Death by burrow

Amimia · Oct 13, 2014

My B. Vagans sling has taken it upon himself to burrow around his entire enclosure. Earlier today I noticed that the burrow had caved in, but he was on the other side. He's made another one, but now I'm worried it's going to cave in on him. Will he be okay if that happens?

pyro fiend · Oct 13, 2014

Amimia said:
My B. Vagans sling has taken it upon himself to burrow around his entire enclosure. Earlier today I noticed that the burrow had caved in, but he was on the other side. He's made another one, but now I'm worried it's going to cave in on him. Will he be okay if that happens?

no worries hell be fine its lightly copacted apparently so hell be fine imo

had a few who had the same thing happen one had it 3 times

gobey · Oct 13, 2014

I have a B.albopilosum sling that dug a tunnel for weeks to go molt in. Now it's still down there digging for days not eating. They all do their own thing I guess. You'd hear about more burrowing slings dying off I'd wager if this was a risk correct?

pyro fiend · Oct 13, 2014

gobey said:
I have a B.albopilosum sling that dug a tunnel for weeks to go molt in. Now it's still down there digging for days not eating. They all do their own thing I guess. You'd hear about more burrowing slings dying off I'd wager if this was a risk correct?

not sure what you mean by the last part, but indeed they are just being a T. my B. smithi just whent AWOL in what appeared to be a collapsed tunnel [she must of shoved the burrowing coco in the hole because i dug her up and almost didnt find her] and she was gona a month and in super loose coco.[she wasnt a burrower before] so if my lil girl can get out of it im sure both of your T's will be fine

vespers · Oct 13, 2014

pyro fiend said:
not sure what you mean by the last part,

Means there would be more reports of slings dying in collapsed burrows if this was a much of a risk. Seems clear to me.

pyro fiend · Oct 13, 2014

vespers said:
Means there would be more reports of slings dying in collapsed burrows if this was a much of a risk. Seems clear to me.

I guess i read it funny ^.^ my bad

Poec54 · Oct 13, 2014

In over 40 years, I've never lost a T to a burrow collapse, so it's not really a major concern.

BobGrill · Oct 13, 2014

Usually burrowers will line the walls of the burrow with silk which helps hold it together and helps maintain the shape.

gobey · Oct 13, 2014

pyro fiend said:
I guess i read it funny ^.^ my bad

I worded it rather unconventionally.

BobGrill said:
Usually burrowers will line the walls of the burrow with silk which helps hold it together and helps maintain the shape.

I noticed this about the top of my B. albo's burrow last night as I fished a stuck pinhead from it. He still wants nothing to do with food.

pyro fiend · Oct 13, 2014

gobey said:
I worded it rather unconventionally.

I noticed this about the top of my B. albo's burrow last night as I fished a stuck pinhead from it. He still wants nothing to do with food.

Dont frett hell eat when he wants.. i put a small roach on avics web ev 5 days and maybe once a month hell eat -.- but hes not super thin nor shriveled so thats what matters, no? XD

gobey · Oct 13, 2014

pyro fiend said:
Dont frett hell eat when he wants.. i put a small roach on avics web ev 5 days and maybe once a month hell eat -.- but hes not super thin nor shriveled so thats what matters, no? XD

Idk I'm still so new to this in many areas. I have 4 B. albo slings. 2 are 3/4" and are absolute monsters. They are super bloated and fat and eat like trucks until they molt on similar schedules. They are sac mates. My other two are sac mates from a different order. They were freebies that came to me as my smallest slings. 1/4" probably. The digger just molted into what looks to be..... 1/4" probably XD

But he does look thin. But then again what do I know? Could just be comparatively thin. They look so light and grey whereas the bigger ones look darker and brown.

klawfran3 · Oct 15, 2014

I'm pretty sure that tarantulas line their burrows with silk to prevent a collapse. I know all of my burrowers have done that and even if the container gets a bit bumped or jostled around the burrows are always just fine.

pyro fiend · Oct 15, 2014

klawfran3 said:
I'm pretty sure that tarantulas line their burrows with silk to prevent a collapse. I know all of my burrowers have done that and even if the container gets a bit bumped or jostled around the burrows are always just fine.

