# Tarantulas ability to sense a heat source?



## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

This seems to have been debating a few times but I thought I'd make an actual thread for it and weigh in myself.

So some have suggested many terrestrial Tarantulas(not sure what the thoughts are on arboreal T's) will instinctively burrow to get away from heat, even if this means their in fact burrowing towards heat as the heat mat is on the bottom of the enclosure. Thus suggesting instinct overrides the basic ability to sense temperature change and to realise their actually going the wrong way, if their aim is to escape heat and that actually climbing on top of decor is their best hope.

Personally I don't think this is true at all...I'll explain.

Most of my T's are kept in glass tanks on a shelving unit, with a radiator behind the unit. When this radiator is on it doesn't over heat them(digi thermometer) but causes the side of the enclosure which is nearest the radiator to warm up to 4-7 above room temperature. The glass on this side feels ever so slightly above lukewarm. I've noticed every time we turn the heating on ALL my tarantulas make their way from where ever they are in their enclosures to the side of the glass which is getting warm. Because their rectangle shaped enclosures there's a warm end and cooler end being formed, their all attracted to heat, even from the other side of the enclosures(15" long). Most of them stay there for several hours and then move back to where they were(if they've had to leave their hide to get to the warmth), my G.rosea seems to stay right against the warm glass the whole time though, maybe she likes it warm.

Now to me this suggests their pretty good at working out where heat is coming from and when they've had enough of being at the warmest part of the enclosure. I don't exactly want to experiment by putting a mat underneath the enclosure and heating it up but if Tarantulas always burrowed to get out of heat surely when they'd get enough of the warm end they'd start to try and burrow against the glass, even though that's not going to help. Since mine don't do that and move to the middle of the enclosure or the other end, it suggests their capable of sensing the correct direction to head in to move away from the heat source.

I'm not exactly sure why their attracted to heat, do they want to speed up their metabolism? Like a reptile basking? But regardless of that I just thought I'd post my experience with T's and heat sources.

Debate it all you want folks!: victory:


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## Kamike (Aug 3, 2009)

I have 16 T's and all but one reside at the back of the tanks where the heat strip is. My Crawshayi which has an 18 inch deep tank has burrowed right to the bottom but always sits mid tunnel right next to the heat strip. All my T's are from different countrys and all display the same behaviour and seek the heat at the back of the tank.

I have always believed that burrowing is to provide shelter and protect against predators, if it was to escape heat wouldn't all T's burrow?


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## george dobson (May 20, 2009)

same with my t's



Kamike said:


> I have 16 T's and all but one reside at the back of the tanks where the heat strip is. My Crawshayi which has an 18 inch deep tank has burrowed right to the bottom but always sits mid tunnel right next to the heat strip. All my T's are from different countrys and all display the same behaviour and seek the heat at the back of the tank.
> 
> I have always believed that burrowing is to provide shelter and protect against predators, if it was to escape heat wouldn't all T's burrow?


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## spicewwfc (Aug 26, 2009)

I had some slings come from TSS Friday and they had been in transit for 2 days, as soon as i put them in their new enclosures the g pulchra went straight to the side of the tank the heat mat was on, and flattened itself against the plastic. It hasn't moves an inch since except to eat a cricket this morning.
Also in my avic vesi's tank the heat mat is on the side towards the bottom and when it gets to warm the spider moves towards the lid. Now in nature I would have thought it would move down the tree into thicker vegetation to escape the heat.
So I am inclined to agree with you they definitely know where the heat is coming from and they also know how to escape it.


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## garlicpickle (Jan 16, 2009)

In the wild, the heat will come from above. So of course the spider is going to burrow. They're so sensitive to temperature changes that they will be perfectly well aware that the further down they dig, the cooler it gets.

