B. baumgarteni care?

Stella Maris

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If you have a Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnn store, all of them have fake plants though you will have to buy a full stem with multiple leaves because of packaging. These stores also have all kinds of small plastic objects that can be used or converted into a hide. You might have something at home made of plastic that can be converted to become a hide - Bottle caps, plastic thimbles, a piece from a large diameter straw, etc.



^^^^ You might also verify you don't have too much moisture as mentioned by Andrea82 if you prefer the current size enclosure. Usually they will try to get out if something is not to their liking on their current home. I stopped using the very small containers right after trying them because I would accidentally flex the plastic too easily which would upset the tarantula making it want to escape.

I only have maybe 1/4 of the substrate wetted at the top but maybe that's too much? I can't imagine that the small patch of moisture would be enough to keep the sling always at the top trying to escape though. I currently don't have a good means to keep the sling hydrated other than wetting some of the substrate. He just won't come down and has been doing this ever since I rehoused him; he won't touch the substrate even when it was dry.

I guess I'll just have to wait for the substrate to completely dry and hope to find a smaller bottle cap for water in the mean time. As far as I'm aware he hasn't come down all day and isn't feeding on the pre-killed crickets I left lying around.
 

Venom1080

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Yes I've had inquiries from other posters asking me where I live and where I got my sling. I have absolutely NO intention of stating where I live, who I am, etc. and it's definitely creeping me out.
youre just a little paranoid, they just want the spider, not you. :p
 

cold blood

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Yes I've had inquiries from other posters asking me where I live and where I got my sling. I have absolutely NO intention of stating where I live, who I am, etc. and it's definitely creeping me out.
Hilarious!:rofl:

http://www.android.gs/wp-content/up...a-1-for-2012-Google-Nexus-7-Wi-Fi-600x340.png


https://betanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/tin_foil_hat_paranoid.jpg
I only have maybe 1/4 of the substrate wetted at the top but maybe that's too much? I can't imagine that the small patch of moisture would be enough to keep the sling always at the top trying to escape though. I currently don't have a good means to keep the sling hydrated other than wetting some of the substrate. He just won't come down and has been doing this ever since I rehoused him; he won't touch the substrate even when it was dry.

I guess I'll just have to wait for the substrate to completely dry and hope to find a smaller bottle cap for water in the mean time. As far as I'm aware he hasn't come down all day and isn't feeding on the pre-killed crickets I left lying around.
In a small condiment cup, its not at all a big deal for it to be climbing....likewise, keeping part of the sub damp is exactly what you should be doing...no worries, you're on the right track and doing fine.

Don't listen to those evil voices.:astonished:
 

Jeff23

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I only have maybe 1/4 of the substrate wetted at the top but maybe that's too much? I can't imagine that the small patch of moisture would be enough to keep the sling always at the top trying to escape though. I currently don't have a good means to keep the sling hydrated other than wetting some of the substrate. He just won't come down and has been doing this ever since I rehoused him; he won't touch the substrate even when it was dry.

I guess I'll just have to wait for the substrate to completely dry and hope to find a smaller bottle cap for water in the mean time. As far as I'm aware he hasn't come down all day and isn't feeding on the pre-killed crickets I left lying around.
It may also be possible that you just need to let the T be alone for a few days. Make sure the moisture is good (one half to three quarters of the substrate) is moist so that it won't dry out too quick. Then just let the sling be alone for 2-3 days to give it a chance to settle in with nothing to scare it.
 

Stella Maris

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Okay so I attempted to make my own hide for my sling. I basically cut up a magic the gathering card into a tiny "house" and tried my best to half-bury it in the substrate.

I'm not sure I'm doing this right but feel free to critique me in case I'm doing something seriously wrong. When I cut the card I made sure to round the edges because I'm paranoid that my sling could cut itself.

Despite the fact that I had to disturb him I got tired of seeing him hang on the sides of his enclosure; even though he is settling in better this week and came down many times to walk on the substrate I had no appropriate hide for him. I've attached a photo. I took it at a downward facing view so there actually is space in the hide.
 

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Andrea82

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Not really familiar with those cards, are they made from plastic or paper? Paper tends to go moldy and soft real quick.
How does the sling like it?
 

cold blood

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yeah, you dont want to use something like that...just something as simple as a dry leaf would be better. pvc is another option, but not really for a small sling hide.
 

Stella Maris

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I think I'm going to ditch the deli cups and try the DIY tarantula enclosures using the videos TarantulaSam posted on YouTube. At least give it a try since I enjoy crafting and the Hobby Lobby display cases look good for slings.
 

