Hi guys, some advise needed. My H.gigas has been hiding in her burrow for more than a month now. She closed up the front door and I can just see her feet when looking from the back of the enclosure. I don't know if she's molted or even if she's still alive. I'd like to know weather I should open the front to see if she's ok? or will she open it up when she wants to feed? When she does come up to feed, will she just grab prey and disappear again?

I read that they disappear for lengths of time, so I don't know if I should disturb her and frankly I miss her... :lol:

Hi Deon,

My H Gigas also hides in his/her burrow most of the time and only comes out when it is quiet and dark. If I move slowly towards the enclosure with only low lights on, I can get a look at it. But as soon as the lights go on or I touch the enclosure it's gone.

Another thing (that I read earlier this week) is that some spiders will burrow and close up their enclosures when it gets cold, but this will probably not be the reason why your H Gigas hides?

Hi Maggie, thanks for the reply. When she was new to the enclosure, she sat around stretched out in different locations, but then she dug down and shaped and silked up her burrow nicely. She also made like a silk door at the entrance, but you could still see her. Since then she pushed a lot of soil up and outward, closing it up completely. I have been heating the enclosures, but now that it's warm, it's not needed anymore. It hasn't eaten at all since she closed it up, that's why I'm curious, because my other T's do that when they molt.

All of this is perfectly normal for any tarantula that will burrow in a cage. It's one of the reasons most of us don't allow our tarantulas to burrow by only giving them a relatively thin layer of substrate.

If you need more tarantula excitement in your life you need to buy a dozen or so more tarantulas! After you hit a population count of about 30 or more you'll see at least some activity at least once a day.

:woohoo:


Has no one told you of the tarantula enthusiast's lament?

"LIKE THOSE POTATO CHIPS, YOU CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE!"

You've been warned!

Stan the man :rock Buddy you always know just what to answer, :laugh:

I have enough excitement with my other T's, it's just that I really like this beauty and would like to see her more, or at least more of her. I try never to disturb them in their "safe" hollow, but I have been devising a plan, based on information Vanessa shared with her H.gigas.

I am reconstructing a new enclosure with a different setup, which I hope will give more visibility of the spider. I will share this with the forum, weather it works or not. As usual, Stanley you're welcome to break it down, critique it or uzi the hell out of it. :laugh: Just remember to :thumbsup: if I get it right. :tongue:

Here it is, just molted and rehoused in the new setup, where I should now be able to see it at will.