Are my feeders too big for my smithi slings?

Pete d

Arachnopeon
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Sep 5, 2010
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I recently got 2 new smithi slings and overestimated the size they would be (the add said 1-2cm) so i bought some micro sized crickets in advance. it turns out that the 2 slings measure around 1cm and about 1.2/3 ish cm (leg span) and out of the 4 crickets ive given them between them i can still see 3 and cant prove that all 4 are there.

the crickets are about 5-6mm in length. am i going to have to get some pinheads to do the job or are they just settling in?

ill get a picture up in the morining but its dark here in London at the moment so its hard to get a good shot. especailly when theyre this small.

cheers!

pete :)
 

MadTitan

Arachnopeon
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May 13, 2007
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41
I've given feeders to slings that equals them in size just because it can be hard to find small enough stuff. A lot of people will tell you that's risky, and they're probably right, but so far no problems.

There may be other reasons they're not eating. Not settled can be one. Pre-molt is another. Out of every sac that I've hatched/raised there have always been some slings that I can't make eat no matter what I put in with them. (And out of the same sac come ones that are absolute pigs.) Sometimes the anorexics molt and start eating, sometimes they don't make it. I theorize it may have something to do with improperly shedding the lining of the pumping stomach.

I hope you can do something with that information.
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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Jul 20, 2007
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You can always just crush the heads of the crickets.
 

Pete d

Arachnopeon
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Sep 5, 2010
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cheers guys.. ill keep trying

do you know how long they can live without food at this sort of age?
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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Jul 20, 2007
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Weeks to months, depending on how large their last meal was.
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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...and out of the 4 crickets ive given them between them i can still see 3 and cant prove that all 4 are there.
Am I understanding this to mean you have the smithi slings in the same enclosure, or are they separated?
 

Pete d

Arachnopeon
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Sep 5, 2010
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no no no they're in separate contrainers dw. thinking about it. it could be the size of the container.. i mean its 6cm in diameter for 1 sling. maybe they just cant find the food
 

JimM

Arachnoangel
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Nov 6, 2003
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FWIW, in my experience smithi slings don't seem as likely to pounce on larger, live prey items as some other species. Crushing the head like Joe suggests helps.

You may just be looking at a premolt situation as well as someone above mentioned. "Settling in" is not an issue with T's. Normally if they're hungry they'll eat as soon as you unpack them.
 

Shell

ArachnoVixen AKA Dream Crusher AKA Heartbreaker
Staff member
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Sep 14, 2009
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1,659
That size enclosure is just fine. They may just not be hungry right now. If in doubt, as Joe said, crush the crickets heads before feeding.
 
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