My husbandry? Help please.

Hello All,

This is my care regiment/details for my collection:

T Room consistently stays at 68 degrees F during the winter and fall and goes up to the mid 70s in the summer

Small Slings 1/2 inch to 2nd instar:
Enclosures: plastic vials from Tap Plastics with holes poked in the lids
Substrate: eco earth (amount varies by size of the T) (I tend to give 2nd instars less than an inch so I can better monitor them, anything past 3rd instar I typically give an inch of substrate or more)
Hide: I do not use hides but I will add small pieces of sphagnum moss for arboreals.
Feeding: I give them pieces of superworms, dubias, and crickets weekly then remove whatever is left uneaten after a few days. They rarely accept food if I try to tong feed them so I just put the food in the center of the substrate so they can get to it if they want to.
Watering: I typically mist/ drip water into the substrate/ onto the webbing once a week then allow the substrate to dry completely before re-misting/dripping.

Slings 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch
Enclosures: 32 oz plastic easy grip canisters from Tap Plastics with plenty of holes poked in the lids and the sides for good ventilation.
Substrate: 1 1/2- 2 inches of eco earth for arboreals, a bit more for terrestrials, and a bit more for obligate burrowers.
Hide: I use a mixture of plastic leaves and sphagnum moss leaned against the side of the enclosure and the occasional piece of cork bark.
Feeding: I feed appropriately sized crickets and dubia with their heads cut off once weekly. Some of them will not accept tong fed food so I will often place the food in their webbing/near their burrow.
Watering: I no longer mist, instead I keep a water bowl in all of these enclosures. But I have only been doing this for a few weeks. Previously I just misted and dripped water to allow water droplets to form on the sides of the enclosures so the T could drink.

Slings 1 1/2 inch to 3 inches
Enclosures: I use 62 oz plastic easy grip canisters from Tap Plastics with plenty of holes poked in the lids and sides for good ventilation.
Substrate: 2- 2 1/2 inches of eco earth substrate for arboreals, usually 3 or 4 inches for terrestrials and obligate burrowers.
Hide: I use pieces of clay pots with the sharp edges sanded down, fake leaves, sphagnum moss, and cork bark.
Watering: I now have waterbowls in each of these enclosures and use this instead of misting/ dripping.
Feeding: I feed appropriately sized crickets and dubia with their heads cut off once weekly.

Juvies and Adults:
Enclosures: I use appropriately sized plastic shoe box enclosures for terrestrials with plenty of shoe and standard critter keepers for arboreals and semi arboreals
Substrate: 2 1/2 inches and sometimes a bit more (eco earth again)
Hide: I use half logs, clay pots, and cork bark
Feeding: Appropriately sized dubia and crickets with their heads cut off once weekly.
Watering: i do not usually mist, I just keep water bowls in all of these enclosures.

I do mist my moisture dependent species.
I feed more and bigger prey when necessary.


What am I doing wrong? I have had 6 deaths (all of which have been small slings) since I have started keeping 2 years ago. Four of these deaths have been in the past few months.

ARACHNO-SMACK48 said:

Small Slings 1/2 inch to 2nd instar:
Watering: I typically mist/ drip water into the substrate/ onto the webbing once a week then allow the substrate to dry completely before re-misting/dripping.

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I never keep slings that small on dry substrate at any point, always moist. Slings are too prone to desiccation.

Plastic vials have terrible ventilation so it's much harder to find the right ratio of water to give them without killing them by providing a stuffy enclosure or them lacking enough water, especially if you're keeping species that need more humidity than others.

I'd try to either poke holes on the side of your vials or find another container to hold them which makes this possible/easier.

I think it is dehydration that is the biggest problem. I feel terrible. What containers do you suggest using?

I have a couple of tiny plastic containers that I found at the dollar store and I've heard of people using 2oz deli/condiments cups.

You can also go straight to a full size deli cup if you make sure they eat.

I still have all of my obt slings in vials(those smaller than 1"), but only because I've found a good ratio for them, but I probably won't do this in the future since it can be costly for some species if you make a mistake. I have a store specialized in packing stuff and there a couple of tiny deli-cup like containers than I plan on giving a try for next time(since my dollar store containers are a bit pricy if I get a lot of slings).

Thank You. Also just curious, how many slings have you guys had die since you have been in the hobby?

for me, a consistent 68 degrees is too cool for slings and low elevation tropicals. I'd have problems if they didn't get into the mid 70's during winter days.

I only use vials for shipping. Poor ventilation and floor space. I think that's where your problems are, and a lack of water bowls for 1/2" slings. My tiniest slings (1/8") are in 3 oz soufflé cups short-term with moist long fiber sphagnum, and anything near 1/2" gets a deli cup, usually 16 oz (32 oz for arboreals except Avics) with a small water bowl.

I've had a couple of them die a few years ago, all(I think) because of humidity problems either caused by vials or the peat moss I was using that's terrible at absorbing moisture.

