Crapping on the ceiling

PRE66 6TART · May 24, 2015

Twice now in the past week or so I've found tarantula poop smeared right in the center of the lid of the ten gallon tank I have my p. cancerides in. Why is she crapping on the ceiling? Has anyone else experienced this? Is she climbing up there to poop? Or does hanging upside-down make her want to poop? Or does she just happen to have to poop while she happens to be up there? Or is it not actually poop? It really looks like poop. Poop.

Blueandbluer · May 24, 2015

TBenz, get on it

Apologies that I don't have anything constructive to add, but I had to share that your thread title got Lionel Ritchie stuck in my head...

"Oh what a feeeelin, when we're crapping on the ceiling..."

DVMT · May 24, 2015

Blueandbluer said:
Apologies that I don't have anything constructive to add, but I had to share that your thread title got Lionel Ritchie stuck in my head...

"Oh what a feeeelin, when we're crapping on the ceiling..."

Oh, blue!!!! Haha!!! Now it's in my head!

Hey OP, can we have a pic of the enclosure?

lalberts9310 · May 24, 2015

They would raise their abdomens and poop to wherever they want to.. the sides, the top, they are very felxible.. pretty normal.. it's like a poop cannon.. if you want weird, I once opened the door to my MM p. Irminias enclosure when he was still sub-adult, he happened to be on the opposite side of the enclosure, he took aim, and fired.. pooped straight in my face.. it's amazing how these guys can take aim

LythSalicaria · May 24, 2015

Oh boy, I can see it now, this thread is going to turn into a real

oop: show. *rimshot*

In all seriousness, while I have yet to see any of my Terrestrials get poop on the ceiling, I doubt it's anything to worry about. She's probably just doing some target practice.

just1moreT · May 24, 2015

I caught my MF singapore blue. shoot a load once .it's just another good perk that goes with this hobby

Biollantefan54 · May 24, 2015

I seen my GBB crap shoot right after a rehouse. My trap door spider has poop on the ceiling too. Spiders are real party poopers.

PRE66 6TART · May 24, 2015

DamonVikki said:
Hey OP, can we have a pic of the enclosure?

I can post some pics when I get home.

Are you serious about the poop cannon thing? I've seen her poop before and it just went straight down. I assumed she was climbing up there to do it, because I've seen her up there recently.

DVMT · May 24, 2015

Avicularia are notorious poop shooters, too. Mine have basically painted the walls of my T cabinet and both doors.

louise f · May 24, 2015

My Pokies always climb up to sit outside their cork tube and then aiming after the front glass, clever little buggers

and easy for me to clean up after them

So thumbs up for that,after all.

lalberts9310 · May 24, 2015

PRE66 6TART said:
I can post some pics when I get home.

Are you serious about the poop cannon thing? I've seen her poop before and it just went straight down. I assumed she was climbing up there to do it, because I've seen her up there recently.

The poop shoots like a cannon ball would from a cannon.. LOL.. aboreals (especially avics and psalmos) like raising their bums and poop onto the opposite side of the enclosure... it's possible that she could have roamed the enclosure on the sides and then pooped, but I highly doubt that a terrestrial would attempt climbing onto the lid and hanging upside down, she would've fell instantly since they don't possess footpads for that kind of grip, and terrestrials are large and heavy, not even my aboreals attempt hanging upside down from the roof of their enclosures.. so I think she just might have been against the side, bum facing the roof, of her enclosure or just decided to take good aim..

DVMT · May 24, 2015

If you have a screen top pretty much any T can cling to it with tarsal hooks. I've seen poorly kept Rosies do it at pet stores when the sub is too moist

LythSalicaria · May 24, 2015

DamonVikki said:
If you have a screen top pretty much any T can cling to it with tarsal hooks. I've seen poorly kept Rosies do it at pet stores when the sub is too moist

+1. I haven't seen any of my larger terrestrials do it, but I have seen my 2.5" L. difficilis hanging from the lid of its enclosure. Freaked me right out; I ended up adding a few more inches of sub because of it. I've had that sling since it was a quarter inch old; would be choked if I lost it to a fall-related injury.

lalberts9310 · May 24, 2015

DamonVikki said:
If you have a screen top pretty much any T can cling to it with tarsal hooks. I've seen poorly kept Rosies do it at pet stores when the sub is too moist

Oops, forgot about mesh lids

---------- Post added 05-24-2015 at 11:56 PM ----------

If it's a mesh lid then it's possible the T can climb to the top and poop on the lid

PRE66 6TART · May 24, 2015

DamonVikki said:
If you have a screen top pretty much any T can cling to it with tarsal hooks. I've seen poorly kept Rosies do it at pet stores when the sub is too moist

Yes, it's a screen top. I've been meaning to replace it, but it didn't seem urgent since she never seemed interested in climbing before. At least not until a few days ago when I found her hanging upside-down. I've got pictures to prove it. She's pretty big too. Over five inches.

She only started doing it after a rehouse a few days ago when I discovered her hide was too large, and took the opportunity to also add a little more substrate since it was kind of low. She must not like something. It's more moist than it was before, but I had been told they like moist, but maybe I overdid it. Or she might not like the new hide, or I might have buried it too deep.

lalberts9310 · May 24, 2015

I'm not entirely sure how P. Cancerides are kept, but the screen top explains the pooping on the lid.. but yes that needs to be replaced, those don't go well with a Ts claws and fangs..

cold blood · May 24, 2015

They like it on the damp side, like most big tropicals. Take a towel or something and lay it across the screen so there is just a few inches of ventilation on either side...this will at least trap a little humidity as well as promoting airflow better.

PRE66 6TART · May 24, 2015

cold blood said:
They like it on the damp side, like most big tropicals. Take a towel or something and lay it across the screen so there is just a few inches of ventilation on either side...this will at least trap a little humidity as well as promoting airflow better.

I'll do that for now. I know a glass company that's made stuff for me for pretty cheap, so I was gonna see if they could cut me a glass or plexiglass lid, but I didn't know what the ideal ventilation would be. Would a few rows of holes on either side be good?

Biollantefan54 · May 24, 2015

Doooonnnn't stop belieeeeevvvving
Cause we're
Craapppiinn on the ceilin'

elliotulysses · May 24, 2015

PRE66 6TART said:
I'll do that for now. I know a glass company that's made stuff for me for pretty cheap, so I was gonna see if they could cut me a glass or plexiglass lid, but I didn't know what the ideal ventilation would be. Would a few rows of holes on either side be good?

I'd say six larger holes. Not 1" a bit less haha

Crapping on the ceiling

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