Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens Care Sheet ( Slings )

[BishopiMaster]

The water dish isn't for humidity, its a safety net to ensure that hydration is always available...no, a dish isn't NEEDED, but it makes things a whole lot easier and especially for newer keepers, helps keep their ts alive. No dish and you are now walking a line.

Slings, heck, adults can't drown, they actually float.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qv5zcohINUo/maxresdefault.jpg

Im not opposing a dish, but i dont agree with using it for humidity at that size

 

[cold blood]

The water dish isn't for humidity

Even though I wrote this^^?

 

[SchubertHelm]

The water dish isn't for humidity, its a safety net to ensure that hydration is always available...no, a dish isn't NEEDED, but it makes things a whole lot easier and especially for newer keepers, helps keep their ts alive. No dish and you are now walking a line.

Slings, heck, adults can't drown, they actually float.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qv5zcohINUo/maxresdefault.jpg

I think it would be best to discuss this on the appropriate forum as this is

Even though I wrote this^^?

Are there any cases of GBB dying of dehydration without water dish and a regular feeding schedule or any cases of slings drowning in a water dish?

 

[BishopiMaster]

Tho if the RH in a room and therefore the enclosure is below 30% and adding water to the enclosure brings it up to 50% would this not be an inadequate RH based on what you said about the wax epicuticule not being developed enough for the spider to be healthy in that dry of an environment. If the RH of the room was 70% would the sling's enclosure still need to be watered? I'm trying to understand why a "humidity gauge" is not necessary.

Because 90% of humidity gauges are inaccurate, you also kind of open pandoras box because you have to think, if any of the information done on t's was used with inaccurate gauges, and your gauge is too accurate, then it poses a problem of consistency. Because the only type of gauge that i would recommend is something in the range of several hundred dollars made by fluke that hvac techs use, but again, you have to consider the accuracy of instruments throughout history. Humidity is an incredibly complex topic, i will say, in my experience, having to use a heat source where the room is cooler creates a temp differential which creates constant condensation, this has to be dealt with by increasing cross ventilation across the entire wall, that is one situation where things are more complicated, but its a very specific one at that

 

[cold blood]

Are there any cases of GBB dying of dehydration without water dish

Of course...dehydtation is the #1 reason for sling losses...having a dish available greatly reduces the chances of dehydration as hydration is always provided.

any cases of slings drowning in a water dish?

Slings float...if a sling is dead in a dish, it likely fell end ended up there. You would literally have to hold their abdomens under water for an extended period of time.

A water dish presents no safety hazard.

 

[SchubertHelm]

Of course...dehydtation is the #1 reason for sling losses...having a dish available greatly reduces the chances of dehydration as hydration is always provided.


Slings float...if a sling is dead in a dish, it likely fell end ended up there. You would literally have to hold their abdomens under water for an extended period of time.

A water dish presents no safety hazard.

What I actually said was "Are there any cases of GBB dying of dehydration without water dish and a regular feeding schedule" I should specify that I mean GBB slings in particular. I have given zero of my slings a water dish, only crickets and they are all healthy.

 

[Charlie69]

When my gbb's where small I kept substrate dry but overfilled the bottle cap. One of them liked sitting there in premolt, not the other two. If you don't give it something to Webb on, it's going to Webb up the lid. That's probably why it's up there now.

 

[cold blood]

What I actually said was "Are there any cases of GBB dying of dehydration without water dish and a regular feeding schedule" I should specify that I mean GBB slings in particular. I have given zero of my slings a water dish, only crickets and they are all healthy.

Yes, my point is that all slings are susceptible and have died from dehydration...no species, sling or otherwise, is immune to dehydration, it can and has killed slings and adults of every species.

I have given zero of my slings a water dish, only crickets and they are all healthy.

a dish isn't NEEDED, but it makes things a whole lot easier

I never said it was required, I said it makes things easier and gives the keeper a safety net in the face of the largest danger a captive sling faces....dehydration.

 

[SchubertHelm]

Yes, my point is that all slings are susceptible and have died from dehydration...no species, sling or otherwise, is immune to dehydration, it can and has killed slings and adults of every species.

Lol You seem to be miss understanding my question. I'm not asking if tarantulas need water. I know they need water and air. I'm asking if a sling's diet and the water from the saturated substrate provides enough hydration to make a water bowl redundant. After looking this up on my own in an appropriate thread it would seem most people think a water bowl should not be added to an enclosure until the T is around 2". I suppose for some people who forget to feed and water the substrate regularly a water cap could be useful. If I was going away on vacation for a week or two I would probably add a water cap for slings.

 

[cold blood]

I don't think you read or understood what I wrote...I answered your question exactly.
"I never said it was required, I said it makes things easier and gives the keeper a safety net"

Its a plus to be redundant with regards to hydration...it saves slings....yes, if you are all over it and paying close attention every day and know exactly what you are looking for, a water dish is certainly not a requirement, I never said or even implied it was....its just a safety net, because sometimes things just dry out quick and you/we don't notice right away...we all have lives outside the t room, and probably jobs. Heck, I am not even advocating dishes until the enclosure has the room, so before then, its just damp sub.

Ts are simply less likely to suffer from dehydration issues when offered a water dish.