And yeah, I agree with Poec54 about the temp, it could cause problems with some species, especially slings. I always keep mine at a minimum of mid 70s.

Sam_Peanuts said:

I've had a couple of them die a few years ago, all(I think) because of humidity problems either caused by vials or the peat moss I was using that's terrible at absorbing moisture.

And yeah, I agree with Poec54 about the temp, it could cause problems with some species, especially slings. I always keep mine at a minimum of mid 70s.

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68 and damp can be fatal to some spiders.

I blend sphagnum in at the top of the substrate for my slings. Sphagnum is easy to rehydrate and holds water better than coir. Just dribble water onto the sphagnum when it starts to dry. I don't bother mixing it the whole way through, just the top inch or so.

I suggest keeping the room at least above 70 at all time, yes I've had my room dip to 68 on a few occasions but it is not the norm. I personally like deli cup or those cups used as jello shot/condiment containers as they are clear, cheap and you can poke cross ventilation holes. Anything under 1.5 inches I keep more moist than usual BUT they have good ventilation to strike the right balance of humidity and air flow. I've kept all of my inverts this way for years and I get moderate growth from everything, they could grow faster if I were to keep them warmer and fed more often. I know for avics (if I recall you've had issues with those) I immediately throw them into a 16oz or 32oz deli as those containers allow you to maintain humidity but provides enough air flow for them.

My room is now up to 70 and the tiny slings are being kept on at least semi-moist substrate at all times. All of my avics are kept with tons of ventilation. I plan to purchase a space heater at some point in the future.

Just an update: My tiny slings are still in vials but all of my T's have been moved to a new dedicated T room (a modified/ insulated closet) where the temps rarely drop below the mid 70's and are usually closer to the 80s. I have been paying much closer attention to my tiny slings, trying to making sure that the substrate is at least partially moist at all times. I think it was mainly a combination of low temperatures and dehydration. I still feel terrible but I have learned that complacency with sling care is not a luxury that can be afforded in this hobby. Thanks for all of the help.

There is a difference between surviving and thriving. Maybe a bit warmer for the tiny ones.

I have had no problems with vials, I just make up the eco earth and squeeze it as hard as I can and fill the vial about half way. Only ventilation is a small hole in the center of the lid, However I do open the vial every 2 days to check in and recirculate. As soon as they are big enough they go into small sterilite bins with very small holes.

scorpionchaos said:

I have had no problems with vials, I just make up the eco earth and squeeze it as hard as I can and fill the vial about half way. Only ventilation is a small hole in the center of the lid, However I do open the vial every 2 days to check in and recirculate. As soon as they are big enough they go into small sterilite bins with very small holes.

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I've tried the pillvials a few times. For a couple Avics, Poecies and my Chilobrachys I tried those when I received them. I think I rehoused the Avics after 3 days already seing they didn't do too well. The Poecs after a week and the Chilobrachys after about the same time. Despite what many say/do, I really don't like pillvials. I've been critisized for using "too big of an enclosure" for tiny slings - I offer my overall great success as argument against that however. For example - 0.75" Avic that I housed in those containers I usually use, grow just fine, start webbing and behave completely normal. Pillvials are simply a bad option in my personal experience/opinion. But those that use them making good experiences...will probably keep doing so.

deli cups of all sizes for all sizes from 1st instar to adults in some cases, they are cost effective easy to prepare. wait to long to clean just toss it and grab a new one !

Honestly, even though I spent the money to get hundreds of small vials for raising spiderlings, I have since evolved to preferring deli cups. Believe me, I used vials for the first 4-6 years, and they do work.. its just that deli cups are superior in every way except visual appeal. Sure it looks cool to have rows of webbed up vials on your shelf for guests to look at in wonder, but you're technically asking for more work and higher cost. You need a drill to put cross vent holes, webbing clings real bad, and they can get knocked over (if you haven't knocked a vial over and damaged a tiny sling with substrate rolling around, then you haven't had to raise enough hatchlings).

In the end, a deli cup can be poked with a needle as little/much as needed, have wider base for stability, (and can be stacked when moving hundreds), and the biggest point is that they're cheaper.. just make sure you get clear lids so you can look in and check on them.

-Sean

I have my G pulchra sling in a deli cup with a small hole in the top. Use choir only had to water it a couple of times nice moisture retainment. Temp around 68-70

pepey05 said:

I have my G pulchra sling in a deli cup with a small hole in the top. Use choir only had to water it a couple of times nice moisture retainment. Temp around 68-70

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Sounds like trouble waiting to happen.

One hole in the lid is severely under-ventilated, there should be several holes around the outside, as opposed to the lid. This total lack of ventilation explains why you rarely need to add water, it has no where to escape to, and no air movement within...this leads to damp, stagnant air, that's probably the biggest sling killer there is. I also think 70 should be the bare minimum for slings, 68 can actually cause problems, especially around molting time.

A small water dish is a big plus, provided the deli cup has the room to provide for one.