Does your G. Rosea burrow?

[Peter Lacey]

Hi everyone, the forum tells me I haven't posted recently so this seems like an interesting topic.
I have a little 4th instar G. Rosea which I purchased last week. We rehoused her as the home we were sold was too moist and she rarely left the cork. I was given good advice in other forums to house her in dry substrate and continued to read as much as poss about G. Rosea and tarantula via Schultz's guide. I was interested to read, notably in Schultz's "How to Really Take Care of Your G. Rosea" caresheet within another forum, that they rarely burrow. I don't think my little Rosie has read this sheet coz as soon as she was in her new home she took a quick tour and then proceeded to burrow, and burrow, and burrow. So, after 1 week things looked quite different.
She changed things around, at least 1 inch of substrate on top of her water bowl, burrowed under the cork with viewing area to the right (how convenient) and exit to the left. Substrate deposited all over so you can hardly see the grass/peat, or wood at the back, and leaf is almost burried too. She's been a busy little Rosea.
I've rearranged things a little coz some of the substrate blocked the ventilation holes and she should have her water bowl.
Do we have any other burrowing Rosea within the community?
The 2 pix attached show the difference she made in 6 days.

[Elaine Ross]

Hi Peter
Dont worry about your rosea burrowing, mine does too. She seems to be quite the little excavator lol. Mine had a really nice home that she redecorated over the space of a few days. She then moulted and redecorated again

The joy of living with a G. rosea. No two are the same.

Elaine x

[Peter Lacey]

Thanks for the reply Elaine,
I'm certainly not worried, a better description would be fascinated. I keep having another look to see what's been moved around, covered up, trashed or rearranged. I refer to her in the feminine sense coz no man would do all that tidying up! however if she does turn out to be male then I'll change her name from the predictable Rosie (blame the kids) to Bob the builder

She's been an absolute joy to watch, never refused food and we recently tried her out with a cricket 3/4 the size of herself. I was prepared to remove this but she pounced on it (at the exact time I turned to my CWD for a few secs) and took it down to her burrow. Candlelit dinner for 2 maybe?

[Oli Dodds]

Dont worry about the burrowing man, when I first got mine she did exactly the same, burrowed next to the glass so i could see her, blocked the entrance and then didnt do anything for 4 months
Then she molted and I havnt seen any sign of burrowing since!
Hope you enjoy your new T!
Oli

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... I was interested to read, notably in Schultz's "How to Really Take Care of Your G. Rosea" caresheet within another forum, that they rarely burrow. I don't think my little Rosie has read this sheet coz as soon as she was in her new home she took a quick tour and then proceeded to burrow, and burrow, and burrow. ...

The core of our caresheet was written back "in the good old days" before so many baby roses were available; all we had were juveniles and adults. Little was known about baby roses.

I'm going to have to attack that one soon, I guess.

I've noticed that most baby tarantulas dig burrows while they're still in their vials/baby food jars/condiment cups. But I've also noticed that a large percentage (dare I say the majority?) of them stop burrowing as they grow in size and are moved to larger containers.


I can spin two stories to explain this, but they're far from factual. Let's consider them as hypotheses that need to be proven or disproven.

1: The instinctive need to burrow is linked directly to an instinctive need to stay hidden, especially when you're very small and very edible. The smaller you are, the stronger the instinct. Therefore, baby tarantulas burrow a lot and larger tarantulas don't burrow as much.

2: Tarantulas have some way of sensing (as yet unknown to us) how large a container they're in. If the container is significantly larger than they are, they assume they're in the open and instinct drives them to burrow. If the container is relatively small and confining, they assume they're already in a burrow, even though it may be much larger than optimal for them, and they fail to build a burrow. Of course, the "saddle point" where they would switch from one behavior to the other would be really fuzzy and hard to pin down. And, the "saddle point" would probably vary with the species, even perhaps the individual.

Now all I need is a $100,000, 5 year grant, a position as adjunct or associate professor, and a laboratory in some prestigious university biology department and I might be able to make some sense of this.

Dream on Stan, dream on!

[Colin D Wilson]

Peter
G rosea are totally underrated in my book and as Elaine says, no two are the same.
Some of mine still feel the need to burrow and move the tank around even at adult.
All i can say is enjoy "her".

Stanley
You'll be needing degree standard project/laboratory managers to assist in this ventue, let me be the first to apply !!!

[Peter Lacey]

well, I never expected a reply from Mr Schultz, I feel honoured. Very much enjoying your book. Not quite what I'd expected (species book) but very interesting, if only I could remember all the terms. At least I'm referring to urti bristles rather than hairs . Thanks for the reply. I'm sure I'll use that email addy to pick your brains on a care sheet for L. Klugi.

I think you have a point with the thinking they're in their burrow with small enclosures. It's something I find hard to get my head around, why would a spider feel uncomfortable in a large space when in the wild its naturally huge areas. But this puts it into a better perspective, thanks. I do wonder however, how deep she would have dug if I'd put her in a deeper tub.

