Introduction to arboreals?

[BobGrill]

Ah, don't feel bad. I haven't been able to keep a versi sling alive, either. I bought a couple juvies from a seller here a few months ago and they're still going strong - a new record for me. [emoji57] Previous slings died after molting, so I'm not out of the woods yet...

Yup the two of mine that died both died shortly after molting. They abandoned their webs and started staying on the ground more often. I know that an Avic spending too much time on the ground is never a good sign.

 

[cold blood]

Yup the two of mine that died both died shortly after molting. They abandoned their webs and started staying on the ground more often. I know that an Avic spending too much time on the ground is never a good sign.

Wow, that stinks Bob. I got a pair of 1/2" slings a little over a year ago, I seriously don't think either has yet to put all 8 feet on the ground at once....same goes for the pair of urticans....all are over 3" now and are great eaters that grew at a pretty decent rate.

 

[viper69]

Wow, that stinks Bob. I got a pair of 1/2" slings a little over a year ago, I seriously don't think either has yet to put all 8 feet on the ground at once....same goes for the pair of urticans....all are over 3" now and are great eaters that grew at a pretty decent rate.

There goes another elitist bragging again
[emoji6]

 

[awiec]

There goes another elitist bragging again
[emoji6]

To be fair my versi hasn't touched the ground in the two years I've had it, so I get twice the elitist bragging rights

 

[viper69]

To be fair my versi hasn't touched the ground in the two years I've had it, so I get twice the elitist bragging rights

It's a private joke between my friend and I.

 

[GG80]

1+ That was my first arboreal, so believe him when he say "their not good first arboreal".

Yep, my research brought me to that conclusion. That's why I'm leaning towards Avics.

 

[awiec]

It's a private joke between my friend and I.

Forgot my smiley face, I was just running with said joke. Though in all seriousness I can think of one time my versi was ever near the ground, they truly are happy being in the trees.

 

[viper69]

Avic on the Ground

Well I have something new to tell people on this thread.

I have a Goliath Pink Toe, and it has build a long tube web from the top of the container down to the floor of the sub. It uses the opening on the floor of the sub as its primary entrance for both "hanging out" at night, AND for predation. The opening is noticeably dense with webbing to serve as an early warning system, which it uses for dinner!

So in captivity at least there are occasions when they are down on the sub. Now, it doesn't walk around on the sub floor like a terrestrial, but it is always hanging out on the sub floor in the evening, hoping for a meal.

 

[awiec]

Well I have something new to tell people on this thread.

I have a Goliath Pink Toe, and it has build a long tube web from the top of the container down to the floor of the sub. It uses the opening on the floor of the sub as its primary entrance for both "hanging out" at night, AND for predation. The opening is noticeably dense with webbing to serve as an early warning system, which it uses for dinner!

So in captivity at least there are occasions when they are down on the sub. Now, it doesn't walk around on the sub floor like a terrestrial, but it is always hanging out on the sub floor in the evening, hoping for a meal.

My versi actually just decided to make a bit of a dirt curtain last night and has a web mat on the cage floor, totally new behavior from it but like you said it doesn't really walk there like a terrestrial and still prefers being a little off the ground.

 

[AbraCadaver]

My experience is, as someone else mentioned, that giving slings bigget enclosures makes it easier. It's tricky to get the conditions right in tiny vials, in my opinion. After I switched to larger enclosures, I have not had a single avic sling die on me. It could be for several reasons, of course, but I just think it's easier to get the humidity and airflow balance down in slightly larger enclosures. The Avics usually spend most of their time in the web anyway, so feedinh isn't a problem, which I know many people worry about with larger enclosures.

Now, I'm not saying you put a tiny sling in a 20 gallon, but something a bit larger than what you think it needs just makes it easier. The method of putting the vial in another box with the right enviroment works very well too. It's just that it can be difficult to get the enviroment you need in a tiny vile, so upsizing makes it easier.

 

[Storm76]

1+ That was my first arboreal, so believe him when he say "their not good first arboreal".

Yep, my research brought me to that conclusion. That's why I'm leaning towards Avics.

Really depends on the individual (keeper -and- T in question!). I've never encountered any problems with beautiful "Phaedra".

Anyways, it really doesn't matter what Avic you wanna try to start with. The genus in general is a mess and a lot of us can't wait to see what Fukushima finally did with her revision about them. That said, versicolors can turn out quite mean like diversipes or laeta. The latter two are more on the defensive side anyways. A. purpurea is very light-sensitive and generally seldomly visible until night. A. minatrix, while cute as a button tend to be as secretive as Psalmopoeus spp. and demand patience as well. I rarely ever seen mine out - at the most the butt or a few legs sticking out of the webbing. Good general choices would be:

A. avicularia
A. velutina (also known as "Isla Margeherita" - small ~4" species with brighter coloration than A. avic but generally as calm and deliberate moving - however they grow very slow)
A. metallica (those you guys really call that over there in the US is the Surinam "version" for us Europeans, very calm Ts with a good size)
A. versicolor (though they can be a little defensive my AF is pretty nasty now though she was a sweetheart as baby and juvie)
A. purpurea (light sensitive as mentioned before, but the coloration is SO stunning!)
A. diversipes (I'd put A. versicolor and diversipes on the list for best sling colorations really - but these are behaving like Iridopelma and are generally defensive and skittish)
A. minatrix (~2.5" max size and extremely secretive but oh so cute and just funny being the only Avic keeping their sling coloration as adults)
A. geroldi (can grow up to 6", one of the bigger in the genus, no red satae whatsoever on them nearly jet-black hair on the abdomen surrounded by blueish / cyanish satae)

The more pricey ones like juruensis I'd steer away from for a start it would be a pricey loss and unnessary, though the species are just as "easy" to raise I recon. So far I've hardly lost any Avic sling, despite the species. Like Poec tends to say it usually takes a while to get the hang of how to care for them correctly for new keepers. IMO I don't find it that hard really. However, best of luck which whatever species you decide to start with. They're good tarantulas and great to observe and look it with their coloration.