B. Smithi sling, first pet T.

[Hunter36o]

Hi guys, I am new to the form as a member and I have a quick question in relation to a B. Smithi sling. Now before someone verbally kills me, yes I did get the sling in a store but not because I trust them. I have a habit of adopting from pet stores because it kills me to see animals getting limited care for profitable reasons and I feel taking them in is actually the best thing for them because I like to do my research first and I have loved spiders since I was 6. Only thing I did listen to was the answers to my questions, I know that sounds bad but I've been on this forum as a guest meny times and I have watched almost all of the dark dens videos twice as well as many other respected YouTubers and again I have loved spiders since I was 6 so although it is my first pet T. I am not completely blind and unaware of their care but unpractised lol. My 2 questions were when did it last eat and did it molt since they had it. A week before I got the sling which was Friday just gone so it last ate the previous Friday and it never molted in their "care". Heck I am not sure if the store knows if it is really a Smithi or a Hamorii. I won't know until it's true colours come through.

Now as for my question I did not approve of the enclosure they had it in as it is literally the kind of box we would get our crickets in here in Ireland. And I also thought it was a little too big for it at its size. She is less then an inch maybe half. I did not get a chance to get a good measure of her because it came in this really bad black sand like substrate with pebbles in it so the minute I got it home I took her out with her little cork bark and change it for my normal substrate mixture I use for my beetles, ants and stick insect as they have all being doing great with it and she immediately approved of her starter burrow I did for her with the cork bark. Now I planned to switch her to a smaller deli cup but by the time I got home from work the following day it had burrowed deeper under her cork bark and closed it off with the substrate. I now refuse to disturb her as she could be in premolt. I would like your opinion on whether or not I should swap her out of this enclosure after it resurfaces since y'all will know better??

I am sorry for the long post, I figured more details was better, if not please let me know so I do not do it again. Thank you in advance

 

[Teal]

That enclosure size is fine.

And I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but it is people like you who are keeping pet stores in the business of selling animals. They don't care what moral reasons drove you to make the purchase... they care that they got your money.

 

[docwade87]

That enclosure size is fine.

And I hate to be the onr to burst your bubble, but it is people like you who are keeping pet stores in the business of selling animals. They don't care what moral reasons drove you to make the purchase... they care that they got your money.

I’m going to challenge you on this. But don’t want to take away too much from the OP here.

Not all pet stores are bad. Small local reptile shops/ pet stores are no different than large scale breeders IMO sometimes. They care for their animals just as well as anyone else. A large majority of people wouldn’t get awesome chances to own the animals we own because they don’t know what exists outside of pet stores. Large chain pet stores are an issue. That’s a completely different issue.

If you’re going to challenge one individual and say they are the issue, I’d challenge you to take a step back and rethink that. The bigger issue is major breeders/suppliers who sell wholesale or bulk to these stores.

I’ll get off my soapbox. No need to get on someone trying to do something they felt was right. At least the T didn’t end up in worse conditions.

To the OP. The container should be fine although not optimal for its current size. Just let it be for now. Wait for it to emerge or open an entrance back up and offer it prekilled food overnight. If you have issues with it eating and progressing then a smaller enclosure may be needed. I think you will be fine. I don’t have a ton of experience and hope other more experienced keepers will chime in if needed. Remember to let it be and keep it simple. Less is more with keeping Ts for the most part.

Cheers and welcome to the T world!

 

[Hunter36o]

I know you are right and I agree but what's the alternative? Do not buy and let someone with no care to research take it on and allow a poor creature to die or live horribly because we do not like pet stores. I know people are going to be mad at the fact but I stand for animal life on all accounts and the idea of something going to a fool or dying in a pet store it something I could never stand by. I do not mean to annoy people and I actually do hate that I help give them what they want. But I will not stand by and let an animal receive a bad life because people are incapable of being decent. The point of my honesty was point out that I stand to give it a better chance at life. Yes I much prefer to deal with breeders but if I used that as my only option I personally feel I am letting them animals down and nature its self by not ensuring they get the best they deserve. I would rather you did not focus on the negatives in my post as regardless of my 20 euro they will still be open and they will still sell to people who could not care less and just want a cool looking pet they are incapable of or unwilling to the correct research and would not even bother to come to a forum like here and ask for advice. I see the bad in pet stores and disagree with them but I also completely disagree with not adopting the pest for THEIR best interest because we do not like how the humans involved do things the way they do. If that were the case a lot of animals would die for no reason and not get to have a chance at life which is my ONLY intent in these kind of situations. Apologies if my morals offend but I do not care if you cannot be bothered to save an animals life because it's in a pet store. Money is irrelevant in my eyes but their lives hold far more worth my own and I plan to treat them as such.

 

[Hunter36o]

I’m going to challenge you on this. But don’t want to take away too much from the OP here.

Not all pet stores are bad. Small local reptile shops/ pet stores are no different than large scale breeders IMO sometimes. They care for their animals just as well as anyone else. A large majority of people wouldn’t get awesome chances to own the animals we own because they don’t know what exists outside of pet stores. Large chain pet stores are an issue. That’s a completely different issue.

