Getting super tiny trapdoors to eat???

craig84 · Nov 30, 2007

Hi. I just purchased some California trapdoor slings that are a speck over an 1/8" and I don't know what to feed them. I have them in vials with a 1/2" of substrate in each. I figure pinheads might be too big but maybe fruit flies might be better? What do you feed your tiny ones? Dead crickets were tried with no luck. Thanks. Craig.

Fenrir · Nov 30, 2007

FFs are perfect for slings, easy to breed and dont attack the little slings.

Vietnamese510 · Nov 30, 2007

?

what are FF's if you dont mind telling m,e xD

i dont know the abreviation for it

ahha sorry

problemchildx · Nov 30, 2007

Fruit flies, which can be flightless or non. The ones with wings can be torn off so the spider can catch it... I have trouble dealing with these though >.<

craig84 · Nov 30, 2007

Fruit flies I believe he means. Now I have to find someone who sells them I am going to have all my females droping sacks so I need to have some small food for them:

P. cancerides
E. murinus
G. aureostriata
E. uatuman
A. moderatum
and may be breeding my 2 female cobalts. wow iam going to be busy

What · Dec 1, 2007

Craig, I have a large number of these slings and I have had my best results with keeping them on shredded paper toweling and feeding cut food(roaches or crix).

They will probably seal themselves up for a few weeks at a time(longest I have observed is 4 and counting), and the paper towel allows for easier monitoring.

So far mine have not molted and are probably about the same age as yours. Be prepared for a long haul. Good luck.

spydrhunter1 · Dec 1, 2007

craig84 said:
Fruit flies I believe he means. Now I have to find someone who sells them

Carolina Biological has wingless fruit flies, get extra tubes and diet so you can start breeding your own. I use them for Latrodectus slings.

craig84 · Dec 1, 2007

Thanks for the info. Shredded paper towels? You have a pm

Since you are having luck with them I want to find out more. Thanks. Craig.

What · Dec 1, 2007

Craig, I hope you dont mind but I am going to post this here for any other people who have these. If you have a problem with me quoting you just let me or a mod know and have it edited out.

craig84 said:
Hi, thank you for the reply. So I should take the substrate out and cut up little pieces of paper towel? I have them in small vials. How long do they live for and how long till maturity? I heard they take awhile. DO you have pics of your setup? Thank you. Craig.

I would recommend taking them out of the substrate and moving them onto the paper toweling.

To my knowledge there is no information about how long it takes for them to mature. Judging from wild populations and from the population density I would say that these take an extremely long time to mature(possibly up to 10 years or more). Their habitat is quite sensitive and probably have already been over collected.

Currently I do not have pictures of my setup. I have a few different enclosure types I am working with including keeping some with the mature female that they were found with. I dont know how well those are doing, but my slings that seem to be flourishing are kept on cut up paper towel(~1/4" square pieces) that I keep damp(just barely any water) at all times. I have lost two of these slings to dehydration so please be careful to keep the humidity up.

I am starting to think that a care sheet will eventually be needed for these.....

UrbanJungles · Dec 1, 2007

Fruit flies are great for the start but switch off to pinheads as soon as possible. I've noticed growth and molts increase significantly once off FF's.

craig84 · Dec 1, 2007

Ok, I cut up tiny pieces of paper towel instead. I sprayed it with water to get some humidity in there. I cut up a tiny worm and put it in with each but haven't eaten it. Wow, 10 years

The substrate is 1/4" deep of little paper chunks. Let me know if you think this is a good setup. Thank you for the info so far

What · Dec 1, 2007

1/4" deep it probably just fine.

Vietnamese510 · Dec 1, 2007

hey

hey kevin have you ever got them to eat succesfully yet?

thanks!

Derek

craig84 · Dec 1, 2007

good, well I have the setup right then, now I need to get them to eat

What · Dec 1, 2007

Yes I have gotten some of my slings to eat, it was on cut up lobster roach pieces.

Vietnamese510 · Dec 1, 2007

d

hmm so does that mean they can eat already dead stuff? or does it have to be moving

thanks again!

Derek

What · Dec 1, 2007

They will eat dead food(to my knowledge).

I believe in the wild they feed off of the food the mother catches.

Vietnamese510 · Dec 1, 2007

soo

i can throw in a circkets leg thats pretty small then just leave it there and it will eat.

hmm and like how many times do they eat a week,month, ect.

Farom · Dec 1, 2007

www.flygrowers.com
www.edsflymeat.com

craig84 · Dec 1, 2007

Thank you farom. What would be better, flighless or wingless, whats the difference? Thanks. Craig.

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