Is this normal behavior?

Anthony Batista · May 31, 2015

My T.smithi and LP haven't left their hide in a little over a month. They both molted about a month before they enclosed themselves, so I doubt it's a molt. 2 weeks prior to them enclosing themselves they stopped eating. Then, I woke up one day and they had webbed up their entrance and covered it with substrate. Should I lift their hide to check on them or do I just let them be? I'm getting a bit worried. They're both around 3 inches.

HungryGhost · May 31, 2015

Leave them alone. They don't want to be disturbed for some reason. They know how to be a tarantula better than we do.

cold blood · May 31, 2015

How big are they??

KcFerry · May 31, 2015

I find that the T's I disturb the least will stay out the most.
Also, overfeeding will shut them down and cause them to just hole-up until they're hungry again...Mine seem quite content to stay buried after a good meal, and with some species this can last months!
Leave em alone and they'll emerge when they need you. lol

Anthony Batista · Jun 1, 2015

I'll leave them alone. I couldn't help but be worried. Hopefully they'll come out soon.

nelu · Jun 2, 2015

You are lucky if it is only a month, i myself have a few "pet holes", which I do not remember seeing them out from last year: H, hainanum, O aureotibialis, P. muticus, C. fasciatum - this one has a habit of eating a month and disappear for 6-8 months - great display tarantula what can I say...

Storm76 · Jun 2, 2015

Normal behavior, yes. Leave alone, have patience, smile in awe when the (likely) bigger T reappears

Sana · Jun 2, 2015

I recently had a G. porteri come out of it's sealed burrow after three months inside. Apparently this is a normal behavior for even a pet rock.

Ellenantula · Jun 4, 2015

I'm lucky right now -- only 2 small slings tend to be burrowed most/all the time. All my others tend to be out in open or at least, out-ish -- legs poking out of hide (plus, you can peek inside a hide if you want).
Even the GBB is out on top of webbing mostly (when moulting, GBB was burrowed in her gorgeous webbed burrow!)
Even large G pulchripes sling has stopped burrowing and is out most the time -- moulted out in open first time ever last week.
Only the tiny slings do I go days without seeing lately.

Anthony Batista · Jun 6, 2015

The LP dug out a small exist on the rear side of the hide, I was able to peek inside, to my surprise, I saw a molt. I cant remove the molt without lifting her hide and destroy her webbing, so do I just leave the molt inside? Is there anything wrong with leaving the molt in there?

cold blood · Jun 6, 2015

Anthony Batista said:
The LP dug out a small exist on the rear side of the hide, I was able to peek inside, to my surprise, I saw a molt. I cant remove the molt without lifting her hide and destroy her webbing, so do I just leave the molt inside? Is there anything wrong with leaving the molt in there?

Nope, it will eject it eventually...probably....its not an issue for it to be left.

awiec · Jun 6, 2015

Anthony Batista said:
The LP dug out a small exist on the rear side of the hide, I was able to peek inside, to my surprise, I saw a molt. I cant remove the molt without lifting her hide and destroy her webbing, so do I just leave the molt inside? Is there anything wrong with leaving the molt in there?

Molts won't hurt anything, they can't even mold or get smelly. Only time I want a molt out is so I can sex it but it seems the spiders know this and will keep it away from me for a prolonged period of time.

Ellenantula · Jun 6, 2015

awiec said:
Molts won't hurt anything, they can't even mold or get smelly. Only time I want a molt out is so I can sex it but it seems the spiders know this and will keep it away from me for a prolonged period of time.

And destroying them beyond all recognition -- esp Avics and Psalmis. Very rude.

BobGrill · Jun 6, 2015

Never had that problem with my Avics. They're very considerate. My Ephebopus murinus however apparently likes having it in her burrow, because she never bothered to push it out. I tried removing it with tongs but she got very defensive (as expected) and I figured it wasn't really worth it.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

Ellenantula · Jun 6, 2015

BobGrill said:
Never had that problem with my Avics.

I was cleaning out bottom of avic's container (large female who denies me any of her moults) and I saw this fuzzy black worm on the bottom -- no odor, figured a mealworm must have molded and then desiccated or something. I was horrified at the thought I could have had mites because of my poor husbandry (though I clean bottom weekly and change water). You probably already guessed what it was: part of a leg from her last exuvia. I have since found other exo 'parts' when cleaning in there. lol

My avic does a real number on her moults. She tears them up beyond any recognition.

Storm76 · Jun 8, 2015

BobGrill said:
Never had that problem with my Avics. They're very considerate. My Ephebopus murinus however apparently likes having it in her burrow, because she never bothered to push it out. I tried removing it with tongs but she got very defensive (as expected) and I figured it wasn't really worth it.

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

Can attest to that. Ephebopus murinus are famous for stashing old molts in their burrows. My girl gets defensive if I intrude on her burrow - otherwise she's a petrock that couldn't care less, doesn't bolt, doesn't threaten except for when in premolt or getting too close to he burrow

Is this normal behavior?

Anthony Batista

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HungryGhost

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cold blood

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KcFerry

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Anthony Batista

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nelu

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Sana

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Ellenantula

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Anthony Batista

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awiec

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