buried slings!

Sydney A · Jan 28, 2015

I know they stay buried cause that are teeny and all,but I can't tell if they eat. Once a week I put some pre killed prey in and sometimes pinhead crickets but they seem to stay hidden. I see them in tunnels down about 2 inches but jeez, let me know what is up. Tonight I try meal worm parts rather than smashed crickets. These are two, a Texas Brown and a white knee. Excuse me lack of scientific names, I feel dumb tonight. Each has a bottle cap of shallow water. I think my Texas Brown molted, he looks bigger so maybe he molted. I have a teeny chaco golden knee too. My big ones I can SEE eat. These babies are buried mostly and I feel like I have no clue!

truecreature · Jan 28, 2015

Are you putting the prey directly down the burrow? Because if you drop it just outside you'll be able to see it gone if they take it

eldondominicano · Jan 28, 2015

raisinjelly said:
Are you putting the prey directly down the burrow? Because if you drop it just outside you'll be able to see it gone if they take it

That all depends on the size portions of pre-killed prey. Slings will often come up and suck juices out, while seemingly naked or not terribly obvious to the eye. I have had this happen. The issue with dropping pre-killed prey is if the T denies it your contending with rotting food in the burrows. I never throw pre-killed food in burrows whether sling, juvie or adult. T's are smart. Keep killing prey and leave it at the entrances of the burrow/s.

Texas brown- Aphonopelma Anax
Chaco- Grammostola Pulchripes
White knee- A. Geniculata

pyro fiend · Jan 29, 2015

well they venture out at night i have a 1" boehmei in a 6x5x4 [just got real dementions sry to anyone familiar with this story lol] container burried away. he does just fine in his i drop food both in his burrow and outside his burrow, depending on how i sat him back on the shelf this guy/gal has never had a problem, and i got it when it was still maybe 1/4 or under. so long as it has fresh water and they look fine they will be fine..

ps eldon, those common names are tricky as iv seen nhadus with white knee and hentzi and a. chalcodes labeled the same..but typically you should be right

eldondominicano · Jan 29, 2015

pyro fiend said:
well they venture out at night i have a 1" boehmei in a 6x5x4 [just got real dementions sry to anyone familiar with this story lol] container burried away. he does just fine in his i drop food both in his burrow and outside his burrow, depending on how i sat him back on the shelf this guy/gal has never had a problem, and i got it when it was still maybe 1/4 or under. so long as it has fresh water and they look fine they will be fine..

ps eldon, those common names are tricky as iv seen nhadus with white knee and hentzi and a. chalcodes labeled the same..but typically you should be right

Thanks for the heads up, that is true.. Also I know everyone has certain methods they go by. When you drop your prey in the burrows is it live or killed?

pyro fiend · Jan 29, 2015

eldondominicano said:
Thanks for the heads up, that is true.. Also I know everyone has certain methods they go by. When you drop your prey in the burrows is it live or killed?

I use dubias, whick burrow, so i crush the heads and srop it in when it's still kicking. never had a problem if they dont want it after its already died they will take the decaying body and put it in the corner with trash in the enclosure iv found that out with my 3.5" Nhadu chromatus burrower xD

eldondominicano · Jan 29, 2015

pyro fiend said:
I use dubias, whick burrow, so i crush the heads and srop it in when it's still kicking. never had a problem if they dont want it after its already died they will take the decaying body and put it in the corner with trash in the enclosure iv found that out with my 3.5" Nhadu chromatus burrower xD

That's pretty cool, I've honestly never attempted putting pre-killed prey in the actual homes, I usually just place them right outside the burrows, or throw a live specimen in the burrow/web or whatever the specimen has done to make a home. I hear Nhandu Chromatus' are quite the exciting Tarantula! And apparently OCD as well lol

pyro fiend · Jan 29, 2015

Well mine is. At 1/4-1" it was a burrow hider 1-2" it was a display T.. now thinks she thinks she works in a gold mine because shes got an impressive burrow primarilly against the side of the tote and i dropped it in. She wasnt in the mood. It kicked itself to a back portion of the burrow and when she didnt want it there she carried it out and put it in a corner. Shes so weird but i lobe her.... Ts also do this with a molt to clean house iv seen both tarestrial and arboreals alike [emoji14]

eldondominicano · Jan 29, 2015

pyro fiend said:
Well mine is. At 1/4-1" it was a burrow hider 1-2" it was a display T.. now thinks she thinks she works in a gold mine because shes got an impressive burrow primarilly against the side of the tote and i dropped it in. She wasnt in the mood. It kicked itself to a back portion of the burrow and when she didnt want it there she carried it out and put it in a corner. Shes so weird but i lobe her.... Ts also do this with a molt to clean house iv seen both tarestrial and arboreals alike [emoji14]

Yes I have this happen frequently with my T's and their molts, and bolus' as well... Most of mine throw their dubia bolus' in their water dishes,, ughh LOL. Thanks for the information, I am hoping to get a group of N. Chromatus slings come warmer weather.

pyro fiend · Jan 29, 2015

eldondominicano said:
Yes I have this happen frequently with my T's and their molts, and bolus' as well... Most of mine throw their dubia bolus' in their water dishes,, ughh LOL. Thanks for the information, I am hoping to get a group of N. Chromatus slings come warmer weather.

Must have imo great sp! And no xp

Sydney A · Jan 29, 2015

Well as an update my Texas Brown webbed all over and wrapped up its disgusting half cricket bits so it's eating and the most exciting news is my teeny A. Genticulata molted down under there! I peered thru the bottom of the deli cup and could see that it was sitting a couple inches from the exo. I took out the exo, and up popped my slightly less tiny baby with visable leg stripes! I left it alone but it looks perfect. My first molt! Lol. Also my tiny chaco golden knee who is less than a half inch finally ate for me, happily took 1/4 meal worm. They seem to enjoy the meal worms and they sure are easier to deal with then crickets.

