B.smithi sling care

[Danielle98Barnes]

Hello all,
i am new to this forum and i am new to the hobby so please excuse my knowledge when it comes to tarantulas.
i have a question and i would be really grateful if someone could help me out.
my boyfriend is interested in buying a B. Smithi sling (1cm)
We have looked online for the correct infomation but we are struggling to find anything useful.
could anybody tell me how to care for a b.smithi sling
it will be my boyfriends first tarantula but he has had previous experience with my tarantulas when it comes to feeding and care etc (A. Chalcodes, GBB sling, G rosea).
I have advised him to go for the b. Smithi as i know they are fab eaters, docile, hardy and have amazing colouration to them. Im a bit nervous for him as it will be a sling and i thought a sub adult would be much better for him but since he has had experince with my tarantulas and since there have been loads of people in the hobby whos first tarantulas were slings i feel a bit more at ease.
any infomation will be greatley useful and appriciated.
thankyou in advance
Danielle

 

[Nightstalker47]

B.smithi are very hardy, keep it in a small enclosure at that size, this will make it much easier to monitor. They need some moist sub as slings but don't like it too wet, keep the vial or deli cup predominantly dry and dampen an area as you notice it drying out.

Regular feedings will allow your sling to grow at a faster rate, I feed slings about 2-3 times a week until they hit pre molt. Once it puts on some size it will do fine on drier sub with a water dish, you can overflow the dish once in a while for some extra moisture.

 

[nicodimus22]

In addition to that, make sure not to play any dubstep near them. B. smithi slings HATE dubstep, and will grow more slowly if you play it all the time. All that stupid WUB-WUB-WUB stuff does something bad to their metabolism.

 

[Devin B]

For slings that size I use a nacho cheese cup I got from taco bell. Any similar size deli cups make a great enclosure. I try and dampen about 1/4 of the substrate in the enclosure, let it dry out, and repeat. My slings have done well eating prekilled prey items. That way you don't have worry about the prey bitting back or the sling being to nervous to hunt.

 

[Danielle98Barnes]

B.smithi are very hardy, keep it in a small enclosure at that size, this will make it much easier to monitor. They need some moist sub as slings but don't like it too wet, keep the vial or deli cup predominantly dry and dampen an area as you notice it drying out.

Regular feedings will allow your sling to grow at a faster rate, I feed slings about 2-3 times a week until they hit pre molt. Once it puts on some size it will do fine on drier sub with a water dish, you can overflow the dish once in a while for some extra moisture.

Thankyou for for your fast reply it is greatly appriciated and very useful. I will take on board all the handy tips you have provided.

 

[Danielle98Barnes]

In addition to that, make sure not to play any dubstep near them. B. smithi slings HATE dubstep, and will grow more slowly if you play it all the time. All that stupid WUB-WUB-WUB stuff does something bad to their metabolism.

Haha, your reply made me laugh thankyou.

 

[Danielle98Barnes]

For slings that size I use a nacho cheese cup I got from taco bell. Any similar size deli cups make a great enclosure. I try and dampen about 1/4 of the substrate in the enclosure, let it dry out, and repeat. My slings have done well eating prekilled prey items. That way you don't have worry about the prey bitting back or the sling being to nervous to hunt.

Thats a really good idea ! Thankyou for your fast reply. I will be sure to follow your advice. Im glad your skings are doing well.