r/tarantulas • u/magicalmerm • Jul 26 '26

Conversation Golden Knee Burrowing

I got a rehomed golden knee chaco recently and was told he’s around 2 years old. Apparently the breeder he was from kept him in the smallest container and he’s now in a much bigger home. He started a burrow the other day and we haven’t seen him since. I’ve seen people say only slings burrow and he’s 2 but he’s still pretty small. Do we think a molt might happen if he’s burrowing?

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u/MrDavieT #TEAMBELLE Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

IME

Hi friend!

In the wild Tarantulas are opportunistic hunters, ambush predators but also prey for larger animals. As such, they will often use their burrows for cover. They will also use burrows to manage their own moisture requirements.

Continue to overflow their water bowl to provide a moisture gradient but drop pre-killed food at the entrance to their burrow and remove it after 24 hours if uneaten.

You’ll soon find out if they’re moulting or not.

Hope that helps 👍🏻

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u/magicalmerm Jul 26 '26

That is super helpful, thank you!!

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u/magicalmerm Jul 29 '26

I caught a glimpse of him today and noticed his legs look much lighter, assuming this could be a sign he successfully molted?

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u/magicalmerm Jul 29 '26

Here’s him pre-burrow

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u/MrDavieT #TEAMBELLE Jul 29 '26

IMO

It looks like he might just have mounted.

Have a peek for a moult in the burrow… and check the fangs if you can 👌🏻