 

[SchubertHelm]

I don't think you read or understood what I wrote...I answered your question exactly.
"I never said it was required, I said it makes things easier and gives the keeper a safety net"

Its a plus to be redundant with regards to hydration...it saves slings....yes, if you are all over it and paying close attention every day and know exactly what you are looking for, a water dish is certainly not a requirement, I never said or even implied it was....its just a safety net, because sometimes things just dry out quick and you/we don't notice right away...we all have lives outside the t room, and probably jobs. Heck, I am not even advocating dishes until the enclosure has the room, so before then, its just damp sub.

Ts are simply less likely to suffer from dehydration issues when offered a water dish.

You sure are one cantankerous son of a gun lol You said earlier on that I should always have a water dish. I asked if it was necessary if the tarantula was fed regularly. You then miss quoted me and created a straw man who doesn't understand that tarantulas need hydration to argue with. Now you're just being stubborn. I should have looked at the other threads related to the issue of slings and water bowls before asking the question. Perhaps I could have worded it better That was my bad. I get where you're coming from.

When my gbb's where small I kept substrate dry but overfilled the bottle cap. One of them liked sitting there in premolt, not the other two. If you don't give it something to Webb on, it's going to Webb up the lid. That's probably why it's up there now.

I put a few sticks in the container and it started webbing them up but seems to have lost interest and gone back to the lid. No biggy. It will probably fill the whole thing up by the end of the week.

 

[MetalMan2004]

Well this thread didn't go at all how I expected when I clicked on it.

I won't comment on the moisture thing, as I think its established that you sling needs water. How you go about offering it water is up to you.

I stole the wooden chopstick method for anchor points from @Trenor (basically stick some chopsticks intk the dirt at different angles). My adult gbbs tend to web tents around the anchor points so they have a sort of tunnel system on the ground.

My juvies/ slings that are now ranging from 1.5" to 2+" web between the chopsticks and the top of the enclosure. I guess once they get bigger they'll move to the ground. One thing is for sure, they are interesting to watch!

 

[PanzoN88]

I am not going to comment on the big picture, but @ColdBlood is right.

 

[sasker]

@SchubertHelm: please don't get angry at the people who give you advice. @cold blood has a lot of experience, at least a whole lot more than you do. If you are allergic to water dishes in your enclosures, feel free to leave them out. But slings do drink and a water bowl will safe lives if there is no water around. You could opt for not providing water, keeping the substrate damp and your sling will probably be alright. But thousands of slings have been successfully raised by not fussing over air humidity and just providing a water bowl.

 

[SchubertHelm]

@SchubertHelm: please don't get angry at the people who give you advice. @cold blood has a lot of experience, at least a whole lot more than you do. If you are allergic to water dishes in your enclosures, feel free to leave them out. But slings do drink and a water bowl will safe lives if there is no water around. You could opt for not providing water, keeping the substrate damp and your sling will probably be alright. But thousands of slings have been successfully raised by not fussing over air humidity and just providing a water bowl.

I'm not angry at all. I greatly appreciate any opinion and yes I have a lot to learn tho I don't think your intent in stating that was totally pedestrian. I did not know that water bowls posed no safety hazard to slings and am happy I was told this. I simply wanted to know if I should change what I am doing already with my slings as I was worried that I was not caring for my slings properly. I apologize @cold blood and hope I can learn more from experienced hobbiests like yourself in the future. I think the horse is dead enough now and we can let it rest.

 

[Andrea82]

Don't know how that is on the other side of the pond, but here we keep the slings of this species on dry substrate with a waterdish. No devices needed to measure anything.
KISS applies here, I believe.

Edit. Forgot to mention that slings or older members of this species often die because they are kept too wet. The wither away in wet conditions like other T's do in too dry conditions.

 

[SchubertHelm]

That's more work than you needed to do. I would suggest replacing the top with a new one with just a few holes in the top. Conversely, pop a couple rings of holes around the sides of the cup.


Humidity isn't something that needs to be measured or even paid attention to.


Feed it as often as you like, but the more you feed in a short time will only increase the amount of time the sling spends pre-molt fasting.

You should never worry about moisture, but you should always have a water dish as soon as the enclosure allows for it...yours allows for it.

Its normal for all tarantulas introduced to a new enclosure.

One thing about GBB though is that they are prolific webbers, and providing anchor points will help them create a nicer home. So I would add either a few sticks or small plants.


Yeah, I would add something as well that it can get under...this could be a piece of wood, or as simple as a plastic leaf.

Feed it as often as you like, but the more you feed in a short time will only increase the amount of time the sling spends pre-molt fasting.

Interesting, can you explain why this is?

 

[BishopiMaster]

Don't know how that is on the other side of the pond, but here we keep the slings of this species on dry substrate with a waterdish. No devices needed to measure anything.
KISS applies here, I believe.

Edit. Forgot to mention that slings or older members of this species often die because they are kept too wet. The wither away in wet conditions like other T's do in too dry conditions.

Why does KISS apply specifically here?

 

[cold blood]

Interesting, can you explain why this is?

You quoted 7 different points...can you be more specific?

 

[SchubertHelm]

Feed it as often as you like, but the more you feed in a short time will only increase the amount of time the sling spends pre-molt fasting.