Iv had 3 Ts who didnt line burrows, at least not enough. A b.albo and 2 boehmeis. Most violent was lifting a container and hit with a surprize sneeze. And it was just kinda a gentle swirling a cup of water motion and the hole all fell.. then i had a newbie pannic attack and dug it up... i think some just dont line it like they should. Iv never seen silk in a burrow, but thats just me. I also dont keep fosorials(spelling?) Just opertunistic users of burrowers.

Biollantefan54 · Oct 15, 2014

Pyro uses lift+ surprise sneeze! Not very effective.

cold blood · Oct 15, 2014

Biollantefan54 said:
Pyro uses lift+ surprise sneeze! Not very effective.

Haha, but what an adventurous technique it is!

Generally they will line the tunnels, even though it may not be readily apparent to the naked eye...my Grammostola and Brachypelmas both have always lined their tunnels. I have a P. nigricolor that recently built a burrow very big and deep, and it was also very quickly done...I haven't seen it web anything down there and no webbing is apparent, and that's really the first burrow one of mine has made that I think may not have been webbed up at least a little....not saying its not there, but perhaps some don't web? I will say the nirgicolor has moister sub to dig, that structurally holds up better to the burrowing...the aforementioned genus' all burrowed in dry sub that was almost certainly less stable and more in need of help from their silk than was that nigricolor.

Just my experiences anyway.

pyro fiend · Oct 15, 2014

Biollantefan54 said:
Pyro uses lift+ surprise sneeze! Not very effective.

well.. it made B.albo flinch

but as said it was kinda a rotating jostle as apposed to a throwing cup type of thing and the eco just collapsed =\

klawfran3 · Oct 17, 2014

cold blood said:
Haha, but what an adventurous technique it is!

Generally they will line the tunnels, even though it may not be readily apparent to the naked eye...my Grammostola and Brachypelmas both have always lined their tunnels. I have a P. nigricolor that recently built a burrow very big and deep, and it was also very quickly done...I haven't seen it web anything down there and no webbing is apparent, and that's really the first burrow one of mine has made that I think may not have been webbed up at least a little....not saying its not there, but perhaps some don't web? I will say the nirgicolor has moister sub to dig, that structurally holds up better to the burrowing...the aforementioned genus' all burrowed in dry sub that was almost certainly less stable and more in need of help from their silk than was that nigricolor.

Just my experiences anyway.

My C. Marshalli has webbed its burrow and container up so much that I think the substrate is more web than cocofiber. The dog accidentally knocked his container off a shelf and it bounced. Not a single part of the burrow collapsed and the tarantula was safe and sound in its labyrinth of white.

SuzukiSwift · Oct 19, 2014

A Ts burrow will not collapse due to design flaws, it is possible it could happen because of outside stimuli however. I had a beautiful H.schmidti juvie in the past and his burrow collapsed on him and he died but I didnt realise for two weeks. When I thought back I remembered I had poured water over his substrate to raise the humidity however I must have over done it and the water seeped down weakening the burrow =( Something to keep in mind

Amimia · Oct 23, 2014

So the little guys burrow has not collapsed, and he has completed going all the way around his enclosure. Maybe about and inch between where it stops and where he has his "stairs."

Kron · Sep 5, 2019

I've recently rehoused my A seemani with top soil only substrate (much denser than coco). She has dug a tunnel at least a foot long and it continues to grow. She's large so the tunnels are large and they go straight across around the bottom of the tank. Surely if she keeps digging across there will be nothing holding the soil up and it will collapse? Especially when it dries up more?
Also people often suggest that silk keeps the burrow from collapsing but I don't see why, silk is flexible. Either way she's not using it very much.

Death by burrow

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