Will TARANTULA DIG to the BOTTOM of THE TALLEST FOSSORIAL ENCLOSURE?!

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Marko Petkovic
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00735
rehouse
cyriopagopus lividus

[@CedrisaurusRex]

A tip I've learned from building enclosures, is mixing a bit of sphagnum moss with the substrate to help it hold moisture better. Great video!

[@rebel4466]

Perlite should also work and should keep the mix at a similar weight. But not looking as nice.

[@tanakeilidh384]

Yeah I was thinking about that, too, sphagnum moss

[@Flyingdinosaur69]

I think I am more impressed by the timelapse showing the bioactive soil. So much activity!

[@fuelforthepyre_9044]

*Hey Petko.... I'm sure you have thought of this in the past years building these enclosures, and clearly, your methods work because you have like 250 of these things.... But.... When it comes to some of these really big "specialty" enclosures like this that will hold a lot more substrate than usual, or one that may just happen to have heavier decorations inside of it like stones or a stump or something.... You 'really' should consider putting a type of "X-brace" on the very bottom panel to distribute the weight of things across the glass pane evenly, otherwise, one day when you pick one of the heavier ones up to move it, the bottom could potentially give way and dump the contents all out the bottom.... Including the spider.... And I know how badly you would feel if one of your creepy crawlers ended up getting smooshed. Just a thought.*

[@Dexotics]

Who asked

[@spacedaddy5517]

This will hold the weight, think aquarium, very heavy.

[@Drakal12]

This is what I would do personally: I would add a slight slope at the bottom (5 degrees) with a piece of glass siliconed. Then, at the lowest point (on the back panel), I would add a thick geotextile fabric allthe way up along the back panel, and then a classic drainage layer. This way, the excess water would go to the drainage layer, then to the geotextile fabric and be sucked up by capillarity to distribute humidity across the whole substrate layer.

[@MultiBunny10]

New Dark Den! Woooo! Hello Petko, much love from Wisconsin USA!

[@ambxence-7650]

Wisconsin here as well!

[@dbrey2635]

Magnets with felt to clean the side of the tunnel! Like an aquarium cleaner. Would be awesome to have a really clean view of her.

[@takumi2023]

just be sure to tie a string to the magnet on the inside otherwise the magnet will be forced to stay in there with the spider.

[@LOMACKING]

Just tong fed my H.mac sling for first time and im Doubly rewarded with a petko upload!

[@speakersound4565]

The timelaps was very cool! :)

[@Dogtroll]

it might help if you watered the plants lightly to force them to grow longer roots at first.

[@Minzerr]

I think a scope camera would be kinda cool to get shots of the tunnels that get made!

[@deynaweatherly4331]

0:30 I wish I had the ability that you do to have these wonderful animals around you some of these most beautiful arachnids man the blues some of the greens in them you really have some Incredible Pets

[@Des420]

They are really beautiful… But the truth is, when they are content, you will almost never see any more of them than the tips of their legs at the edge of the burrow. Edit: Not counting arboreal species.

[@rosiemarsh2393]

Have you ever thought about adding more plants to draw up the moister, A few plants with a small yet established root zone would really help with this issue imho as a grower.?? Love your vids btw, i dont comment much but have watched allll your vids and love them, please keep them coming

[@andreatomasatti5090]

Hi Petko! please take in consideration the idea to go to the verona reptiles expo,you have a lot of fans here in italy and it's a beautiful event,give an update about that pleasee❤

[@andreacolasanto4158]

You can also take selfies and record videos all you want without the risk of being banned from the expo 😂 And you'd also have an amazing time, trust me!

[@Pleumel]

Did you think about getting an endoscope like the ones for mechanics to look into engines? Basicly a tiny camera on the end of a flexible tube/stick. Would be perfect to film into an enclosure/tunnel Awesome video!

[@takumi2023]

yeah thats a great idea. please get a camera you can stick inside the hole.

[@DaleBEATBOX]

Being someone who has learnt how to cut glass and build my own enclosures, I fully understand the effects of inaccurate glass cuts 5.35 😂 I just rub some silicone in the short piece of it's only 1 or 2 mil.

