Slings, missing presumed dead?

[Brother Giles]

Hi, I have a bit of an embarrassing question. Been keeping T's for a few years and sometimes I run into an issue I can't explain. Sometimes a spiderling will disappear out of it's vial, usually the signs of no shed, not eating, no change in the environment so I go in and check on them. In these cases I've pulled the substrate apart, looked over everything with a microscope and... nothing. No corpse, no bits nothing. They can't get out of the vial and I'm not sure where they could have gone. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[starlight_kitsune]

Pics of the vials you're using would probably help figure out if they absolutely can't get out of them, because I can't think of any reason one would vanish except an escape. How many have you had just disappear like this?

 

[BoyFromLA]

Sometimes a spiderling will disappear out of it's vial

• How large is the vial?
• How large is the sling?

They can't get out of the vial

Are you even certain about that?

I'm not sure where they could have gone. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

If you have no idea, I surely do not have one either.

If you can’t keep track of the sling, something is possibly very wrong. First and foremost, you want to keep track of the sling for: well eating, well drinking, well molting. If not, something has to be changed.

 

[Edan bandoot]

It's not like they teleport

 

[Brother Giles]

A vial like this one.

 

[Poonjab]

100% you’re either a) leaving lid off
Or b) ventilation holes/slits too big and T’s escape.
or c) feeders are too big and eating sling.

 

[Brother Giles]

• How large is the vial?
• How large is the sling?

Are you even certain about that?



If you have no idea, I surely do not have one either.

If you can’t keep track of the sling, something is possibly very wrong. First and foremost, you want to keep track of the sling for: well eating, well drinking, well molting. If not, something has to be changed.

Looking at a few 'mm' and about 3 in total it's happened to. For reference I've had 25 tarantulas of varying ages (not including those three)

 

[BoyFromLA]

You are then definitely putting them into too large enclosure.

What species I do not know, but unless they are arboreal, you want to put them where with more width than the height, and where you can monitor them at all times.

 

[Edan bandoot]

take a picture of one of the viles that they have escaped from.
if the hole is equal or greater than carapace size they can squeeze out

 

[starlight_kitsune]

View attachment 385371
A vial like this one.

A picture of one of the literal vials they've escaped from would be more helpful than this, we already know what a vial is, we need to see yours specifically. For example your ventholes and how large they are. They're likely escaping through there or hitchhiking on the lid when you're putting in feeders etc. Or depending on what you're feeding/if its alive they may be being eaten by a feeder.

 

[Tarantuland]

2+2 aint adding up to 4 up in this b

 

[Brother Giles]

You are then definitely putting them into too large enclosure.

What species I do not know, but unless they are arboreal, you want to put them where with more width than the height, and where you can monitor them at all times.

View attachment 385374

Thanks for the advice. I've rarely ever had this issue but I'll keep it in mind for future slings.

A picture of one of the literal vials they've escaped from would be more helpful than this, we already know what a vial is, we need to see yours specifically. For example your ventholes and how large they are. They're likely escaping through there or hitchhiking on the lid when you're putting in feeders etc. Or depending on what you're feeding/if its alive they may be being eaten by a feeder.

I'll get on to that when I can get up and take a picture.

 

[viper69]

Hi, I have a bit of an embarrassing question. Been keeping T's for a few years and sometimes I run into an issue I can't explain. Sometimes a spiderling will disappear out of it's vial, usually the signs of no shed, not eating, no change in the environment so I go in and check on them. In these cases I've pulled the substrate apart, looked over everything with a microscope and... nothing. No corpse, no bits nothing. They can't get out of the vial and I'm not sure where they could have gone. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Yes! You kept the T in an appropriate set up, or it was so tiny you overlooked its body.

Either way your attention to detail was lacking based on what I read.

 

[sasker]

I try to house my slings in such a way that I can always see them. There is no substrate to be pulled apart, because I give them just too little to make a burrow they can completely disappear in. The rest of the pill bottle is filled up with fake plastic plant material. This is enough to make a comfy burrow, but I can always see them. By the way, I use the same pill bottles that you posted for my smallest slings.

 

[quirinus]

View attachment 385371
A vial like this one.

I use the same thing for tiniest slings and know plenty ppl who do so. That's definitely not too big. Only the vent holes could be..

 

[Smotzer]

How many has it taken you, to do something about it....? If I had even one escape, I’d be trying to figure something out, and it sounds as if this is a repeat issue...