C. Versicolor sling feeding

[fjb7411]

If the abdomen is plump I would recommend patience. Generally they stop eating when full and it is normal for them to keep refusing food until after a molt. Especially if you fed it heavily early on. More details would be helpful to be sure, though, like photos of the spider and the full enclosure. Generally a dram vial is plenty of room for young slings. I would wait to move it until after it molts unless something is wrong with your setup, as they molt in their webbing and destroying that means they have to get settled in all over again.

This is my little one. I offered that roach a day ago. I gently tore it open. I can’t tell if the sling ate any of it or not.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Curious to ask… I have a tiny c. versi sling and it won’t eat. When I first got it, it ate 2-3 tiny dubias but it’s been a very long time since it has seemed to eat. I’m quite sure it hasn’t molted either. The guy I got it from told me to keep it in the tiny dram bottle but I feel like it should be in something bigger. Can someone clarify?


A quarter that size? My little versi is in a dram bottle. It feels way too small. 32oz seems huge? I have a little amac box that is about 2x2x3 but its lid is at the top and if the sling built its web up high it would be startled anytime I needed to open it up. Or I have a 2x2x4 that’s meant more for an arboreal… ?

How big is your sling? I use inverted Amac boxes for arboreal slings.

 

[fjb7411]

How big is your sling? I use inverted Amac boxes for arboreal slings.
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Tiny. I posted a photo of it above in the dram bottle.

 

[sparticus]

Tiny. I posted a photo of it above in the dram bottle.

I think it's fine in the vial until after it molts. I personally like to keep a tiny water dish for them in the vials, and also add a little drop of water twice a week with a syringe to the web for them to drink if they want. You can keep offering the pre-killed prey once or twice a week and then take it out after 24 hours if it doesn't eat it. I usually stop offering food after they reject it a couple times, but it won't hurt to offer if it makes you feel better. Don't panic about it not eating. It looks healthy, it will eat when it's ready and they can go quite a while without eating. If it already ate 2 or 3 roaches that were the size of its body there's a good chance it's just full and it won't eat again until after it molts.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Tiny. I posted a photo of it above in the dram bottle.

Guessing 1/2” there? 3/4” was the smallest I’ve gone. Crappy eyes have a hard time seeing that small. If so, I agree with sparticus there and leave it for another molt. I’d be concerned about the ventilation though. I don’t see any side vents. May just be the pic though. Enclosure size has depended on the spider for me. Both my versi and vari were housed in the same size Amac box. The versi was about 1/4” larger than the vari (pictured above). I constantly had to drive the prey to my versi when he was wee, while my vari, who was smaller, conducted full on search and destroy missions…and with one less leg.

 

[fjb7411]

I think it's fine in the vial until after it molts. I personally like to keep a tiny water dish for them in the vials, and also add a little drop of water twice a week with a syringe to the web for them to drink if they want. You can keep offering the pre-killed prey once or twice a week and then take it out after 24 hours if it doesn't eat it. I usually stop offering food after they reject it a couple times, but it won't hurt to offer if it makes you feel better. Don't panic about it not eating. It looks healthy, it will eat when it's ready and they can go quite a while without eating. If it already ate 2 or 3 roaches that were the size of its body there's a good chance it's just full and it won't eat again until after it molts.

I do add water basically as you described. I have a long skinny pippet. And I offer feed the same way too. So you’ve helped me feel better of my care. I appreciate that tons. I have one other t… a curly who would voraciously eat all day long anytime I put a roach in. The guy I got both from actually told me to back off on the curly until it molts again.. its abdomen looked like a big swollen dog tick. Haha! I have easy access to the dubias because I have a colony I started a few years ago for a beardie.

Guessing 1/2” there? 3/4” was the smallest I’ve gone. Crappy eyes have a hard time seeing that small. If so, I agree with sparticus there and leave it for another molt. I’d be concerned about the ventilation though. I don’t see any side vents. May just be the pic though. Enclosure size has depended on the spider for me. Both my versi and vari were housed in the same size Amac box. The versi was about 1/4” larger than the vari (pictured above). I constantly had to drive the prey to my versi when he was wee, while my vari, who was smaller, conducted full on search and destroy missions…and with one less leg.

I recently drilled those 4 vents on two sides a few weeks ago because after reading here I felt what the dram vial had in the lid wasn’t enough. I don’t even think my sling is 1/2”… it feels far smaller. Would I be measuring toe to toe or the length from top of head to edge of bum?

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I recently drilled those 4 vents on two sides a few weeks ago because after reading here I felt what the dram vial had in the lid wasn’t enough. I don’t even think my sling is 1/2”… it feels far smaller. Would I be measuring toe to toe or the length from top of head to edge of bum?

Yes, that is very good. Just keep your vent holes smaller than your spider’s carapace. Measure DLS toe to toe diagonally. Ex. right, front toe to left, back toe when (s)he is stretched out.

 

[fjb7411]

Yes, that is very good. Just keep your vent holes smaller than your spider’s carapace. Measure DLS toe to toe diagonally. Ex. right, front toe to left, back toe when (s)he is stretched out.

Yeah I realized that afterwards… holes were a bit big. Thank you!