Can mealworms harm slings???

[blckwidow75]

I was attempting to feed my 1/8" A. Geniculata and found a tiny mealworm I thought he might be able to handle. I tried a cricket thigh but it showed no interest. The problem is that the mealworm has burrowed in the substrate and I don't want to disturb the T since they are so prone to flee at this size. Can this mealworm harm the sling? I know it's probably better to remove it, but the sling didn't want to be removed from the condiment cup at all. I'm having no luck getting these tiny slings to eat!
The B. Ruhnaui sling did seem to eat some of the medium size cricket I cut in half and fed to it last night and the smell today was GODawful!!! Yuck.
How often do slings HAVE to eat? How often do they molt at this size - maybe every 2 weeks? I am so worried that I am going to lose some of the new ones I just got. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks

 

[Ond_Prest]

Have you tried pinhead crickets?
Usally works fine

 

[da_illest]

i've heard the beetles that mealworms turn into can harm a t but i'm not so sure of the mealworm itself.. i'd take it out just in-case.. and i'd say not to worry about it fleeing while your there, just don't leave it un-attended with the lid off or you'll never find it again... just let it walk onto your hand by cupping it.. i've noticed that a lot of slings at that size, with the exception of arboreals like avics, usually calm down once on your hand, until you really scare them that is.. i just handled my extremely skittish PZB sling that size and although it runs like a maniac in it's vile and on other surface's, it calmly explores my hand as if it was scared and feeling vulnerable..

 

[David_F]

If I'm feeding meal worms to slings I usually cut the head off or, even better, cut the meal worm in half. At least that way I know they won't dig and I can go away for a while. For bigger Ts I put the meal worms in a small dish, something like a soda cap or whatever. Something deep enough that they can't get out.

 

[blckwidow75]

Thanks for all the replies...
I have used pinheads in the past but by petstore doesn't sell them. I had to order them online and it was like $28 with the shipping so I wanted to try to avoid that additional cost if possible.
I did cut the head off of a mealworm but for some reason I thought it would still move. And this black stuff started oozing out. I thought they were white and gooey on the inside. This stuff just looked gross. Maybe I will try that again.
Da Illest - I don't think I want to take the chance of having it flee on me. The .25" B. Klaasi flew across the counter the other night and luckily I was able to get it back, but that was way too close for me!
I'm just feeling really insecure & doubting that I can raise all 4 of these slings to juvies. They are just SO small!! Aaahh. Thanks for the help though. I will of course inform you guys of any deaths should they occur. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Thanks!!

 

[Lyle Beach]

I don't know about slings... but I put a king mealworm in my G. rosea, and H. lividum tanks, and they instantly burrowed into the soil.

I thought, "oh great... what now?" But I just left them in there.

About 1 week later, I shone a flashlight into the lividum's burrow, and I saw him eating the mealworm!

Then 2 weeks later, I saw my G. rosea going crazy in the tank.... then I realized, she was digging up the mealworm! It was great!

 

[Chris V]

Yeah, Kind of like keeping the fridge stocked if you know what I mean?

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Yes, it is possible for mealworms to bite the tarantulas. I just squish their heads before tossing them in with s'lings.

 

[da_illest]

Da Illest - I don't think I want to take the chance of having it flee on me. The .25" B. Klaasi flew across the counter the other night and luckily I was able to get it back, but that was way too close for me!
I'm just feeling really insecure & doubting that I can raise all 4 of these slings to juvies. They are just SO small!! Aaahh. Thanks for the help though. I will of course inform you guys of any deaths should they occur. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Thanks!!

hey, it's understandable, i used to think the same way you do.. with time and lot's of experience with the slings you'll get used to it and won't be worrying about it fleeing.. mine used to flee when i used to be nervous around them and grab them all shaky and worried that i'll hurt them or they'll run but now i just get the vial, flip it upside down on my hand (extremely gently), move thru the dirt with my finger till the sling shows up and make it walk into a new vial... i did that the other day with my 1/8 inch pzb.. you should have seen me juggling 4 avic avic slings at 3/4" trying to get them all into their new and bigger communal setup! lol.. everytime i'd get one to walk in and try to put the next one in, the first one would run back out! i had my girl keeping an eye on them incase i missed one that walked up my arm and onto my back...

about the raising them, it's REAL easy.. almost the same as keeping big t's except more molts, a but more humidity, and smaller food.. believe me you'll raise them if you provide proper care...

