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...mistreatment to give them substrate too shallow to burrow in, say, 2 1/2 inches? With an artificial cave to take refuge in? Like a 12 inch long piece of 6" diameter plastic pipe? Would the spider pack the pipe with substrate (peat moss)? I just want to be able to see him sometimes.

Roger

In captivity, B. smithi usually transition from being a burrower as a s'ling/juvenile to being solely terrestrial as an adult. Yours is probably in the transition size that it'll start wanting to burrow less anyway, so having the shallower substrate probably wont hurt it in that regard. But you should offer it deep enough substrate to eliminate the danger of falling. Ideally the distance from the top of the substrate to the top of the cage should be no longer than the spiders legspan. Like I said, the spider will grow out of the burrowing phase soon anyway. You can try to offer a hide and it might use it, but I've found and heard that most B. smithi don't want to use a hide once they get bigger, they pretty much stay out in the open most of the time.
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KJ Vezino
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That's god news. In my reading I came to think they stayed in their burrows 23.75/7, coming out briefly only at night.

May I interpret your information about making substrate shallow enough that it can't fall dangerously, meaning a (for instance) 4 1/2 inch substrate is too deep because if a 3-inch T were to excavate to the bottom of the tank, it would have too far to fall? So for shallow, artificial habitats, two or three inches might be safer?

This post is a bit incoherent. I woke up at 2:30AM and decided to get on the boards. But my head is not clear enough to think straight, and it's a chore to organize my thoughts, so I won't do this in the middle of the night again.

Roger

>>That's god news. In my reading I came to think they stayed in their burrows 23.75/7, coming out briefly only at night.
>>

Mostly true in nature, but in captivity, their tank takes the place of their burrow. Most adult Ts, unless they are obligate burrowers, will stay out in the open most of the time.

>>May I interpret your information about making substrate shallow enough that it can't fall dangerously, meaning a (for instance) 4 1/2 inch substrate is too deep because if a 3-inch T were to excavate to the bottom of the tank, it would have too far to fall? So for shallow, artificial habitats, two or three inches might be safer?
>>

No, I think you missed my point. The substrate can never be too deep. Too shallow is where the danger lies. If the T climbs to the top of the cage (sometimes they even hang from the roof), you don't want them to be able to fall very far. Ideally they should be able to touch the ceiling and the floor at the same time if they needed to. So if you have a cage that is 8" tall, and have a 3" spider, then you should have 5" of substrate. As the spider grows, you can obviously take out some of the substrate, if you want to.
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KJ Vezino
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OK I know what to do now. I'll give it deep substrate. Reason: He's still in his burrowing phase; why mess with that, who knows what are the consequence of depriving burrowing (probably none though). He can crawl up 10 inches of glass wall, so I'll fluff up the surface of the peat moss so he lands softly in case he ever jumps down. I'll feed two crickets/day, let them stay overnight, then remove them. I'll re-offer them in seven days, and do the same if he doesn't eat. If he does eat both the crickets, I'll put two more in.

My previous Red-Knee jumped 10 inches from the bottom of the lid to damp, hard peat substrate when I thought the substrate had to hold enough water that water barely squeezed our when I squeezed it. He hated that substrate (no wonder) and hung out at the lid, dropping to the ground whenever someone flicked the lid. He made that high-dive at least ten times before you guys told me the substrate was wrong and falls were very dangerous. He must have liked the almost completely dry replacement substrate because he immediately tunneled in it.

I feel guilty. One day I left the lid so that it had a narrow sliver for the T to get out. The next time I saw her she was dead in the middle of the living room floor - my terrier got her. So sad. She was a beautiful creature. Her only chance at survival was for me to make no mistakes. I solved the lid problem. I'll be very careful with my next one. It will far outlive my lizards.

Clffdvr on the ground.

>>OK I know what to do now. I'll give it deep substrate. Reason: He's still in his burrowing phase; why mess with that, who knows what are the consequence of depriving burrowing (probably none though).
>>
If you redo the substrate to make it deeper, and you provide an artificial hide, it may adopt the hide and not burrow. (win-win)

>>I'll feed two crickets/day, let them stay overnight, then remove them. I'll re-offer them in seven days, and do the same if he doesn't eat. If he does eat both the crickets, I'll put two more in.
>>
2 crickets per week is probably plenty, maybe 2 crickets twice a week, but not every day. Just because a T will eat, doesn't mean it needs to eat.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery

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