Tarantula Blocked opening to its hide?

19killer44 · Jan 21, 2015

so ive had my tarantula for a while now but its done something ive never seen it do before. i woke up this morning to find that my tarantula has closed the opening to its burrow. so does anyone have any idea why she has done this? any in formation would be greatly appreciated!
the picture below is what she has done to the opening of her burrow

miss moxie · Jan 21, 2015

Congratulations! Your tarantula may be about to molt into a bigger tarantula!

Or it's just being 'weird'. Honestly sometimes the things tarantulas do make no sense at all to us, but lots of sense to them.

But this can be a sign that they're preparing to molt. My G. pulchripes female just blocked up her hide as well.

19killer44 · Jan 21, 2015

ahh ok haha thanks for the info, yea i had a feeling thats what it was, however she has been eating normally so thats why i was a bit confused. hopefully she is molting id love to see her get bigger

.

miss moxie · Jan 21, 2015

19killer44 said:
ahh ok haha thanks for the info, yea i had a feeling thats what it was, however she has been eating normally so thats why i was a bit confused. hopefully she is molting id love to see her get bigger .

You never specified what type of T she is?

Some Ts will eat right up until they molt, but she may stay in there for a while until she molts. Could be a month. Some will eat, hit a certain point, and hide out until it's all said and done. My Euathlus sp. "red" covered her hide front with webbing rather than substrate, and stayed in there for three weeks until she molted. Different strokes for different spiders.

19killer44 · Jan 21, 2015

to be 100% honest i havent really got her id shes an australian bird eating spider however there are different types shes my first and only tarantula i have i had a guy help me out a few months ago on here with looking after her like how to and stuff

Sana · Jan 21, 2015

miss moxie said:
You never specified what type of T she is?

Some Ts will eat right up until they molt, but she may stay in there for a while until she molts. Could be a month. Some will eat, hit a certain point, and hide out until it's all said and done. My Euathlus sp. "red" covered her hide front with webbing rather than substrate, and stayed in there for three weeks until she molted. Different strokes for different spiders.

A month? Aren't you the lucky one. I've got one that will hide out and refuse food for up to two months in premolt. I start getting a little worried every time this happens, but inevitably all is fine.

MrDave · Jan 21, 2015

Be prepared that she might be in there for a while. My G. pulchripes disappeared for a month. Resist the temptation to dig her up, as I did mine. Thankfully, (s)he'd completed her molt a day or 3 before...

Ellenantula · Jan 21, 2015

MrDave said:
Be prepared that she might be in there for a while. My G. pulchripes disappeared for a month. Resist the temptation to dig her up, as I did mine. Thankfully, (s)he'd completed her molt a day or 3 before...

My <2" G pulchripes has been substrated in his burrow about 3 weeks now, after refusing the last 2 meals offered (I retrieved the refused food already)
Thankfully, he burrowed so deep I can see him if I lift the enclosure and look underneath. I am not sure he realizes I can see him from the bottom of enclosure.
I can't wait to see what size he will moult into to.

MrDave · Jan 21, 2015

Ellenantula said:
My <2" G pulchripes has been substrated in his burrow about 3 weeks now, after refusing the last 2 meals offered (I retrieved the refused food already)
Thankfully, he burrowed so deep I can see him if I lift the enclosure and look underneath. I am not sure he realizes I can see him from the bottom of enclosure.
I can't wait to see what size he will moult into to.

Sounds like terrible invasion of privacy!

Mines now close to 3 inches and has blocked off its hide again - only it's not inside. It molted on the outside last time and hasn't gone in its hide for 2 months.

Ellenantula · Jan 21, 2015

MrDave said:
Sounds like terrible invasion of privacy!

Mines now close to 3 inches and has blocked off its hide again - only it's not inside. It molted on the outside last time and hasn't gone in its hide for 2 months.

Yes, I'm a peeping Tom (hanging head in shame). I show such restraint not to peek daily but I hate to disturb him.

