Are slings hard to take care of?

[TreeTops1015]

I've been looking for a lapropelma violaceopes for a few months now have went to 2 repticons no such luck most of what they sell there is mostly acanthoscurria geniculata i believe,I'm new to tarantulas only kept a wild caught mexican red knee that I later released when I was younger and came across pinchers and pokies,but only 0.5 inch slings for 50 dollars each one , are they worth that money for only to see them die or not?how do you take care of such a small creature?thx for ur answers.

 

[darkness975]

I've been looking for a lapropelma violaceopes for a few months now have went to 2 repticons no such luck most of what they sell there is mostly acanthoscurria geniculata i believe,I'm new to tarantulas only kept a wild caught mexican red knee that I later released when I was younger and came across pinchers and pokies,but only 0.5 inch slings for 50 dollars each one , are they worth that money for only to see them die or not?how do you take care of such a small creature?thx for ur answers.

Slings are not that hard to care for, but they do require it to be warmer and more moist than sub adults and adults.

 

[TriMac33]

I've been looking for a lapropelma violaceopes for a few months now have went to 2 repticons no such luck most of what they sell there is mostly acanthoscurria geniculata i believe,I'm new to tarantulas only kept a wild caught mexican red knee that I later released when I was younger and came across pinchers and pokies,but only 0.5 inch slings for 50 dollars each one , are they worth that money for only to see them die or not?how do you take care of such a small creature?thx for ur answers.

Well, I mean, I don't recommend going into it with the mindset of it's just going to die right away. A lot of research is needed for sure. That said, slings aren't too hard to care for. Feeding methods depend on the size. Anything less than a 1/2 inch or so will likely need to scavenge pre-killed or take wingless fruit flies. Slings need to be kept quite humid, but not sopping wet. Sphagnum moss is good for holding humidity. Any aboreal slings will require lots of cross ventilation, more so than terrestrials or fossorials. You can always post pictures of your set up to make sure it is done correctly. The cost of the sling will depend a lot on the species and size of sling.

 

[Liquifin]

the Omothymus violaceopes is not for beginners or people with little experience, no offense. Slings are not hard to care for, but you should consider the species, temperaments, venom levels, and sizes. Because the tarantula you want is one of the worse in those categories, not to say all specimens are the same, but just the species in general.

 

[TwiztedNinja]

Im a newbie with 5 slings and they all seem to be doing ok. Hopefully Im doing everything right, as I was a little nervous about owning any, when I started the hobby

 

[cold blood]

Most slings are quite easy to raise...those Acanthoscurria are an example of easy to care for....however, there are some slings which are more delicate and less forgiving....violaceopes are absolutely one of these.

A terrible purchase for a less experienced keeper IMO.

 

[TreeTops1015]

the Omothymus violaceopes is not for beginners or people with little experience, no offense. Slings are not hard to care for, but you should consider the species, temperaments, venom levels, and sizes. Because the tarantula you want is one of the worse in those categories, not to say all specimens are the same, but just the species in general.

I mean as long as you are careful there should not be problems.

 

[Vanisher]

My advise is to keep a number of beginner speicis slings before getting a O violaceopes

 

[scooter1685]

For basic information about taking care of slings, Tom Moran seems to be the most highly recommended source. His first sling care video is here

There is a second video after that one. However, as most people have mentioned, that particular species seems to be a bit more of an advanced T.

 

[NYAN]

I'm new to tarantulas only kept a wild caught mexican red knee that I later released when I was younger

Uh. I hope you know now that this is terrible and a great way for invasive species to become established.

 

[TreeTops1015]

Uh. I hope you know now that this is terrible and a great way for invasive species to become established.

dont worry it was at its native range,there is actually a lot in mexico.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

A few years back, I got my first s'lings, previous tarantulas had always been adults. I was apprehensive but I did not loose a single one. I did lose one of them during its juvie stage as a result as a very bad moult, but I still have the rest, with the exception of two that hooked out male and eventually died of old age. So I count those two as success stories.

Like Viper suggests, s'lings are GENERALLY not difficult to raise. They are of course a bit more fragile and perhaps a bit less forgiving of mistakes, but many of those mistakes are avoidable. It can be specifics with certain types that may cause trouble. And of course, there can be a simple case of "failure to thrive" which happens in the wild as quickly as it does in captivity, I imagine

Having said this, I've probably jinxed the survival of my two most recently acquired s'lings. They probably just dropped dead as I was typing this.

 

[Tbone192]

Got my first 1/2" slings. Everything before that has been 3/4" + in size. I'm nervous as they require more attention, but I'm going to treat them as mentioned above in this thread, more humid than adult enclosure, prekill prey, plenty of cross ventilation. I feel it can't be much different than raising a 3/4"

maybe more chance of a smaller one just up and dying, not all that hatch will survive that's just nature. Assuming you have studied you may just pass the test though.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

Long answer is "no" with a "maybe," short answer is "yes" with a "but"....