ideal container height for 1/2 in arboreal sling?

KristinaMG · Sep 3, 2015

I just got some 1/2 inch arboreal slings. In the past I've always gotten 3/4 or 1 inch slings so I'm not as familiar with the real little guys. I put them in 2 inch by 5 inch containers (spice jar containers). I feel like there is maybe too much vertical space for them to hunt effectively. What would the ideal height be for arboreals this tiny? TIA.

Sam_Peanuts · Sep 3, 2015

I use 32oz deli-cups for all of mine and they're about 5.5-6in high.

Don't worry, they're pretty good at sensing a prey at the bottom and they'll get down to catch it.

I usually feed mine cricket legs at that size and even though it's not moving, they pretty much always find it in less than a day, even if it didn't fall close to them like I often try to do. Live prey are caught much sooner since the crickets tend to climb so they make it easy to be spotted.

Poec54 · Sep 3, 2015

Depends on the genera. I give Avic-type slings a 16oz deli cup, as they'll stay at the top most of the time and I don't want them too far from the food and water sources. For all the other arboreals, I use 32oz deli cups even when they're 1/2"; those species aren't as sedentary and I have no doubt they'll quickly find what they need in their cages. Almost all of them live on or under a small piece of cork on the substrate. They're also usually much faster than the Avics, and the extra cage height gives me a little more time to react when they hit the gas pedal.

Standard set up is:
- an inch of bagged top soil (cheap stuff, no fertilizers)
- a piece of cork and/or piece of plastic plant (section of Zoo Med vining type)
- some long-fiber sphagnum under the cork/plant for nesting
- a small disposable water bowl (lid from a 16oz water bottle)

Easy on the misting, should be no more than weekly and very lightly, only on their silk (don't hose down the cage).

So eventually you'll tell us what species you got...

KristinaMG · Sep 3, 2015

Poec54 said:
Depends on the genera. I give Avic-type slings a 16oz deli cup, as they'll stay at the top most of the time and I don't want them too far from the food and water sources. For all the other arboreals, I use 32oz deli cups even when they're 1/2"; those species aren't as sedentary and I have no doubt they'll quickly find what they need in their cages. Almost all of them live on or under a small piece of cork on the substrate. They're also usually much faster than the Avics, and the extra cage height gives me a little more time to react when they hit the gas pedal.

Standard set up is:
- an inch of bagged top soil (cheap stuff, no fertilizers)
- a piece of cork and/or piece of plastic plant (section of Zoo Med vining type)
- some long-fiber sphagnum under the cork/plant for nesting
- a small disposable water bowl (lid from a 16oz water bottle)

Easy on the misting, should be no more than weekly and very lightly, only on their silk (don't hose down the cage).

So eventually you'll tell us what species you got...

Thanks. These 3 are avics (A. amazonica, A. purpurea, and A. versi). I have 2 larger juvenile avics, but they were both acquired at around 1.5 inches (one is now 4 inches, the other 2.5in), and I feel way more comfortable that my slings will find their prey when they are 1 inch+. Maybe I'm underestimating the tiny slings, but I got a B. vagans freebie at 1/4 inch a few months ago and she wouldn't find her food until I moved her back into the tiny vial she came in. She is finally now 3/4 inch and in larger container doing well. I also have a P. regalis and P. irminia that were 1.25 inches and 1.5 inches respectively when first purchased and they are thriving. So I feel confident that if I can get these little ones to the 1 inch mark we'll be fine. But I'm worried about another situation like the with B. vagans where they may need a drastically smaller space.. Thanks for any insight.

viper69 · Sep 3, 2015

Smaller space only increases probability of prey /hunter interactions. Imagine how a vagans survives in the wild! I think all Ts are doing pretty well without humans helping them in the wild.

KristinaMG · Sep 3, 2015

viper69 said:
Smaller space only increases probability of prey /hunter interactions. Imagine how a vagans survives in the wild! I think all Ts are doing pretty well without humans helping them in the wild.

Well in the wild there are bugs everywhere.. In my sling's enclosure there is only ever one prey item, so it stands to reason that if the space is too large the sling may have trouble encountering the prey in time to have the kind of regular diet I'm hoping for to achieve speedy growth.

cold blood · Sep 3, 2015

yeah, you cannot compare small arboreals to small terrestrials....arboreals are much better hunters at tiny sizes. Little avics won't have a tough time finding prey at all....little Brachy's are like the polar opposite practically.

KristinaMG · Sep 3, 2015

cold blood said:
yeah, you cannot compare small arboreals to small terrestrials....arboreals are much better hunters at tiny sizes. Little avics won't have a tough time finding prey at all....little Brachy's are like the polar opposite practically.

Ok thanks.

ideal container height for 1/2 in arboreal sling?

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