I've never known a T to close one off and not be in it! Do you suppose he forgot it's a hide/burrow and not some hilly mound you built? Weird!

MrDave · Jan 21, 2015

Ellenantula said:
Yes, I'm a peeping Tom (hanging head in shame). I show such restraint not to peek daily but I hate to disturb him.

I've never known a T to close one off and not be in it! Do you suppose he forgot it's a hide/burrow and not some hilly mound you built? Weird!

I think its got terrible things down there. Corpses. Poor crickets that never had a chance.

Am thinking of rehousing it and giving it a bigger hide. Maybe the hide is just too small now.

Ellenantula · Jan 21, 2015

MrDave said:
I think its got terrible things down there. Corpses. Poor crickets that never had a chance.

Ala Silence of the Lambs. Is he occasionally poking bottles of lotion into the hide? (shudder)

MrDave · Jan 21, 2015

Maybe when your T comes back out freshly molted, post some pics. Someone might be able to ID it for you at that point.

jigalojey · Jan 21, 2015

Hey mate, it's molting season over here so your T is defs in pre-molt.

IHeartTs · Jan 21, 2015

Sana said:
A month? Aren't you the lucky one. I've got one that will hide out and refuse food for up to two months in premolt. I start getting a little worried every time this happens, but inevitably all is fine.

2 months??? What kind of T is it? My fimbriatus, fasciata, and h mac all ate right up until molt. I think the only one that refused and hid for a long oeriod was my rose hair and currently my e murinus.

Sana · Jan 21, 2015

IHeartTs said:
2 months??? What kind of T is it? My fimbriatus, fasciata, and h mac all ate right up until molt. I think the only one that refused and hid for a long oeriod was my rose hair and currently my e murinus.

Avic sp. "pet store" probably A. avic. She's a fussy, sensitive pain in my neck. Fasts for long periods for no better reason than cause she can, hates being seen, and tries to bury herself in the sub if the temp drops below 72 F. I love her to pieces, but premolt is always an anxiety ridden nightmare.

IHeartTs · Jan 22, 2015

Sana said:
Avic sp. "pet store" probably A. avic. She's a fussy, sensitive pain in my neck. Fasts for long periods for no better reason than cause she can, hates being seen, and tries to bury herself in the sub if the temp drops below 72 F. I love her to pieces, but premolt is always an anxiety ridden nightmare.

Jeez. That's a weird avic. Mine are my best hunters. They're only juvies too. Maybe keep her heated? My teeny spec of n chromatus digs a burrow when it's below like 78. All premolt is a nightmare for me. I worry far too much about all my spiders. So I know how you feel.

Sana · Jan 22, 2015

IHeartTs said:
Jeez. That's a weird avic. Mine are my best hunters. They're only juvies too. Maybe keep her heated? My teeny spec of n chromatus digs a burrow when it's below like 78. All premolt is a nightmare for me. I worry far too much about all my spiders. So I know how you feel.

The part of the room that I have her in has additional heat sources in the form of heat lamps for a feeder bin that is below her enclosure. The excess heat that rises up to her is more than enough to keep her above 74 F so she doesn't flip out and try to bury herself anymore. I've partially wrapped her enclosure in a sheet to make in a little darker and more private for her, which was a bit of a trip to do without compromising ventilation. The sheet seems to make her more comfortable though. She just came off of a two month fast. I thought for sure she was going to molt, but no such luck. She's currently happily settled in her web in the darkest corner of her enclosure and she bothers to eat a cricket or two every week to ten days, but only if it's dropped into her web and she doesn't have to work for it. I wish that she was my best hunter, cause then I wouldn't worry so much about her.

justynh · Jan 22, 2015

My obt disappears for weeks at a time. Only molted once for me.

TsunamiSpike · Jan 23, 2015

Our B. Albo did the same, then molted...and after about half hour of being out and about she just went back into her hide and closed it up again...freakin' weirdo..

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