A good burrow

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
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Jun 1, 2009
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435
Well I'm sure there is a old burrow pic thread out there but I didn't see one. Here is a pic of my 2-1/2 inch young Eucratoscelus pachypus burrow,I believe she feels at home and possibly what a burrow would look like in the wild ,minus the bottle cap. Substrate is dirt with clay base makes for good tunnel building,container is 5x6 with 4 inch substrate,you got a good pet hole pic post it
 

AphonopelmaTX

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Now that's the way a captive tarantula should look. Just a box of dirt with a small hole in it. This is a more naturalistic setup than many others I've seen just because the spider is behaving just as it would in the wild.
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
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435
Yeah she really does seem to be at home. She actually does come all the way out and I do get to see all of her lol I have a Ephebopus uatuman in a real nice ,lot deeper burrow going try post that pic tonight.I rarely see the whole T lol
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
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Here is pic of the Ephebopus uatuman burrow.substrate same type, I put some dried bambo leaves in the tank, which I have growing outside and as you can see the spider incorporated them into burrow ,good aa battery lenght in height above sub.7 inch of sub in 1/2 of 5.5g tank I'm going to work with brachy's in future to try and get them to do a good burrow. B vagans should be easy but others might be more lazy don't care mood lol
 

eldondominicano

Arachnobaron
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this is great! its great to see fellow hobyists who care about what the T needs to thrive. Good job man
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
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Thanks I have always tried to give my spiders the chance to build a good home,I have some pretty decent aboreal setups to. Doesn't make for good display T's but I think there happy.when a T feels at home good things happen when it's pairing time
 

eldondominicano

Arachnobaron
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Thanks I have always tried to give my spiders the chance to build a good home,I have some pretty decent aboreal setups to. Doesn't make for good display T's but I think there happy.when a T feels at home good things happen when it's pairing time
I agree, can you post an areboreal setup just for kicks?
 

AphonopelmaTX

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Here is pic of the Ephebopus uatuman burrow.substrate same type, I put some dried bambo leaves in the tank, which I have growing outside and as you can see the spider incorporated them into burrow ,good aa battery lenght in height above sub.7 inch of sub in 1/2 of 5.5g tank I'm going to work with brachy's in future to try and get them to do a good burrow. B vagans should be easy but others might be more lazy don't care mood lol
Good luck with the Brachypelma species. If you get it, I will be inquiring since I am working on the exact same thing. You and I seem to see eye to eye on this particular method of keeping tarantulas. I am going on the theory that all captive terrestrial species known not to burrow, AKA "display species", will in fact burrow in some fashion and become "pet holes" if provided with the right conditions. Some of the genera in that category include Brachypelma and Grammostola. My ultimate goal is to get an adult female G. rosea to be a "pet hole" since it seems unheard of. I have a good hunch they don't live out in the open exposed to the elements in their native Chile. ;-)

So far my experiences show that the type of soil maybe important, along with other factors, to get a Brachypelma species to burrow. Using my native Texas Aphonopelma species as species to compare against, soil type is definitely important to making them "pet holes." I experimented with two Aphonopelma species, an A. hentzi from the area I live and another from Summerville, Texas and both burrowed just as they do in the wild (based on personal first hand observations) using 100 percent sphagnum peat moss but in the exact same container chose not to burrow and show difficulty in doing so with a specific brand of top soil closely matching to what I think is from Texas. Also worth noting in my experimentation is that another individual of A. hentzi from the same location as the before mentioned one in my area built a dual chambered burrow in a clay heavy top soil and peat moss mix (AKA garden loam). So now I have to rehouse the two that stopped burrowing in their current top soil with my mix of peat moss and clay heavy top soil to get them to burrow again.

