Slings..for a first timer

[vickywild]

I've always kept T's from an older age but am quite interested in getting a sling. I HATE finding stuff out online because every site you visit contradicts the ones before and after it.

So I'm going to ask all my questions here if thats okay? No better place then a group of enthusiasts and experts!

Just a few basics to start with, it'll probably be a while before I get him/her so theres no hurry .

-Feeding. How often? What?
-Home. Where do they live? Tuppawear boxes? What do you use as substrate and what on earth do you put their water in? Surely they'd drown in anything...

 

[Fran]

...
Not to sound mean, but there are about thousands of threads regarding your very basic questions in here . Its always good to use the search button, then if you have more specific questions, open up a thread.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=153508

 

[synyster]

And, you will need to post up a species or at least genus first

 

[vickywild]

I did toy with searching, I'll be honest, but I'd just rather a thread where I can come and ask questions and I was getting a wee bit confused with which threads I can ask in etc.

Sorry.

 

[synyster]

I did toy with searching, I'll be honest, but I'd just rather a thread where I can come and ask questions and I was getting a wee bit confused with which threads I can ask in etc.

Sorry.

It's ok theres no problem really, but do you know what species your going to get?

 

[vickywild]

Ooh, I never thought of that. Dang.

I would like a cobalt blue as one of my next species'. I know they're angry wee beasts but I am fascinated by them.

However, I don't know how hard they are to raise? perhaps going for something simpler would be better for my first time.

Any recommendations?

 

[synyster]

If it's your first burrower, i'd suggest Crassicrus lamanai. They can be hard to find and be a bit costly compared to H.lividum, but there worth it. You will be able to see them more often as they tend to come out way more than the blue's and require less humidity. Also, Holothele incei could be a great option for a burrower and it can be setup as a communal but they are dwarf T's and don't grow big so if you want a bigger species, it's not that one. I guarantee that if you want H.lividum or any Haplopelma species by that matter, you better be ok with looking at nothing more but a hole every time you check on it though

 

[vickywild]

Haha, yeah that would be fine. So are Crassicrus lamanai easy to look after as slings?

One of my main worries is losing it.

Imagine that..

 

[synyster]

Haha, yeah that would be fine. So are Crassicrus lamanai easy to look after as slings?

One of my main worries is losing it.

Imagine that..

No the only thing is to keep them in appropriate sized enclosures. Substrate not soaking wet but always moist. Pay attention to cave-ins also. If your in a hurry to get it, i'd suggest looking for another species though cause like I said earlier, they can be really hard to find, especially as slings.

 

[vickywild]

I'm in no hurry, it'd probably be when we move out of this flat and into a house. So could be 6 months-1 year away yet.

I just want to be prepared as I possibly can.

 

[Musicwolf]

I'm in no hurry, it'd probably be when we move out of this flat and into a house. So could be 6 months-1 year away yet.

I just want to be prepared as I possibly can.

My best advice then is just to start reading all the threads you have time for both in this forum and in Tarantula Chat - you'll easily figure out what the best T for you is, and come across more than enough good advice to take care of it as well.

 

[ElfDa]

i posted this question on tarantula toy thread, but didn't get an answer, so I'll post it on a more relevant thread. <3

Both of my wee Ts kind of freak out and run away from the flghtless fruit flies.
I plan to get some tiny B. Lateralis roach nymphs, this week; do you think this will work out better?

 

[astraldisaster]

It's not a common species, but if you want a hardy and docile blue tarantula, why not try Homoeomma sp. "blue"?

Unlike a Cobalt (or any other Haplopelma), they won't be pet holes. They also don't require high humidity, and thus are easier to care for. You'd have to have some patience, since they're super-slow growers, but the upside is that they have quite a long life-span (even the males). I got my two slings from Swift's Inverts, but they are also available from Anastasia at Netbug and directly from the breeder.

I feed mine pre-killed small crickets a little longer than their abdomens. Chopping up a large cricket works just as well (I have even heard of people doing this and keeping them in the freezer, which would make sense if you only have one little sling to feed). They'll take live prey, too, just make sure anything you offer is smaller than their abdomen and remove it if they don't eat it within a few hours. I find pre-killed to be easier since some slings tend to get spooked easily by their food if it's moving.

