my A chocana sling has burrowed deep down into the substrate into it's vial which is fairly deep (about 1.5-2 in). sometimes i can see it when it's up against the walls of the vial. however i haven't seen it in a couple weeks or so.. aside from digging it out, anyways to find out if its still alive?
Burrowed sling MIA
- Thread starter illcosby
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Have you tried taking a flashlight and examing the sides and bottom of the whole vial?
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Toss a cricket in the vial. If the cricket vanishes, there is only one thing that could have happened to it.
I have several small slings and some not so small T's that do that, dig a burrow and then disappear.
Digging them out can injure them, try the cricket first. You may just have to wait until your sling gets bigger. My B. emilia sling used to bury itself in the substrate, not tunnel, not dig a burrow, dig a hole, and then cover itself with dirt. Now it is about an inch and doesn't do it anymore. You may just need to wait until your sling feels more comfortable.
I have several small slings and some not so small T's that do that, dig a burrow and then disappear.
Digging them out can injure them, try the cricket first. You may just have to wait until your sling gets bigger. My B. emilia sling used to bury itself in the substrate, not tunnel, not dig a burrow, dig a hole, and then cover itself with dirt. Now it is about an inch and doesn't do it anymore. You may just need to wait until your sling feels more comfortable.
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This is how my L. parahybana earned the name Schrodinger (see: schrodinger's cat)--we spent several months with no real idea if it was dead or alive. 
Just keep misting the vial or whatever you do to give it water, but be careful if you drip water in with a straw or something--you don't want to drown it.
Mine would always stick its little toes out when it was hungry and waiting for prey to wander by (and by "wander" I mean "be deposited near the burrow pre-killed for its convenience"). If you aren't seeing any signs of peeking out, not even at night in a dim quiet room, I'd probably assume it's in pre- or post-molt and leave it be. If you aren't sure about its molting state, that's another good reason to offer a pre-killed cricket, which can't hurt a molted baby T.
Just keep misting the vial or whatever you do to give it water, but be careful if you drip water in with a straw or something--you don't want to drown it.Mine would always stick its little toes out when it was hungry and waiting for prey to wander by (and by "wander" I mean "be deposited near the burrow pre-killed for its convenience"). If you aren't seeing any signs of peeking out, not even at night in a dim quiet room, I'd probably assume it's in pre- or post-molt and leave it be. If you aren't sure about its molting state, that's another good reason to offer a pre-killed cricket, which can't hurt a molted baby T.
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I had B. vagans and albopilosum slings do that. If you are really nervous you can tip the contents of the vial out(that is what I did as a dumb noob). That being said I wouldn't reccomend it without trying other methods first. A few times I found the spiders in premolt...so it is better to leave them in peace. That doesn't mean ignore them though!
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The fact that you NEVER see a burrowing species means that it's doing just what's it's supposed to do. Get used to keeping "pet dirt".
The best time to observe your burrowing species is late at night/early morning. Or, as you have already found out, drop in prey and wait quietly for it to get snatched!
The best time to observe your burrowing species is late at night/early morning. Or, as you have already found out, drop in prey and wait quietly for it to get snatched!