White 'dots' on the substract

Hi there. I was checking my slings today and i saw that there are white dots on the substract. Is it normal? Should i change the substact ASAP?

Thanks

Looks like a bit of mold.
Most of its harmless to the spider, but I would take a spoon and scoop it all out.

What's the ventilation look like on the deli cup? (I'm assuming it's a deli cup)
Good ventilation usually keeps that in check.

PTX said:

Looks like a bit of mold.
Most of its harmless to the spider, but I would take a spoon and scoop it all out.

What's the ventilation look like on the deli cup? (I'm assuming it's a deli cup)
Good ventilation usually keeps that in check.

Click to expand...

Yup what he said.. Also give the little bugger a bark chip or fake leaf to hide under.. O and its substrate ( probably just your auto correct acting wonky) but if not...

There is a fungus that commonly populates forest floors and flourishes in wood. It makes it's presence known as white dots. The fungi is known to spread to the lungs of mammals and can cause pneumonia.

PTX said:

Looks like a bit of mold.
Most of its harmless to the spider, but I would take a spoon and scoop it all out.

What's the ventilation look like on the deli cup? (I'm assuming it's a deli cup)
Good ventilation usually keeps that in check.

Click to expand...

Yup, increase ventilation. I don't see any around the sides, so I assume they are all on the lid...they should not be, the sides should be the most ventilated. Also dry it out a bit. Better to just keep an area damp and most of the sub dry to avoid such issues. Moss holds moisture and is an excellent method of providing moisture, this way the sub can stay predominantly dry.

I remember being a bit horrified at the sight of those. I was trying to keep things moist for my s'lings (my first attempt at raising such small tarantulas) and could not get the right balance. No mould at all seemed impossible, so I just scraped out what seemed prolific and tried to relax. I think the important thing is to be sure that a blanket of the stuff does not form, a few specks here and there shouldn't be too harmful. The thing to probably keep in mind is that tarantulas exist in an environment that could hardly be called sterile and that a little mould is not something to worry overmuch about.

Something else that I noticed. The dots show up much more readily when photographed zoomed in while using a flash. There were times that I would take a pic of what I thought was a s'ling resting on pristine substrate, only to notice a bunch of those dots when viewing the photo.

BTW, with the fungus I mentioned, it won't be affected by increased ventilation and will keep right on growing. An easy way to tell it apart from common mold.

Adding my agreement to all of the above:

I would remove the mold spots with a spoon, as much as possible (but not panic if I missed a few).
I would definitely increase the ventilation.
I would add something for the tiny fellow to hide/burrow under.

Cute sling! I adore them at that size!