Jeff23

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I think I'm going to ditch the deli cups and try the DIY tarantula enclosures using the videos TarantulaSam posted on YouTube. At least give it a try since I enjoy crafting and the Hobby Lobby display cases look good for slings.
@cyclingsam has some great videos on his YouTube channel for use of the Hobby Lobby cases. I had forgot since I have not used them, but Hobby Lobby does have some cases for miniature cars too, but they must be bought in a six pack. If you haven't went to Hobby Lobby yet don't forget to print your 40% off coupon from the site (or you can just have it displayed on your smart phone when you check out at the store).
 

nicodimus22

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yeah, you dont want to use something like that...just something as simple as a dry leaf would be better. pvc is another option, but not really for a small sling hide.
Speaking of PVC, I went to Lowes the other week and found these little PVC couplers for 38 cents each, and you get two hides out of each, so the hides are a whopping 19 cents each. Just need to cut out the middle section with a dremel. They're just smooth tubes inside.

The one pictured in the bag is the 1 inch version, and the one in use is the 3/4 inch version:





My L. klugi doesn't really use its hide, but the others do, and stay in them most of the time.
 

Stella Maris

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This is probably a dumb question, but when offering pre-killed food how do you know if your sling is actually scavenging the carcass? My sling is very skittish and won't touch any live crickets even smaller than his abdomen, he just runs away all the time.

I've been leaving dead crickets in his enclosure but have no idea if he is actually eating them. It's been about 2 weeks and he isn't showing any interest in eating live prey. He doesn't even appear close to molting any time soon.
 

nicodimus22

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This is probably a dumb question, but when offering pre-killed food how do you know if your sling is actually scavenging the carcass? My sling is very skittish and won't touch any live crickets even smaller than his abdomen, he just runs away all the time.

I've been leaving dead crickets in his enclosure but have no idea if he is actually eating them.
Two words: red light. You can buy a red flashlight or get some red cellophane to mod an existing one to use at night. They can't see it, so they go about their business as normal.

I use this pretty much every night to see what's going on with my slings:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W5PCTPW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

Jeff23

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This is probably a dumb question, but when offering pre-killed food how do you know if your sling is actually scavenging the carcass? My sling is very skittish and won't touch any live crickets even smaller than his abdomen, he just runs away all the time.

I've been leaving dead crickets in his enclosure but have no idea if he is actually eating them. It's been about 2 weeks and he isn't showing any interest in eating live prey. He doesn't even appear close to molting any time soon.
That isn't a dumb question.
I don't even try to offer live prey to my smallest T's. It is so hard to keep up with where the cricket went or whether it did get eaten when a burrow exists. Combine that with the shorter molt cycle for smaller slings and it is too much trouble.

Make sure what ever food objects you leave are smaller than the tarantula. I break my crickets up into four pieces unless it is a really small cricket. I don't worry if the cricket legs are longer than the T, but try to focus more on the volume of the food. Occasionally you are lucky and just know parts of the cricket are missing from where you put them, but mostly you only know the tarantula is eating by seeing the healthy abdomen. Only my most voracious eaters make it obvious they are eating regular.
 

Andrea82

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="Stella Maris, post: 2591833, member: 118242"IThis is probably a dumb question, but when offering pre-killed food how do you know if your sling is actually scavenging the carcass? My sling is very skittish and won't touch any live crickets even smaller than his abdomen, he just runs away all the time.

I've been leaving dead crickets in his enclosure but have no idea if he is actually eating them. It's been about 2 weeks and he isn't showing any interest in eating live prey. He doesn't even appear close to molting any time soon.
Not dumb at all!

I was wondering this myself until i saw the difference between eaten and uneaten pre killed prey. I leave small pieces of mealworm, and when the sling has eaten from it, there's only a small husk left which is dry. If it is not eaten, it still has its innards and sometimes some mold starting.
 

Stella Maris

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Speaking of PVC, I went to Lowes the other week and found these little PVC couplers for 38 cents each, and you get two hides out of each, so the hides are a whopping 19 cents each. Just need to cut out the middle section with a dremel. They're just smooth tubes inside.

The one pictured in the bag is the 1 inch version, and the one in use is the 3/4 inch version:





My L. klugi doesn't really use its hide, but the others do, and stay in them most of the time.
I actually went to Lowes yesterday and I found some 3/4" x 3/4" Poly Alloy couplers to use for my slings. They are not entirely PVC but would they be safe to use if I just rinse them with water? Unfortunately I couldn't find the brand you use for your slings.

Also, regarding drilling air holes into the small hobby lobby display cases (for cars), what size drill bit did you use for your dremel tool?
 

nicodimus22

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Also, regarding drilling air holes into the small hobby lobby display cases (for cars), what size drill bit did you use for your dremel tool?
I used a power drill with a 7/64 bit. Weird size, but I didn't want to go any larger in case the slings could slip through. Not sure about the couplers...you would think so, because plumbing pipes and the things that join them aren't supposed to leak anything into tap water.
 

nicodimus22

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Looks about average to me. Not skinny, not fat.

No issues that I can see, but I feed my slings to the point of bursting. They get so fat! :D
 
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