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Styrofoam backgrounds?

Arlo

Member
Messages
73
Location
Canada
Hey there! I brought Shelob home yesterday and she spent the entire night remodelling her new home and chewing her ExoTerra styrofoam background to make space for her tunnels. I've read this is pretty normal behaviour for terrestrials. Should I remove it? If I do, what could I use instead? And wouldn't I bother her since she put so much energy into moving things around?

Help :)
 

Teresaisrad

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3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
199
Location
Tacoma, Washington
Yeah, having the same enclosure, I wish I would have followed suit with octane, The backgrounds take up too much space and I love how clean just glass is. Thankfully, my T ablo did not chew hers up at all.
 

Oursapoil

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1,744
Location
Queens, NY
Because I live to disagree with @octanejunkie :p I would like to add my two cents.
The Exo-Terra original background never bothered me (I have about 30 of them). Many of my Ts did indeed chew and dig on some. Some just to make some extra space or a more secured burrow, others lived behind it for a while until reaching a size not allowing them to anymore. It is true that crickets and dubias can also chew on it as well as hiding behind it, when it comes to superworms, they will actually feed of it!!!!!
Sharing a few pictures, two of my P. smithi living behing the background, even as she has already set her enclosure (so it seems to be a preference). The third one is of my 9 inches T. blondi in a 24 inches exo-terra. For her I removed the original background and replaced it with a 2/3 inch thick bark flat, which is also an option ;)
Cheers.
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Arlo

Member
Messages
73
Location
Canada
If you don't want a blank background, you can always tape something to the outside back of the enclosure. I used black wrapping paper from the party store on my snake enclosure.
Wrapping paper is a great idea. I'll see how it goes...so far she has chewed a bit of the lower corner, but she is also using the background to scuttle across the tank. We'll see what happens when I start feeding her. I remember styrofoam being a nightmare with my bearded dragon because the crickets kept hiding behind it, but maybe if I only feed her one cricket at the time there won't be an issue...
 

x_raphael_xx

Well-Known Member
Messages
745
Location
Plymouth UK
Wrapping paper is a great idea. I'll see how it goes...so far she has chewed a bit of the lower corner, but she is also using the background to scuttle across the tank. We'll see what happens when I start feeding her. I remember styrofoam being a nightmare with my bearded dragon because the crickets kept hiding behind it, but maybe if I only feed her one cricket at the time there won't be an issue...
I wouldn't leave crickets in the enclosure more than 24 hours, in case the T isn't hungry or in premolt or something.
Feed one at a time, and keep an eye on butt size. You want the butt to be roughly the same size as the carapace (overfeeding was one of my first mistakes!)
 

WolfSpider

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1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,155
Location
Florida
Because I live to disagree with @octanejunkie :p I would like to add my two cents.
The Exo-Terra original background never bothered me (I have about 30 of them). Many of my Ts did indeed chew and dig on some. Some just to make some extra space or a more secured burrow, others lived behind it for a while until reaching a size not allowing them to anymore. It is true that crickets and dubias can also chew on it as well as hiding behind it, when it comes to superworms, they will actually feed of it!!!!!
Sharing a few pictures, two of my P. smithi living behing the background, even as she has already set her enclosure (so it seems to be a preference). The third one is of my 9 inches T. blondi in a 24 inches exo-terra. For her I removed the original background and replaced it with a 2/3 inch thick bark flat, which is also an option ;)
Cheers.View attachment 59703View attachment 59706View attachment 59704View attachment 59705
Nice job with the blonde enclosure, pal. BTW: "I like big butts and I cannot lie......"
 

Arlo

Member
Messages
73
Location
Canada
Because I live to disagree with @octanejunkie :p I would like to add my two cents.
The Exo-Terra original background never bothered me (I have about 30 of them). Many of my Ts did indeed chew and dig on some. Some just to make some extra space or a more secured burrow, others lived behind it for a while until reaching a size not allowing them to anymore. It is true that crickets and dubias can also chew on it as well as hiding behind it, when it comes to superworms, they will actually feed of it!!!!!
Sharing a few pictures, two of my P. smithi living behing the background, even as she has already set her enclosure (so it seems to be a preference). The third one is of my 9 inches T. blondi in a 24 inches exo-terra. For her I removed the original background and replaced it with a 2/3 inch thick bark flat, which is also an option ;)
Cheers.View attachment 59703View attachment 59706View attachment 59704View attachment 59705
Such nice enclosures! I looove the use of bark for a background. I will definitely use it when it's time to move Shelob to a bigger enclosure.
P.s. Your blondi is T H I C K
 

octanejunkie

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4,163
If you don't want a blank background, you can always tape something to the outside back of the enclosure. I used black wrapping paper from the party store on my snake enclosure.
Dave's Little Beasties affixes removable backgrounds behind the rear glass. I've done similar with window tinting film.
 

Arlo

Member
Messages
73
Location
Canada
It usually comes with it, there are different styles too. Super easy to remove, just take 2 seconds.
Ehhh I remember having to remove the background from my bearded dragon's enclosure. It was a messy business. Kept breaking into pieces and was kinda stuck to the glass. That said, it was a 40 gallon tank. Removing a smaller background is probably easier.
 

TokeHound

Active Member
Messages
170
Location
USA
Because I live to disagree with @octanejunkie :p I would like to add my two cents.
The Exo-Terra original background never bothered me (I have about 30 of them). Many of my Ts did indeed chew and dig on some. Some just to make some extra space or a more secured burrow, others lived behind it for a while until reaching a size not allowing them to anymore. It is true that crickets and dubias can also chew on it as well as hiding behind it, when it comes to superworms, they will actually feed of it!!!!!
Sharing a few pictures, two of my P. smithi living behing the background, even as she has already set her enclosure (so it seems to be a preference). The third one is of my 9 inches T. blondi in a 24 inches exo-terra. For her I removed the original background and replaced it with a 2/3 inch thick bark flat, which is also an option ;)
Cheers.View attachment 59703View attachment 59706View attachment 59704View attachment 59705
Thaz a thiiiicccc booty! <3
 

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