C. Versi Sling

[mcalvin983]

Hello, I received a C. Versicolor sling last Wednesday (May 10) and it does not seem to be moving around much. It sits in the same spot at all times, rarely moving to a different spot. It does sit spread out, not with legs all tucked up. However it does seem to be moving around a bit more in the last day or so. And I have yet to get it to eat (have offered the smallest crickets I can find, both live and prekilled). I was wondering, should I be worried at all about it not moving around much or eating, or do you think it is just still getting settled in? Thanks!

 

[mcalvin983]

Also, it has made a little bit of webbing, but so little that you almost can't see it.

 

[cold blood]

Ts sitting still is normal...high levels of activity are rare.

Three things about the enclosure.

1. Add a water dish. 2. Replace the lid with a normal one, just pop a few holes in the lid...you have plenty on the sides and mesh ventilation is the worst as ts can both chew through it and get their tarsal claws caught in them. 3. I would add a piece of wood just for a stable platform.

These changes are minor and you are clearly on the right track...just keep the sub predominantly dry.

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• cold blood
• Mar 1, 2017

Johnny 2 legs finally got an actual enclosure to enjoy...the recovery process and growth of this...

As for feeding, just drop in a small cricket and leave it. It will hunt and catch the cricket. And because it will make a web tube to molt in, you don't really need to worry about loose feeders with avics and their cousins.

 

[cold blood]

Also, it has made a little bit of webbing, but so little that you almost can't see it.

That's what you want to see

 

[mcalvin983]

Thank you! I actually saw another post about a versicolor not webbing, and the lid with too much ventilation was the problem, so I replaced my lid already. Is a bottle cap a good water dish or should I try to find something smaller? Also after posting, I went to add water using a syringe and the spider came up to the syringe and drank directly from it, and held a water droplets with its pedipalps as it drank. That was the first I've seen it drink, so that's good at least. This is my first spider, I am used to caring for reptiles and birds so I am still learning T behavior. Thank you for the help

 

[LittleGremlin]

When i first got my sling she didn't web because i kept her in a pot like yours and i eventually changed it to a tall enclosure and now the entire top is full of web tunnel. I use the critter box enclosures because they open in the middle so i don't mess her web up. She didn't come in the critter box, i just bought an empty one, she'll be grown out of it soon though, i wish they made more sizes.

I don't use a water dish for her i just mist the sides every night.

She doesn't move much, sometimes in the evening & when i pick up her enclosure.

 

[boina]

When i first got my sling she didn't web because i kept her in a pot like yours and i eventually changed it to a tall enclosure and now the entire top is full of web tunnel. I use the critter box enclosures because they open in the middle so i don't mess her web up. She didn't come in the critter box, i just bought an empty one, she'll be grown out of it soon though, i wish they made more sizes.

I don't use a water dish for her i just mist the sides every night.

She doesn't move much, sometimes in the evening & when i pick up her enclosure.

Sorry to rain in on your parade, but this really looks like too much moisture and too little cross ventilation for an Avic. Misting the sides every night for an Avic is a dangerous game to play - it may survive or it may not, it's hit or miss with that strategy. Webbing is no guaranty for your spider being healthy - things can go downhill fast in an enclosure that's too moist.

@mcalvin983 I'd really rather go with the advice @cold blood provided: put a water dish in there, a bottle cap is fine if it fits, tarantulas don't drown, and keep the rest of the enclosure dry. It's much safer for your Avic.

 

[LittleGremlin]

Sorry to rain in on your parade, but this really looks like too much moisture and too little cross ventilation for an Avic. Misting the sides every night for an Avic is a dangerous game to play - it may survive or it may not, it's hit or miss with that strategy. Webbing is no guaranty for your spider being healthy - things can go downhill fast in an enclosure that's too moist.

@mcalvin983 I'd really rather go with the advice @cold blood provided: put a water dish in there, a bottle cap is fine if it fits, tarantulas don't drown, and keep the rest of the enclosure dry. It's much safer for your Avic.

It actually dries up quickly, i had literally just sprayed when i took the photo. The substrate is kept dry. The enclosure has four points, each with four slits, all around the sides. She eats well & has grown enormously. But noted, i'm pretty sure she's about to moult and i'm looking into a slightly larger space for her, any suggestions?

Also, i have an Avic Avic, she's big but if i don't spray her enclosure then the humidity isn't high enough , how do you keep your humidity up without the moisture? She has a bowl.

 

[boina]

It actually dries up quickly, i had literally just sprayed when i took the photo. The substrate is kept dry. The enclosure has four points, each with four slits, all around the sides. She eats well & has grown enormously. But noted, i'm pretty sure she's about to moult and i'm looking into a slightly larger space for her, any suggestions?

Also, i have an Avic Avic, she's big but if i don't spray her enclosure then the humidity isn't high enough , how do you keep your humidity up without the moisture? She has a bowl.

Stop spraying and stop measuring her humidiy . It's just not necessary. Those humidity numbers you find in all those online care sheets are idiotic at best and really dangerous as a guide to keeping Avics. Avics do not need a specific humidity, all they need is access to water. At times they may need to have a little bit of water dribbled onto their webs because they don't always climb down to drink, but that's about it. Some very smart people have figured that out a long time ago, but unfortunately those care sheets with their high humidity numbers are still around and get replicated all the time by well meaning but ill informed Avic keepers.

