Caribena versicolor sling enclosure (too little, too late)

[Martikhoras]

Hello everyone.
Yes, it is sadly one of those threads.
Sorry for the wall of text.
I got my Caribena versicolor sling with a body length of 9mm (yes sorry, no imperial measurements here) at the 31st of May.
I did tons of research and read a lot of care sheets, just to ignore them and take the advices inside this thread: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-care.291340/

Something I did was wrong.
First I set up the enclosure which you can find in pic "C. versicolor on cork bark." But I only glued a few parts of sticks together and later added the cork bark piece after the sling lived inside.

Then last sunday, the 16th of june I made a nice tree like thing with lots of leaves a lot more apropriate for this species. (thats where I deserve the hate, because I obviously researched wrong and it was too late, I guess.)

A bit on the enclosure: I drilled a lot of holes in it which were 2mm in diameter and after I thought it were enough I drilled more holes, because Caribena versicolor.
The substrate is a mix of cocofibre, unfertilized potting soil and sphagnum moss. I made sure the Sling had access to a full water dish at all times and on occasion I dripped a few drops in front of her with a syringe. except that I kept her rather dryish.

When I got the sling I noticed it is smaller than imagined and feared the holes would be too big so I put scotch tape over the holes and penetrated every single hole with a needle.

Today before work the sling lied on its back next to the water dish and I thought it was molting but after work it was still lying there...

My guess would be, that I stressed her out too much because of my bad, inexpierienced, impatient husbandry...

What do you guys think?
I don't want to repeat the same mistake...
(I really should have asked about the enclosure before...)

edit: I just found out this could be the wrong subforum. If it is please move this thread. Thanks

 

[MrTwister]

Slings sometimes just die. I don’t see anything glaringly wrong with your set up. I don’t believe it’s possible to cause stress to the spider to the point it just dies.

 

[Andrea82]

That enclosure looks good. Cross-ventilation check, bark check, leaves check, water dish check.
Those holes were small enough, did you put tape on them as they are on the picture? If yes, you could have been restricting airflow too much.

But I'm afraid you are just unlucky here. I've read more about this happening. Even with the appropriate set up, a friend of mine lost 8 out of ten slings.

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Did its abdomen look shrivelled up?
I honestly don’t know what killed it. In most cases people kill them by having wet substrate with no ventilation but if you kept it mostly dry like u said it couldn’t be that.

How long did u have the spider after u taped all the holes?

 

[Mirandarachnid]

Those holes were small enough, did you put tape on them as they are on the picture? If yes, you could have been restricting airflow too much.

That's what I'm thinking too.

A needle makes a very tiny hole, and when you're poking through tape you really have to wiggle it around to stretch the hole enough that it won't just close on itself when you pull the needle out.

I really dislike the idea of using tape on enclosures. Not only is there a risk of the sling getting stuck on the tape (if the hole is big enough for the sling to get out, covering it with tape just makes it a sticky death trap) but I feel there is some off-gassing from the adhesive too, and that can't be beneficial.

If it were me, I would make a quick temporary enclosure to buy myself time until I was able to make a proper one, or use hot glue to make the holes smaller.

 

[Martikhoras]

How long did u have the spider after u taped all the holes?

When I saw how tiny it were I taped it immediately, it was not inside the enclosure without tape.

 

[Andrea82]

When I saw how tiny it were I taped it immediately, it was not inside the enclosure without tape.

Ouch, I think that could have contributed to the sling dying, but even then, they get packed and shipped without ventilation holes as well so that hardly can be the only cause.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

they get packed and shipped without ventilation holes

Yeah, but T's aren't in transit for 19 days.. I'm not sure how long a versicolor sling can tolerate restricted airflow, it's possible the sling wasn't in great shape when OP received it.

It's such a catch 22. You should have the enclosure ready before you get the T, but often times it's hard to accurately predict the size of the sling, even with the sizes provided by dealers.

Life gets easier after you've kept T's for a while and built up a stock of empty enclosure. Call it growing pains, lol.

 

[Andrea82]

Yeah, but T's aren't in transit for 19 days.. I'm not sure how long a versicolor sling can tolerate restricted airflow, it's possible the sling wasn't in great shape when OP received it.

It's such a catch 22. You should have the enclosure ready before you get the T, but often times it's hard to accurately predict the size of the sling, even with the sizes provided by dealers.

Life gets easier after you've kept T's for a while and built up a stock of empty enclosure. Call it growing pains, lol.

Somehow I missed the spider was in restricted airflow for that long...
That is too long, agreed.

 

[Martikhoras]

After I punched through the tape with the needle I tried out the airflow with breathing against the tape and trying to get it the inside steamy, which worked. And it was not steamy for long, so I thought the air flow was OK. But maybe it wasn't the right way I checked because my lungs are obviously stronger than the air flow inside the room.

