My sling is afraid of crickets

Neoza

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Hey everyone i have a 4nd instar brachypelma smithi. The men i bought it from said i can feed him pinhead crickets (not pre killed). I already offered him 5 times a cricket and he just runs away of it! I know that T's can fast for a long time but its a sling and he needs to grow!! He is like afraid of the cricket! I also offered a dead cricket but still he didnt eat. Should i just keep offering him a cricket ones 2-3 days? What do you guys think?
 

Poec54

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All of the slings I've ever had eat baby crickets. When they cricket's too large, the sling is intimidated. You need smaller crickets, and maybe take the rear legs off of them.
 

Neoza

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The crickets are the smallest ones that i can get and i dont think they are to big, and yeah i also thought it could be in premolt but i cant see it. image.jpg
 

Neoza

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image.jpg im in a hurry now if this picture isnt good enough i will take another one in the evening.
 

Micrathena

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Spiders can be weird, I had a big old Dolomedes that was afraid of a little dubia roach :D
But I think Belle Fury has a point, it looks a bit full there. Just remember it's not necessarily a bad thing if he doesn't eat for a week or two.
 

Misty Day

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I know that T's can fast for a long time but its a sling and he needs to grow!!
The sling knows a lot more about what he's doing then you do. You picked a very slow growing species and fasting species. You can't assume something's wrong when it doesn't eat.
 

Neoza

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I'm not seeing a secure retreat in that cage. if spiders don't have one, they aren't as confident.
i bought the spider in this enclosure en the men said this is a good enclosure, he can stay in it for a while. Should i make a hide for him? Usually i always make hides for my T's but its because he is so small its hard to find one.

---------- Post added 08-22-2014 at 03:28 PM ----------

Spiders can be weird, I had a big old Dolomedes that was afraid of a little dubia roach :D
But I think Belle Fury has a point, it looks a bit full there. Just remember it's not necessarily a bad thing if he doesn't eat for a week or two.
he was already so fat when i bought him. I only have them for about a week. So i dont know if the seller gave him mutch food.

---------- Post added 08-22-2014 at 03:31 PM ----------

The sling knows a lot more about what he's doing then you do. You picked a very slow growing species and fasting species. You can't assume something's wrong when it doesn't eat.
i know i dont have to be worried that he doesnt eat. I'm just worrying why he is afraid because when he is hungry and he wants to eat, he cant eat because he is afraid of the cricket.

---------- Post added 08-22-2014 at 03:34 PM ----------

By the way thanks for reply :)!
 
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skippydude

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I think your sling is in pre-molt

Brachypelma tend to plump up before molts, I wouldn't be one bit concerned about it's size. I'd actually be more worried over a thin brachy in pre-molt

Even at this small size, my B smithi slings rarely use their hides

I would offer prey every 3-4 days and remove it if not eaten within 24 hours. If the prey is larger than the T's abdomen, kill the prey item and offer a piece the size of the abdomen, instead of a whole live cricket.

Most importantly give a few drops water on the wall and/or sub every couple of days too. At this size I give my slings a water bottle cap for a drinking dish
 

Poec54

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i bought the spider in this enclosure en the men said this is a good enclosure, he can stay in it for a while. Should i make a hide for him? Usually i always make hides for my T's but its because he is so small its hard to find one.
The cage is fine, but needs some interior decoration. There should be a piece of cork for it to hide under (break off a piece), slanted on one side of the cage. Slings walking out in the open in the wild don't last long. It's stressed not having a place to hide. Second, it should have a water bowl; use a shallow lid from a small 16 oz water bottle. Slings can dehydrate and die quickly when they need water and it's not present. Don't rely on misting. Do those things and the spiderling will be happy.
 

cold blood

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Its not a worry with a rump that looks as big and healthy as that one. I have a B. albiceps that, while smaller, looks very similar ATM. Its last meal was 22 days ago, and while it may not be giving outward signs of pre-molt, I know by its rump size (as well as feeding schedule) that there is an impending molt in the near future. Offer a pre-killed cricket every few days, but don't expect it to eat or worry when it refuses, that sling is just fine and dandy, you just acquired it at a time where its basically had its fill. My super-aggressive B. smithi refused to make its own kill until it was over an inch, there's no problem with pre-killed food. You just need to relax and not worry.
 

Neoza

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Ok i will search a hide for him and offer him every 3-4 days pre killed food. And poec54 i know its a stupid question but my english isnt so good, what is a 16 oz water bottle? The smallest lids from water bottles i know are way to big for him. And thank you for the good advice! :) :)
 

Poec54

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Ok i will search a hide for him and offer him every 3-4 days pre killed food. And poec54 i know its a stupid question but my english isnt so good, what is a 16 oz water bottle? The smallest lids from water bottles i know are way to big for him. And thank you for the good advice! :) :)
Over here in the colonies, bottled water is very popular and the 16 oz size (roughly one liter) has small plastic lids that are ideal for sling water bowls. I give them to slings that are 1/2" and up in DLS.
 

cold blood

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example of water bottle lid as dish

They are 1" across...16 mm for those on the metric system. You can see it in the back corner...well you can see most of it.
 

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Neoza

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Over here in the colonies, bottled water is very popular and the 16 oz size (roughly one liter) has small plastic lids that are ideal for sling water bowls. I give them to slings that are 1/2" and up in DLS.
the lids of bottles here are 2 cm wide and 1 cm high!

---------- Post added 08-22-2014 at 11:24 PM ----------

They are 1" across...16 mm for those on the metric system. You can see it in the back corner...well you can see most of it.
and that is good for a 9mm sling?
 
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