For the enclosure I don't think I can help. I'm still experimenting with my slings enclosure-wise, since on this side of the pond we unfortunaltely don't have access to AMAC boxes. I actually have someting similar to the OP for my Ybyrapora slings and some modified miniature greenhouse (originally meant for seedlings) for my larger Avics.

 

[mcalvin983]

So just adding a water bowl will be all the humidity my sling needs? I was worried that it wouldn't be enough. When it makes a web, should I still add droplets to the web (since I've seen a lot of people recommend doing that)?

 

[mconnachan]

Sorry to rain in on your parade, but this really looks like too much moisture and too little cross ventilation for an Avic. Misting the sides every night for an Avic is a dangerous game to play - it may survive or it may not, it's hit or miss with that strategy. Webbing is no guaranty for your spider being healthy - things can go downhill fast in an enclosure that's too moist.

@mcalvin983 I'd really rather go with the advice @cold blood provided: put a water dish in there, a bottle cap is fine if it fits, tarantulas don't drown, and keep the rest of the enclosure dry. It's much safer for your Avic.

I'm in complete agreement with @cold blood, a bottle cap should be fine, but I use upturned single lego pieces as they are a good size for slings and there's no danger of drowning.

 

[boina]

So just adding a water bowl will be all the humidity my sling needs? I was worried that it wouldn't be enough. When it makes a web, should I still add droplets to the web (since I've seen a lot of people recommend doing that)?

A water bowl should be enough, but I put occasional water droplet on the web, too. Occasional for me means like once a week, twice if the have molted recently or look like they are going to molt sometime soon. If you live in a very dry area (I don't) you may want to increase that.

 

[mcalvin983]

Humidity here stays between 60-100% especially during the summer (I live in Kentucky), but doesn't usually go above 60% indoors unless there has been a lot of rain. Also, is this a good water dish? Its a cap from a water bottle, and pretty shallow, but I'm worried it may be too big.

 

[cold blood]

Humidity here stays between 60-100% especially during the summer (I live in Kentucky), but doesn't usually go above 60% indoors unless there has been a lot of rain. Also, is this a good water dish? Its a cap from a water bottle, and pretty shallow, but I'm worried it may be too big. View attachment 240429

That water dish is fine.

PLEASE for the love of the spider, stop worrying about, or measuring humidity!

They live in trees, which dry out quickly even after heavy rains.

Nothing is worse for an avic (or its relatives) than a damp stuffy cage. Dry with a water dish...simplify.

 

[mcalvin983]

Also, I know spiders can go without eating for a while and be fine, but it hasn't eaten since I got it. Is this probably just because its still getting settled in? I know it'll be okay not eating for a while, so I'm just curious. I don't *think* its in premolt

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Is a bottle cap a good water dish or should I try to find something smaller?

A bottle cap is fine, slings don't break the surface tension of the water so if they fall in they just float on the surface.

Also, i have an Avic Avic, she's big but if i don't spray her enclosure then the humidity isn't high enough , how do you keep your humidity up without the moisture? She has a bowl.

Just a water dish is fine, I never mist any of my Tarantula enclosures (even the ones that actually require higher levels of moisture) and I've never had a problem, not sure how accurate my digital hygrometer is but it's saying the humidity in my room is currently 78% with the heating off (I'm in Southern England and it looks grim, grey, wet and depressing outside), it was 45% in the winter with the heating on.

For my species that actually require higher levels of moisture (tropical species/Asian burrowers) I either overflow the water dish to moisten the substrate around it or pour water directly onto the sub and then leave it to dry out, rinse and repeat.

 

[cold blood]

For my species that actually require higher humidity

Only tiny slings (EWL/1i/2i) require humidity...tarantulas like you describe require moisture, not humidity...they have NO way of getting moisture out of the air...they can however, get moisture from the damp substrate.

When one reads that a t "needs" high humidity, it really means it needs damp substrate.....this focus on humidity is not the right approach. I wish people would stop associating tarantulas with humidity. This approach is why so many people have trouble and are under the impression that they are difficult to care for.

Your air is dry...just add more water to the substrate, its that easy....just like you already do grym.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

When one reads that a t "needs" high humidity, it really means it needs damp substrate.

My bad, that's what I meant to get across but I didn't choose my words very well.

 

[cold blood]

My bad, that's what I meant to get across but I didn't choose my words very well.

View attachment 240455

I got that with your description ("pour water directly onto the sub")...it was more for the OP and other new keepers that may read this thread as you did also mention using a hygrometer.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I got that with your description ("pour water directly onto the sub")...it was more for the OP and other new keepers that may read this thread as you did also mention using a hygrometer.

I should also add that it's a digital dual thermometer/hygrometer that I got for free with an order, I just stuck it on a shelf to get a rough idea of the temperature in the room because that's pretty much all it's good for as far as I'm concerned, I don't use it to check in the enclosures because that's a waste of time.