Hi, New to the board and T's...

[kaitala]

Hi all. I'm new to the board and new to t's, but not new to uncommon pets and inverts.

I'm getting one (only and first T) Cobalt Blue tomorrow. Now, I've read they aren't "for the beginner" but I breed many different herpetofauna, and have cared for an Arizona Bark Scorpion successfully. I understnad they aren't cuddly and friendly, and not something you take out of the cage and chill and watch movies with.

I belong to snake and dragon and general reptile forums and have found immense support there, I'm hoping for the same incredibly helpful input here.

So anyway, hubby got me a "present" because he dealt with a good breeder/wholesaler and my present is a Cobalt. As far as inverts go, he's a scorpion guy, I like the t's, so since he was getting 4 Emporers, I guess I get the token cobalt as a "please don't be mad I got these" gift.

Despite always liking them, I never researched them. From my friends that had T's, they were rather boring. Some of them have posted ongoing joke threads and FB posts of "my pet hole".

But, my "present" is on it's way. I'm happy, don't get me wrong, but I would have liked a little more time for research in choosing my species, and preparing. I can't find good comprehensive web pages, so I figured you who love them and participate in a site would be my best resource.

Reportedly, it's a "spiderling". Now, I'm sure that can mean a million things if you ask 1000 people.

My understanding is they like to burrow, they spin webs, eat insects. Now for the questions:

I can't find anything that easily explains phases of life, like instars, when they are juvi, when adult, etc. I used google. Not on first page. Please help.

Is there a rule of thumb about enclosure size? I just wonder, if I put a little eeensy weensy spider in a 40 gal high with all te substrate, is it real that they could starve because they "can't find food" I know some species of things may be unable to do so (geckos not being too bright), but is that true with spiders?

I have an available 40 gal breeder (high) tank. If you had a cobalt, and were to try to provide the "taj majahal" of enclosures, what would you put in there? Do Cobalt's "redecorate" tanks like scorpions do?


Stephi

 

[synyster]

Welcome to the boards!

True, you didn't get the best starter specimen but being a sling (spiderling) you will at least have time to understand it as it grows. Yours will probably be under 2" and a 40gl will be useless and take wy too much space for nothing. House them in a pill vial at that size and it will be fine:

You will want to keep the substrate humid, because if it dries off the sling will desiccate and die. Fill up substrate to about 8/10 of the vial and it will dig itself a nice burrow. Now all that is left to do is feed, water and observe

There's no general rule of when a sling becomes a juvie/sub-adult/adult. It mostly goes by size and wether it's a male or female. It will me mature (adult) once it hooks out (mature male or MM) or when the spermathacae is sclerotized (mature female or MF).

What can possibly happen if you house a tiny sling in a 40 gl is that the cricket will die before even going close to the spiders burrow. There just too much to venture through in a tank that big for such a small cricket and spider. But I do know that if the spider goes hungry, it will come out of it's burrow and hunt or scavenge any dead prey.

Just to be sure this is understood, you should not attempt to handle this species. They are fast, defensive and have potent venom.

Have fun and welcome again

 

[kaitala]

Hi! The slings arrived a few hours ago. I was hoping they'd come in a vial like you showed me, but no luck. They're in 2oz condiment cups. One I can see, the other has a lot of webbing and I can't see it. I guess the webbing one is mine, we ordered one for a friend and that's how I got my present, so we have to pass along the one we know to exist.

The one I can see is about 1/2" long, including legs.

I've been checking out vids and reading posts and care sheets. Maybe I missed the details somewhere but I never got how to judge size of prey. What should these little ones eat? I saw a vid of "crushed crickets" being used. Are Fruit Flies too small for them at this size? I have them for my dart frogs, so it would be mighty convenient.

Most importantly, what am I going to do for an enclosure for them? Can they climb glass? Hubby said he was told "just use a ball jar with just the ring and use a coffee filter on it". I'm not so keen on that idea. And how do I move the sling into the new container, if I can't see it and it's all in it's webbing and the eco earth in there??? Would a ball jar with holes punched in the lid for air work? I'd use the metal lid it comes with.

I must say, I do wish I had done more research on this, but hindsight is 20/20. I should know better when anyone starts their "care instructions" (or anything else for that matter) with "You just...."

And watching the vids, I was surprised to see them not trying to get out. I'm used to animals that will make a break for it, given the chance. All my snakes will, The Beardies like to try, geckos, even the dogs will try if you leave the gate open.


Thanks for the reply, and thanks in advance for the help. I'm going to go pull the eco earth out and start looking for something to put it in.

 

[Popsmoke63B]

Welcome! Grats on your H.lividiums!

 

[Fins]

Welcome to a new addiction. Congrats on the H. lividium.

 

[synyster]

You can feed them live pinhead crickets without a problem, they will take it down.

I suggest just going out and bying any type of container or vial that will be suitable for the sling. I would avoid the coffee filter idea, just because you will need to open the jar to put prey in and will probably destroy the filter every time. Also, you want to trap the humidity inside as much as possible with a little bit of airflow. And don't get yourself wrong, spiders won't attempt to make a break for it everytime you open the vial, but this could happen (and has happened many times to me).

But I'm wondering, we're they shipped to you or did you pick them up? If they were shipped, did you receive them with substrate in the container?

 

[kaitala]

Thanks, all!

The slings were shipped with substrate in the container.

Where do I get an appropriate vial? How do you choose the right size? Floor space and depth of substrate? I'm thinking a Ziploc container, tall one with a screw on lid might work. Would the floor space be too much?

I can't get true pinheads around here. What they sell as "pinheads" at the petshops here are more like 3/8" or so. I hate ordering pinheads, as a good number of them always end up squashed by the time they get here. Even the 1/8" ones, a fair amount of them end up squashed. I don't know, it seems to me, a 1/2 maybe 3/4" spider wouldn't get much out of a pinner or even a 3 day old cricket, how many of them would I have to feed it? Just for reference, here's the size chart on the site I order from. http://www.timberlinefisheries.com/products/feeder-insects/crickets/ The pinheads really are that tiny.

Thanks again!

 

[synyster]

Spiders should never be shipped with substrate in the container. Your luck it got there alive...

I know what your talking about the ziplock container and that should be fine. Remember that this species need alot more substrate to burrow so getting a tall one would be perfect. Also the floor space is not that great and should uit everything fine.

As a general rule of thumb, I feed crickets up to the same size as the spiders body length that have never caused any problems. So probably 2-3/8" should be fine.

 

[kaitala]

Awesome. Now how do I get it out of the little cup entangled with all the webbing, and into it's new ziplock?

And add Moist Sphagnum (also on hand)? Sphag just on surface or mixed in?

I've read postings about water dishes, do I need to put a shallow bottle cap in there for a water dish, or just mist from time to time?

 

[grayzone]

lol rehousing a lividum is something i have yet to do , but id imagine its the same as any other t.... hold the old house at an angle and coax the t into the new home with a straw/paintbrush/ finger ( LOL just seein if youre payin attention ) as far as the moss id just skip it? eco earth/cocofiber substrate holds plenty of moisture by itself. i only use the moss as a decoration in a larger enclosure... its best to only provide a shallow water dish when the t is 3" or bigger and id still fill it full of gravel so theres no way the t or crix can drown in it

 

[kaitala]

It is in its new home. Doesnt seem any worse for the wear. Hasn't started burrowing yet, I'm guessing by morning, I should have my "pet tub of dirt" instead of a spider. Thanks for all the help!