Enclosure Problems

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
Small slings do just fine drinking off the substrate or the side of the enclourse. Once it gets some size to it (about the time for its rehouse from that enclourse) it will be time to add in that bottle cap.

When it is in premolt / right after just keep the substrate a little bit extra (not swampy) damper than normal to ensure it has accessible water.
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
Small slings do just fine drinking off the substrate or the side of the enclourse. Once it gets some size to it (about the time for its rehouse from that enclourse) it will be time to add in that bottle cap.

When it is in premolt / right after just keep the substrate a little bit extra (not swampy) damper than normal to ensure it has accessible water.
so i should be fine just misting the substrate? Ive got Jungle Mix Fir & Sphagnum Peat Moss

 

tewebag

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
237
so i should be fine just misting the substrate? Ive got Jungle Mix Fir & Sphagnum Peat Moss

Yeah, just keep the sphagnum slightly moist and you should do just fine. If you do mist, lightly do it.

Personally I am not a fan of misting instead I use paint pipettes that hold about 3ml of water and just use them to drop water onto the substrate or wherever I need it. In small enclourses like how that one looks, it's a bit of a hassle to mist without watering your tarantula in the process.
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
Yeah, just keep the sphagnum slightly moist and you should do just fine. If you do mist, lightly do it.

Personally I am not a fan of misting instead I use paint pipettes that hold about 3ml of water and just use them to drop water onto the substrate or wherever I need it. In small enclourses like how that one looks, it's a bit of a hassle to mist without watering your tarantula in the process.
good point, my girlfriends mom is a nurse so she has a shit load of medical stuff, probably some kind of dropper somewhere.
 

Dave Jay

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Messages
294
I guess you've been reading up on how to set up a sling enclosure?
You'll find many different opinions on the subject and none will be outright wrong. You have a larger than usual container and that will give you more to work with, you will really be setting up for a larger spider as that container will last for a couple of moults at least. You have room for a water dish so imo why not add one? My small slings use them even though they are well fed. Slings won't drown, the hair traps air around their bodies, so don't add anything bar water to the dish. A bottle top is what I've used mostly, I found a brand of water with a smaller than usual top. With smaller enclosures I'm using caps that you close pipes or tubes off with, you have room for a bottle cap though I'm sure.
Be sure to post pics when you're finished!
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
1,878
Yeah, simply add a small water dish and keep part of the substrate slightly moist or just the sphagnum moss. I'd offer a dry part as well, so your sling has a choice where it wants to stay.

I would also tamp down the substrate better. It looks kinda loose, and Ts usually hate to walk on fluffy underground. ;)
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
Yeah, simply add a small water dish and keep part of the substrate slightly moist or just the sphagnum moss. I'd offer a dry part as well, so your sling has a choice where it wants to stay.

I would also tamp down the substrate better. It looks kinda loose, and Ts usually hate to walk on fluffy underground. ;)
OK, I didn't want to do it too much so it couldn't burrow. Thanks for the tip!
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
I guess you've been reading up on how to set up a sling enclosure?
You'll find many different opinions on the subject and none will be outright wrong. You have a larger than usual container and that will give you more to work with, you will really be setting up for a larger spider as that container will last for a couple of moults at least. You have room for a water dish so imo why not add one? My small slings use them even though they are well fed. Slings won't drown, the hair traps air around their bodies, so don't add anything bar water to the dish. A bottle top is what I've used mostly, I found a brand of water with a smaller than usual top. With smaller enclosures I'm using caps that you close pipes or tubes off with, you have room for a bottle cap though I'm sure.
Be sure to post pics when you're finished!
Definitely!
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
I'm not sure where to post this so it's the most useful, but I found an old thread with people discussing how to dry substrate, I've done mine and was curious how others did it. I feel like they're waaay over complicating it, talking about baking it, setting it outside on a pan and letting it dry, stuff like that.

My solution: Find a clean pillowcase you don't really care about, put the overly damp substrate in, find a cheese cloth string or clean shoelace, tie the pillow sack shut, throw it in the dryer on a full cycle.

