Heretic
Member
- Messages
- 60
- Location
- Indianapolis
This is a harder question then many people think. I am reading and watching videos where people are confusing our need to feed and house a T and the T's needs as a living animal.
Please don't fool yourself into believing your Tarantula doesn't know its in an enclosed space. While the word "know" and "want" are not really proper for arachnid, the term is best used so we can talk about this myth of "they don't need a lot of room". They do need room, just not for the reason we want.
A T will utilize the room it is given to the best of its instinctual programing. A Fossorial will dig a hole, an Arboreal will climb up and a Terrestrial with do any thing it wants, but they all "KNOW" they are in an enclosed space.
We know Tarantulas are ambush predators. They wait for something to cross their path and then attack it. In nature this can take a long time which is why Tarantulas can go a very long time without food... over a year without food in some cases.
Their prey items are NOT stupid, (they are dumb hahaha). I posted a video of a Roach walking up on my T and realizing its not in a good place. It knows the T is on top of it and The T knows the Roach is right in front of it... The Roach slowly backs away out of range and then runs away. The next night it crossed the T again and wasn't so lucky.
I give my T a HUGE enclosure knowing full well this is going to cause issues. The feeding is a pain in the backside, because food doesn't want to be eaten so it runs away and hides. Cleaning is a choir because of the size of the enclosure, as is the climate control. The rewards for me are ascetics. There is benefit to the T.
I know my T is better off because she roams the cage. She's not hunting, they don't "hunt" for food. She's not a male looking for love, and she isn't trying to find a place to make a den... she has two dens and both are awesome spots... She will roam the cage all night and then in the morning bed down in one of her borrows. She is roaming the enclosure because she "knows" she is in an enclosed space and "wants" to get out of it. The benefit here is mental challenge even if she doesn't "know" it. Her instinctual process is telling her for her survival she needs to be in a place where other things are. She "wants" to be free.
Again "KNOW" and "WANT" are not the correct words to use, but we are using those words to communicate the instinctual processes.
The reason many Tarantulas don't wander small enclosures is they know how small the space is. They are trapped and they know it. There is no reason to wander because their webbing is filling the space. They can sense the entire size of it. The reason they may or may not bolt the second the top is off is out of fear because they also know... just as that Roach knew that danger was near, they know you are there. Just because they don't toss up a threat posture or kick hair doesn't mean they are not scared. It just hasn't come to that level of threat yet.
Just like handling a T isn't something the T likes, as long as the level of discomfort to the T is at a minimal, its fine to allow the T to run across your hand. Yes, the T is kinda scared and Yes it doesn't want to be there, but this can be a good thing for its long term health. Challenging situations that force an animal to process its situation provide electro-chemical neurological pathways to be strengthened. This ultimately leads to a stronger animal as long as the exposure is limited. Fear and stress in small quantities are a good thing and all species benefit from it.
So the size of the enclosure is up to the Keeper and for sure a T can be fine in a small enclosure, but if you are willing to add a bit more time caring for your T, adding more room isn't a bad thing. A bigger enclosure offers a challenge to the T. Buy a cheap camera with night vision mode and record your T exploring its enclosure.
Please don't fool yourself into believing your Tarantula doesn't know its in an enclosed space. While the word "know" and "want" are not really proper for arachnid, the term is best used so we can talk about this myth of "they don't need a lot of room". They do need room, just not for the reason we want.
A T will utilize the room it is given to the best of its instinctual programing. A Fossorial will dig a hole, an Arboreal will climb up and a Terrestrial with do any thing it wants, but they all "KNOW" they are in an enclosed space.
We know Tarantulas are ambush predators. They wait for something to cross their path and then attack it. In nature this can take a long time which is why Tarantulas can go a very long time without food... over a year without food in some cases.
Their prey items are NOT stupid, (they are dumb hahaha). I posted a video of a Roach walking up on my T and realizing its not in a good place. It knows the T is on top of it and The T knows the Roach is right in front of it... The Roach slowly backs away out of range and then runs away. The next night it crossed the T again and wasn't so lucky.
I give my T a HUGE enclosure knowing full well this is going to cause issues. The feeding is a pain in the backside, because food doesn't want to be eaten so it runs away and hides. Cleaning is a choir because of the size of the enclosure, as is the climate control. The rewards for me are ascetics. There is benefit to the T.
I know my T is better off because she roams the cage. She's not hunting, they don't "hunt" for food. She's not a male looking for love, and she isn't trying to find a place to make a den... she has two dens and both are awesome spots... She will roam the cage all night and then in the morning bed down in one of her borrows. She is roaming the enclosure because she "knows" she is in an enclosed space and "wants" to get out of it. The benefit here is mental challenge even if she doesn't "know" it. Her instinctual process is telling her for her survival she needs to be in a place where other things are. She "wants" to be free.
Again "KNOW" and "WANT" are not the correct words to use, but we are using those words to communicate the instinctual processes.
The reason many Tarantulas don't wander small enclosures is they know how small the space is. They are trapped and they know it. There is no reason to wander because their webbing is filling the space. They can sense the entire size of it. The reason they may or may not bolt the second the top is off is out of fear because they also know... just as that Roach knew that danger was near, they know you are there. Just because they don't toss up a threat posture or kick hair doesn't mean they are not scared. It just hasn't come to that level of threat yet.
Just like handling a T isn't something the T likes, as long as the level of discomfort to the T is at a minimal, its fine to allow the T to run across your hand. Yes, the T is kinda scared and Yes it doesn't want to be there, but this can be a good thing for its long term health. Challenging situations that force an animal to process its situation provide electro-chemical neurological pathways to be strengthened. This ultimately leads to a stronger animal as long as the exposure is limited. Fear and stress in small quantities are a good thing and all species benefit from it.
So the size of the enclosure is up to the Keeper and for sure a T can be fine in a small enclosure, but if you are willing to add a bit more time caring for your T, adding more room isn't a bad thing. A bigger enclosure offers a challenge to the T. Buy a cheap camera with night vision mode and record your T exploring its enclosure.
