Sling Care

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Cheesy

Arachnopeon
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Apr 5, 2010
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I just ordered 2 slings, one gbb, and one brazilian black and white.
the question i have is can i keep the 1/2 inch sling in a kritter keeper, like a really small one??
and i read up a lot on keeping slings, but if you have any tips or advise, id greatly appriciate it. thank you :D:D:D
 
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satanslilhelper

Arachnodemon
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No kritter keeper for your slings. They will more than likely escape through the ventilation slots. I would keep them in a vial or tiny deli cup. Something like this.

 
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sjn01

Arachnopeon
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how ikeep my sling

I keep my sling T. apophysis in a small pet box like the one your talking about. If you get a smallest sized one their should be no prob with the vent holes, although it recommends in a load of books that people can easily keep the in small deli cups, what you call them in america.
In the books the experts just keep them in their on their own, and probably feed them twice to three times a week on something of the apropriate size, nothing longer than the spiders main body.

Ive had experience of some people in forums not recommending this, but since i started doing it about a week ago i got my sling to feed twice sucessively over two days, whereas he didnt feed for about a week when i had him on a previous method. Someone in another forum didnt recommend my current way and said that i should keep him in the current container ive got but on deep vermiculite for substrate.

Now i use wet kitchen paper towels, about three layers on bottom of box, and underneath that i put a thin layer of vermiculite to keep up a humidity, which ive now got up to about 75% after ive remisted them.
In a book ive got they recomend this because it causes you to keep an eye on you slng, and gives it easy access to water. Plus you can check on feases and see any discarded prey remains. Just change the paper twiced a week and mist it twice a day.

I take out the rock and bark hide out of the box when ever i feed it, you dont need that stuff anyway, but the sling seems to appriciate it.
 

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jayefbe

jayefbe

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That "sling" T. apophysis is much larger than 1/2". I would not use a KK or any plastic enclosure for your sling until it is much larger. Use a vial or small deli cup, exactly like satanslilhelper (I'd actually use more sub and keep at least half damp).

sjn - what book recommends keeping a t like that? Paper towels, cotton in the water dish? I don't know any sources that would recommend that. It's pretty much an ICU.
 
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sjn01

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Theres no cotton in that water dish, which is just a small cap from a milk bottle te size of a 1 penny coin, they are small white stones from my garden that i sterilisd with boiling water so cricks cant drown and for efficientcy.
My book that i like to refer to is called Arachnmainia for scops and mostly T's, its a really great book. I didnt know he was talking about slings half an inch,

can i ask you what would be wrong with keeping them on paper towels for substrate, so that i can know?
In the book he had loads of spiders in glass vials with wet kitchen roll, so i just assumed that was the way the experts did it. What he said seemed to make sense too so i recommended it.

Why do u think you need proper substrate, and what do u mean b ICU?

thanks
 
Hobo

Hobo

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jayefbe said:
That "sling" T. apophysis is much larger than 1/2". I would not use a KK or any plastic enclosure for your sling until it is much larger. Use a vial or small deli cup, exactly like satanslilhelper (I'd actually use more sub and keep at least half damp).

sjn - what book recommends keeping a t like that? Paper towels, cotton in the water dish? I don't know any sources that would recommend that. It's pretty much an ICU.
Click to expand...
There's a source... it's a 20 year old book on spider/scorpion care that was written by a guy more experienced with reptiles. You can find it nowadays for about $1 or less in some pet store bargain bins. Let me see if I can scrounge it up for you...
Ah, here it is.
It's an interesting read at the very least, but the hobby has progressed so much that most of the information in this book is no longer helpful and downright wrong in some cases.

sjn01, I suggest you get another book, preferably one written/revised within this decade:)
 
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sjn01

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ok, but he is a scientist and its a pretty good book. Ive got another one fom the 'Quick&easy' seires which doesnt have as much info as the archnomania book, it says vermiculite or potting soil in small container (actally sas 'deli cup') with pinholes and water by misting.
Im planning to get the popular book by Schultz though, soon

So i tke it you guys dont recommend usng the paper then, i actually got the method anyway fom someone whos raised many T apophysis fom slings to adult hood, so i dont think theirs anything wrong, but i dont know about 1/2 inch slings or 1st instar if thats what you call hatchlings. I still wouldnt see the prob.
 
jayefbe

jayefbe

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My bad on the cotton balls, I see now that they are small rocks. I'd definitely get a new book. Twenty years ago the T hobby was still pretty young, a lot has changed and there have been many advances in captive care of these creatures.

