Yeah like those giant concrete fireplaces that put out warmth long after the fire is gone. I havent seen one of those pizza things in years took me sec to think of what they were. Yeah that would leave alot more space for a burrow than the rocks i would normally put under the limestone or slate i use a dab of hot glue sometimes just for added safety. That weight ads up quick too. end up with a 40 lb tank quick.
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Rocks in enclosures/fall damage??
- Thread starter MassExodus
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- omfg cliffhanger
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- Baltimore MD
Rocks can hold heat efficiently & you want to make sure there's no hot spot on our under them. I've tested this myself and decided not to use them unless they're in the water dish & then only one.
Cork bark and half round wood seems to be a better choice. Plastic plants are also good.
Cork bark and half round wood seems to be a better choice. Plastic plants are also good.
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I realised I should probably elaborate on using the pizza "spacers?".
I add substrate, compressing it as I add it, then once it is the height of the spacers I press them in until the legs sit on the bottom of the enclosure, add the rocks making sure they are sitting sturdy , then add the rest of the substrate. I used to do as I do in aquariums and make structures using smaller rocks as pylons to hold the larger rocks up to form caves. That adds a lot to the weight, in an aquarium this is okay because you never move a full aquarium but in a little enclosure it adds to the weight dramatically.
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If there is space under the spacers, expect them to use that area. If the spacers are solid and the rocks sit on them or are held on with Velcro etc, no problem.
Tarantulas excel at finding space and dirt under solid things & if they are terrestrial, just love digging under stuff. Of course, a Hobbit house with a stone roof partially buried would really look cool !!
I'd make double triple sure that collapse is impossible. The more compressed the dirt is, the better they like to dig under it.
Tarantulas excel at finding space and dirt under solid things & if they are terrestrial, just love digging under stuff. Of course, a Hobbit house with a stone roof partially buried would really look cool !!
I'd make double triple sure that collapse is impossible. The more compressed the dirt is, the better they like to dig under it.
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I'm not sure that you're understanding exactly what I'm referring to, or perhaps they are different where you are. The spacers look like little Caffè tables or round outdoor tables , a flat top with three or four legs. So they can dig out all of the substrate but the top of the spacer will always be flush with the bottom of the rock, no gap, and the legs will always be sitting on the bottom of the enclosure. You need to arrange it so that the rock will sit safely on top of the "tables" regardless of whether substrate is there or not.
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Yeah rock pilons that's how I have done the cave . What about like a custom clay cave that could be pretty cool . I understood what you meant about the setup and it sounds safe enough to me . If a creature goes out of its way to kill itself by rock there's a reason for that... Natural selection. Btw to feed and water I do have to move those tanks every time . We have limited space to say the least, there are tanks stacked 3 high in some places. On a shelf that's about chest level. I don't mind moving them but I get a bad feeling about that weight on the glass bottom.
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- Outside San Antonio, TX
Yeah I don't move mine, and some are heavy as hell from all the rocks and hides.
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- Baltimore MD
A table with 4 legs and a rock on top? That's what I thought.
Yep, they'll dig under it for sure. Hills and valleys tend to appear in tarantula cages on a regular basis. They don't always have common sense or usability in mind!!
Yep, they'll dig under it for sure. Hills and valleys tend to appear in tarantula cages on a regular basis. They don't always have common sense or usability in mind!!
- Messages
- 5,547
- Location
- Outside San Antonio, TX
What Dave is saying is, even if they dig, it's stable. A tarantula wont move a heavy rock, resting firmly on stilts, it cant be undermined.A table with 4 legs and a rock on top? That's what I thought.
Yep, they'll dig under it for sure. Hills and valleys tend to appear in tarantula cages on a regular basis. They don't always have common sense or usability in mind!!
