Did it escape or is it burrowed?

[BugzNelson]

My husband and I got a Brazilian white knee sling as a freebie. We set up a small enclosure with a few inches of dirt for the little guy who was quite tiny and timid. To not spook him too much, we put the vile he came in inside the enclosure and waited for him to come out, using a dead bug as motivation. While waiting, we noticed the humidity of the enclosure climbing high, so we removed the lid and sat an empty mesh enclosure on top of it to act as a highly breathable lid. My husband commented on the mesh enclosure as a lid since the spider could push up against it and slip out. I thought the guy was too timid and I read that they burrow at this age so I didn’t think it’d be a problem. We check on him a later and he’s out of the vial, but no where to be found. We are now tending to what appears to be an empty container (proper lid securely on now), uncertain if the little guy escaped or buried himself. What do you think is more plausible?

UPDATE: it did escape and somehow we found a 1/4 inch spider hiding in a nearby violin. I cannot get it out without destroying the instrument so I’m trying to see if there’s something else I can do.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

My husband and I got a Brazilian white knee sling as a freebie. We set up a small enclosure with a few inches of dirt for the little guy who was quite tiny and timid. To not spook him too much, we put the vile he came in inside the enclosure and waited for him to come out, using a dead bug as motivation. While waiting, we noticed the humidity of the enclosure climbing high, so we removed the lid and sat an empty mesh enclosure on top of it to act as a highly breathable lid. My husband commented on the mesh enclosure as a lid since the spider could push up against it and slip out. I thought the guy was too timid and I read that they burrow at this age so I didn’t think it’d be a problem. We check on him a later and he’s out of the vial, but no where to be found. We are now tending to what appears to be an empty container (proper lid securely on now), uncertain if the little guy escaped or buried himself. What do you think is more plausible?

Either is possible If the mesh lid didn’t fit well, it should’ve never been used. It should be pretty easy to check if it buried itself away. Because. the containers crystal clear.
humidity is irrelevant you just don’t want the soil, soggy wet.

 

[Wolfram1]

it could have escaped, but it could have burrowed just as well

i'd get that huge humidity-gauge out asap and check if it is underneath, all you need to do is keep part of the coco-peat moist, part of it dry, never all moist, never all dry and you are good for this species.

if you cant find it very carefully remove all the plastic stuff in there and see if it is hiding underneath, if not carefully look around the edges if it has put its head in the sand so to speak, they like to bunsh up in tight nooks

if you still see no sign of it, carefully comb the soil out, don't dig, just scratch and let it fall away on its own, bit by bit, spiderlings are fragile

if you have done all that and there is still no sign of it, it may have escaped, search the area


personally i think the most likely case is that it has squished itself underneath some of that plastik, leaving it open really wasn't the best idea either....

 

[sparticus]

I agree, check under all the plastic stuff in the enclosure. They do leave evidence when they burrow. If there's no moved dirt it probably isn't buried somewhere in there. You should still check carefully, though. How big was it? The larger the sling the more dirt it would move to make a burrow and the more obvious it will be.

 

[kingshockey]

i would really carefully check that pagoda looking thing you have also since it could be hidden up inside of it.

 

[viper69]

Both

 

[darkness975]

Either is possible. If you comb through the enclosure with no sign of it then it's gone.

 

[cold blood]

Your problem is an enclosure thats both too large and too well appointed....this does neither you or the t any favors. Oversize enclosures induce burrowing and hiding, which not only reduce the feeding response significantly,but also slow growth as a result....on top of that, it makes it nearly impossible to monitor.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

Humidity isnt something you need to monitor or even worry about....simply dampen part of the sub, and when it dries, re dampen...its that simple....dont over complicate the process.

 

[BugzNelson]

I agree, check under all the plastic stuff in the enclosure. They do leave evidence when they burrow. If there's no moved dirt it probably isn't buried somewhere in there. You should still check carefully, though. How big was it? The larger the sling the more dirt it would move to make a burrow and the more obvious it will be.

Tiny. 1/4 inch. We’re using that photo to compare the dirt day by day to look for any changes.

Your problem is an enclosure thats both too large and too well appointed....this does neither you or the t any favors. Oversize enclosures induce burrowing and hiding, which not only reduce the feeding response significantly,but also slow growth as a result....on top of that, it makes it nearly impossible to monitor.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

Humidity isnt something you need to monitor or even worry about....simply dampen part of the sub, and when it dries, re dampen...its that simple....dont over complicate the process.

Yeah, we are new to the hobby. My sister in law started us into it as a present. The enclosure you see was a gift from her so I guess we just assumed we should use it. We did not Keep It Simple Stupid, and definitely over complicated it.

 

[Wolfram1]

UPDATE: it did escape and somehow we found a 1/4 inch spider hiding in a nearby violin. I cannot get it out without destroying the instrument so I’m trying to see if there’s something else I can do.

perhaps bend a wire into shape and very carefully coax/push it out
try not to use the sharp point

perhaps the strings can be loosened or taken off? restringing it should be something a shop can do for a few bucks, check the prices

 

[BugzNelson]

perhaps bend a wire into shape and very carefully coax/push it out
try not to use the sharp point

perhaps the strings can be loosened or taken off? restringing it should be something a shop can do for a few bucks, check the prices

Unfortunately removing the strings won’t give me any greater access. And my husband doesn’t have enough confidence to destroy the instrument.

 

[sparticus]

I use pipe cleaner to move my slings, perhaps that could be useful here? Get a tiny vial, place in front of sling, push it in with pipe cleaner. Assuming you can reach close enough to make it work. It works well because you can bend to shape and it's soft and fluffy so its gentle on the delicate baby spider body.
Edit- maybe too high risk of damaging the spider baby, but last resort maybe try spider vacuum? **This is a link** (probably don't actually do this)

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Use a paintbrush and lightly touch the back feet to steer him in the direction you want. Also, for a terrestrial, sub to lid shouldn’t be more than 1.5x the DLS.

 

[Hardus nameous]

Get a sterlite tub or container large enough to put the violin in (with a lid). Make a small area more appealing to the spider with hide, food, water dish and maybe even substrate in a corner or something. Cover the tub with a towel or leave it in darkness and try to wait the spider out. Keep a catch cup handy and yank the violin out when the spider comes out.