Avicularia versicolor

[dna_Splice]

wadup guys

i juss got my Avicularia versicolor sling today =]

she still the size of dime, but im looking forward to his/her growth

here are some pics of the setup and my sling

YAY!

new home and old home

i put it over a CD for size reference

please give some feed back,

i have some pin heads ready for dinner time also
the previous owner said he fed her yesterday
so ill wait till tomorrow to feed her

and im excited to be a new member of this forum
im looking forward to expanding my knowledge
and sharing some good experiences

thanks!

 

[c'est ma]

Aww, congrats on the new sling! What a cutie, and your spidey home looks nice...

I just got an A. versicolor sling myself a few weeks ago--my first arboreal. And s/he definitely does love to climb and stay in the upper reaches of her vial! I'm thinking you might want to introduce a more upright structure in there to make things easier when you want to feed yours...Otherwise you might find that s/he's made her web retreat right at the juncture of the lid and the rest of the container. Tho if you're lucky s/he'll find the leaf that's already there sufficient!

I stuck a longitudinal half of a black film canister in my sling's vial (standing upright), and it has indeed served as an anchor for most of his/her webbing. When I remove the top of the vial, there are a few web strands attached to it, but the spider and most of the webbing stays around the canister...I've also seen keepers use upright plastic/silk aquarium plants to good advantage...

Just a thought, but I'm sure more seasoned keepers will have better input.

Meanwhile, welcome to Arachnoboards (if a newbie like myself dare say so) and the addiction.

--Diane

PS: Mine is a voracious eater! Great fun to watch!

 

[dna_Splice]

kool thanks

i fed her last night
3 of the 4 pin heads died.
but she ate the other one haha

i put her in a new container
check it out
[[next to a chapstick for size comparison]]

 

[betuana]

Congrats on the new sling! I love the versis, they are such awesome little guys. Mine will chase fruit flies down which is great fun to watch, they have webbed up quite a bit, and they are awesome to look at. Their molts are even pretty, which is fun too!

Here are a couple pictures of my slings in their setups. I have them inverted so that they can build the webs at the top and I don't have to disturb them to do anything.

 

[KALJ]

They are definietly beautiful looking. I havent delved into that part of the hobby (arboreals). I hear that they are very fast, which freaks me out some.

 

[c'est ma]

Congrats on the new sling! I love the versis, they are such awesome little guys. Mine will chase fruit flies down which is great fun to watch, they have webbed up quite a bit, and they are awesome to look at. Their molts are even pretty, which is fun too!

Here are a couple pictures of my slings in their setups. I have them inverted so that they can build the webs at the top and I don't have to disturb them to do anything.

Those are beautiful!

What is the best source for these acrylic (?) boxes? And the two parts of the box just slip into each other, right? And if so, does this mean that if they were ever knocked over for some reason they would come apart easily?

--Diane

 

[dna_Splice]

**sigh...

im such a noob haha
my case is so ghetto lol
i used a heated nail to burn the holes.. so sad haha

but it will suffice for now.. she is still my first T
i cant wait till she starts webbing up the tube =]

 

[c'est ma]

**sigh...

im such a noob haha
my case is so ghetto lol
i used a heated nail to burn the holes.. so sad haha

but it will suffice for now.. she is still my first T
i cant wait till she starts webbing up the tube =]

Oh, no, you did a very nice job! Just don't be surprised if your sling decides to knit the jar & the lid together. If so, you can try making a new one upside down! I'm learning as I go, too.

So how come your post count is staying at 1?!

--Diane

 

[betuana]

Those are beautiful!

What is the best source for these acrylic (?) boxes? And the two parts of the box just slip into each other, right? And if so, does this mean that if they were ever knocked over for some reason they would come apart easily?

--Diane

The boxes I use are found in most craft or hobby stores - Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc. They are the acrylic display boxes used for crafts. The ones I started these versis in when they were 1/2 inch were 1x1x3 inch cubes, but now they are in 2x2x4 inch ones since they are up to about 1 inch in size. The cubes for sizes like this are generally $1 or less around here, and I use a 1/16 inch drill bit on a dremmel to make the holes (2 facing sides have holes all over them (you can kinda see that in the 2nd photo), and there are holes in the top, along the base on all side to keep good airflow over the substrate, and a few in the bottom to allow drainage.

As for falling over - some cubes fit tighter than others, so you could test some and get the snugger ones if you are worried. Or if you could get ahold of the acrylic latches they sell for making boxes, you could always glue 2 of those on opposite sides and keep them latched to keep it closed. But I've not had a problem with them being unstable or falling over at this size. For the 1 inch cubes I made a wood frame for them - basically just 4 wood scraps, 2 along the front and back to hold the 3 cubes, and 2 along the sides to make legs to keep them from being able to tip back or forth. Worked very well...here's a picture of their first homes:

But if they were knocked down onto the floor or something I'd expect them to come apart. But I'd also expect a kritter keeper to break or fall apart (in fact, my cricket one did BOTH), so I don't really see it as a fault of these enclosures.

But I really like the cubes - it doesn't really take long to drill them (I find putting painting tape/masking tape on the side to be drilled first seems to prevent cracking too), and the biggest cubes I have didn't cost more than a few dollars. You can customize the amount of ventilation, and get some good views. I have these for all of my Ts 2 inches and under, including an H. Lividum and P. Rufilata. Haven't had any problems with escapes or anything either.