I am currently working with 5 different near adult female Brachypelma species and they are housed in the same top soil that my Aphonopelma species will not burrow in so I am thinking it maybe the soil type keeping them from burrowing. Paying attention to the behavior of the individual spiders is giving me a lot of clues as to how to properly house them along with field reports. For instance, when disturbed my Brachypelma species will run around in their container and kick hairs like crazy until they find the pre-made starter burrow I made but then back out and stand in the open when they calm down. Despite this, they will never burrow to make a suitable hide for themselves which is the behavior I am looking for.

I am also working with a near adult Grammostola pulchripes that showed burrowing behavior in 100 percent peat moss but when switched to the bagged top soil it stopped all burrowing attempts despite being in a larger container than it was in with the peat moss. Hopefully, I will see different behavior when I switch that one to a peat moss/ clay soil mix as well.

All in all though, it appears you and I have got the right type of soil to get tarantulas to burrow... clay based soil is the key!
 
Last edited:

tonypace2009

Arachnoknight
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Apr 29, 2012
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226
Good luck with the Brachypelma species. If you get it, I will be inquiring since I am working on the exact same thing. You and I seem to see eye to eye on this particular method of kepping tarantulas. I am going on the theory that all captive terrestrial species known not to burrow, AKA "display species", will in fact burrow in some fashion and become "pet holes" if provided with the right conditions. Some of the genera in that category include Brachypelma and Grammostola. My ultimate goal is to get an adult female G. rosea to be a "pet hole" since it seems unheard of. I have a good hunch they don't live out in the open exposed to the elements in their native Chile. ;-)

So far my experiences show that the type of soil maybe important, along with other factors, to get a Brachypelma species to burrow. Using my native Texas Aphonopelma species as species to compare against, soil type is definitely important to making them "pet holes."
My grammostola porteri went from classic pet rock to not necessarily pet hole but most of her time she is in her burrow. just from changing from coco fiber to straight peat. She comes out at feeding time and sometimes during the day. All my aphonopelma tarantulas except slings have burrows and use them extensively. The change of substrate I believe to be the biggest factor. My aphonopelma tarantulas all seem to prefer two entrances to there burrows have you noticed this as well?
 

pyro fiend

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Dec 29, 2013
Messages
1,216
wish mine would burrow like this.. but even tho i dont try mines burrowed kinda against the sides.. my chromatus [3"+] when upgraded its cage it went from display T to pet hole. but ended up hitting the sides twice now and just digging along side it a bit XD how interesting :) i suppose i cant complain i want slings against the side so ik when they molt [mine have always horded them] but adult i dont mind but would be fun to see it natural
 
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awiec

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Feb 13, 2014
Messages
1,325
Good luck with the Brachypelma species. If you get it, I will be inquiring since I am working on the exact same thing. You and I seem to see eye to eye on this particular method of keeping tarantulas. I am going on the theory that all captive terrestrial species known not to burrow, AKA "display species", will in fact burrow in some fashion and become "pet holes" if provided with the right conditions. Some of the genera in that category include Brachypelma and Grammostola. My ultimate goal is to get an adult female G. rosea to be a "pet hole" since it seems unheard of. I have a good hunch they don't live out in the open exposed to the elements in their native Chile. ;-)

So far my experiences show that the type of soil maybe important, along with other factors, to get a Brachypelma species to burrow. Using my native Texas Aphonopelma species as species to compare against, soil type is definitely important to making them "pet holes." I experimented with two Aphonopelma species, an A. hentzi from the area I live and another from Summerville, Texas and both burrowed just as they do in the wild (based on personal first hand observations) using 100 percent sphagnum peat moss but in the exact same container chose not to burrow and show difficulty in doing so with a specific brand of top soil closely matching to what I think is from Texas. Also worth noting in my experimentation is that another individual of A. hentzi from the same location as the before mentioned one in my area built a dual chambered burrow in a clay heavy top soil and peat moss mix (AKA garden loam). So now I have to rehouse the two that stopped burrowing in their current top soil with my mix of peat moss and clay heavy top soil to get them to burrow again.