[@effy_kujo]

Love the time-lapse videos 😊

[@Unknown-mj9si]

Always a fan

[@mariestubbs4606]

Great vid Petko cant wait for updates on her progress.

[@jaceyapila3271]

Happy to see your awesome work again. LotsaLight to you and your family.

[@ChantalsCritters]

Great video

[@richardbriansmith8562]

Awesome Video Dark Den🙂

[@rica93]

Amazing footage!

[@juankruger2598]

Gorgeous. Cool time-lapse too. 👍 I love how they use their web to support their tunnels.

[@TheMonkey2211]

really cool camera angles in the digging timelaps!

[@caughtafaygo]

Absolutely enjoy your videos so so much. Thank you! Im learning to enjoy these awesome animals

[@darylmorse7337]

Very interesting video of the spider digging the hole / tunnel.

[@THExBARON]

I never get tired of watching this channel thanks for the content man you're the goat

[@isaac14ac]

19:10 classic tarantula thing to do. Owner makes this beautiful enclosure preps it nicely for the tarantula and the tarantula just does the opposite.

[@bigbonk3841]

A commen problem with peat moss, and similar substrates, is that supper fine materials can addhear and create hydrophobic/dry pockets. The easiest way to solve this is to ammend the primary substrate with similar and complementary materials. For your substrate I'd recommend adding various forms of sphagnum moss (finely milled, chopped, long fiber), tree fern fiber or an invert safe fine mulch, vermiculite to increase water retention, and a clay ammendment like turface or calcined clay.

[@Inn3rWarri0r]

I did see an article in either the BTS journal or on arachnoboards, where someone used to drill hole in the bottom and sides of their vonworthi enclosure so that they could immerse it occasionally in water so it would draw up through the enclosure and then they would allow the excess to drain off

[@MOONOVERMIAMI]

Hello great video information Petcko

[@Aeris357]

YES PLEASE COME TO ITALY

[@migueltonnies6856]

Awesome video! I love Cyr. Lividum😊

[@VixinatorsVideos]

woah super cool watching her dig

[@jblb9656]

Love youre videos TDD , youre my first subscribed channel!Love youre stuff, what a beautiful T ! Miss the days u were doing 3 vids a week but u got a life it seems. TY for youre videos

[@boognish.]

Awesome shirts!

[@cyberra0180]

You need one of those fancy fiber cameras you can slip down the tunnel and give us the first-person view of a cranky tarantula

[@thecatsmeow9972]

Amazing 🕷️

[@BugsMetropolis]

Nice video! I think I’m gonna start a bio-active soon!

[@pjorkan]

U are a total professional on building enclosures

[@deewhitcha6014]

great video...... those macro shots were fire!

[@rosiemarsh2393]

Footage is amazing wooowwwww

[@ApocryphalSaint]

yea to me it sounds like using a different soil mix is something that needs to happen.

[@Myriamele]

She is gorgeous!!!

[@Papa_Koyote]

Yes, Italy, please!!!!

[@Ex1350]

i was subscribe a long time ago and wasnt seeing anymore tarantula videos, soon realized that i was somehow unsubscribed from alot of poeple who make this content including kat, t collective and now you so hopefully yt doesnt unsubscribe me anymore, i just re subbed

[@Shinylivingdex]

Have you ever considered putting something in the centre of the enclosure before you fill it? Like a smaller box or larger fake rocks to keep mind of the weight so it encourages them to stick near the walls? Not sure how viable it worth it it really is since they seem to hit the wall and keep going. I was just wondering if you could have some crazy tunnels or be able to encourage the tunnel to go in a way you want.

[@H2SO4pyro]

I guess it would mean taking the risk that she digs under the rock and have it falling down squishing her. Probably not worth the risk x)

[@zacharygarcia4864]

This time lapse was the most interesting video capture i yet seen! Confirmed: Success!

[@chevdershieff4693]

More Substrate 😅

[@user-ur6ic4yv7k]

in the future could you pre-make a borrow base that they could tunnel into where you've already got the glass cleaned and allows camera access to see inside? Loved this video tho the timelapse of the build was fantastic!

[@BREAKERisDEAD]

Above the mesh you could put some larger flat rocks to prevent her from tearing up the mesh. Obviously not so many that it completely keeps the water from moving around them and into the drainage layer tho ❤

[@bryanbirney2866]

Your camera's are paying off now. The details and clarity of your videos!

