A. Versicolor Caresheet and questions

I am thinking about getting an A. Versicolor for my first T. I have 5 scorpions right now, I just never had any Ts. I think that the Versicolor is a beautiful specimen and I wanted one ever since I first saw one.

Basically I guess I just need a care sheet, I tried searching but didn't find much, which surprised me. And just basics, like what to keep a sling in, and if they are hard to take care of (I am thinking of only getting one, is this a bad idea? Are slings hard to raise?) I am currently raising 4 B. Jacksoni scorpions from 2i and they are doing fine.

Thanks and all advice is appreciated

Versicolors are easy to take care of.They need plenty of ventilation.Mist the cage once or twice a week.The size of the enclosure depends on the size of the spider.I always buy two or more T's when I order them.

here's what I keep my avic slings in and people and the slings seem to like them As far as keeping them goes, it's pretty simple, although each of my slings is different, some will eat off the forceps, others won't eat prekills, others seem to eat so irrationally it's hard to keep track

The little monster in the photo is an Avic sp 'amazonica'

Hope it helps

BrynWilliams said:

here's what I keep my avic slings in

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Just curious what was the original use of that container?

Yes, ventilation is key. Some say that they need a constant high humidity as well, but I disagree. Another thing to consider is where it's gonna build its web. I use a enclose just like brynwilliams, even with the leaf. But mine built a web between the screw off top and the top of the leaf so I could not take off the lid to feed/clean without totally destroying it's web, which I would hate to do, especially if it's looking fat. So keep that in mind.

I have been wondering myself about this also. I am new here. Im a reptile person I want to try something new and really love the versicolor and think they are neat looking and also have been looking around on how to care for them and such

Another thing, what kind of substrate do they need? Is coco fiber fine?

This container is an express purpose bought spiderling vial. They come in a variety of sizes and are relatively cheap. A link to the seller I got them from is here:
TheSpiderShop

I just took out my fine drillbit and put a ton of small holes in for the ventilation requirements of avics, the plastic is great and doesn't crack as some vials I have had in the past would.

jmiller said:

Just curious what was the original use of that container?

Click to expand...

This is how we care for our versi sling.

Try and give it more height in its' enclosure than width. They will need something to anchor web on, so aquarium fake plants do nicely. Sticks from outside tend to mold, so i wouldn't use any with a sling. Cork bark is okay, but i prefer aquarium plants with our Avicularia slings.

They need very little substrate and coco fiber or peat moss will do nicely. Peat will hold moisture a little bit better, but remember to wet it before you put it in the enclosure. It is dehydrated and needs to be rehydrated, same with coco fiber.

As slings, they need more humidity, but not excessive humidity. Thoroughly wetting half the substrate and spritzing a little into their web or the side of the container once a week is a good rule of thumb. They will drink directly from damp substrate. How much ventilation you have really determines how much/often you should spritz.

Everyone spouts that ventilation is key, but i am unsure just how important it really is. We have never had any problems with the ventilation we have.

We have fed our versi slings cricket drumsticks, pre-killed and live. It does not seem to matter, if they are hungry they will eat it. We feed 2 or 3 pinheads/ roach nymphs a week, but the amount of food is big variable; because versi's will eat just about as much as you want to give them. H

They are fast, but tend to use little bursts of speed to misdirect you. Handle with care because of that. Though once they are over that first bit of skittishness, they seem content to just chill on you. i have never had a threat display from either of the one's we have cared for.

Give them about a week after molting before you feed them, but you should be able to tell when they are hungry. They will be roaming or sitting in hunting position in their tube web. If you get a chance to check their fangs, they should be black before you feed them.

That's about all i can think of right now, but here is a pic of how we keep ours. We make all of our sling enclosures ourselves out of plexi-glass.

Really nice post curiousme, could I possibly use that in a set of caring for versi's and versi slings information type sheets i'm making. I'd obviously credit you

Try clicking here. In addition to care information there are answers to about 100 questions you haven't even asked yet.

That link is to a sticky at the top of the tarantulas forum, btw.

BrynWilliams said:

Really nice post curiousme, could I possibly use that in a set of caring for versi's and versi slings information type sheets i'm making. I'd obviously credit you

Click to expand...

Yeah, no problem, thank you. i edited it and added a little to make it more specific. for that purpose.

etown_411 said:

Try clicking here. In addition to care information there are answers to about 100 questions you haven't even asked yet.

That link is to a sticky at the top of the tarantulas forum, btw.

Click to expand...

i've got that link in my signature!

Thanks for the links and suggestions. Curiousme, how do you connect the joints of the enclosures you make with plexiglass? Do you just use super glue or something? (if you don't mind telling me, if it's a secret don't worry about it )

Selket said:

Thanks for the links and suggestions. Curiousme, how do you connect the joints of the enclosures you make with plexiglass? Do you just use super glue or something? (if you don't mind telling me, if it's a secret don't worry about it )

Click to expand...

Why would it be a secret? We use hot glue to connect everything together. You just have to be careful and hold it straight and in place while it dries. We tried a glue for plastics and it didn't work well at all. We also tried screws, but found that hot glue looked nicer and was way easier. That enclosure is made out a found piece of plexi-glass that was super thick, so we didn't have corner supports. For all our others, we used a square dowel rod for the corners. Then we used clear packing tape for the lid and latches. It does take some practice to learn how to score the plexi-glass neatly though, so if you try don't get discouraged. Each one i make is better than the last. i like these enclosures better than vials or Kritter Keepers though, because i can make any size i want.

Here are all of them in one shot

Selket said:

Basically I guess I just need a care sheet, I tried searching but didn't find much, which surprised me.

Click to expand...

What few tarantula caresheets are out there are almost always inaccurate, copy/pasted from caresheets for other species, or written by people who know nothing about tarantulas. So I personally suggest sticking to advice you get from hobbyists here, it's better than any sheet you'll find.

Curiousme those are some nice enclosures. I think I am going to try to make some out of plexiglass.

And mushroom spore thanks for the advice, any questions I have I will post here rather than looking across the internet. I know the hobbyists here are some of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to this stuff.

how long does it take for either of these species to mature, or get to a decent size?

Thanks

Anyone know how long it takes a Versi to reach adult hood?

Selket said:

I am thinking about getting an A. Versicolor for my first T. I have 5 scorpions right now, I just never had any Ts. I think that the Versicolor is a beautiful specimen and I wanted one ever since I first saw one.

Basically I guess I just need a care sheet, I tried searching but didn't find much, which surprised me. And just basics, like what to keep a sling in, and if they are hard to take care of (I am thinking of only getting one, is this a bad idea? Are slings hard to raise?) I am currently raising 4 B. Jacksoni scorpions from 2i and they are doing fine.

Thanks and all advice is appreciated

Click to expand...

My first t was a spiderling versicolor , i had perfect humidity , air ventilation, and heat. it was 50 bucks (shipping here expensive) and it died. I suggest if you get one get one over 2 inches I got a 2 n half inch A. Avic and its done just fine..... Just my two cents