 

[sourpatchkid]

The setup looks pretty good. The only thing I would do differently is hot glue 1-2 bottle caps in between the substrate and top. They usually stay at the top to look for water

 

[cold blood]

Never use tape, like ever.....slightest contact and the t will be in big trouble.

 

[Martikhoras]

Like "getting stuck"-trouble or like "getting poisoned because she would try to get herself clean"-trouble?
I never thought about that.
Maybe I should have put her in the small vial the seller put her in until her carapace is bigger than 2 mm.

 

[Jess S]

Hi. Please don't beat yourself up. The enclosure looks wonderful, it's obvious you did a lot of research.
Reading other people's comments, I wonder if the sling went exploring the vent holes as a means to escape, possibly got a bit stuck on the tape and in the struggle to get free, took a tumble. However, I may be completely wrong. As I believe @Andrea82 says it could just as easily be natural causes as slings can die very easily and we never know why.
Please don't let it put you off getting another though

 

[Martikhoras]

Ok, thank you all for your help.
I will buy new, smaller enclosures for the small slings and melt small holes in there with a soldering iron or with a bigger needle, which could be heated with a lighter.

After that I will start from scratch.
Then when her carapace is bigger than 2 mm I will rehouse her in the enclosure at the start of this thread WITHOUT tape.

I really thought that I researched enough (I was thinking about getting a T and researched since about 9 months) and I knew about the ventilation problem with this beautiful little creatures and still effed up.

 

[Aunyanka Alexander]

Thank you for this post! I am brand new and hoping to start with a C. Versicolor myself. The thought of starting with a spider under 1" is scary but I cant find any larger specimen for sale. I'd like to pose a few questions based solely on research to help me out when I go to set up my first enclosure for C. Versicolor.

Was this setup too tall for the sling? Maybe she fell?
The holes dont look too big to me, am I wrong? How much can Ts 'squish' to fit through holes.

Is the airflow in the room where the enclosure is kept an issue?

What temperature did you have C. Versicolor kept at?

Where did you buy the sling from?

Thank you for putting up with all my questions. Also I'd like to offer my condolences. I can tell you were very excited to have acquired this beautiful sling. I can imagine this was an upsetting situation. As many have said, its definatly possible that you were simply unlucky. I hope your next sling fairs better.
<3

 

[Martikhoras]

Was this setup too tall for the sling?

Actually it is based on opinion. You could set up her final enclosure and put her in there (when the holes are not too big) but you would never find the T and the T would have problems finding her prey. The rule of thumb of enclosure height is 2,5 times the diagonal leg span because of falling. So technically it was too big, yes. (I think this is not that much of an issue for an arboreal since I read they could withstand falls better)

The holes dont look too big to me, am I wrong? How much can Ts 'squish' to fit through holes.

The carapace of the spider has to be larger than the hole. If it is not, the T can squeeze through. (at least that's what I read)

Is the airflow in the room where the enclosure is kept an issue?

I really don't know that, my guess is that of course there has to be an airflow or mold would grow quicker. But occasionally opening the window for a few minutes should be enough.

What temperature did you have C. Versicolor kept at?

Room temperature. Like the Schultz' couple wrote in "The Tarantula Keeper's guide" "If you are fine, the T is fine."

Where did you buy the sling from?

I ordered it from spidersworld.eu (the online-store from poland). Yes, I know it is not the best way to get a T. But the most convenient.

 

[Aunyanka Alexander]

Actually it is based on opinion. You could set up her final enclosure and put her in there (when the holes are not too big) but you would never find the T and the T would have problems finding her prey. The rule of thumb of enclosure height is 2,5 times the diagonal leg span because of falling. So technically it was too big, yes. (I think this is not that much of an issue for an arboreal since I read they could withstand falls better)


The carapace of the spider has to be larger than the hole. If it is not, the T can squeeze through. (at least that's what I read)


I really don't know that, my guess is that of course there has to be an airflow or mold would grow quicker. But occasionally opening the window for a few minutes should be enough.


Room temperature. Like the Schultz' couple wrote in "The Tarantula Keeper's guide" "If you are fine, the T is fine."


I ordered it from spidersworld.eu (the online-store from poland). Yes, I know it is not the best way to get a T. But the most convenient.

Thank you so much for your response! It is especially helpful to know the rule of thumb for enclosure size to avoid falling!

 

[MBArachnids]

Just a random question or statement.

I found raising my C versicolor pretty challenging even after I had 5 species. Is C. versicolor now considered a good beginning Arboreal T?

 

[Martikhoras]

Is C. versicolor now considered a good beginning Arboreal T?

Slings are always hard to begin with but extremely rewarding. And a fragile Sling like C. versicolor (which is recommended by a lot of people as a good arboreal starter) is even more rewarding if you do everything right.
(thats what I read but again there is the difference between theory and practice)