[@mcskinz]

Your shelves should have a drainage lane like soda dispensers

[@gianlucaortu2292]

😊Hi Petko! for fossorial species you can use an Endoscope! See you in Verona!!!👍

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

Aw man, that Bones shirt kicks ass

[@jasonpittard4946]

You should get a borescope camera. It would be great for getting video down the burrows.

[@foxiepoxi9245]

FRANK YOU ARE AWESOME!

[@kyopofrg]

😊 Thank you very much!

[@TheBlubunni]

Fungi... fun guy, that's what I heard 😂 it blows my mind that a little creature like that can do so much work. It's got to be exhausting. 🕷🕸🖤

[@kevintyler9681]

Coco fiber? How about peat moss, top spil, and sand. It's much better. I'm building a fossorial enclosure out of a 5.5 gallon that is stood up vertically with a plexiglass front. I will probably drill very small ventilation holes below the substrate level.

[@DR-gt2vh]

You should get an endoscope camera. There are some inexpensive ones (< 50 €), which you can WiFi to your phone.

[@jovan4290]

What a video

[@foxiepoxi9245]

Could you mix the clay balls into damp soil? It could possibly keep the humidity throughout the substrate instead of on bottom? Tarantulas could bob and weave and burrow around them. Thank you for sharing!

[@9GORN1]

You can try add some kind of glued ropes to distribute the humidity from the enclosures bottom to the top :) The pieces of rope would become waterlogged. It will be interesting experiment.

[@evenvalenzuela7135]

I usually put garden soil with moss, these two holds water

[@rickb7229]

You can put flat heavy rocks on top of screen to prevent tarantula from digging into the draining layer.

[@antoniomorenotalamantes349]

Hei!!, I think it could be useful for you to acquire an endoscopy camera that connects to your cell phone so you can put it in the tunnels. It can be used to record and monitor what the fossorial tarantulas do. Greetings from Mexico.

[@Hayley0412]

Did he just use a tampon to clean the glass? That looks like the best glass cleaner I have ever seen, well done Petco I will definitely be using that in my enclosures! ❤

[@VineyardGHS]

You don't need an alternative supplier you need to be measuring your merchandise before you sign on delivery. If it's not to spec don't pay for it and they'll get their s*** together quickly

[@michalpianko]

Great movie again. Could you give me the name of this plant?

[@GlitzyWitch]

She is a beautiful T, I'm sure she'll love her new home ❤

[@LUCIFER_BE_GAMING]

1 order, 10 orders or 100,000 orders. A companies product quality shouldnt very depending on how much product you buy. If anything, the lower number orders should be especially perfect. To make sure you continue with their business. Dont settle petko. You are going to produce some of the nicest an simplest DIY enclosures on the market.

[@candyscott489]

WOW 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@nathannewton6737]

Hey Petko I like how you thought of drilling the hole in the bottom for drainage but if it sits flat at the bottom how is it going to drain without soaking everything that’s under it like the wood shelves? Maybe drill it in the side on the bottom corner?

[@FearNoBug]

Have you ever thought about getting one of those endoscope cameras? The picture would not be anywhere near as good as your regular camera, but you could peek into your fossorial tarantulas' burrows.

[@michellemorningstar880]

Wow you can see all those hair on her legs epic she Beautiful thanks so much for the awesome time laps thanks so very much i always scared the dirt will fall in the hole and she would be all cover in ...thanks

[@Des420]

They both used to be Haplopelma… minax and lividum. The lividum were among my favs. They’d run to start, but they would turn and fight if you didn’t give them the out. Names may have changed but not the personality.

[@ttj4599]

Ooooh noooooooo 😱 You forgot the leave litter and the sand for the texture... 😱😱😱

[@annedibiase2980]

There may be plants that have roots that have like fat tuber like fingers that hold moisture, like spider plants. I don’t know if that is a good plant for spiders, but you get my idea. 😊

[@pjorkan]

Best t Channel on youtube

[@deynaweatherly4331]

11:07 have you ever thought of possibly just silicone gluing that screen down where you have the clay balls separated from the soil

[@TheDarkDen]

no need, it would be fine even without the mesh tbh

[@Kirbyroth]

lol she actually went in when you told her she could

[@Blessings2015]

I don’t think thts a secure lock but be safe good video 🙏🏽

[@6181green]

What about a layer of dry orbees on the bottom?

