FriedPet wrote: I've noticing that my T's are constantly on the sides of their enclosures. Why is this? ...
Why not? Think about it a moment. In nature, arboreal tarantulas spend almost all their time up in trees and bushes. They're almost always on a vertical surface. Except maybe once in a while they wander onto a tree branch or fence railing that's horizontal.
And, the terrestrial ones spend 90% of their time wedged in their burrows, which are almost always vertical tubes of one sort or another. Except for the small amount of time they may actually spend on the more or less horizontal surface, or the time that they may spend on the floor in the little chamber at the bottom of their burrow.
Few enthusiasts really gasp the significance of catching a wild tarantula and keeping it in a cage. Think of it as
1> Being abducted by huge, clumsy, ugly, foul smelling, God-like aliens with a really weird colored, soft, damp, mushy exoskeleton, and too few legs and eyes.
2> Transported magically across light years of distance in some of the most disgusting contrivances imaginable. (And, NO TOILET FACILITIES!)
3> Placed in a transparent walled container with absolutely no privacy or protection from a predator's eyesight.
4> And the interior decor can only be described as "Yuck!"
5> More or less forced to live on a flat, horizontal surface.
6> Eating the same tiresome prey week after week after week.
7> And what's worse, actually being picked up by these things! (It takes just
DAYS to get rid of the stink!) What's next? Rectal probes?
Bottom line: Hanging from a vertical surface is normal. Tarantulas only come down to live on the horizontal cage floor after it becomes obvious that matters aren't going to change real soon now, and hanging up there requires a lot of effort because the surfaces are too smooth to offer a good grip, and all the food and water are "down there" anyway.
Having said that, tarantulas often will hang from the walls of their cages if they aren't happy with the substrate you gave them. If you're using shredded coconut husk or horticultural peat it's okay. The tarantulas will eventually get tired of their little snit and come down to stay. But, they may cover everything with a layer of silk. (What's wrong with that? We cover a perfectly good, hardwood floor with carpeting, don't we?)
But, if you're keeping them in the wrong environment (e.g.,
Grammostola rosea, the Chilean rose - a desert species - on damp substrate) it's an indication that what you're doing is wrong and you should clean up your act.
In looking at your video I have the distinct impression that the
parahybana is not terribly happy with its current home. Even though these are forest tarantulas, maybe you're keeping it too damp? Perhaps it's just too stuffy in the cage (I can't see what you do to allow ventilation)? Or, you're not giving it a place to hide away from the light?
I can't make out the details of the cage or the background in the video. We need more information about the way you're keeping it.
1> Is the
parahybana at the top of its cage in the video? Or, is that a side?
2> Is the top of the cage a solid piece of glass?
3> What are you doing for substrate? Do you keep it damp or dry?
4> What else do you have in its cage in the way of furnishings and ornaments?
5> How big is the
parahybana (DLS, please)?
6> How big is the cage, L x W x H? (Metric is fine. I speak metric fluently.)
7> Live plants?
Lastly, I've noticed a lot of people with
parahybana that do a lot of climbing and try to chew their way out of their cages (the tarantula, not the people! :silly: ). I suspect that we're vastly underestimating these creatures, and that they really need more intellectual stimulation.
Here are some little tricks you might try:
1> Give it one or two common ping pong balls to play with. Maybe it's just too bored.
2> Give it more things to climb in, over, and around to explore.
3> Partially bury plastic tubes (e.g., plumbing parts) and other harmless things in the substrate to see if it'll dig them up, move them around, then rebury them.
Get back to us with the answers to my questions and maybe even one or two better photos of the caging arrangement.
Do I hear a
Theramin
in the background? A
Twilight Zone
theme song? Are we the
not-so-little green men
? :ohmy:
