Reptile & Amphibian Forums

With everything I've read, almost everybody says that rose hairs typically don't burrow in captivity. Even if given the correct conditions and substrate, they still prefer to hide under their favorite log or hang out in the open. Is there anyway one can be tempted into digging and creating a burrow?

My first question would be why would you want it to burrow? You will hardly ever see it. I know because my G. rosea burrows and I never see her.

You can create an environment for them to burrow, but you can't make them burrow. Some will and some won't. What you want to do is eliminate and cave type hides that they can crawl into or under. Then get yourself a flat piece of corkbark and put it on the substrate (make sure the substrate is deep). Settle the corkbark into the substrate to that it doesn't have any openings, then excavate out a slight opening, big enough for the tarantula to get maybe half of it's body into it. This will entice it to enter and not being big enough it will need to excavate it more. If it does, then it should just continue excavating until it has a nice burrow built.

Here's pics of mine:

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KJ Vezino
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Hey thanks for the advice! I'll definately try that.

Well see, I am aware that if it does choose to burrow, I will rarely see it. But I don't actually mind. I've had tarantulas in the past and all of them I've been able to view pretty readly. This time I'd like to try a more 'natural' approach. I've never had one burrow before, probably because I didn't give it enough substrate or the right conditions, but this time I'd be interested to observe what it does in the wild. I know rose hairs don't just hang out in the open for any eyes to see in the it's natural habitat, it hides out in its burrow waiting for prey to just wonder by. That's the tarantula behavior I want to observe. I'm not interested in handling it, I guess because I'm sick of the irritating hairs. Also, I know there are other species available that do readly burrow in captivity, but my favorite has always been the rose hair. I'd just like a small glimpse into what it may behave like in the natural world. That's all.

As stated before, there's still no guarantee that it'll burrow. Sometimes they just feel secure enough in their tanks and don't choose to burrow.

You said it already but there are many other species that do burrow, and if you are tired of the urticating hairs, many of the borrowing species are old world and don't have urticating hairs. Just a thought.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery

American Tarantula Society
British Tarantula Society
Nebraska Tarantula Enthusiasts Club
Wiccan Tarantula Circle