[@benives254]

Oh my god, look at those shelves bowing!

[@TheDarkDen]

yeeep, been like that for years :D

[@foxiepoxi9245]

@@TheDarkDen

[@Joe-mad]

Great video! Why not just drill a few holes on each side for ventilation, down at the drainage layer. This will allow the water to dry.

[@TheDarkDen]

I assume I would need a lot more holes to achieve that

[@milcosucculents]

maybe you can make a fuse, same effect as an oil lamp ✌️

[@dansactive756]

Bro, just make the bottom mesh, then ad a removable plastic draw underneath that so you can empty the water. Simple

[@LukeMcGuireoides]

If you worry about fossorial spiders digging into the drainage layer, try using the clay balls on top of the mesh screen as well as below. The spider will dig down through the soil to the clay balls atop the mesh and stop there before coming into contact w the screen.

[@VineyardGHS]

No thank you. The correct solution would be to have air vents on the bottom of your enclosure. Soil needs to breathe, otherwise it will oxidize and rot with moisture. I personally use screen mesh 2 inches above the bottom of the enclosure directly above my drainage layer. This mesh window is in both left and right sides of my enclosures. 48' high 24' deep(sides w/ mesh) 18' wide It currently houses my extremely aggressive curly hair tarantula and a large fucken tea tree bonsai. I've never once ran across mold in the enclosure.

[@chrisdem514]

Why not run a small tube down the back corner of the enclosure with small holes at the bottom to allow the moisture to rise up through the tube?

[@NoMercy_1991]

You need a endoscope for your camera. So we can see inside 😅

[@thomasbazin1529]

It's easier to establish plants a few weeks/months before you add the tarantula. It cannot uproot a plant which has already set roots. 😜 It can still 'stomp' it if tall and frail, but the kind you're using wouldn't really be at risk I guess. Oh well, gotta work on the enclosures for my 3 P. sazimai slings soon... they're due for a rehouse in 6 months 😂 Btw, I might be wrong but I don't think this plant can grow roots 50cm down into the ground. 😅

[@krystianwozniak7065]

u have to make vent on the bottom !!!

[@dietchrisrich]

Peetco! Make the bottom glass panel have holes!! Air needs to be able to move through the substrate so moister will be able to go somewhere. Use window screen to keep substrate from escaping out bottom 👍🏻

[@dietchrisrich]

Bassicaly you need drainage holes for the underneath of your enclosures. Using Dimond hole cutting bit or something with water and putty.

[@pebcak420]

In regard to the fungi (im still just starting the video so maybe you answer the question already.) If the moisture is being held, use it to provide habitat for springtails who will eat the fungi

[@pebcak420]

come to think, i dont know if i've seen you use springtails :?

[@pebcak420]

probably some in that potting soil tho lol

[@seanybird]

Does anyone know the name of the plant used in the enclosure? Ive been trying to find the name but I dont think he mentions it in the video

[@pebcak420]

most ground dwelling species you could probably see burrow upwards of 2 meters individual depending. At least in the wild I know their burrows can be as deep.

[@pebcak420]

and i mean terrestrials too. my kahlenbergi BASICALLY lives underground. hardly ever see them topside. they have cleared the bottom of the enclosure to an extent im worried about it just falling on her if shaken (probably unfounded, still concerning)

[@kpoe2000]

You need a borescope (or rather we need a borescope)!

[@jamesmaybrick2001]

Unless i missed something i think i might detect a slight deliberate error. That hole? Any water you put in will just end up on on the shelf/floor . I assumed you would be putting a bung in to stop such an eventuality.

[@AndroctonusHector]

I’m just saying my boy but I think we need more scorpions in the collection and more scorpion videos 🤠.

[@daveowen9898]

Coir/coconut husk is the worst substrate to use. It just grows mould and doesn’t look particularly nice or natural imo. Better to use standard potting soil or topsoil or natural leaf mulch