Another A.versicolor dead

[JC]

Just posting to keep a record. I found another A.versicolor sling dead today. This one died with a piece of B. dubia nymph still in its fangs from yesterday. September has not been a good month for Ts (well at least for some of us).

Started with 14 A.versicolors, now down to 12.

 

[Ariel]

I'm so sorry to hear that. Bummer.

 

[DDaake]

S.A.D.S bro. Sorry to hear that as well. Lost two myself last year. Getting two more in tomorrow. Gonna give it another try. Does anyone know if this happens as much, or less, or more in the wild?

 

[jcornish86]

Man i really hope my versi makes it, he/she is my only spider atm. I keep hearing all these horror stories about people having terrible luck keeping them!

 

[JC50]

I am curious to know if this is more prone to happening when they are small slings,or does it happen when they are older as well.

 

[Arachnobrian]

Your not alone, my V. versicolor sling was recently found in a death curl as well.

Just a guess, but with mine I think it was a lack of proper ventilation. It either webbed over the holes in the vial lid or there were not enough.

 

[Marbar]

I make a habit of opening my Avic sling's vials every 2-3 days for fresh air flow, to move the webbed over top, and to add a few drops of water. So far that has massively improved my survival rate.

 

[violentblossom]

How big are these dying slings? Do chances of sudden death decrease as they grow, or are they just out of the clear once they mature?

 

[Miss Bianca]

How big are these dying slings? Do chances of sudden death decrease as they grow, or are they just out of the clear once they mature?

I believe the probability may decrease as they grow.
My condolences to the OP.
I lost an A. versicolor sling this month as well

 

[violentblossom]

I believe the probability may decrease as they grow.
My condolences to the OP.
I lost an A. versicolor sling this month as well

Thanks for the reply. I'm sorry. How big was your's?

 

[JC]

How big are these dying slings?

Mine was 1 inch.

 

[KJE]

First of all, sorry for your loss.

I have had many, many A. versicolor slings over the years. I've never had a problem(knock on wood). I think the big problem with avic deaths in general is too much moisture and not enough ventilation.

We usually keep tiny slings in vials with only holes in the lid. In my opinion, they need some cross ventilation. If there's not enough ventilation then misting should be kept to a minimum. I have always just added a few drops of water at feeding time, which is normally about every 2 weeks. However, if I see that the peat moss is dry enough to be away from the walls of the container I wet it pretty good. Not sure if this is what has saved mine, but since it has seemed to work that's what I continue to do.

 

[Miss Bianca]

Thanks for the reply. I'm sorry. How big was your's?

Mine was 3/4"........ one of two siblings...
One was missing a leg and a pedipalp, the other, who seemed perfectly healthy,
is the one that died.
Just found it in a curl one day...

 

[killy]

So sorry to hear that, Arachneman ... may the survivors thrive! ...

 

[agent lead]

both of mine that i got from rob have died...is it just that type of avic? all of my other avics are thriving

my poor little blue dudes just could not take it, they both died a day after the same molt

 

[ZergFront]

Great, now I'm going to be checking my versis all the time!

 

[sharpfang]

i lost one too. sling. they need ventilation and humidity/warmth...
my adults like acrylic cages and tall glass hexagons with bamboo reed backgrounds furniture, built in light{compact50/50}2 show irredescense.
got eggsack from avic.avic girl yesterday...and they have same care requires. View attachment 80626

View attachment 80627

 

[Jmugleston]

I found that mine responded better to higher temps. I lost my first few (not sure if it was my fault or if they were too dry when they arrived as they all molted shortly after arrival and had bad molts). Since then I've had about a dozen of them and all were kept in vials with pin holes in the top for ventilation and damp substrate. My spider room is kept at 80-85 degrees at all times. maybe the temperature boost is beneficial? I don't think limited airflow has hindered mine at all.