Why did he seal himself in burrow?

Qofcheez

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
1
Hello everyone, I've been hanging around but haven't gotten around to posting until now.

Got a question. I have a Mexican red rump that's about a year old. He molted about a month ago. During the night he decided to completely seal himself in his burrow. I checked, there's no escape holes at all. He just moved a lot of substrate around to close off the only exit.

He's got a little heating pad to keep him warm if it gets too cold in here ( I try not to place it directly under him), and I am careful to make sure he's got water, misting and the substrate doesn't completely dry out (I have to do this often, misting once a day, and pouring some water in because it dries out fast).

He's an excellent eater. He attacks water if I dribble it in and is pretty eager to grab crickets.

He can't possibly be ready to molt already. He hasn't had more than 10 medium sized crickets since the last molt.

He's been anti-social before, cheekily building a wall between himself and my line of sight. I do NOT handle him, he's very skittish and very fast.

Any thoughts?
 

Cavedweller

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
1,064
Heating pads are dangerous for tarantulas, get rid of it and use a space heater if it's absolutely too cold for him (though winter temperatures of 20C or slightly less are fine). His substrate should be dry, just make sure he has a full water bowl.

Don't worry about the sealed burrow. I think in the wild they seal up their burrows to go dormant for the winter. One of mine has been hiding in a sealed burrow for 4 months now, she even turned her water bowl upside down to make a door.
 

Qofcheez

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
1
Ah thank you! I've yanked the pad. It can get pretty cold in here, and I'm still pretty much a noob at all this.

Didn't realize it was ok for the substrate to be so dry. I've been a little paranoid about it.

The input is much appreciated. I just wish he'd come out more often, he's gorgeous, and I love watching him!
 

Cavedweller

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Mar 23, 2011
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The general rule is dry substrate with a water bowl, most Ts hate a wet floor. There are a few exceptions, such as the Theraphosa and Hysterocrates genera, but I'm not real knowledgable about those.

That's what you get multiple Ts for :D
 

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
Tarantulas burrow, it's what they do.
+1. Sitting out in the open makes them easy targets for predators. A lot of animals eat tarantulas. We spend most of our lives indoors because of the comfort, consistency, and security; same goes for them.
 

DVMT

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
91
Hello everyone, I've been hanging around but haven't gotten around to posting until now.

Got a question. I have a Mexican red rump that's about a year old. He molted about a month ago. During the night he decided to completely seal himself in his burrow. I checked, there's no escape holes at all. He just moved a lot of substrate around to close off the only exit.

He's got a little heating pad to keep him warm if it gets too cold in here ( I try not to place it directly under him), and I am careful to make sure he's got water, misting and the substrate doesn't completely dry out (I have to do this often, misting once a day, and pouring some water in because it dries out fast).

He's an excellent eater. He attacks water if I dribble it in and is pretty eager to grab crickets.

He can't possibly be ready to molt already. He hasn't had more than 10 medium sized crickets since the last molt.

He's been anti-social before, cheekily building a wall between himself and my line of sight. I do NOT handle him, he's very skittish and very fast.

Any thoughts?
Have you seen the "Newbie alarm" posted here before? It has LOTS of great information. I can post it in this thread if you would like. Answer us a few questions:

How many T's do you currently have?

Do you think you will be getting more?

Are you in this hobby for the long haul or just testing it out?

Also, welcome to the hobby!

Damon
 

Qofcheez

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
1
Whoops I guess I was worried for nothing. He opened up the burrow again and tried to grab a cricket with his usual lack of patience!

How many T's do you currently have?

Just the one right now. I wanted to get my husband used to the idea of having a T around. Now that he's hooked, I hope to get at least one other :)

Do you think you will be getting more?

I still really want a pinktoe! I had one years ago but had to give it up when I moved overseas. I'm also thinking of a Chilean Rose to learn how to handle them. I only recently got to handle a T for the first time. I'm nervous about it, so figured a Rose would be a good place to start.

Are you in this hobby for the long haul or just testing it out?

Not sure. After the pinktoe I had a sling for a while before a cat upended the container and it escaped. Then another sling disappeared under weird circumstances. My red rump I've had for a year now, and I never get tired of watching him. I'm looking forward to getting another. Then who knows. Where exactly do most people go from here? dozens of spiders? Breeding and selling?
 

Cavedweller

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
1,064
dozens of spiders?
Yes, that's exactly it :biggrin:

Handling is a polarizing topic around here, but if you're determined to do it I recommend against a rosie. They're infamous for mercurial temperament. Particularly docile Ts include G. pulchripes, G. pulchra, and most North American Aphonopelmas, though temperament varies by individual of course (and by molt!)

That's too bad about your previous Ts. If you still have cats you definitely should look into cat proofing, somewhere on the forums are some threads on the topic.
 
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