1/4" sling MIA for 6ish weeks

kittystarship6k

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Messages
4
I purchased a 1/4" p. spinulopalpus at the end of December and I haven't seen it for about 6 weeks. I've checked for burrows and looked at night, but nothing. I don't think it could have escaped. It's in a small tupperware with very tiny ventilation holes in the lid.
I know digging out slings isn't recommended, and I don't smell anything foul, but it's so small I'm not sure it would really produce a scent of it died under substrate.
Any advice?
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
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620
I recommend that you continue to put pre-kill prey in the container and keep moisture proper. I have a bunch of slings and many of them do the same thing. However, they do come up for a meal sometimes so it is good to keep offering food to a sling. Make sure the prey is not bigger than your T's abdomen or you may want to break it up in pieces.

What size (ounces or measurement) is your container?
 

kittystarship6k

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Messages
4
I recommend that you continue to put pre-kill prey in the container and keep moisture proper. I have a bunch of slings and many of them do the same thing. However, they do come up for a meal sometimes so it is good to keep offering food to a sling. Make sure the prey is not bigger than your T's abdomen or you may want to break it up in pieces.

What size (ounces or measurement) is your container?
I've been keeping it moist and putting prekilled dubia roaches in about once a week in hopes it'll reappear soon.
The enclosure is in now is pretty small, 4oz. I have it filled about 80% of the way with ecoearth and I keep half the substrate moist.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
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Jul 27, 2016
Messages
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I've been keeping it moist and putting prekilled dubia roaches in about once a week in hopes it'll reappear soon.
The enclosure is in now is pretty small, 4oz. I have it filled about 80% of the way with ecoearth and I keep half the substrate moist.
I think you are doing fine on your method.

Is your container clear enough that you can see the substrate on the sides? Most of my slings eventually make it to the bottom of the container or one of the sides while burrowing. You may be able to eventually see evidence that the sling is okay. I like to also put a piece of removable 3M painters tape over the plastic where the T burrows next to the side. This keeps light out and makes the T more likely to stay in that area more often. You can then spy on your T as it grows.
 

kittystarship6k

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Messages
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I think you are doing fine on your method.

Is your container clear enough that you can see the substrate on the sides? Most of my slings eventually make it to the bottom of the container or one of the sides while burrowing. You may be able to eventually see evidence that the sling is okay. I like to also put a piece of removable 3M painters tape over the plastic where the T burrows next to the side. This keeps light out and makes the T more likely to stay in that area more often. You can then spy on your T as it grows.
Yep, it's clear, but I don't see any evidence of him anywhere
 

Jeff23

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Jul 27, 2016
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Yep, it's clear, but I don't see any evidence of him anywhere
Would you be able to know if the T has eaten any of the prey to inserted? You could also try a different prey (worm or cricket).

I do not own this species but do have some Pseudhapalopus sp. "blue". One of mine is visible sometimes. The other two are burrowing and I see no signs of them. I bought them about a month ago.

Perhaps someone else is familiar with your species and can provide advice in this thread.
 

kittystarship6k

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 21, 2017
Messages
4
Would you be able to know if the T has eaten any of the prey to inserted? You could also try a different prey (worm or cricket).

I do not own this species but do have some Pseudhapalopus sp. "blue". One of mine is visible sometimes. The other two are burrowing and I see no signs of them. I bought them about a month ago.

Perhaps someone else is familiar with your species and can provide advice in this thread.
Would you be able to know if the T has eaten any of the prey to inserted? You could also try a different prey (worm or cricket).

I do not own this species but do have some Pseudhapalopus sp. "blue". One of mine is visible sometimes. The other two are burrowing and I see no signs of them. I bought them about a month ago.

Perhaps someone else is familiar with your species and can provide advice in this thread.
That is actually the same tarantula im taking about, I just wrote it weird I think! I'm not sure if it has eaten any of the prey I've put in there. I don't see any soil disruption.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
620
That is actually the same tarantula im taking about, I just wrote it weird I think! I'm not sure if it has eaten any of the prey I've put in there. I don't see any soil disruption.
Some people take pictures of the substrate to try to detect differences in case the T recovers the burrow entrance after coming up to surface during the night. That is too much work for me.

