Slightly uneasy

[Sarkhan42]

My most recent addition to the menagerie is a tiny little A. purpurea sling. Very lively, arrived active and I even received a dose of poop cannon unpacking the little guy!

He seemed pretty slim so I left a pre killed cricket in for him which he promptly snatched up, but I came in the next day to it uneaten. It didn’t look so great so I replaced it with a fresh more plump feeder, which the next day was dumped into the water dish (something I’ve observed slings doing when rejecting food).

I know these guys can be picky, and usually I wouldn’t worry, but his enthusiasm to pick it up and slim figure makes me slightly nervous, so I figured I would check in here, here’s a photo.

 

[darkness975]

My most recent addition to the menagerie is a tiny little A. purpurea sling. Very lively, arrived active and I even received a dose of poop cannon unpacking the little guy!

He seemed pretty slim so I left a pre killed cricket in for him which he promptly snatched up, but I came in the next day to it uneaten. It didn’t look so great so I replaced it with a fresh more plump feeder, which the next day was dumped into the water dish (something I’ve observed slings doing when rejecting food).

I know these guys can be picky, and usually I wouldn’t worry, but his enthusiasm to pick it up and slim figure makes me slightly nervous, so I figured I would check in here, here’s a photo.

The water dish is full?

 

[Sarkhan42]

The water dish is full?

Yup, I’ve been checking it and topping it off regularly.

 

[darkness975]

Yup, I’ve been checking it and topping it off regularly.

Arboreals shouldn't be as large in the abdomen as Terrestrials but it does appear a tad thin.

Question: I see it is in some kind of plastic tub? You're not removing it from its enclosure to feed right?

 

[Sarkhan42]

Arboreals shouldn't be as large in the abdomen as Terrestrials but it does appear a tad thin.

Question: I see it is in some kind of plastic tub? You're not removing it from its enclosure to feed right?

Oh no that’s just the lid of the enclosure opened forward to get a better photo, sitting on top of a large tub used for something else.

 

[Sarkhan42]

Arboreals shouldn't be as large in the abdomen as Terrestrials but it does appear a tad thin.

Question: I see it is in some kind of plastic tub? You're not removing it from its enclosure to feed right?

Here’s the enclosure, opens from the front. I will be adding a better place to hide when I resupply at an expo this weekend.

 

[darkness975]

Here’s the enclosure, opens from the front. I will be adding a better place to hide when I resupply at an expo this weekend.

They prefer plant cover on top to web their own hides. I'd say you could add some more plants near the top and it should be fine.

 

[Sarkhan42]

They prefer plant cover on top to web their own hides. I'd say you could add some more plants near the top and it should be fine.

Yup that’s the plan, I’m just totally out of supplies right now and I didn’t realize, I had to steal that plant in there from another enclosure.

 

[Sarkhan42]

Well, no luck with live prekilled or even just the legs of crickets, but seems like the little thing took to a bit of meal worm, or at least some of it. I'll take what I can get honestly, as long as it's eating something!

 

[Shell]

This is just a small sling, correct? Ive always kept slings in small enclosures, pill vials, deli cups etc. For arboreals, a taller but narrow enclosure, and I have never given a water dish to a sling. Mist/keep appropriately moist, they will drink from water droplets. For an aboreal sling, I keep in a tall pill vial with a long piece of moss to web on, and mist/keep moist.

Remember, they've been here longer than we have, and they're doing just fine... They don't eat like we do, ie as much, as often, keep trying small pieces of cricket/mealworm etc, remove if uneaten. For the most part they know what they need, yes not every sling from every sac is destined to survive no matter how much human intervention, but try not to worry. Just keep doing what you're doing.

 

[Sarkhan42]

This is just a small sling, correct? Ive always kept slings in small enclosures, pill vials, deli cups etc. For arboreals, a taller but narrow enclosure, and I have never given a water dish to a sling. Mist/keep appropriately moist, they will drink from water droplets. For an aboreal sling, I keep in a tall pill vial with a long piece of moss to web on, and mist/keep moist.

Remember, they've been here longer than we have, and they're doing just fine... They don't eat like we do, ie as much, as often, keep trying small pieces of cricket/mealworm etc, remove if uneaten. For the most part they know what they need, yes not every sling from every sac is destined to survive no matter how much human intervention, but try not to worry. Just keep doing what you're doing.

Yup, keeping him the same as my other Avicularia slings, the cage is actually just a micro really useful box, about the same volume of a small deli cup. More than the not eating I was concerned about the taking prey and then not consuming, but it seems like that’s not an issue thankfully.

I try to provide a water dish to my spiders as soon as I have room, as they’ll definitely use it and it insures they always have access to a drink.