Why is my arboreal T making a tunnel ?

[Aykut Altuntop]

Yesterday i rehoused my l6 sling Cambridgei to a new house and after i put her(i hope), i accidently hit the pipe in her enclosure and the pipe went out. And there was a little hole because of it. And this morning i saw my T inside of it. İt wasn't too big but she digged the hole and went in. I was waiting her to make webs around the pipes but she is making a tunnel and staying in it. Is it normal or should i do something ?

 

[Aykut Altuntop]

İ took the photos before she did it. Just wanted to show you the enclosure is it good or bad

 

[Enn49]

Even arboreal slings will burrow while they're small.
Can you get a small piece of plastic plant to put in, it may encourage more webbing. The only thing missing is a water bowl, a small bottle cap will do.

 

[Aykut Altuntop]

I will put a small plastic plant. But if i put a water bowl can't the T drown. What can i do for it won't drown

 

[Enn49]

Don't worry Ts can't drown in a water bowl, in fact many can swim in rivers.

 

[Aykut Altuntop]

Wow didn't heard that before i will put a water bowl too thanks a lot

 

[Enn49]

Have a look at this http://www.fox26houston.com/news/tarantula-in-texas-seen-swimming-in-terrifyingly-cool-viral-video

 

[Rs50matt]

Aykut. When your T molts put the molt in water and then try submerge it. You'll see the air bubble around it and how difficult it is to keep it underwater. It's a cool little visual experiment

 

[Aykut Altuntop]

Waiting for molt. I will try it thanks

 

[PanzoN88]

Pretty much most arboreal slings outside of Avics/ybrapora/caribena will burrow.

 

[Arachnoclown]

That's what they do...even with cork bark, sticks or plants they make tunnels and hide them with substrate, Adults and juveniles both.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Wrong thread but he molted today^^^^^

 

[Stan Schultz]

Yesterday i rehoused my l6 sling Cambridgei to a new house and after i put her(i hope), i accidently hit the pipe in her enclosure and the pipe went out. And there was a little hole because of it. And this morning i saw my T inside of it. İt wasn't too big but she digged the hole and went in. I was waiting her to make webs around the pipes but she is making a tunnel and staying in it. Is it normal or should i do something ? ...

Normal. Very few kinds of tarantulas that we consider arboreal, really are 100% arboreal. Most such tarantulas will spend some time of their lives living in or on solid, horizontal substrate. And as soon as the baby tarantulas put on some size they begin to migrate upward, often as an escape from predators as well as potential flooding in wet habitats.

Your cambridgei is only one example. Others might be members of the genera Heteroscodra, Hysterocrates and Poecilothera. The typical (though not necessarily universal) scenario is that the babies somehow get to the ground as soon as they begin dispersing. (But, nobody's ever made a formal study of this among the theraphosid tarantulas that I know of.) The (unproven) hypothesis is that living at ground level offers the babies a lot more hiding places as protection from the elements and predators, and offers a lot more food.

And there are some species that, even as adults, are commonly found both at ground level and up in the trees. Different strokes for different folks.

About the only, truly (i.e., 99.44%) arboreal tarantulas that I know of are members of the genera Avicularia and Caribena. You will often see enthusiasts calling many of the others "semi-arboreal" or other similar terms. But all of that is very subjective in the broad view.

Regardless, enjoy your little eight-legged fossorial/terrestrial/semi-arboreal/semi-aerial/arboreal/aerial wonder.