Avicularia versicolor spiderling questions

Robyn8

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Feb 24, 2016
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So i have got a few a. versicolor spiderlings a few weeks ago. They're doing okay but I have made a few observations about them:

They seem to web very little and wander a lot in the enclosures, maybe they are still setteling in?

Some of them seem to hunt tiny crickets just fine, others have trouble locating the cricket when the cricket is on the substrate. Normally i'd toss a small cricket in and leave it but ive seen a cricket sitting there 3 days later.

I saw a sling hang a halfeaten cricket in its web, is there a chance it will finish its meal later? I dont want to stress it by destroying its tiny web to get the cricket part.

Enclosures are 10cm high with plastic plants and a piece of cork bark.
 

WeightedAbyss75

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Feb 22, 2014
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So i have got a few a. versicolor spiderlings a few weeks ago. They're doing okay but I have made a few observations about them:

They seem to web very little and wander a lot in the enclosures, maybe they are still setteling in?

Some of them seem to hunt tiny crickets just fine, others have trouble locating the cricket when the cricket is on the substrate. Normally i'd toss a small cricket in and leave it but ive seen a cricket sitting there 3 days later.

I saw a sling hang a halfeaten cricket in its web, is there a chance it will finish its meal later? I dont want to stress it by destroying its tiny web to get the cricket part.

Enclosures are 10cm high with plastic plants and a piece of cork bark.
If the crickets were left days later, they could be in premolt and not eating. You might want to leave them alone for a week if that happens, just in case they are getting ready to molt. As for the half eaten cricket, it could just be leftovers. If they don't eat it a day or so after, then I'd say take it out. Also, I've heard sometimes avics like to get used to the enclosure before webbing. Not sure about slings, but some avics have gone as long as a month before webbing. Should be fine. Take this with a pinch of salt though, never owned one before .
 

Vanessa

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I watched an adorable thing from one of my A. versicolor spiderlings the other night. He was eating his cricket, he stopped and webbed it up a tiny bit so it stuck to the side of the enclosure, he then went an inch down and had a long drink from his water dish, then returned to his cricket and took it up to the top where he has webbed and resumed eating.
I find them to be picky eaters who eat a bit and go back to their food later. Mine will not touch food unless I put it very close to them. They are the only spiderlings that I have where I put the food right in front of them.
 

Mauri

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I believe the wandering is in part them looking for points to anchor their web to. I think the more cluttered you make it the easier it is for them also the size of the circumference. Hence why I try and find smaller than 32 oz containers. The one sling I have in the peanut jar has made a nice web and is pretty easy to look after and the other has webbed as well but it's a bit all over the place including the lid (my fault as I should have left more room). This one is in a 32 oz deli cup type.

The peanut jar has a screw top which is also a plus point.

However the 32 oz containers are easier to get in and out. I'd def put a bit of cork bark and then at least a few fake plants ideally not far from the cork bark.

Next sling I get I have a pretty good idea of what I want plus have a smaller enclosure (an old soup container).

Took mine around 1 month or so before their webs were well established. They will web before a moult as that's what they moult on (in my experience).

And like Vanessa I will put the cricket right in front of them. Can be fussy. A few times refused and then I pushed the cricket along the web and hey presto.

And yeah I actually removed a half eaten cricket and the spiderling was a bit put out. Now am leaving the crickets in a few days then removing.
 
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Abyss

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+1 to @louise f
My versacolor slings love pre-killed when under 1.5"
After that size they seem to turn into bloodthirsty hubters lol.

As for your slings wandering, i have NEVER seen this with any avics.....
Everyone i have ever owned has started to web almost immediatly.

Pics of your enclosures would help alot. In my experience you want LOTS of anchor points. Here is a few examples of some of my versacolor sling enclosures. The slings range from .75" to about 2"

Hope those help, you can see i have lots of plastic foliage and branches for hem to anchor webbing to
 

viper69

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There's nothing to worry about based on your description.

No one can definitively tell you if your T will eat that cricket or not. It might, it might not.

You won't stress it by destroying its web, I've done this many times.
 

louise f

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+1 to @louise f
My versacolor slings love pre-killed when under 1.5"
After that size they seem to turn into bloodthirsty hubters lol.

As for your slings wandering, i have NEVER seen this with any avics.....
Everyone i have ever owned has started to web almost immediatly.

Pics of your enclosures would help alot. In my experience you want LOTS of anchor points. Here is a few examples of some of my versacolor sling enclosures. The slings range from .75" to about 2"

Hope those help, you can see i have lots of plastic foliage and branches for hem to anchor webbing to

Nice setups :)
 

Abyss

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Nice setups :)
Thnx, honestly i get as much joy out of making awesome looking homes for T's as i do out of the T's themselves.