I now purposely create a burrow for mine when I build a new enclosure to try to control where they will burrow so I can spy on them. I mostly fill up the deli cup with substrate to just below what I will use as my substrate surface point. I then pick a spot along the plastic wall and use the handle of a very small paint brush to create a burrow path going downward. I also create a horizontal groove from the vertical hole that goes toward the center of the cup. I then use a hot melt gun to attach a piece of cork bark just above this hole and groove. A final adjustment may be needed to clean out the entrance under the cork bark but care must be taken to insure you don't push substrate into your vertical hole.

A few have still chosen not to use my human-created burrow which makes it almost impossible to locate them until they expand their burrow enough to reach a wall or bottom of the cup. This is where the tarantula makes "patience" have its full definition. One other thing you can do is to make sure you keep more moisture around the diameter of the cup but add less toward the very center of the cup. The sling will likely hang out in the moist areas which increases your chance of seeing a burrow.

I am new to Pseudhapalopus genus so common traits for it may or may not be similar to other slings. Hopefully your tarantula will show up for you or provide evidence that it is thriving soon.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
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Feb 22, 2013
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3,292
Just my two cents. Six weeks is a long time for a sling that size, personally I'd go searching for it. Spiders can and do (rarely) get themselves stuck in their own burrow. Or perhaps they're just not smart enough to realize they plugged the only hole. Regardless, they go underground and end up starving or dehydrating to death.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
620
Just my two cents. Six weeks is a long time for a sling that size, personally I'd go searching for it. Spiders can and do (rarely) get themselves stuck in their own burrow. Or perhaps they're just not smart enough to realize they plugged the only hole. Regardless, they go underground and end up starving or dehydrating to death.
I can agree with you especially if the plan is to rehouse with a container that contains one or more pre-burrows to try to improve the monitor situation.

But there is always a risk of injuring a molting or recently molted sling as well. I have quite a few slings that have been completely missing for a lot longer than 6 weeks that are now fatter and still continuously burrowed slings. And I have never seen any of them on the surface of the substrate the whole time I have owned them. I have seen occasional clues where some substrate gets piled up when they recover their burrows for some of them.

My three Eupalaestrus campestratus slings were bought last July (1/4" size) and I have never seen any of them on the surface of the substrate for the six months since I inserted them into the container. But now they are larger and fatter (at least 1/2") and still hang out at the bottom of the 5.5 oz deli cup. The same goes for my three E. Sp. Red slings that were bought as 1/4" size at the same time. The E. Sp. Red slings did hang out on the surface for less than a month after I got them and then disappeared and haven't reappeared since then. They are now on the bottom of the cup. In fact all of these containers have more air space on the bottom of the cup than the top of the cup.:D
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
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Feb 22, 2013
Messages
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I can agree with you especially if the plan is to rehouse with a container that contains one or more pre-burrows to try to improve the monitor situation.

But there is always a risk of injuring a molting or recently molted sling as well. I have quite a few slings that have been completely missing for a lot longer than 6 weeks that are now fatter and still continuously burrowed slings. And I have never seen any of them on the surface of the substrate the whole time I have owned them. I have seen occasional clues where some substrate gets piled up when they recover their burrows for some of them.

My three Eupalaestrus campestratus slings were bought last July (1/4" size) and I have never seen any of them on the surface of the substrate for the six months since I inserted them into the container. But now they are larger and fatter (at least 1/2") and still hang out at the bottom of the 5.5 oz deli cup. The same goes for my three E. Sp. Red slings that were bought as 1/4" size at the same time. The E. Sp. Red slings did hang out on the surface for less than a month after I got them and then disappeared and haven't reappeared since then. They are now on the bottom of the cup. In fact all of these containers have more air space on the bottom of the cup than the top of the cup.:D
Agreed, I've got similar stories as well. But you have to remember that we're on the tail end of winter, the driest part of the year. That is what would prompt me to dig it up. I had sling dehydrate quicker than that this year, so I may be a bit paranoid.

If the OP is careful when digging it up and doesn't just go at it like a gorilla, the sling will be fine even if it's mid-molt.
 
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