Slings of any species can be kept in deli cups, small tupperware containers, etc. with small holes drilled/poked into the sides and/or top. Just upgrade to larger containers as they grow.

I recommend peat moss or coco fiber for substrate; always keep a corner moist so they have a source of water. Once they reach 2" or so you can give them a bottle cap as a water dish.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

I'm in no hurry, it'd probably be when we move out of this flat and into a house. So could be 6 months-1 year away yet.

I just want to be prepared as I possibly can.

Then make sure that you have access to a food source before you get the slings , If you are gonna culture something ( fruit flies , springtails , or whatever ) have things up and running ahead of time . I also would say that it's better to keep you sling containers in a larger container to make environmental conditions easier to control . I personally like to use a ten gallon aquarium . You can fit a bunch of small deli cups in a tank that size or a few deli cups and your feeder culture containers as well . Makes it easier keep track of stuff and stops escapees from getting too far .

 

[RB40]

Great advise astraldisaster, for people wanting a blue T that don't stay buried, or mean!!! The Homoeomma's are not a very common sp., and they are quite rare. My adults are super easy to take care of, room temp with a water dish, and I feed once a week, and they very rarely ever use their hide. It's one of the blue T's that don't have a nasty disposition, and stays out in the open for great display.

 

[Quazgar]

i posted this question on tarantula toy thread, but didn't get an answer, so I'll post it on a more relevant thread. <3

Both of my wee Ts kind of freak out and run away from the flghtless fruit flies.
I plan to get some tiny B. Lateralis roach nymphs, this week; do you think this will work out better?

I've never tried either of those, but my slings have eaten fine of pre-killed insects (crickets and mealworms). Just kill it, throw it in, and leave it for a day or two. If they're hungry, they'll munch on it.

 

[ElfDa]

I've never tried either of those, but my slings have eaten fine of pre-killed insects (crickets and mealworms). Just kill it, throw it in, and leave it for a day or two. If they're hungry, they'll munch on it.

ohh good idea!

would pre-killed fruit flies work?
for the 1/4" sling, i know it couldn't handle anything bigger that was live[i/], but would it feed on a huge (relatively speaking) cricket carcas?

*blinks sleepily* guess i'll chill some flies in the morning and offer 'em. Poor lil' slings; so scared of their lunch...

 

[Anastasia]

It's not a common species, but if you want a hardy and docile blue tarantula, why not try Homoeomma sp. "blue"?

Unlike a Cobalt (or any other Haplopelma), they won't be pet holes. They also don't require high humidity, and thus are easier to care for. You'd have to have some patience, since they're super-slow growers, but the upside is that they have quite a long life-span (even the males). I got my two slings from Swift's Inverts, but they are also available from Anastasia at Netbug and directly from the breeder.

I feed mine pre-killed small crickets a little longer than their abdomens. Chopping up a large cricket works just as well (I have even heard of people doing this and keeping them in the freezer, which would make sense if you only have one little sling to feed). They'll take live prey, too, just make sure anything you offer is smaller than their abdomen and remove it if they don't eat it within a few hours. I find pre-killed to be easier since some slings tend to get spooked easily by their food if it's moving.

Slings of any species can be kept in deli cups, small tupperware containers, etc. with small holes drilled/poked into the sides and/or top. Just upgrade to larger containers as they grow.

I recommend peat moss or coco fiber for substrate; always keep a corner moist so they have a source of water. Once they reach 2" or so you can give them a bottle cap as a water dish.

spider on the picture is Thrixopelma cyaneolum

 

[astraldisaster]

Yes, my bad. It was labeled as Homoeomma sp. blue, but after looking at lots of pictures of different specimens I can see that this isn't one. This is, however!:

 

[ElevenBravo]

They are chicken when they are small but it does not take but a few molts to change that. I was worried when I got my first T a sling that I wouldnt be able to get it to eat. Thats not been much of a problem. If I offered them live they were skeered and wouldnt eat kill the same prey item and give them 15 minutes they will be nomming away. I have had my best results with meal worms torn in half. Now that my G. pulchripes is slightly over an inch it will attack and kill its food almost the instant they hit the sub its not skeered anymore.