Im honestly thinking about adding these little "pre-made" sling enclosures to my sale list along with the custom hides
 

Mauri

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I think abyss hit the nail on the head..it's all about the anchor points. I actually think something smaller than a 32 oz better.

If you think about it how do they web? Well it's from point A to point B and then....so the less distance and the more points within a close distance surely by simple logic means they will web quicker.

Seems like sense to me. And actually my own setups werent good at the start hence why it took them nearer 2 months to be fully webbed up....(i rehoused and introduced more points and sure enough they webbed within weeks).

and yeah i much prefer your enclosures to the 32oz variety.

I'd also perhaps suggest it's worth the extra hassle to make your enclosers at least a week ahead of time and use some aquarium glue (I just made one which I think is spot on).

Sadly though am missing the sling to put in! (that might change soon though).
 

cold blood

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If you think about it how do they web? Well it's from point A to point B and then....so the less distance and the more points within a close distance surely by simple logic means they will web quicker.
Sound logic, it really is, but you also need to consider the ventilation, and with a smaller area that's heavily webbed from side to side, it can start to really restrict ventilation. This is a big reason why I favor slightly larger enclosures over slightly smaller ones.
 

Mauri

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Sound logic, it really is, but you also need to consider the ventilation, and with a smaller area that's heavily webbed from side to side, it can start to really restrict ventilation. This is a big reason why I favor slightly larger enclosures over slightly smaller ones.
You can add more holes. I have mine in sides and lid (three rows on side). Might put up a pic later....(if anything might be over ventilated if there is such a thing).

Plus humidity/heat is low here in the UK so water tends to evaporate slowly.
 
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curious juan

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At that size, I offered my A.versi with prey items with heads thatvI crushed. Although the prey is still alive, but with reduced mobility. But when they grow bigger, tossing a suitably sized prey item is just okay as they will readily pounce on it.
 

Mauri

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Well I got my amazonicas around 1-2 cm and now after moults I'd say they are doubled...so have been using pretty much tong fed 2nd instar crickets. Have left a few pre-killed and a couple of mini meal worms at the start.

Once they moult again might give them a meal worm as a change..n back on the crickets. I did hear though meal worms are more of a meal though so wait longer in between feeds.

Not sure if that's right though perhaps someone will let us know about this.

(mini mealworms can be easier to tong feed than 2nd instar crickets. You have to catch the leg of the cricket and hope it doesnt break off. Ugh I know...poor cricket. Still the bastards get me back by escaping and making a racket in the bathroom. I think one is in the boiler section).
 

GG80

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With regards to webbing, I'd say it's just settling in. When I first got mine as a sling it webbed almost immediately but now it's a juvie I had to rehouse it into its larger enclosure a few weeks ago and it just wandered around for a few days and eventually after a week or so it began to web. It did eat during this time so I wasn't concerned. Even if it refused food I wouldn't have been too concerned either. They seem to have irregular feeding patterns at times. Mine has gone weeks without eating as both a sling and juvie. I have noticed though, that while it's not always the case, when mine goes up to a month without eating it means a molt is imminent in the coming weeks so you might want to crush the feeder's head when this happens to avoid any damage to the T.
 

Robyn8

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Feb 24, 2016
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So i have fed my versicolor slings today. 4 of the 5 readily acceped the small crickets. The one who didn't eat has yet to molt so i am assuming pre molt for that one.

Its 1:30 in the night here, i can't seem to fall asleep so i decided to check up on my Ts.

During the day, one versicolor had seemingly eaten enough and had deposited the half remaining cricket on a fake leaf. It started webbing a bit and was just generally tarantuling around. I just checked and it resumed snacking on the cricket. It had saved it for late night snacking :)
 

Ethel Webster

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Mar 6, 2017
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+1 to @louise f
My versacolor slings love pre-killed when under 1.5"
After that size they seem to turn into bloodthirsty hubters lol.

As for your slings wandering, i have NEVER seen this with any avics.....
Everyone i have ever owned has started to web almost immediatly.

Pics of your enclosures would help alot. In my experience you want LOTS of anchor points. Here is a few examples of some of my versacolor sling enclosures. The slings range from .75" to about 2"

Hope those help, you can see i have lots of plastic foliage and branches for hem to anchor webbing to
May I ask how you made the holes in the small rub enclosures? I love the look of these!
 
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