I am currently working with 5 different near adult female Brachypelma species and they are housed in the same top soil that my Aphonopelma species will not burrow in so I am thinking it maybe the soil type keeping them from burrowing. Paying attention to the behavior of the individual spiders is giving me a lot of clues as to how to properly house them along with field reports. For instance, when disturbed my Brachypelma species will run around in their container and kick hairs like crazy until they find the pre-made starter burrow I made but then back out and stand in the open when they calm down. Despite this, they will never burrow to make a suitable hide for themselves which is the behavior I am looking for.

I am also working with a near adult Grammostola pulchripes that showed burrowing behavior in 100 percent peat moss but when switched to the bagged top soil it stopped all burrowing attempts despite being in a larger container than it was in with the peat moss. Hopefully, I will see different behavior when I switch that one to a peat moss/ clay soil mix as well.

All in all though, it appears you and I have got the right type of soil to get tarantulas to burrow... clay based soil is the key!
I use a more "light" soil mix for my A.semanni and she's tunneled like crazy, her entrance looks like a proper spider hole in the wild complete with her rubbing her hairs along the silk for intruder deterrence. Just about every t I've had has burrowed at some point and that always makes me happy. It seems most like a mix of potting soil, some peat moss and a little cocofibre.
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 1, 2009
Messages
435
Good luck with the Brachypelma species. If you get it, I will be inquiring since I am working on the exact same thing. You and I seem to see eye to eye on this particular method of keeping tarantulas. I am going on the theory that all captive terrestrial species known not to burrow, AKA "display species", will in fact burrow in some fashion and become "pet holes" if provided with the right conditions. Some of the genera in that category include Brachypelma and Grammostola. My ultimate goal is to get an adult female G. rosea to be a "pet hole" since it seems unheard of. I have a good hunch they don't live out in the open exposed to the elements in their native Chile. ;-)

So far my experiences show that the type of soil maybe important, along with other factors, to get a Brachypelma species to burrow. Using my native Texas Aphonopelma species as species to compare against, soil type is definitely important to making them "pet holes." I experimented with two Aphonopelma species, an A. hentzi from the area I live and another from Summerville, Texas and both burrowed just as they do in the wild (based on personal first hand observations) using 100 percent sphagnum peat moss but in the exact same container chose not to burrow and show difficulty in doing so with a specific brand of top soil closely matching to what I think is from Texas. Also worth noting in my experimentation is that another individual of A. hentzi from the same location as the before mentioned one in my area built a dual chambered burrow in a clay heavy top soil and peat moss mix (AKA garden loam). So now I have to rehouse the two that stopped burrowing in their current top soil with my mix of peat moss and clay heavy top soil to get them to burrow again.

I am currently working with 5 different near adult female Brachypelma species and they are housed in the same top soil that my Aphonopelma species will not burrow in so I am thinking it maybe the soil type keeping them from burrowing. Paying attention to the behavior of the individual spiders is giving me a lot of clues as to how to properly house them along with field reports. For instance, when disturbed my Brachypelma species will run around in their container and kick hairs like crazy until they find the pre-made starter burrow I made but then back out and stand in the open when they calm down. Despite this, they will never burrow to make a suitable hide for themselves which is the behavior I am looking for.

I am also working with a near adult Grammostola pulchripes that showed burrowing behavior in 100 percent peat moss but when switched to the bagged top soil it stopped all burrowing attempts despite being in a larger container than it was in with the peat moss. Hopefully, I will see different behavior when I switch that one to a peat moss/ clay soil mix as well.