I wouldn't use paper towels for a couple reasons...it's too wet and doesn't allow for an easy gradient in moisture levels, and you'd need to change it regularly to keep mold from forming. I have no doubt that it could be used to succesfully raise tarantulas. There are just other methods that are simpler, more attractive, probably preferred by the T, and more successful. Just use coco fiber.

The problem with using a plastic enclosure like yours for a 1/2" t is that it is much too large. It's easy to lose track of a t that small in an enclosure that size, especially if it's a sling that likes to burrow. Additionally, a smaller enclosure (like a vial or deli cup) makes it easier for the T to find and catch prey.
 
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sjn01

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i can see that for a 1st instar a smaller encloser would be much more efficient for prey and such things, and your right about the gradient of the humidity, when i used the paper towels on their own it stayed at a level 50%, but then when i added the bottom layer it rose it to about 70%, they dont get sloshy because you only keep them moist, that woud be more difficult with out the extra vermiclite. I think for terrestrial species its a good way of raiseing them, although i dont have any experience and wll have to read more books.

thanks for reply
 
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Falk

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sjn01 said:
i can see that for a 1st instar a smaller encloser would be much more efficient for prey and such things, and your right about the gradient of the humidity, when i used the paper towels on their own it stayed at a level 50%, but then when i added the bottom layer it rose it to about 70%, they dont get sloshy because you only keep them moist, that woud be more difficult with out the extra vermiclite. I think for terrestrial species its a good way of raiseing them, although i dont have any experience and wll have to read more books.

thanks for reply
Click to expand...
Try to keep it as natural as possible, get rid of the towels and provide a deep layer of peat instead:mad:
 
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sjn01

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Falk said:
Try to keep it as natural as possible, get rid of the towels and provide a deep layer of peat instead:mad:
Click to expand...
since i got told this way by someone whos raised many T. apophysis, im going to stick with the wet paper towels method until it gets a little bigger. IT should be goodfor molting and i dont emove the bark hide unless im going to feed.

It seems very happy when i handle it and is not standing with abdomen away from substrate but looks relaxed... Does no one else do this on here?
 
cacoseraph

cacoseraph

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i am actually moving towards using papertowels as sub for certain things... but it *is* a bit masochistic to do with normal "big" spiderlings


lots of scientists use paper towels and coffee filters as substrate, actually. massive advantage in the time it takes to redo a cage, easy to control variables when you are always using the exact same quarter sheet of PT, etc
 
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sjn01

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At what instar do you think my spideling is at? I have only witnessed a molt once when it grew about less than a quater its size, i never really thought anything off it since it was so small a spider. Im guessing its about 4th or 5th instar from being a tiny hatchling. The photos in the book had what look like sub-adults and such in glass jars bout twice their leg span with the paper towels in them. I thought i could wait until it had urticating hairs or something like that before i moved it on to a permenant setup, at least a couple of molts, so long as their is nothing detrimental
 
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Falk

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sjn01 said:
since i got told this way by someone whos raised many T. apophysis, im going to stick with the wet paper towels method until it gets a little bigger. IT should be goodfor molting and i dont emove the bark hide unless im going to feed.

It seems very happy when i handle it and is not standing with abdomen away from substrate but looks relaxed... Does no one else do this on here?
Click to expand...
You should let it burrow and live as natural as possible.
 
jayefbe

jayefbe

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I don't think anybody would recommend the paper towel method. Also, even if you do continue to use paper towels, your setup looks much too wet. Theraphosa likes it humid and damp, but not sopping wet. Your T also already has urticating hairs.
 
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sjn01

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I might think about changing the set up to relativly deep coir fibre and vermiculite, maybe after ive read more and since it doesnt allow for burrowing, do you or anyone else tihnk this method coud harm the T in anyway?
im guessing it cant and is not so bad since the author that was mentioned says hes raised many succcessfully this way, and i like the way it causes a higher maintenece of caring in these erly stages. I guess your saying becaues it doesnt allow for naturalisic behaviour
The tissue is definately not sloshy but damp to touch, and ive seen the leg kicking acion of the urticating hairs in the sling already, but i was thinking after it gained a few more inches.

By the way it also says inthe book you can feed voracious ones (Theraphosa, crawshayi) every 1 too 3 days, is this true? I cant imagine feeding it less than every three days wihout abdomen damage, can they adapt easily to that sort of appetite?
 
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