My first T still hasn't moulted - am getting concerned

[TarantulaMamma]

Hello all! My dear little Tiggy (juvie Davus sp oaxaca) has been in her self-made "cave" for over a month now. She dug into the substrate and kinda pulled some peat moss over top, and has been hiding out there. It's against the glass of her enclosure so I can see her in there. Her favourite position seems to be standing up on hind legs almost vertical, with front end against the glass. Seems that she prefers standing up to being on the ground. I understand that T's will hole up and hide out and not hunt for food when they are pre-moult. But it's been several weeks and I worry that she will dehydrate or starve. So I keep her water dish full and every few days squirt a bit of water (maybe a teaspoon) with an eyedropper against the wall where she is leaning, and she knows it's there because she moves away from the water drops for several minutes. I want her first moult to go well - hope I'm doing the right thing and that this is normal.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

Seems that she prefers standing up to being on the ground.

This can mean several things, but it's one way that T's regulate their internal water balance. Holding their bodies up off the substrate allows more gas and vapor exchange across their book lungs on the underside of the abdomen so they can take in or expell the amount of water that they need to.

Ergo, they'll stand tall when they're feeling too dry and the air has more humidity than the moisture content of the soil. They'll also do it when they're feeling too wet and the soil has more moisture than the air. In my experience they seem to do it more when the soil is too wet, but that can also vary with the species.

So it all depends on context. If she does it over wet soil you need to cut back on the watering. If she does it over dry soil you need to spray a little more often. Give what you've said about adding water into her hide I'd say she's feeling a little soaked and is trying to dry out a little. Maybe stop the watering and see if she settles down after several days of having a dry bed to sleep on.

There are other reasons that T's adopt this "tiptoe" posture, but those causes are rare and not really worth worrying about. It's not uncommon for them to lock themselves away for very long periods underground. Nature has equipped them with all the tools and skills they need to survive like that. I'm sure that she'll be fine.

P.S. - You might try putting something to cover the spot where her burrow is agsinst the enclosure. T's never evolved to deal with clear objects like glass. She's probably confused as all hell about this invisible force field that's locking her in on one side. I put a decorative privacy film on the back glass of my aboreal enclosures and it makes a world of difference in their behavior. They go from skiddish to adventuresome almost instantly. You don't need anything fancy. A small piece of dark paper or electrical tape that you can easily remove to check on her from time to time would be fine.

 

[TarantulaMamma]

Thanks for all the info and tips! I will add a piece of dark cover material to the side of the enclosure which acts like a cross section window to her cave, and check on her once a day.

 

[Jeef]

I've had a few spiders bury themselves for extremely long times. Completely normal. It is nice when they give you a little window to peek at them.

The record holder was an Aphonopelma anax that stayed buried for almost a year. Even then, it buried itself again a few days later. That lasted a month or two. Currently, it is out all the time, but we'll see how long that lasts.

As an aside, sometimes I wonder if some of them might dig themselves out at night and rebury themselves before morning.