# A. Versicolor Caresheet and questions



## Selket (May 26, 2009)

I am thinking about getting an A. Versicolor for my first T. I have 5 scorpions right now, I just never had any Ts. I think that the Versicolor is a beautiful specimen and I wanted one ever since I first saw one.

Basically I guess I just need a care sheet, I tried searching but didn't find much, which surprised me. And just basics, like what to keep a sling in, and if they are hard to take care of (I am thinking of only getting one, is this a bad idea? Are slings hard to raise?) I am currently raising 4 B. Jacksoni scorpions from 2i and they are doing fine.

Thanks and all advice is appreciated


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## Krazy Kat (May 26, 2009)

Versicolors are easy to take care of.They need plenty of ventilation.Mist the cage once or twice a week.The size of the enclosure depends on the size of the spider.I always buy two or more T's when I order them.


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## BrynWilliams (May 26, 2009)

here's what I keep my avic slings in and people and the slings seem to like them  As far as keeping them goes, it's pretty simple, although each of my slings is different, some will eat off the forceps, others won't eat prekills, others seem to eat so irrationally it's hard to keep track 

The little monster in the photo is an Avic sp 'amazonica'

Hope it helps


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## jmiller (May 26, 2009)

BrynWilliams said:


> here's what I keep my avic slings in


Just curious what was the original use of that container?


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## F3lix (May 26, 2009)

Yes, ventilation is key.  Some say that they need a constant high humidity as well, but I disagree.  Another thing to consider is where it's gonna build its web.  I use a enclose just like brynwilliams, even with the leaf.  But mine built a web between the screw off top and the top of the leaf so I could not take off the lid to feed/clean without totally destroying it's web, which I would hate to do, especially if it's looking fat.  So keep that in mind.


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## Aundrea (May 27, 2009)

I have been wondering myself about this also. I am new here. Im a reptile person  I want to try something new and really love the versicolor and think they are neat looking and also have been looking around on how to care for them and such


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## Selket (May 27, 2009)

Another thing, what kind of substrate do they need? Is coco fiber fine?


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## BrynWilliams (May 27, 2009)

This container is an express purpose bought spiderling vial. They come in a variety of sizes and are relatively cheap. A link to the seller I got them from is here:
TheSpiderShop

I just took out my fine drillbit and put a ton of small holes in for the ventilation requirements of avics, the plastic is great and doesn't crack as some vials I have had in the past would.



jmiller said:


> Just curious what was the original use of that container?


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## curiousme (May 27, 2009)

This is how we care for our versi sling.

Try and give it more height in its' enclosure than width.  They will need something to anchor web on, so aquarium fake plants do nicely.  Sticks from outside tend to mold, so i wouldn't use any with a sling.  Cork bark is okay, but i prefer aquarium plants with our Avicularia slings.

They need very little substrate and coco fiber or peat moss will do nicely.  Peat will hold moisture a little bit better, but remember to wet it before you put it in the enclosure.  It is dehydrated and needs to be rehydrated, same with coco fiber.

As slings, they need more humidity, but not excessive humidity.  Thoroughly wetting half the substrate and spritzing a little into their web or the side of the container once a week is a good rule of thumb.  They will drink directly from damp substrate.  How much ventilation you have really determines how much/often you should spritz.

Everyone spouts that ventilation is key, but i am unsure just how important it really is.  We have never had any problems with the ventilation we have.

We have fed our versi slings cricket drumsticks, pre-killed and live.  It does not seem to matter, if they are hungry they will eat it.  We feed 2 or 3 pinheads/ roach nymphs a week, but the amount of food is big variable; because versi's will eat just about as much as you want to give them.  H

They are fast, but tend to use little bursts of speed to misdirect you.  Handle with care because of that.  Though once they are over that first bit of skittishness, they seem content to just chill on you.  i have never had a threat display from either of the one's we have cared for.

Give them about a week after molting before you feed them, but you should be able to tell when they are hungry.  They will be roaming or sitting in hunting position in their tube web.  If you get a chance to check their fangs, they should be black before you feed them.  