What I found really amusing was not just the burrowing but how she bulldozed so much earth (as seen by the pix) and how she tried to make so many entrances to her burrow. it's an absolute joy to watch which makes it all so much better being in a visible tub.

[Louise~Nichols]

I reckon I'll start keeping a diary of my Rosea RCF slings behaviour now!

I have two adult girl RCFs...neither burrow at all, and they have generous tubs to move about in...both laid eggs, incubated successfully, and now the first batch of eggs have become slings, whilst the second clutch are at nymph stage.

So far, all of the first babies are munching well...no sign of any digging in the sling pots...but I'll keep an eye to see what mischief they cause.

(My fiendish diggers seem to be my B.Klaasi, and my Emilia...they both excavated tunnels beneath their hides.)

[Stanley A. Schultz]

well, I never expected a reply from Mr Schultz, ...

No, no, no. It's STAN. "Mr. Schultz" was my Dad.

... I feel honoured. ...

And, I'm the one who should feel honored. After all, you're the one reading OUR book!

... Very much enjoying your book. Not quite what I'd expected (species book) but very interesting, ...

We are now working on revising it for a third edition. The publisher is making hints that it'll be on the market for Christmas, 2008. So, if the current one isn't what you expected, now's your chance to tell us what you want. Maybe we can make it better for you.

... if only I could remember all the terms. At least I'm referring to urti bristles rather than hairs . ...

In effect you're learning a whole new geography and language at the same time. It's not easy, I know! Been there. Done that. Drank the water. Got the runs.

Just understand that you don't have to learn it all in one sitting. In fact, you don't really have to know it all at all. You just need to know where to get the information you need when you need it. Having a book like the Guide on your bookshelf is perhaps one of the better ways to do it.

While you're at it, be sure to get copies of Sam Marshall's Tarantulas And Other Arachnids (Barrons'), and R. G. Breene's Quick And Easy Tarantula Care (TFH).

... Thanks for the reply. I'm sure I'll use that email addy to pick your brains on a care sheet for L. Klugi. ...

Sorry. I don't know very much about L. klugi except that they're also a very large tarantula and supposedly you care for them about the same as you do L. parahybana. At least that would be a fair bet.

... why would a spider feel uncomfortable in a large space when in the wild its naturally huge areas. ...

But in the wild they cower at the bottom of their nice, dark, safe, confining burrows. They only come out on the surface as the sun goes down, when there are no other disturbances, even avoiding coming out of their burrows when the moon is up (personal communication from Rosemary Kraft, ATS artist).

... I do wonder however, how [deep] she would have dug if I'd put her in a deeper tub. ...

It seems to me that Dr. G. B. Edwards (Curator: Arachnida & Myriapoda Florida State Collection of Arthropods, FDACS, Division of Plant Industry) found roses in burrows that were about 18" (45 cm) deep a short distance outside Santiago, Chile. I would presume (notice I didn't say "I'm sure...") that they'd do the same in captivity if given the chance.

... What I found really amusing was not just the burrowing but how she bulldozed so much earth (as seen by the pix) and how she tried to make so many entrances to her burrow. it's an absolute joy to watch which makes it all so much better being in a visible tub.

I'm wondering if that's merely an artifact of burrowing in a cage, burrowing in shallow substrate (maybe she's frustrated at being confined), or something completely different.

There's an interesting correlation between burrow type and native habitat. Burrowing tarantulas that live in wet habitats usually do something to prevent being flooded every time it rains. T. blondi and many other rainforest species build horizontal burrows in hillsides and under tree roots and fallen logs, judging from all the photos I've seen of them in the wild. Cobalt blues and several other species of old world tarantulas built turrets around their burrows' entrances. It's also important to note that all or nearly all of the so-called arboreal tarantulas are native to places of high rainfall. As far as I'm aware, none come from the Sahara, Atacama, or Sonora deserts, for instance.

Species from arid climates normally build their burrows as single, vertical shafts. Neither do they commonly build turrets, collars or bank the earth up like little levies. They not only don't have a lot of cover under which to build a burrow, but they also don't have to worry very much about being flooded out either.

And then there are a few African species that are famous for their complex burrows (e.g., Ischnocolus, possibly Hysterocrates, see Smith's Baboon Spiders. Tarantulas of Africa and The Middle East. Fitzgerald) with multiple entrances, side chambers, internal trapdoors and such. Why they do so is anyone's guess! Avoiding predators? But what or which predators?

D**n! Our ignorance is frustrating!

[Peter Lacey]

Once again thanks for the informative reply.

I hope you don't think I was being critical of the guide, I'm loving it, merely that I'd expected a book detailing the range of species, requirements etc. What I'm finding is a far more detailed guide on Tarantula which informs and encourages us to study more so that we can obtain a better knowledge. I'm not a quarter through the book yet so plenty more to read before I make any suggestions. I'll take a look at the books you have suggested to accompany the guide, thanks.

[James Box]

i'll be getting Stan's book, as well as the other's he recommended asap, but i've already got Sam Marshall's book, in fact it is the first book i've got on the subject, and i have re-read it several times. it's very good!