Versicolor sling has not eaten in a month

tarantulanewbie

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My half inch versicolor sling ate a day before I bought it from the dealer.

That was a month ago, it molted a week and a half ago and it will not eat.

Five days ago I saw a large patch of mold so I had to rehouse it, it has not made a Web since then and just circles the container.

The abdomen is slightly smaller than the carapace and I'm starting to get worried, how much longer will it last?
 

Venom1080

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dont worry, even when young ts can go a while without eating. try prekilled crickets overnight or smaller prey items and see what happens. there shouldnt be any mold as avics require dry sub with only a water dish for humidity.
 

tarantulanewbie

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dont worry, even when young ts can go a while without eating. try prekilled crickets overnight or smaller prey items and see what happens. there shouldnt be any mold as avics require dry sub with only a water dish for humidity.
I've tried meal worms cut in half and cricket parts stuck into the holes for ventilation where it walks around, has not taken a single one.

Only thing I can do is keep trying I suppose.
 

Flexzone

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I've tried meal worms cut in half and cricket parts stuck into the holes for ventilation where it walks around, has not taken a single one.

Only thing I can do is keep trying I suppose.
+ to what Venom mentioned, It's been taken out of its familiar environment give it time to readjust to the rehousing. Make sure it has dry sub and source of water (bottle-cap) as T's are ectothermic and don't have the need to eat daily.
 
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MatthewM1

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How do you have it set up and have you offered small live prey(pin head crickets or lateralis roaches)?
 

tarantulanewbie

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How do you have it set up and have you offered small live prey(pin head crickets or lateralis roaches)?
Typical avic set up, cork bark for climbing and some plastic plants for anchor points.

I've tried live food but the sling runs whenever it's touched by the cricket.

I think it's because it doesn't have a Web to reside in so it doesn't want to eat.
 

bryverine

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it molted a week and a half ago and it will not eat.
That's not too strange for a molted/stressed from a move spider to wait. Just don't bother it for a few days and try again. I also agree about humidity - DRY substrate and bottle cap.

Edit: OK sorry, it's ity-bity i missed that. Try a juicy dead cricket. Yum!
 

Sana

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Prekilled is easiest. Gives your baby something to munch without it being overwhelmed and the prey can't harm your little one.
 

mistertim

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Probably not a huge deal. As long as it has water and it abdomen isn't shriveled then it can go without food for a while, even as a sling. When you say "it just circles the container" what exactly do you mean? Like its walking on the substrate or you mean on the walls?
 

Poec54

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First things: Is the substrate dry or moist? How often do you mist? Is there condensation? Is there cross ventilation? Is the water bowl full?

Versicolor have very good appetites. If they're not eating, then there's probably something they don't like about their cage. Moist, stuffy cages are the biggest killers of Avics in captivity. They need dry substrate, a full water bowl, cross ventilation, and anchor points for spinning. Do that, and they're happy and hardy. Ignore the care sheets that tell you to mist often and keep them moist. You'll wind up with a dead spider.
 

tarantulanewbie

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Just
Probably not a huge deal. As long as it has water and it abdomen isn't shriveled then it can go without food for a while, even as a sling. When you say "it just circles the container" what exactly do you mean? Like its walking on the substrate or you mean on the walls?
Keeps walking around the walls of the enclosure.
First things: Is the substrate dry or moist? How often do you mist? Is there condensation? Is there cross ventilation? Is the water bowl full?

Versicolor have very good appetites. If they're not eating, then there's probably something they don't like about their cage. Moist, stuffy cages are the biggest killers of Avics in captivity. They need dry substrate, a full water bowl, cross ventilation, and anchor points for spinning. Do that, and they're happy and hardy. Ignore the care sheets that tell you to mist often and keep them moist. You'll wind up with a dead spider.
Dry sub, big full water dish, zero condensation, once a week for hydration, and plenty of cross ventilation.
 

Venom1080

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Dry sub, big full water dish, zero condensation, once a week for hydration, and plenty of cross ventilation.
once a week for hydration?? do you moisten the substrate at all? its not needed or wanted by the T.

try a pre killed cricket today or tomorrow. dont put it in the vent holes, just drop it on the sub, if its hungry it will find it. try again every other day.
 

cold blood

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How do you have it set up and have you offered small live prey(pin head crickets or lateralis roaches)?
Smaller prey is my suggestion as well...instead of a mealworm half, I feed mine mealworm 1/4ths, just leave them on the webbing.