All in all though, it appears you and I have got the right type of soil to get tarantulas to burrow... clay based soil is the key!
Yep dirt with a good packing ingredient is ideal.I have even mixed red lava rock in with dirt so they think there miners lol. I also have several MF brachy's, schroederi ,smithi,bohemi,and other younger stuff my schroederi is in 5.5 gallon with 5 inch or so clay based dirt on bottom and couple inche's of coco fiber mixed with peat on top with starter cork bark burrow hide .she could careless about a burrow lol but that's not hurting my feelings to much.
Im going put a lot effort out to get sacs from the brachypelma sp in future,I do think it helps a lot feeling at home and all in all I don't know many terrestrial T's that would live above ground in there home town lol.it does take up room housing in big containers though
 

Zigana

Arachnosquire
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Apr 8, 2014
Messages
93
Very nice looking burrow OP. I have only one tarantula that will use a hide, the rest like to make their own homes so I don't even bother anymore adding a hide to enclosures now. My A. hentzi's are the most interesting borrowers. They dig long deep tunnels that stretch out from one end of the enclosure to the other end, as deep as the enclosure will allow. They are not pet holes either, out and about regularly which is nice too.

I use peat moss for substrate which works out pretty well. My borrowers and ones that love to dig are G. porteri, G. pulchra and A. hentzi.
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 1, 2009
Messages
435
Very nice looking burrow OP. I have only one tarantula that will use a hide, the rest like to make their own homes so I don't even bother anymore adding a hide to enclosures now. My A. hentzi's are the most interesting borrowers. They dig long deep tunnels that stretch out from one end of the enclosure to the other end, as deep as the enclosure will allow. They are not pet holes either, out and about regularly which is nice too.

I use peat moss for substrate which works out pretty well. My borrowers and ones that love to dig are G. porteri, G. pulchra and A. hentzi.
Yep my hentzi behaves the way yours is doing.I actually collected her from wild here in arkansas.had her over 6 years she was not mature but had a nice burrow she was on top ground outside her burrow as well and does That in her container also so they might like to get some Sun lol
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
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Messages
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Here you go this is hollow piece of tree I collected in the woods.had a good hollow cavity with nice opening.I left it up from bottom of tank good 4inchs then laid some flat rocks in bottom of tank around the wood and cut a piece glass laid over the rocks so my female singblue would not be totally invisible all the time :) this is a 10 gallon upright setting tank ,once they move into a hide like this there home till they die.I lost my bigger female back last year she was old though 10 years at least she gave up 4 sacs livin ng in a similar type setup.I keep some cardboard along the sides of tank so light don't get in this young female thinks she is home didn't get the pic to load right side up but maybe it work
 

eldondominicano

Arachnobaron
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Dec 8, 2014
Messages
421
Here you go this is hollow piece of tree I collected in the woods.had a good hollow cavity with nice opening.I left it up from bottom of tank good 4inchs then laid some flat rocks in bottom of tank around the wood and cut a piece glass laid over the rocks so my female singblue would not be totally invisible all the time :) this is a 10 gallon upright setting tank ,once they move into a hide like this there home till they die.I lost my bigger female back last year she was old though 10 years at least she gave up 4 sacs livin ng in a similar type setup.I keep some cardboard along the sides of tank so light don't get in this young female thinks she is home didn't get the pic to load right side up but maybe it work
Great setup, very nice work. L. Violaceopes, if not my favorite species, is definetily up there for me. I have a Sumatran tiger T aka Cyriopagopus sp. Sumatran Tiger. L. Violaceopes used to be a part of this genus, and they seem to act almost the same, lots of digging, while showing arboreal tendencies.. I know rabbit trail lol, anyhow my new setup that my Ts been in for a whilenow, is very similar, hollow log and lots of roam space for breeding as well. Im hoping to breed this species, looking for a MM though
 

just1moreT

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 1, 2009
Messages
435
They are nice sp.get big to my girl needs molt one more time and she be ready to pair.but those males are hard to come by good luck with the pairing when you find a male
 

Tomoran

Arachnoknight
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Nov 11, 2013
Messages
239
I'm loving the burrow pics. Here is a pic of one of my E. pachypus' burrows (mostly topsoil). I love that they are mostly vertical, which allows me to spy on them. The enclosure is the same as yours as well, just1moreT. Love those stackable Sterilite containers.

 
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