What on earth is she doing?

[Joanna Pendleton]

Rio, my A.chalcodes is behaving strangely (I say strangely, as she is my first T I'm not sure if this is strange or not!).

She was sat by her heat mat as usual (she has stopped sitting directly on the wall now though, she finally seems to think her substrate is dry enough and has even been in her hide). All of a sudden she started vigorously rubbing her pedipalps and front legs on her underneath and fangs. She has stopped that now, but is standing raised up on her toes. She had a little hair flick (but only with one leg) not long after the rubbing of her fangs, while stood like this.

As I type I can see leg rubbing and wiggling again, and now she has decided to go and sit at the front of her hide.

What on earth is she doing? x

[Larry Shone]

Sounds like fang/pedipalp cleaning to me

[Joanna Pendleton]

Oh, so fairly routine for Ts to do this? Thank god, I thought she'd gone crazy then, it did look quite perculiar, she's very tall when she stands on her toes!

J x

[Larry Shone]

she's very tall when she stands on her toes!

J x

Mine do that when feeding, it looks funny first time you see it! Sometimes you might see him on the sde of the tank with what looks like a droplet of water near the mouth. I think thats them flushing their venom out or losing excess water if the substrates a bit damp-as is the case with my chile rose who hates wet feet!

[Joanna Pendleton]

Ive seen far too much of her on the side of her tank as it is. She obv appreciates a very dry substrate - she sat on the side for a few days after going into her terrarium, and on the side of the heat mat too!
Yesterday I moved her into my living room, cos the room she was in felt too cold. She must like it cos today is the first day she's properly seemed to enjoy walking on the substrate and even a couple of visits to her hide. She's bloody active though!
You're right it is funny the first time you see them stand up. I must try to measure her soon so I can tell everyone how big she is! x

[Joanna Pendleton]

Well, to update today: Rio has spent a fair bit of time in her hide, but comes out to visit the heat mat every now and then. I feel this is a good sign as she's obv regulating her temperature and is happy with the arrangements of the tank (of course all the moss and small bark I sprinkled round and arranged so nicely is all moved in what looks to be an untidy mess but it's obviously how she wants it hehe. She has her hide that she likes, as I said, but should I add a large piece of bark as well or is there no need? When she does come out to visit her heat mat she often stands on her toes next to it for a bit.

J x