BOOM! dry substrate lol.
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
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70
A little bummed out, "next day" just means that when they ship it it'll be overnight, but they send out orders in batches. It may be a few days before i get my pet.
 

tewebag

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
237
I'm not sure where to post this so it's the most useful, but I found an old thread with people discussing how to dry substrate, I've done mine and was curious how others did it. I feel like they're waaay over complicating it, talking about baking it, setting it outside on a pan and letting it dry, stuff like that.

My solution: Find a clean pillowcase you don't really care about, put the overly damp substrate in, find a cheese cloth string or clean shoelace, tie the pillow sack shut, throw it in the dryer on a full cycle.

BOOM! dry substrate lol.
I just place a lamp right above it if I am in a hurry for it to be dry otherwise I make it slower from brick form and it gets pretty dry from the start that way.
 

Dave Jay

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Messages
294
I just place a lamp right above it if I am in a hurry for it to be dry otherwise I make it slower from brick form and it gets pretty dry from the start that way.
I agree, I've found that 1.7 litres of water is perfect if you leave it overnight, once the soggy outside is mixed with the dry inside it is perfect for packing, it evens out to a nice moisture level. Any wetter and it's too wet to use straight away, any drier and it wont pack down firmly.
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
Should be getting my baby tomorrow morning, wasn't sure what was best to feed it so i got some baby crickets, flightless fruit flies, and meal worms.
For anyone that has used flightless fruit flies, how do you go about feeding them to your T?
They tend to jump when i open the jar and I'm not sure if the T will eat it whole or if i need to be looking for a carcass to remove from the enclosure to keep it clean.

Also, i picked up a cricket cage and I'm feeding them Fluker's Orange Cubes. The ingredients all look organic and the container says its safe for whatever is going to be eating the crickets, does anyone have experience with this that can give some advice, I just want to make sure my T is safe and healthy.
 

Greasylake

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 23, 2017
Messages
1,324
Flightless fruit flies are nutritionally deficient and feeding a diet of only these little demons will eventually result in a dead spider. Crickets, roaches and superworms are the way to go. With a small cricket you can simply crush the head and leave it in the enclosure overnight, the spiderling will eventually find and eat it. As for the orange cubes, my crickets never ate them for some reason so I just started putting a slice of apple in their container, never had any problems. The meal works will burrow, and at the size of your spider they're probably too big for it anyway. You would have to slice them to the appropriate size and leave them in overnight like with the crickets.
 

tewebag

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
237
Also, i picked up a cricket cage and I'm feeding them Fluker's Orange Cubes. The ingredients all look organic and the container says its safe for whatever is going to be eating the crickets, does anyone have experience with this that can give some advice, I just want to make sure my T is safe and healthy.
I've used them in the past, they work as advertised and provide water and food although an apple slice or another fruit and dry dog food works just as well (easier when you have a large amount also)
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
Flightless fruit flies are nutritionally deficient and feeding a diet of only these little demons will eventually result in a dead spider. Crickets, roaches and superworms are the way to go. With a small cricket you can simply crush the head and leave it in the enclosure overnight, the spiderling will eventually find and eat it. As for the orange cubes, my crickets never ate them for some reason so I just started putting a slice of apple in their container, never had any problems. The meal works will burrow, and at the size of your spider they're probably too big for it anyway. You would have to slice them to the appropriate size and leave them in overnight like with the crickets.
Okay, i guess i'll use this batch of flies with a cricket added so it's getting nutrients. I was planning to cut the worms in half.
 

Apestabrook

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 5, 2018
Messages
70
As far as a hide, in a container that small and it being a sling, how would you go about making its hide?
 

tewebag

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
237
As far as a hide, in a container that small and it being a sling, how would you go about making its hide?
Little piece of cork bark, some leaf litter, basically anything it can get under if it needs to. I perfer a piece of cork bark, just break a piece off to suit the size you need then position it so the t can get into it.
 

Dave Jay

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Messages
294
As far as a hide, in a container that small and it being a sling, how would you go about making its hide?
I make a dent or hole in the substrate then place something over it, that way you don't need to find something with the perfect curve, anything flat will do. With baby scorpions or centipedes I've used pieces cut out of plastic flower pots. I've also broken up bigger aquarium decorations and sanded the edges smooth. I find that in small tubs regular wood or bark has a tendency to go mouldy and I don't have access to cork bark.
 
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