That's about all i can think of right now, but here is a pic of how we keep ours.  We make all of our sling enclosures ourselves out of plexi-glass.


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## BrynWilliams (May 27, 2009)

Really nice post curiousme, could I possibly use that in a set of caring for versi's and versi slings information type sheets i'm making. I'd obviously credit you


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## Moltar (May 27, 2009)

Try clicking here. In addition to care information there are answers to about 100 questions you haven't even asked yet.

That link is to a sticky at the top of the tarantulas forum, btw.


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## curiousme (May 27, 2009)

BrynWilliams said:


> Really nice post curiousme, could I possibly use that in a set of caring for versi's and versi slings information type sheets i'm making. I'd obviously credit you


Yeah, no problem, thank you.   i edited it and added a little to make it more specific. for that purpose.


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## curiousme (May 27, 2009)

etown_411 said:


> Try clicking here. In addition to care information there are answers to about 100 questions you haven't even asked yet.
> 
> That link is to a sticky at the top of the tarantulas forum, btw.


i've got that link in my signature!


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## Selket (May 27, 2009)

Thanks for the links and suggestions. Curiousme, how do you connect the joints of the enclosures you make with plexiglass? Do you just use super glue or something? (if you don't mind telling me, if it's a secret don't worry about it )


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## curiousme (May 27, 2009)

Selket said:


> Thanks for the links and suggestions. Curiousme, how do you connect the joints of the enclosures you make with plexiglass? Do you just use super glue or something? (if you don't mind telling me, if it's a secret don't worry about it )


Why would it be a secret? We use hot glue to connect everything together.  You just have to be careful and hold it straight and in place while it dries. We tried a glue for plastics and it didn't work well at all.  We also tried screws, but found that hot glue looked nicer and was way easier. That enclosure is made out a found piece of plexi-glass that was super thick, so we didn't have corner supports.  For all our others, we used a square dowel rod for the corners.  Then we used clear packing tape for the lid and latches.  It does take some practice to learn how to score the plexi-glass neatly though, so if you try don't get discouraged.  Each one i make is better than the last.  i like these enclosures better than vials or Kritter Keepers though, because i can make any size i want.

Here are all of them in one shot


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## Mushroom Spore (May 27, 2009)

Selket said:


> Basically I guess I just need a care sheet, I tried searching but didn't find much, which surprised me.


What few tarantula caresheets are out there are almost always inaccurate, copy/pasted from caresheets for other species, or written by people who know nothing about tarantulas.  So I personally suggest sticking to advice you get from hobbyists here, it's better than any sheet you'll find.


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## Selket (May 27, 2009)

Curiousme those are some nice enclosures. I think I am going to try to make some out of plexiglass.

And mushroom spore thanks for the advice, any questions I have I will post here rather than looking across the internet. I know the hobbyists here are some of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to this stuff.


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## Selket (Jun 2, 2009)

how long does it take for either of these species to mature, or get to a decent size?

Thanks


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## Selket (Jun 9, 2009)

Anyone know how long it takes a Versi to reach adult hood?


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## SandyMuffinCakes94 (Jun 10, 2009)

Selket said:


> I am thinking about getting an A. Versicolor for my first T. I have 5 scorpions right now, I just never had any Ts. I think that the Versicolor is a beautiful specimen and I wanted one ever since I first saw one.
> 
> Basically I guess I just need a care sheet, I tried searching but didn't find much, which surprised me. And just basics, like what to keep a sling in, and if they are hard to take care of (I am thinking of only getting one, is this a bad idea? Are slings hard to raise?) I am currently raising 4 B. Jacksoni scorpions from 2i and they are doing fine.
> 
> Thanks and all advice is appreciated


My first t was a spiderling versicolor , i had perfect humidity , air ventilation, and heat. it was 50 bucks (shipping here expensive) and it died. I suggest if you get one get one over 2 inches I got a 2 n half inch A. Avic and its done just fine..... Just my two cents


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## Selket (Jun 10, 2009)

nrokin said:


> My first t was a spiderling versicolor , i had perfect humidity , air ventilation, and heat. it was 50 bucks (shipping here expensive) and it died. I suggest if you get one get one over 2 inches I got a 2 n half inch A. Avic and its done just fine..... Just my two cents


I was thinking about that, but I would like to see the sling grow. I am currently raising some scorplings from 2i, so I don't think it is much different, but like you said things can just die. So we will see how these slings do, if anything happens I think I will get a 2" one next.