I do put the pre killed prey near the burrow for those that asked, not down the hole. Thanks all!

gobey · Jan 31, 2015

Figure I'll post this here rather than make a new thread.

My first OW T and one of my first slings was an H. mac. (I know)

Now I know they are reclusive. But I haven't seen this one in some while now. It doesn't appear to be eating anything. For weeks now it's not taken food. Even left outside the burrow.

Usually the little thing (maybe 3/4" inch now) comes out for walks late at night. Or can be seen in it's tunnel.

It's completely gone now.

I'm resisting the urge to look for it. That seems like asking for an escape, a bite (which even as a sling would probably mess me up for a day) or harming the T.

It's enclosure isn't small enough to justify rehousing it,

How long can their pre molt last?

Would I be able to smell a dead sling at that size?

I have another one.

But Togo is special to me.

IHeartTs · Jan 31, 2015

gobey said:
Figure I'll post this here rather than make a new thread.

My first OW T and one of my first slings was an H. mac. (I know)

Now I know they are reclusive. But I haven't seen this one in some while now. It doesn't appear to be eating anything. For weeks now it's not taken food. Even left outside the burrow.

Usually the little thing (maybe 3/4" inch now) comes out for walks late at night. Or can be seen in it's tunnel.

It's completely gone now.

I'm resisting the urge to look for it. That seems like asking for an escape, a bite (which even as a sling would probably mess me up for a day) or harming the T.

It's enclosure isn't small enough to justify rehousing it,

How long can their pre molt last?

Would I be able to smell a dead sling at that size?

I have another one.

But Togo is special to me.

If you do it in the tub or a sterilite container it probably won't escape. I've rehoused tiny slings like that and no escapees.... yet. Just really spazzy little tarantulas. How many weeks are we talking? 2 or like 12? Not sure if you'd smell a dead sling but I'd try peeking down the burrow or using a small brush to try and lure it out. It coulda been in premolt and molted and was taking a little rest. Depending on how long it's been down there, looking for it is an option.

gobey · Jan 31, 2015

The better part of a month. 3 or 4 weeks.

I'd hate to think she got taken out by a hungry cricket. She's molted 3 times in my care. I've rehoused her once.

IHeartTs · Jan 31, 2015

Then yeah I'd say its time to look. Don't go destroying it's burrow right away though. Think of it as an excavation. Slow, move little bits of dirt, brushes etc. Just in case it did molt recently. It'll be fragile. Hope it's alive :/

gobey · Jan 31, 2015

IHeartTs said:
Then yeah I'd say its time to look. Don't go destroying it's burrow right away though. Think of it as an excavation. Slow, move little bits of dirt, brushes etc. Just in case it did molt recently. It'll be fragile. Hope it's alive :/

Me too...

Issue is it lives somewhere in or under a large clump of shpagnum moss.

This'll be interesting.

eldondominicano · Jan 31, 2015

gobey said:
The better part of a month. 3 or 4 weeks.

I'd hate to think she got taken out by a hungry cricket. She's molted 3 times in my care. I've rehoused her once.

I could be wrong but I wouldn't particularly hang your head on a serious situation. H Macs are moderately slow growers. I have four of them. And I've had one of my H macs go into pre molt for 3-4 weeks before just to end up pushing its molt out. Is it's burrow blocked up?Hows humidity in the enclosure

gobey · Jan 31, 2015

eldondominicano said:
I could be wrong but I wouldn't particularly hang your head on a serious situation. H Macs are moderately slow growers. I have four of them. And I've had one of my H macs go into pre molt for 3-4 weeks before just to end up pushing its molt out. Is it's burrow blocked up?Hows humidity in the enclosure

Yeah that's why I didn't disturb it yet. It's probably 5th or 6th instar I guess.

I'm not at home... But she's already in an enclosure probably a bit too big first... Old mistake and I didn't wanr to rehouse her (just calling it a her) to avoud stressing her out...

She seemed to thrive fine anyways and molted in there and ate and had room to go on walks... Which she did often enough actually.

Her home is a large clump of shpagnum moss that I drop with water 2x a week.

eldondominicano · Jan 31, 2015

I would continue to put pre-killed prey outside its burrow. I understand the concern, I think anyone on this forum would be lying if they didn't agree that we have gone through this at one/or more points in our hobby career. I'm not saying that there is nothing for sure going on, but best to give it another week or two IMO. I've had slings fast for longer than a month before

gobey · Jan 31, 2015

eldondominicano said:
I would continue to put pre-killed prey outside its burrow. I understand the concern, I think anyone on this forum would be lying if they didn't agree that we have gone through this at one/or more points in our hobby career. I'm not saying that there is nothing for sure going on, but best to give it another week or two IMO. I've had slings fast for longer than a month before

Indeed. I'm hesitant to look for her anyways.... Because well.... I did once before in her old enclosure. She was there and fine... I ended up moving her to this one then because it had more visibility.

This little T and 2 awesome B. albopilosums got me into keeping slings. Which I thought I'd never like. She's a fascinating animal.

I know H. macs aren't going anywhere... And I have 2 awesome pokie slings too. But man... They're not Togo. Togo is special.

I'll keep watch... I poked at the top of her web a bit the other day when feeding. Wanted to see if she'd repair it. This hobby builds patience eh?

buried slings!

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