I've noticed many "arboreal" tarantulas will burrow given enough substrate but most never give them the opportunity.

[lilivili]

I recently kept a male irminia to maturity.

I picked up another and decided to try something different.

I have an OBT and H Mac who have displayed burrowing tendencies, so I fill their arboreal tank about 40%-50% with substrate and the rest with vertical structure. The OBT is basically fully burrowed and the H mac is about 10% burrowed and the rest semi above ground.

So I gave my new juvenile irminia very deep substrate and it has fully burrowed and spends minimal time above ground.

The T is about 2.5" and has burrowed a about its full length in the substrate in a very deep hole much like a terrestrial would.

I'm getting attacked elsewhere online for "not giving proper care" to my irminia which seems ridiculous.

If anyone is giving improper care it's the folks giving their arboreal species hardly any substrate and forcing them into an arboreal behavior when that might not be their choice.

The term arboreal seems like a very vague term where people assume these Ts are climbing through tree tops when they just as well may be hiding under rocks and ground level cover.

It's very frustrating to me to see this dogmatic approach of adhering to rough archetypes rather than observing and adapting to how our Ts behave.

 

[fcat]

Does elsewhere even exist if it's wrong?

Psalmos are known to do this especially at small sizes.

Pictures would help

This recent comment might be helpful:

New World Arboreal Behavior

Hello, I was just wondering about the behavioral differences between Psalmopoeus, Tapinauchenius, Avicularia, and Caribena species. I know Psalmopoeus and Tapinauchenius species are known to be skittish and more defensive, and I have heard Avics and Caribenas are more laid back, easier for...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Liquifin]

Psalmopoeus tend to have slight substrate usage as slings, which includes dirt curtains and slight burrowing at times. But as adults, they're basically arboreal like every other arboreal tarantula. OBT are a terrestrial species and are not arboreal, so burrowing from them is normal if given substrate depth. H. mac and Asian arboreal species use substrate to an extent such as dirt curtains and smaller specimens may burrow as well when smaller.

So I gave my new juvenile irminia very deep substrate and it has fully burrowed and spends minimal time above ground.

The T is about 2.5" and has burrowed a about its full length in the substrate in a very deep hole much like a terrestrial would.

It not an adult that's why. But once it's an adult, it'll be more arboreal just like every other Psalmopoeus species in the genus.

 

[lilivili]

Psalmopoeus tend to have slight substrate usage as slings, which includes dirt curtains and slight burrowing at times. But as adults, they're basically arboreal like every other arboreal tarantula. OBT are a terrestrial species and are not arboreal, so burrowing from them is normal if given substrate depth. H. mac and Asian arboreal species use substrate to an extent such as dirt curtains and smaller specimens may burrow as well when smaller.


It not an adult that's why. But once it's an adult, it'll be more arboreal just like every other Psalmopoeus species in the genus.

My MM p. irminia pretty much sat at the bottom of a cork round 23 hours a day and only left when it felt a cricket or wanted to drink. Felt like the extra ~7 inches of vertical space above the cork round was just space for crickets to crawl up and hide.

 

[Liquifin]

My MM p. irminia pretty much sat at the bottom of a cork round 23 hours a day and only left when it felt a cricket or wanted to drink. Felt like the extra ~7 inches of vertical space above the cork round was just space for crickets to crawl up and hide.

So your reasoning is based on a couple to a few specimens in your care? And now you're trying to represent your care as truth about the species entirely? Isn't that just dangerous to the hobby?

 

[HOITrance]

My MM p. irminia pretty much sat at the bottom of a cork round 23 hours a day and only left when it felt a cricket or wanted to drink

This is exactly what it would do in the wild if it had enough space found in a tree. A lot of the arboreal species are just reclusive unless hunting.

Psalmos are also known for their burrowing behavior. Some will continue to do it into adulthood on the individual level.

OBTs are terrestrial. They will web up off the ground in the wild and in our care. I find giving enough web anchors and enough burrowing space makes them quite “laid back”

 

[lilivili]

This is exactly what it would do in the wild if it had enough space found in a tree. A lot of the arboreal species are just reclusive unless hunting.

Psalmos are also known for their burrowing behavior. Some will continue to do it into adulthood on the individual level.

OBTs are terrestrial. They will web up off the ground in the wild and in our care. I find giving enough web anchors and enough burrowing space makes them quite “laid back”

Same, I gave my OBT about 50/50 substrate to vertical space in an arboreal top open container and stuck a bushy fake plant in it for anchora.

It's only threat posed at crickets. Very reclusive. Never had an issue with it.

My h. mac is the same way.

I'm way more scared of my bird eaters than my old worlds because the bird eaters opt to sit out in the open and attack anything that moves in hopes It's food.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

My MM p. irminia pretty much sat at the bottom of a cork round 23 hours a day and only left when it felt a cricket or wanted to drink. Felt like the extra ~7 inches of vertical space above the cork round was just space for crickets to crawl up and hide.

That’s very unusual most wander .

I recently kept a male irminia to maturity.

I picked up another and decided to try something different.

I have an OBT and H Mac who have displayed burrowing tendencies, so I fill their arboreal tank about 40%-50% with substrate and the rest with vertical structure. The OBT is basically fully burrowed and the H mac is about 10% burrowed and the rest semi above ground.

So I gave my new juvenile irminia very deep substrate and it has fully burrowed and spends minimal time above ground.

The T is about 2.5" and has burrowed a about its full length in the substrate in a very deep hole much like a terrestrial would.

I'm getting attacked elsewhere online for "not giving proper care" to my irminia which seems ridiculous.

If anyone is giving improper care it's the folks giving their arboreal species hardly any substrate and forcing them into an arboreal behavior when that might not be their choice.

The term arboreal seems like a very vague term where people assume these Ts are climbing through tree tops when they just as well may be hiding under rocks and ground level cover.

It's very frustrating to me to see this dogmatic approach of adhering to rough archetypes rather than observing and adapting to how our Ts behave.

seems whoever is saying your keeping it wrong has no clue .

 

[cold blood]

Avics are the only segment of the arboreal ts that are actually obligate arboreal...literally all other will spend much of their time at ground level and even burrow to a degree.

 

[viper69]

Ok

 

[Brewser]

Substrata and Bark Hide Arrangements.
The rest is up to the Spider.