Skittish Pulchra Sling Advice

Spaceblues

Arachnopeon
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Nov 30, 2014
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So one of my little 3/4" slings is extremely skittish. All I have to do is just barely touch its enclosure and it starts kicking hair like crazy. I've only opened its enclosure a couple times in three weeks to offer a prekilled cricket and remove it two days later after refusal.

I was going to remove the second prekilled today that it refused and it started kicking again as soon as I touched the enclosure so I just left it alone. The other slings don't react this way - no kicking and eating great. Also its abdomen is small compared to the others.

Any advice for me moving forward?


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Sana

Arachnoprince
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I have a series of questions for you. How long have you had the sling? Is it possible that it hasn't had time to settle in? Does the sling have a hide or burrow of some sort where it feels secure? Besides all that, is it possible your sling is it pre molt?
 

Spaceblues

Arachnopeon
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I've only had it for three weeks. It's in a little stacker box like the other 4 slings. It has made a little burrow in a corner that it likes to hide in. At the slightest touch it comes out of its burrow kicking. It's definitely still settling in. Can't really tell where it is in molt cycle due to it being a really dark sling, but the abdomen is small, and from what I read, I thought it would be swollen prior to preparing to molt.


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Angel Minkov

Arachnobaron
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My little G. pulchra has tried sinking its fangs in my finger 2 times now and it's less than 1'' leg span. Not to mention it goes ballistic when I touch its enclosure and it doesn't bother kicking hairs, it goes directly into a threat posture.
 

MarkmD

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I would say give it more time to get settled in, then next week from now try feeding it again, make sure it has fresh water to drink, sometimes T's can just be stubborn even as slings or you could have a bad tempered one, they "sometimes" change attitude over time/molt hopefully the mood swings stop by next molt.
 

Poec54

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I would say give it more time to get settled in, then next week from now try feeding it again, make sure it has fresh water to drink, sometimes T's can just be stubborn even as slings or you could have a bad tempered one, they "sometimes" change attitude over time/molt hopefully the mood swings stop by next molt.
Right, although the lack of appetite is much more of a concern than the hair kicking.
 

awiec

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Feb 13, 2014
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Right, although the lack of appetite is much more of a concern than the hair kicking.
This is very concerning as while I've had a few slings try to take a bite out of me, they still ate.

To the op
If possible try a live cricket, even at 3/4 a small cricket should be fine, doesn't even have to be a pinhead. Of course eventually it will run out of hairs and if it resorts to a threat pose then that makes your job easier as they usually just hold the pose. My g.pulchripes was rather cranky and would not eat for a while either. It eventually settled in and eats like a pamph, even if it still tries to bite me. I'd suggest following markmd's advice and see what happens.
 

IHeartTs

Arachnobaron
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Mar 23, 2014
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Yeah if it's refusing food that's a pretty good sign of premolt or stress or both. All of my slings have been a little on the skittish end and grew out of it a little now that 2 are juvies. They'll still kick but not at the slightest disturbance and they don't go as bonkers. My c fimbriatus sling runs around like a maniac at any movement (I avoid moving it as much as possible). How often do you move it's enclosure around? Not to open it, but just moving it. And has it taken live prey before?
 

Spaceblues

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I forgot to mention - the first feeding attempt after settling in for a week I tried prekilled and it didn't eat. The next week I put in a live cricket and it ignored it. The next morning I killed it and left it. It refused that as well, but it moved it into a little indentation it excavated in the middle of the enclosure. That's what I was going to remove today when it started kicking so I've just left it alone.


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---------- Post added 12-21-2014 at 04:14 PM ----------

To iheartTs - it has only been moved those few times. I read a lot about leaving them be to settle in. They're in a very dim room with little foot traffic away from exterior walls and drafts.


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Zigana

Arachnosquire
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Apr 8, 2014
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I wouldn't worry too much about the sling not eating nor the hair kicking. When I got my pulchras at 3/4" they burrowed and stayed underground for 2 months not eating, molted and were eating in a week after their fangs hardened up. After this the slings molted every month and a half. They would refuse food during premolt. They are now juvies.

As far as hair kicking mine did it the first couple of weeks and no more after that. I'll have one on occassion to raise its abdomen but that is all. Being small they are vulnerable and this is their way to ward off a possible threat.
 

Spaceblues

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Just to update - it was in premolt! It started molting last night I guess and is almost completely out now. It looks like it started upright against the edge of its burrow because the exuvium is upright. It's on its back now and appears to be almost completely done.


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G. pulchra

ArachnoGod
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Here's a bit of advice, leave the sling alone (it's not a puppy). Most slings are very defensive and stress easily, let it get larger before attempting to handle it.
 

Sana

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Just to update - it was in premolt! It started molting last night I guess and is almost completely out now. It looks like it started upright against the edge of its burrow because the exuvium is upright. It's on its back now and appears to be almost completely done.


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I'm glad to hear that it molted and all is well.
 

Angel Minkov

Arachnobaron
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Aug 3, 2014
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Yeah if it's refusing food that's a pretty good sign of premolt or stress or both. All of my slings have been a little on the skittish end and grew out of it a little now that 2 are juvies. They'll still kick but not at the slightest disturbance and they don't go as bonkers. My c fimbriatus sling runs around like a maniac at any movement (I avoid moving it as much as possible). How often do you move it's enclosure around? Not to open it, but just moving it. And has it taken live prey before?
As far as I know, tarantulas dont feel stress. Animals with only a nerve ganglion dont have that ability. They also dont feel pain, compassion and so on.
 

awiec

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As far as I know, tarantulas dont feel stress. Animals with only a nerve ganglion dont have that ability. They also dont feel pain, compassion and so on.
They don't feel stress in what layman's terms would consider it. They do however know and feel like their life is in danger when exposed to certain stimuli and can become weak if they are in that state for too long. I've seen spiders become stressed/exhausted to death in an college experiment. Stress is dangerous to them like it is to any other plant or animal and is best to not constantly pester them.
 
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