In the future, just pick mold out, re-housing sets the t back to acclimation mode. Plus then there is no webbing to put the pre-killed food on.

Please post a pic of the enclosure, saying its a standard set up leaves us guessing and assuming. Like @Poec54 said, they're typically great hunters, even when small, it really sounds like a housing issue or a prey size issue.
 

tarantulanewbie

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It finally ate! I was right in my assumption that it didn't want to eat because it had no Web.

The problem was it didn't like the configuration of the greenery, after several attempts at new positions it immediately made a Web in a set up it liked.

I dropped half a worm in its tube Web and bam, instant retrieval.

Load off my mind.
 

Mauri

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It finally ate! I was right in my assumption that it didn't want to eat because it had no Web.

The problem was it didn't like the configuration of the greenery, after several attempts at new positions it immediately made a Web in a set up it liked.

I dropped half a worm in its tube Web and bam, instant retrieval.

Load off my mind.
Hey can you upload a pic of your setup? Both of mine arent webbing much but hasnt been a month yet (into the 3rd week). I had some mold and to rehouse as well (had a hole in my water dish so wasnt me overwatering/misting). Funny thing is the one that hasnt made a web (the one has albeit very small) is def bigger than the other, quite noticeably. (the one is looking i'd say nice n plump/chunky the other not much bigger from when I got it. Although both abdomens arent shivelled nor smaller than the top half).

I went through the same thing as you, several times the one was spooked although after only a few days I saw it take down a worm. I left two small crickets last night and cant be seen although they could be lurking somewhere.

Guess I have to be patient. Happy that yours has eaten.

p.s so the fact I have one bigger T and no web doesnt mean they dont eat, well in my case it seems that way. Although it makes it a lot easier for you drop food onto the web and I think a happy avic is a webbing avic.

Would like to see the size of yours..
 

tarantulanewbie

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Hey can you upload a pic of your setup? Both of mine arent webbing much but hasnt been a month yet (into the 3rd week). I had some mold and to rehouse as well (had a hole in my water dish so wasnt me overwatering/misting). Funny thing is the one that hasnt made a web (the one has albeit very small) is def bigger than the other, quite noticeably. (the one is looking i'd say nice n plump/chunky the other not much bigger from when I got it. Although both abdomens arent shivelled nor smaller than the top half).

I went through the same thing as you, several times the one was spooked although after only a few days I saw it take down a worm. I left two small crickets last night and cant be seen although they could be lurking somewhere.

Guess I have to be patient. Happy that yours has eaten.

p.s so the fact I have one bigger T and no web doesnt mean they dont eat, well in my case it seems that way. Although it makes it a lot easier for you drop food onto the web and I think a happy avic is a webbing avic.

Would like to see the size of yours..
Here you go, sorry if it's bad but it's the best I could get.
 

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Mauri

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Pretty much like mine (well one of mine as least has done a similar web). I'd one of mine is a little bit bigger the other looks the same as yours. Good luck!
 

XxShirokoxX

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Hey guys, I just wanted to say I'm sending all my good vibes for your T. I have a question though because I'm getting an versicolor sling soon for attempt #2 at Tarantulas. I feel more prepared this time but I just want to be sure--

I've read from some people to slightly overfill the water dish for hydration. Is that bad?? I read I should lightly mist the enclosure every 3-5 days and let it dry out (70-80% humidity but that dryer is preferable because you don't want to over-dampen the spider and that people dramatize how wet this T likes its environment) and to always be cautious with it because you can easily make the enclosure more wet but its much harder to make it LESS wet.

is even that too much? i really want to be sure i get it perfectly right this time ;;

i'm going to be using one of the arboreal sling enclosures from Jamie's Tarantulas so it should have solid ventilation

edit: also i'm going to be using a super fine pesticide free soil mixed with vermiculite and a little sphagnum peat moss for my substrate
 

mistertim

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It finally ate! I was right in my assumption that it didn't want to eat because it had no Web.

The problem was it didn't like the configuration of the greenery, after several attempts at new positions it immediately made a Web in a set up it liked.

I dropped half a worm in its tube Web and bam, instant retrieval.

Load off my mind.
You should rename it Princess Demandypants.
 
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