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## jme (Jun 10, 2009)

there quick growers and in about a year they will be about 3 inches and have almost all there color, there also great eaters so its easy to tell when these guys are about to molt


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## Selket (Jun 12, 2009)

so do they stop eating before a molt? if so how long before they molt will they reject prey? Also what is a good temp for these guys? Is room temp ok? Or should I put them by my scorp's tank that has a heating pad on the side?

sorry for all the noob questions, but id rather ask alot and have a living T, than not ask and have a dead T.


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## Mushroom Spore (Jun 13, 2009)

Selket said:


> so do they stop eating before a molt?


Yes.



Selket said:


> if so how long before they molt will they reject prey?


Anyone who gives you a precise answer to this is estimating, incorrect, or lying.  Tarantulas have their own schedule and these things take as long as it takes. They may take five weeks one time and one week the next time and three weeks another time, so if you go into this expecting your spider to go like clockwork you're just going to panic unnecessarily when things don't follow a set timetable. (We get so many threads like this. So many. :wall: )



Selket said:


> Also what is a good temp for these guys? Is room temp ok? Or should I put them by my scorp's tank that has a heating pad on the side?


Room temp is fine unless your room is cold. Use of a heating element risks giving too MUCH heat and cooking the spider, as well as possibly drying them out which is death to a versi spiderling.


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## Satellite Rob (Jun 13, 2009)

It a great first T.Care for them is easy as you already read.I would try to buy at least 1"
slings.For some strange reason.If you get Avic's when there to small theres a high  
death rate and that a part of owning small Avic's.It's strange becauses thay will eat 1 
day and be dead the next.I always beleaved it's because there was not enough  
ventilation.Which causes book lung problems.I have no proof of why thay sometimes 
die.It's just my own hypothesis.Backed by 20 years of experience.Also it's as good a 
reason as any.But I found when you give them plenty of ventilation it minimizes 
or nagates the problem.I'm sure anybody who has kept small Avic's know's what I 
talking about.If you follow the members instructions you shouldn't have any problems 
and once thay reach 1" your home free.


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## Selket (Jun 17, 2009)

I got my slings today! I was wondering when you guys talk about 1" or any measurements, do you just measure the body? Or are legs included in the measurement? I know that it probably differs with different people, just like how some people measure scorps by tip to tip, or just the body.

I was just wondering.

Thanks

and I have only had them for an hour or so, but already love em! One is already eating and the other is just roaming around its new home.


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## Moltar (Jun 17, 2009)

Usually its DLS (Diagonal Leg Span) thats from the tip of one fron toe to the tip of the opposing rear toe in a *relaxed* position. As in not stretched straight.

By the way, have you read the Quick Reference Guide sticky at the top of the Tarantula Questions forum? It is full of great information just like this and will save you lots of posting.

Congrats on your new versi's. I'm sure you're gonna love 'em.


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## Selket (Jun 19, 2009)

Thanks, I have looked at that sticky. Also one of them made a web around a cricket it was eating, but now there is just a cricket in its web, and it has been a day or so. Should I just take the cricket out? I just don't want to ruin the web, but am worried about mites.

Thanks


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## SylverTear (Jun 20, 2009)

Selket said:


> so do they stop eating before a molt? if so how long before they molt will they reject prey? Also what is a good temp for these guys? Is room temp ok? Or should I put them by my scorp's tank that has a heating pad on the side?
> 
> sorry for all the noob questions, but id rather ask alot and have a living T, than not ask and have a dead T.


Normally a few days before.  However mine ate a cricket one night and the next day we went in and she had molted lol.


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