If you’re going to challenge one individual and say they are the issue, I’d challenge you to take a step back and rethink that. The bigger issue is major breeders/suppliers who sell wholesale or bulk to these stores.

I’ll get off my soapbox. No need to get on someone trying to do something they felt was right. At least the T didn’t end up in worse conditions.

To the OP. The container should be fine although not optimal for its current size. Just let it be for now. Wait for it to emerge or open an entrance back up and offer it prekilled food overnight. If you have issues with it eating and progressing then a smaller enclosure may be needed. I think you will be fine. I don’t have a ton of experience and hope other more experienced keepers will chime in if needed. Remember to let it be and keep it simple. Less is more with keeping Ts for the most part.

Cheers and welcome to the T world!

Thank you, I did not think it was ideal but as the picture shows it has completely sealed herself off. I will monitor it's feeding habits and behaviour once it opens up its burrow and if it comes across as stressed I will immediately consider rehousing it to a smaller enclosure as originally planned.

 

[Teal]

Not all pet stores are bad. Small loca reptile shops are no different than large scale breeders IMO sometimes. They care for their animals just as well as anyone else. A large majority of people wouldn’t get awesome chances to own the animals we own because they don’t know what exists outside of pet stores. Large chain pet stores are an issue.

If you’re going to challenge one individual and say they are the issue, I’d challenge you to take a step back and rethink that. The bigger issue is major breeders/suppliers who sell wholesale or bulk to these stores.

I also do not support large scale breeders, so... At least I am consistent

Reptile stores, chain pet stores... doesn't matter. I have NEVER been in a pet store that knew how to properly care for arachnids, and I have been in A LOOOOT of pet stores.

If that were the case a lot of animals would die for no reason and not get to have a chance at life which is my ONLY intent in these kind of situations. Apologies if my morals offend but I do not care if you cannot be bothered to save an animals life because it's in a pet store. Money is irrelevant in my eyes but their lives hold far more worth my own and I plan to treat them as such.

You have what we call the "bleeding heart" mentality... you want to "save them all" because you don't realize that some death HAS to happen to break the cycle.

Look at it like this...

A pet store gets in 5 tarantulas. You buy all 5, or maybe you buy 3 and two die. They get in 5 more. Some of thise die, too, but the majority are purchased. They get in 5 more! And the cycle continues.

Or

A pet store gets 5 tarantulas. No one buys them. The Ts either die from improper care at the store or they have them for so long they wonder what the heck they were thinking in getting them and vow to never order more Ts again. And thus, the cycle is ended.

I understand that to "pet people," my views are probably extreme. But I am looking at the bigger picture, which includes mass collection and mistreatment of wild animals for the pet trade.

Anyways, continue.

 

[Hunter36o]

I just want to say that you are right about my bleeding heart mentally but you a wrong thinking I do not realise that some deaths are inevitable. This may be my first T. but it is not my first experience with inverts and I know first hand that regardless of care and experience some deaths are completely out of our control. I keep ants sure and I have always referred to it as nature's kill switch to control populations and so on.
We are all entitled to our opinions but it is not an excuse to call me an issue over it.

I did not come here to feel belittled and although I do not believe it was your intent, it is how you made me feel.
I just wanted sound advice in regards to my new B. Smithi and I know this is the place to get that advice.
As of tomorrow it will be a full week since she closed off her burrow. So I assume promolt and hopefully by now molting is taken place as we speak. If there is any advice that can be provided that I should take into serious consideration I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Serpyderpy]

The fact they've burrowed seems to be a good sign, they may have been stressed in the store but seeing a sealed off burrow usually means the tarantula that's inside is quite content and feels safe down there. I would leave them be until they emerge. Could you remember if their abodmen was dark at all when you bought them? You could leave pre-killed prey like crickets or mealworms (crushed/chopped-off heads and all that) near the entrance of the burrow every other night and see if it disappears overnight.

Only thing I'll advise you is to mostly leave them alone, as tempting as it is to dig them up, the itch will be there but you have to resist it unless you need to do something urgent, which hopefully shouldn't happen. The enclosure looks perfectly fine and they should be happy enough in there, just keep the water dish topped up and all should be good.

 

[Hunter36o]

I will admit with the burrow sealed off with substrate I have not tried feeding her (wishfull thinking lol) since the first prekilled cricket left in was still there 48 hours later. She did have a dark patch on her abdomen but I have read that, that is not an accurate way to tell as it could be just a patch of hair so I am not 100% which is correct in my case as she is still very small.

I don't touch her enclosure at all I just take a look to make sure it's not too dry for her and that is it. I have the urge to do so yes but thankfully my ant experience has already trained me to back off and leave her be.

 

[spodermin]

Hey I enjoyed the philosophical debate here, really cool. Teal is right if you truly want to be the crusader to end petstores disgusting mistreatment of animals, but you did nothing wrong buying a pet spider that was bred in captivity. Good for you for being proactive about your research.