I got the idea from several other people on here who make enclosures in similar ways. Some use a heated nail or sodering iron to make the holes as well, but the dremmel was what I had convenient. I have more pictures of my cages, terrestrial, burrowing, and arboreal, that I made from these if you want too. My biggest one of these is the 4x4x8 inch one that my P. Rufilata is in.

I keep waiting for our local Hobby Lobby to finally ask why I keep buying so many of these little containers, LOL. Or the Michaels. They both carry slightly different brands that are essentially the same thing, but some don't carry a style/size that the other has, so I have to shop at both.

There are many different ways to keep Ts, especially slings, so this is just one housing method. But since I have mostly slings, I like that all their cages are display appropriate so I can easily see them all!

 

[betuana]

**sigh...

im such a noob haha
my case is so ghetto lol
i used a heated nail to burn the holes.. so sad haha

but it will suffice for now.. she is still my first T
i cant wait till she starts webbing up the tube =]

I have read of alot of very experienced keepers using a heated nail to burn holes for enclosures, so nothing wrong there! You'r enclosures look fine! The only thing I'd watch for is to make sure the holes are small enough that the sling can't get through, they should be smaller than the carapace. Slings can get through VERY small spaces from what I've been told. Thats why I made the holes on mine so small (1/16").

But other than that, it looks like a great home for your new little sling! I'm sure it will be quite happy in there!

 

[c'est ma]

Betuana, thanks so much for the pic and the tutorial! It was most inspiring! I just bought my first ever arboreal (A. versi sling) a month ago or so, and am new to this type of housing.

(I am delighted with this sling and have been kicking myself for not getting more than one at the same time!)

Some time back I ran across some pics in the 'other spiders' forum, of similar type set-ups, but I'm a slow learner and really appreciate all the detail you went into.

I have been looking for an excuse to invest in a new dremel (old one's battery corroded inside it!) so I thank you for that, too! (I've been using a soldering iron but am not fond of the fumes, nor very adept at dealing with the tendrils of molten plastic that I inevitably pull away from the hole.

And yes, indeed, I'd be most interested in seeing any other pics you have. (If they're already in threads/a gallery, just point me there.)

Thanks again!

--Diane

 

[Ritzman]

Diane, here is a pic of my A. purpurea's(sp?) set-up. As betuana already said, these "display cases" come in many different sizes and are cheap.
I have a few versicolors and all of them are in different sized cubes from the smallest cube to the biggest. I get them at michaels.

Awesome, sweet,cheep, cages IMO.

 

[Elaine]

kool thanks

i fed her last night
3 of the 4 pin heads died.
but she ate the other one haha

i put her in a new container
check it out
[[next to a chapstick for size comparison]]

Fasbulous new additions. Versi's are great spiders in both looks and character :worship:

The new home looks great for an arboreal but it looks like the holes are big enough for the sling to escape. They can get out of the tiniest spaces.

 

[c'est ma]

Diane, here is a pic of my A. purpurea's(sp?) set-up. As betuana already said, these "display cases" come in many different sizes and are cheap.
I have a few versicolors and all of them are in different sized cubes from the smallest cube to the biggest. I get them at michaels.

Awesome, sweet,cheep, cages IMO.

Ritzman, thank you for posting your pic! I SO have to get these containers. These set ups are just so aesthetically pleasing!

So, Ritzman & Betuana: are the "furnishings" anchored somehow to the top part of the case? Seems that would be easiest operationally. But if so, is there a glue that works particularly well to hold artificial plants & strips of wood to acrylic?

(dna_Splice--so sorry to hijack your thread!!)

--Diane

 

[Ritzman]

I use zip ties, hot glue, and other things. I find that if givin a nice anchor point, the T will use it. As you can see in the pic, the purpurea started to web just below the branch(right around where I wanted it to). See the branch is not touching the soil, to prevent mold growth . And I just drilled a extra hole and shoved that lil' leaf lookin thing through the hole.

 

[c'est ma]

Brilliant!

I don't know why I can't figure these things out by myself.

Thanks!

 

[sparular]

One of the best T's to watch grow from sling to adult. They aren't always the best eaters in my experience, but they are often out and easy to see. Great choice.

 

[J.huff23]

Your going to enjoy watching these grow! I bought two at 2nd instar exactly 1 year ago and now they are about 2-2.5 inches and 1 of them has adult colors!

 

[dna_Splice]

i dont mind the high jacking haha =]

thanks, for all the input guys

i just noticed my guy is missing a leg =[
im sure it will grow back w/in the upcoming molts

but its still sad to see haha

ima go check those cases out @ michaels
cuz im sure i will be needing larger ones for the future

also, how many baby crickets do you guys feed your slings at a time?
can i juss drop like 3 in the container?

thanks guys

 

[Protectyaaaneck]

sweet versi, they are such awesome T's. Do you have somehting blocking those holes? they look a bit big imo, you might have a spidey on the loose if your not careful.

betuana-I also use those acrylic cubes from hobby lobby. They allready asked why I bought so many and I told them they were for frogs lol. These cubes seem to work best and you can configure and contort them the way you want to. in fact I just rehoused my 2 bicegoi into the exact same size cube and 2 singapore blues in the cubes a size up from them.