B. Smithi behavior question

I recently purchased a B. Smithi that is about 2.5" in size. I set up a vivarium using all Coconut husk as substrate. After a week she settled in and I offer her food and she has been eating very well. Recently she began to burrow and has closed herself off in her burrow for about 1 month. I have not disturbed her...but am beginning to wonder if she will ever come out! I have heard of them doing this from time to time, but I am getting a bit worried. Anyone have some advice? Thanks!

Teddy

Chances are it's fine. When it finally does come out it will probably be sporting a shiny new exoskeleton. Or it might just want some privacy - either way, nothing to worry about.

if she was eating well before she closed up into burrow I wouldn't worry about it. She most likely got enough nourishment to last till after molt and getting ready to molt. They can go long periods of time without eating. I would just make sure to have a water dish and keep water in it and when she is finished she will come out to hunt. Patients is a requirement for some species I just had a 1 1/4" aphonopelma finally emerge after over 3 months. some tarantulas molt right out in the open and others disappear for months even in the same species each individual is different.This is why most of us have several different tarantulas.

100% normal behavior. It will emerge when it emerges, absolutely no need to worry. Could be weeks, could be months.

Your tarantula is tarantuling.

Leave her be. If she gets hungry or thirsty she'll come out on her own, probably wearing a new outfit... just be sure to keep fresh water in the dish at all times for when she's ready.

Yup, what everyone else said. She's probably preparing to molt. Just keep her water dish clean and full.

Thanks everyone for the reassurance! I have this enclosure with live plants in which seem to keep the humidity higher than expected. I have a pretty accurate humidity gauge and its seems to stay around 80-85% depending when I lightly water the plants. I would like it to be more in the 65-70% range. Do you think this could be a problem? Thanks!

Teddy

deadted said:

Thanks everyone for the reassurance! I have this enclosure with live plants in which seem to keep the humidity higher than expected. I have a pretty accurate humidity gauge and its seems to stay around 80-85% depending when I lightly water the plants. I would like it to be more in the 65-70% range. Do you think this could be a problem? Thanks!

Teddy

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That is a lot of humidity..they prefer a more arid climate. I keep mine in a completely dry enclosure with a water bowl.

I would definitely remove the plants. For a dry species like smithi, they'll make too much humidity. They also attract pests.

cold blood said:

100% normal behavior. It will emerge when it emerges, absolutely no need to worry. Could be weeks, could be months.

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+1. Do some reading and learn tarantula basics. You have the animal, learn what to expect.

I also like decorated enclosures but its easer to do with fake plants. A water dish is all you need.

deadted said:

I have a pretty accurate humidity gauge and its seems to stay around 80-85% depending when I lightly water the plants.

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First off, a hygrometer has no place in a t enclosure, its as useless as putting a Geiger counter in there.....especially for a t that has ZERO humidity requirements.

I can guarantee its not as accurate as you believe either. That thing's best use is as a paper weight on your desk:laugh:

I see you've just joined last month - Welcome!

B. smithi prefer more arid conditions, so my concern is that the humidity pumped out by watering in a partially-closed system like a tank may hike up the humidity beyond what is appropriate for a desert dweller. Also, it's reasonable to expect that a burrower may uproot whatever plants you have sitting in the substrate at some point. I would ditch the plants altogether, IMHO.

Also, pet store grade humidity gauges/thermometers are often so inaccurate as to be useless. All you'll really need in the way of gauging humidity is looking to ensure that the water bowl is full.

I'll echo what the others have said - it's likely just a premolt! Tarantulas are perplexing creatures but there's always a method to their madness. Just let him be, he knows what he's doing

Thanks again for the input. The hygrometer I am using is a pretty accurate one. I have used it against my digital one in my incubator when hatching some rare birds from time to time. Otherwise I agree, most of them are better as paper weights. I am using it for temp reasons like this to make sure things are not out of ideal environmental conditions. I have done plenty of reading on tarantula basics, and no where have I come across much information on this behavior and is why I am requesting others insights. I will work pulling the humidity down...most reading I have done say that 65% is a good number. Thanks again for all your input.

Teddy

---------- Post added 08-29-2015 at 05:53 PM ----------

Another thought, correct me if I'm wrong but, B. smithi does not live in a totally arid environment. Inhabitating the SW mexician coastal mountians is dry, but far from desert. Here is what one source summarized about their habitat: "(Brachypelma smithi) is a terrestrial tarantula native to the western faces of the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur mountain ranges in Mexico. Their natural habitat is in deciduous tropical forests in the hilly southwestern Mexico, especially in Colima and Guerrero." This sounds far from dry desert habitat to me. I would also say that there is no real actual data on the conditions inside the burrow where most of their time is spent. The conditions on the outside of the burrow are extremely different. I don't think anyone really knows for sure.

Humidity is completely irrelevant to this species, all you need is a water bowl, seriously. Sounds like the reading you've done was via "care-sheets", which are total garbage and should NOT be taken literally or even seriously. No t on the planet has a number specific humidity that needs to be constantly maintained (regardless of how many care sheets stress this poor advice) and very few places on the planet have a constant, consistent humidity level....humidity fluctuates like temperature. People read these care sheets and read these specifics and take them literally, which just causes more problems that it could ever hope to solve. I've been keeping 15 years, never once have I tried to measure humidity in ANY enclosure. Its not something you should be focusing on. You could have the best hygrometer man has ever created and its still better off as a paper weight than in a t enclosure.

You are correct that they are not a desert species, many of the areas they live in are pretty green. They do however do quite well in dry enclosures with just a simple water dish, they are exceedingly easy to care for. Keeping them on the dry side will reduce any issues down the line with mites/mold/fungus/scuttle flies. Its really just as simple as keeping the dish full and picking up any bolus you find. Once every other month I pour water into the enclosure in an area, then let it dry back out again for many weeks....I mainly do this in winter when natural humidity in the north plummets as a result of our running furnaces.

Cold blood...thanks again for your insight. I am not trying to nail a specific humidity ...just trying to get a baseline my humidity and make sure I am not on one extreme or another. I have noticed a few small flies in the enclosure....might be the scuttle flies you mentioned from the high humidity. Does low humidity get rid of them? Also, do slings usually require a moister environment? Thanks.

Teddy

They are fine with a water dish, don't worry for that. But keep the water dish always full.

deadted said:

Cold blood...thanks again for your insight. I have noticed a few small flies in the enclosure....might be the scuttle flies you mentioned from the high humidity. Does low humidity get rid of them? Also, do slings usually require a moister environment? Thanks.

Teddy

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Yes, a dry, clean enclosure will significantly reduce pests, if not eliminate them.

When small, slings do need more moisture as they haven't developed their waxie layer, which makes them more vulnerable to dehydrating. Just moisten a small area (and rotate the area so no one area stays perpetually damp), no need to soak anything....a water dish is always a good idea...every single species gets a water dish as soon as their enclosure is big enough to allow it....generally about3/4", but I've used small dished for 1/2" slings as well.