Cork Bark

Hi All,

I'm setting up a 5 gallon (8x10x16) tank for a new A.Avic. I found a 3.5 inch in a pet shop that is jammed into a very small enclosure and I'm going to rescue it (or so my logic goes). Hey I have to justify it somehow to the wife!

I have a long piece of tubular cork bark that has a 3" diameter opening. It is about 14" long so it will stand straight up in the tank. Since I have never kept an arboreal I'm not sure how to position this bark in the tank. Is it best to leave it in the shape of a tube or cut it in half to make two 180 degree pieces? I've seen pictures of it both ways. Will the Avic web inside of the tube if I leave it whole or is it more likely the it will use the bark as an anchor and web along the glass whether I cut it or not?

I would leave it tubular so it could choose to web inside of it or to web between it and the glass.

Either option would work just fine, but keep in mind that all arboreals tend to stay in their webs most of the time. So if you leave it as a tube, you may find that your avic climbs inside and isn't seen too much.

I say leave it as a tube.

what I tend to prefer actually with arboreals that might go into a tube like that is the following:

Block off the top and bottom and have a hole in the side facing out. Then if they go into the tube they use that hole in the front making it more visible for you and still preferable for the T. To do this I would bury the bottom into the substrate and block off the top and then add fake plants and such to make it look natural. I plan on doing this with both my Pokie and my Avic once they are big enough to go into full enclosures.

If it were me, I would split it.
I like to be able to see my spiders. You could use the other half for your next spider (it will happen). Consider adding some silk foliage to the cork - I used sprigs from the fake ficus tree, looks great and my avics incorpoate the leaves in their webbing.

Cutting it in half gives the option of using the second piece in other enclosures or to make aditional hiding space in this enclosure and maximizes the use of the material. If you leave it tubular then I would at least cut a long thin slit down the tube to make extraction of the spider easier if it becomes necessary to remove it for some reason, other than that the decision is really a matter of personal opinion.

Thanks guys! I appreciate the input.