I'm sure that's where this misconception about "spiders burrow to get away from heat so if you put a mat under the tank they will cook themselves" comes from. A friend of mine (not me!) keeps a lot of burrowing T's and mostly puts their mats under the tanks so the tank is half on and half off. she hasn't roasted any of her spiders yet. If they get too warm at the bottom of their burrow where the mat is, then they come further up where it's a bit cooler.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

garlicpickle said:


> In the wild, the heat will come from above. So of course the spider is going to burrow. They're so sensitive to temperature changes that they will be perfectly well aware that the further down they dig, the cooler it gets.
> 
> I'm sure that's where this misconception about "spiders burrow to get away from heat so if you put a mat under the tank they will cook themselves" comes from. A friend of mine (not me!) keeps a lot of burrowing T's and mostly puts their mats under the tanks so the tank is half on and half off. she hasn't roasted any of her spiders yet. If they get too warm at the bottom of their burrow where the mat is, then they come further up where it's a bit cooler.


someone probably found a dead T at the bottom of a burrow, with a mat at the bottom and just assumed it died of overheating.

Or one T did dig down and die of overheating, but it was retarded anyway.:lol2:


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## MatBurke (Aug 6, 2008)

joeyboy said:


> I'm not exactly sure why their attracted to heat, do they want to speed up their metabolism? Like a reptile basking? But regardless of that I just thought I'd post my experience with T's and heat sources.


As spiders are poikilothermic (has a body temperature that varies with that of the environment - much like reptiles), it's a given that they are very heat sensitive. Unlike homeotherms (animals that maintain a constant body temp.) poikilotherms must thermoregulate to maintain a core temperature to support functions such as metabolism, locomotion etc. This means either being provided with an ambient temperature that is suitable, or providing the means for spiders to thermoregulate by moving between hot and cold zones, so yeah - it's just like a reptile basking. 

As for heatmats underneath tanks. In the past I kept lots of spiders on mats (always thermostatically controled and always 1/2 on and 1/2 off to allow regulation and have never suffered any losses that could be attributed to it. Spiders are cleverer than we think and will always find the best location for burrows - even if there is a heatmat at the bottom - they will work around it to find the optimum temp. and humidity. This is why I'm not a fan of creating burrows for burrowing spiders - just give them the substrate and let them create it themselves as they know where to put it better than we do!


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## The Lone Gunman (Oct 14, 2009)

Excellent thread. Very interesting stuff.

I have seven tarantulas. Three adult Chilean Roses, a juvenile Mexican Red Knee, a juvenile New River Rust Rump, a Big Bend Gold spiderling and a Brazilian Black spiderling. I have long heat mats attached to the walls behind their tanks, which are controlled by a thermostat.

Two of the three Chilean Roses usually gravitate towards the back of their tanks when the heat mat is on. The other doesn't seem interested in it and generally stays in the middle of her enclosure. 

The Mexican Red Knee almost always makes for the back of the tank when the heat mat kicks in, as does the New River Rust Rump. 

The Big Bend Gold spiderling has constructed a burrow in the middle of her enclosure but occasionally comes out of it and makes for the heat mats, while the Brazilian Black spiderling has dug a small burrow on the warm side of her pot and stays there always.

Undoubtedly these spiders are able to sense the heat source and are very much attracted to it.

Mat said "I'm not a fan of creating burrows for burrowing spiders - just give them the substrate and let them create it themselves as they know where to put it better than we do!"

My experience with the Big Bend Gold spiderling has been interesting in this respect. Initially, her enclosure (a medium Braplast tub) contained nothing but substrate. It was like that for a week or so, and she spent most of her time on the heat mat side of it. Then I put a small piece of bogwood I had bought in an aquarium shop in the middle of the tub. She made for it immediately and has dug a considerable burrow under it.


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

The Lone Gunman said:


> My experience with the Big Bend Gold spiderling has been interesting in this respect. Initially, her enclosure (a medium Braplast tub) contained nothing but substrate. It was like that for a week or so, and she spent most of her time on the heat mat side of it. Then I put a small piece of bogwood I had bought in an aquarium shop in the middle of the tub. She made for it immediately and has dug a considerable burrow under it.


My H.lividum burrowed without decor but I did start one for it which it simply expanded on, I might a 3-4" deep pit, not really the best burrow shape. It did nothing for 4 days then overnight it had burrowed right to the bottom(10" of substrate) and made it so it was a perfect tube shape rather then my open pit shape. 

But I'd imagine most Tarantulas would try and find somewhere not out in the open so start their burrow, so next to a boulder or just under a a big fallen tree. Probably why yours felt it found somewhere to start once their was wood to hide under.


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