Let me share my anecdote with you as a new keeper myself: I have a 1/2" casanare sling that was in a sealed off burrow in its medicine vial. I thought it could be in premolt, but didn't know for sure, but what I did know for sure is that it was due for a feed. I put 2 pinhead crickets in, and although I was iffy about leaving them in there incase it was going to molt (the crickets will eat it) it turned out that by morning, it sensed the crickets vibrations and came out to eat both of them before making a new burrow. Don't always assume premolt, but do be cautious incase it is. If it's been sealed off for a week, as a sling, I think that's likely too long for a molt cycle. Put a cricket in there and see if it eats it. Maybe prekilling it is a good idea to ensure no harm to the T just incase, but I don't have experience with dead prey so I can't comment. Regardless of what you do or whos advice you take, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Hunter36o]

Thank you for the advice
Since I know from first hand experience if I just about crush the head of the cricket it will still kick about but will not be a direct threat to the sling as it will no longer have the capability to dig or defend its self. I will try this after work today and I will update you if the cricket is gone. Again thank you as I would have not considered trying to feed in in fear of stressing it out or risking mold.

 

[docwade87]

I have some tiny B. Sabulosum slings (3 of them). Each are 1/4-1/2”. Have had them since Mar. 16.

One of them ate right away, then burrowed and closed up shop, has not come out since the 16th (has quite the tunnel built up, I can see it from side of cup). I have offered one cut up mealworm to it once and then haven’t since. Waiting for an opening to emerge.
The second one, closed up shop first day and then ate 3 days later, and closed up shop again.
The third one has eaten twice since then (every 3 days or so) and has yet to burrow and close up and seems to be most active so far. Seems to have refused food last night or ate just enough to where I couldn’t tell. Looks to be a molt coming soon with this one.
I keep track of all my feedings for all of my Ts and when they go into hiding, premolt, molt etc. Makes things a little easier to keep track of.

Point being is you should be fine. If there is no opening, just let them be until they emerge again. If you feel better by leaving a piece of food in there every three days, then do so. Just make sure you don’t bother it. They will come back out when ready.

 

[Teal]

I did not come here to feel belittled and although I do not believe it was your intent, it is how you made me feel.

I apologize for making you feel that way, as you are in correct that it was not at all my intent.

I just wanted sound advice in regards to my new B. Smithi and I know this is the place to get that advice.
As of tomorrow it will be a full week since she closed off her burrow. So I assume promolt and hopefully by now molting is taken place as we speak. If there is any advice that can be provided that I should take into serious consideration I would greatly appreciate it.

A week is relatively little time for a sling to be sealed off in their burrow. I have a little A. hentzi sling that is under a half inch who has been sealed in their burrow for.. oh, four months or so? The way their burrow is set up, I can see the chamber... and they have yet to molt. (Though I say that having not checked in a few days, so maybe the miraculous has happened haha).

You are correct in that a dark patch on the abdomen is just setae... but the entire abdomen (and the entire body, if the sling doesn't have colouration yet) will go dark/black when a molt is imminent.

or risking mold

Mold is a nonissue There is a great post here by boina on the subject.

But with pre-killed feeders, you can remove them after 24 hours or so if you wish. I honestly wouldn't bother with wasting feeders right now.

 

[Hunter36o]

I apologize for making you feel that way, as you are in correct that it was not at all my intent.



A week is relatively little time for a sling to be sealed off in their burrow. I have a little A. hentzi sling that is under a half inch who has been sealed in their burrow for.. oh, four months or so? The way their burrow is set up, I can see the chamber... and they have yet to molt. (Though I say that having not checked in a few days, so maybe the miraculous has happened haha).

You are correct in that a dark patch on the abdomen is just setae... but the entire abdomen (and the entire body, if the sling doesn't have colouration yet) will go dark/black when a molt is imminent.



Mold is a nonissue There is a great post here by boina on the subject.

But with pre-killed feeders, you can remove them after 24 hours or so if you wish. I honestly wouldn't bother with wasting feeders right now.

Apologies for the late reply. Life is way too hectic at the moment. Found out we are expecting our second child

She has still not come out now and as of tomorrow that is week 3. My only fear is she has not eating for since the Friday before I got her so although I have her 3 she has not actually eaten for 4 weeks. Is this okay for a sling of her size?

I have opted to using locusts because they are slow, don't burrow and if I am Frank, they a dumb. Like of all the insects and feeders I have kept, they are really stupid and slow in comparison to the rest. I though I prekilled one for my ants once and I failed so it lived, stood up and just let the ants crawls all over it. It would try to jump away once they tried to bite it but that was the extent of its struggle lol.

So yeah I gave her one of them because I did not have to kill it and it would not try burrow into the t's hide. It died..... Of starvation, I think or maybe stress since it was a fat small locust.... The locust not the t.

 

[Teal]

Found out we are expecting our second child

Aww, congratulations

My only fear is she has not eating for since the Friday before I got her so although I have her 3 she has not actually eaten for 4 weeks. Is this okay for a sling of her size?

Yup!