 

[JDS]

Try freezing the mealworms. Then they are dead, slice up easily and are easy to handle.

 

[blckwidow75]

I do store the mealworms in the fridge. I chopped one in half and the A. genic sling has been feeding on it all night, so that is a good thing. The N. Coloratovillosus sling molted last night and MAN, that must've been one helluva fast molt b/c I am checking on them at least once an hour!! I haven't gotten the burrowed mealworms out of the deli cups yet ... I can't even see them in there. The B. Ruhnaui has burrowed down to the bottom and it's hard to see what he's doing BUT I DO KNOW HE'S STILL KICKIN'. I know I'm probably worrying about nothing, but I hear so much about molts gone wrong I am paranoid. I am going away next weekend for four days and I am debating whether to leave them be or to ask my sister to drop by to mist their enclosures and give them food? What would you guys do? I don't want to run the risk of them escaping on her as she has little experience with them. ???

 

[blckwidow75]

Opinions on spider-sitting anyone??? I am leaving Friday morning for Ocean City, NJ and will be back sometime Monday. I asked my sister to come by on Saturday evening to mist the lids of the sling deli cups and maybe cut a mealworm in half. Do you think they'll be ok? What if she didn't come by at all (as I'm worried about them escaping on her)? How long have you guys left slings at a time with them doing just fine? I check on them now at least 4-5 x's a day. It is going to drive me crazy being away. I kinda wish I would've waited to order them until I got back from vacation. Anyway...pls help. I need some encouragement before I go. I want to be able to relax this weekend. I will drive my boyfriend crazy if I keep asking if he thinks they're ok!

 

[David_F]

Opinions on spider-sitting anyone??? I am leaving Friday morning for Ocean City, NJ and will be back sometime Monday. I asked my sister to come by on Saturday evening to mist the lids of the sling deli cups and maybe cut a mealworm in half. Do you think they'll be ok? What if she didn't come by at all (as I'm worried about them escaping on her)? How long have you guys left slings at a time with them doing just fine? I check on them now at least 4-5 x's a day. It is going to drive me crazy being away. I kinda wish I would've waited to order them until I got back from vacation. Anyway...pls help. I need some encouragement before I go. I want to be able to relax this weekend. I will drive my boyfriend crazy if I keep asking if he thinks they're ok!

I don't have a whole lot of experience raising slings but recently I've had to leave mine for a couple days at a time. Just mist the containers or moisten the substrate and feed them before you leave. They should be fine. I still worry about mine even when I leave for just a day but they are pretty tough little spiders.

 

[LPacker79]

Opinions on spider-sitting anyone??? I am leaving Friday morning for Ocean City, NJ and will be back sometime Monday. I asked my sister to come by on Saturday evening to mist the lids of the sling deli cups and maybe cut a mealworm in half. Do you think they'll be ok? What if she didn't come by at all

They'll be just fine unattended. I went to Oregon for a week this past November and all my T's (slings included) were fine when I returned. I just made sure everyone had water before I left.

 

[abstract]

Yea - I wouldn't worry about it. Code Monkey walked away from his massive collection for nearly a month, and only lost 1 or 2 slings for other strange reasons I believe. I've left my collection (~22-25) alone for over a week at a time - tiny slings to full-grown alike.

 

[blckwidow75]

Great, thanks guys! I will feel much more relieved this weekend. I am tending to them all now. Thanks again