# How long can slings go without feeding?



## OliverWhatever (Oct 28, 2015)

There was a power outtage last night, and the crickets in my feeder setup froze to death. I don't know when I will be able to get more, but it might be several weeks.


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## johnny quango (Oct 28, 2015)

OliverWhatever said:


> There was a power outtage last night, and the crickets in my feeder setup froze to death. I don't know when I will be able to get more, but it might be several weeks.


Personally I wouldn't leave it a several weeks I'd try and think of an alternative food source untill you can get crickets,locust or roaches. The only food source that might be available and could be of use would be something from a fishing bait shop like maggots or bloodworm of course they need to be bred on site and not collected for obvious reasons and they may not contain all the nutritional value the sling needs but they will contain some to help till you can get better suited food

Reactions: Like 1


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## Curious jay (Oct 28, 2015)

Just order some food source from online, mealworms are always good as they're easily bred and feed a wide range of sizes.

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## borotasinisa (Oct 28, 2015)

Lower the temperature down a little bit and make sure they have their water, they will be fine for 2 weeks and more...


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## Chris LXXIX (Oct 28, 2015)

Had seen a _Psalmopoeus cambridgei_ and a _Grammostola rosea_ slings (really, really "slings"... 1 cm babies) without food for more than a month. Now... this isn't a good thing, granted, since slings basically needs to "eat and molt" but happened, and they were perfectly fine, so don't worry too much.

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## cold blood (Oct 28, 2015)

Curious jay said:


> Just order some food source from online, mealworms are always good as they're easily bred and feed a wide range of sizes.


+1

Lots of cricket alternatives.   Mealies are indeed a great feeder to keep on hand if you are in a situation where you cannot get to a pet store as they last a long time in the fridge and are easily bred if not refrigerated.  Bait shops often sell great alternatives like wax worms.   Also feeders can likely be purchased online and delivered to your door, might be a good way to attain mealies on the cheap.


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## Cavedweller (Oct 31, 2015)

How long they can go without food depends on the metabolism of the species, but I very much doubt your slings are gonna starve in just a few weeks either way. When one of my G. pulchra slings got really fat I decided to stop feeding it till it either molted or slimmed down a little. 7 months without either and I gave up and went back to feeding it.


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## viper69 (Oct 31, 2015)

Cavedweller said:


> How long they can go without food depends on the metabolism of the species, but I very much doubt your slings are gonna starve in just a few weeks either way. When one of my G. pulchra slings got really fat I decided to stop feeding it till it either molted or slimmed down a little. 7 months without either and I gave up and went back to feeding it.


What was the DLS of that T? And what temp was it at, as that affects their metabolism too

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## Cavedweller (Nov 1, 2015)

A little under an inch, I keep it at about 77F most of the year.


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## viper69 (Nov 7, 2015)

Cavedweller said:


> A little under an inch, I keep it at about 77F most of the year.


Wow, I'm surprised at how long it went w/out food at that size and temp too, impressive.

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## Stopdroproll (Nov 8, 2015)

I've had my G. pulchripes go without food for about 6 months. Kept it well hydrated.

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## Ultum4Spiderz (Nov 8, 2015)

OliverWhatever said:


> There was a power outtage last night, and the crickets in my feeder setup froze to death. I don't know when I will be able to get more, but it might be several weeks.


 slings  will eat dead prey,,, are they too frozen or rotten?

Grammy slings if fat, can go 6months-1year no food. sadly i lost one in bad molt

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## peterUK (Nov 10, 2015)

I emptied the spider shed out in mid April of this year and stored the spider collection in the house while i reinsulated the spider shed and built new racking which took 3-4 days. 
Four months later in August, my wife discovered 8 sling vials that had somehow been knocked under a heavy drawer unit. 
All the slings were OK with no ill effects, a few had even moulted in this time. 
The slings were all small, averaging about 1/4 inch ( 2 x H triseriatus, 2 x S generala, 1 x B schroederi, 3 x A geniculata )

If slings have fairly well rounded abdomens then there is absolutely no reason why they cant last for 2-3 months without food with no problems. 
I have a few species of slings (40-ish in total ?) that get fed when i remember to get some small prey insects which is usually about once a month, sometimes longer. 
By not getting fed on a regular weekly basis just means that they dont grow as fast, which isnt a priority for me anyway


The Mrs was NOT happy while this lot was camped in the living room

Reactions: Like 4 | Funny 4


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## Draketeeth (Mar 31, 2016)

I'm so glad this question got asked, and the replies are reassuring. My little sling is a porker and I didn't want to keep feeding it with its already well rounded butt, so I hadn't been giving it anything, but time dragged out into weeks with no real change in size or behavior. I'll stop feeling bad about not feeding it and take solstice in the fact that if it looks and acts healthy, there's no need to keep stuffing it.


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## BobGrill (Mar 31, 2016)

why not just order some more feeders online in the meantime? They can also be fed prekilled prey as long as it's still somewhat fresh. For most slings I wouldn't go more than 2 weeks without feeding, but it also really depends just how large they are, as well as last time they were fed, and if they have regular access to a water source. Slings who are in premolt can still fast for a pretty long time though regardless.


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## Lkeeps (Sep 26, 2020)

Cavedweller said:


> A little under an inch, I keep it at about 77F most of the year.


do you think an H.Pulchripes that is around 1inch-1.5 inches can survive a month while shpping?


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## Ic4ru577 (Sep 26, 2020)

Lkeeps said:


> do you think an H.Pulchripes that is around 1inch-1.5 inches can survive a month while shpping?


1 month shipping? No, simply because the wet towels will be dry and ur T will be dehydrated.


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