. The first one mentioned molted in a hide a day after I got it and then went underground to this day.

What's the typical behavior of the G. pulchra after it reaches 2 inches and up? Do they still burrow deep underground to never be seen?

My G. pulchra did the same thing. Rearranges the enclosure all the time.

Next time it closes off its burrow, just leave it. Mine has stayed underground for better than a month without food or water. They are slow growers so it will fast from time to time even without molting. It will dig itself out when it needs food.

Over 2" they will stay out more.

Thanks for replying and for the info. The G. pulchras are interesting to watch. The one burrowing is still underground with everything like it was before I checked on it. The hide it burrowed under is super light so no damage done. Good to know it will surface when hungry or needs water. I was starting to get concerned.

Both of my G. pulchras are a little under an inch and like night and day in personality. Spiders Incorporated is a skittish pet hole with an extensive tunnel system. Out of 20 Ts its the only one to ever kick hairs at me! Richard halfheartedly started digging in a corner before giving up after a few millimeters. It doesn't use its hide and barely reacts when I open its cup. Little guy eats like a pig though, so I'm not worried at all.

Gotta say I was really surprised by the huge personality difference in what are presumably sacmates.

G. pulchra slings are fantastic burrowers, but you must resist the urge to dig them up. If it seals itself up, it's preparing for a molt. Interrupting a molt by destroying the burrow could prove fatal. They can easily go underground without food for 6 weeks or more before coming out freshly molted. It's fortunate that it wasn't molting yet, but it will surely want to rebury itself to feel safe for the molt. Also, they will surely dig burrows much larger than themselves like you said, so make sure the object they're burrowing under isn't too heavy. They will collapse smaller objects on themselves without a second thought. I had one excavate the whole water dish and collapse it on itself, but the dish was light.

I have two. Both burrowed as slings. The male is 3" now and has been out all the time since he was 2". The female is 1" and has been out all of the time since she was .75". They have burrows established, but they only go in them if there's a cricket running in there and asking for it lol.

Thanks for the replies. I'm sorry I hadn't replied back sooner, recovering from some sort of flu virus. Good to hear the typical behavior of the G. pulchras from your experiences. Just to clarify I did not remove the sling from its burrow nor did it run out. I just lifted the hide, saw the burrow which was wide and open, seen the sling and lowered the hide back down where it was. All is good concerning the sling.

The different personalities and behaviors mentioned is interesting. Glad I purchased two! Watching them grow up will be fun and educational.