Concerned about lasiodora parahybana sling

[PaulT]

I only barely got a glimpse of my 1cm lasiodora parahybana sling since its arrival from the Uk, as its been doing some serious burrowing from day 1. I have been putting thawed frozen pinhead crickets in on a daily basis, and removed them as they were all untouched. Today I put a fresh thawed cricket next to the entrance of the burrow and the sling has taken the full cricket down the deep burrow. My concern is that the cricket is bigger than the spider and I doubt it will devour it in one meal. So my question is "is it ok to disturb the burrow" to remove any left over cricket before it starts decaying? and if so what is the correct way to go about this?
Thanx Paul.

 

[stonemantis]

I only barely got a glimpse of my 1cm lasiodora parahybana sling since its arrival from the Uk, as its been doing some serious burrowing from day 1. I have been putting thawed frozen pinhead crickets in on a daily basis, and removed them as they were all untouched. Today I put a fresh thawed cricket next to the entrance of the burrow and the sling has taken the full cricket down the deep burrow. My concern is that the cricket is bigger than the spider and I doubt it will devour it in one meal. So my question is "is it ok to disturb the burrow" to remove any left over cricket before it starts decaying? and if so what is the correct way to go about this?
Thanx Paul.

When it comes to cleaning out the enclosure of a small spiderling. I usually get my small artist's brush and gently coax the sling out of the burrow and capture it in a small holding jar. Then I either carefully clean out the burrow or dump the dirt out and start over.

 

[PaulT]

Thanx

Thanx for the reply stonemantis this is all new to me and I don't want to make any mistakes. It has dug pretty deep for such a small spider. I guess I was worried about the moss peat substrate caving in and burying the T. I will try your method and hope it works. Thanx for the advice.

 

[stonemantis]

No problem, I'm glad I could help.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

My concern is that the cricket is bigger than the spider and I doubt it will devour it in one meal.

Bahaha, congrats, you've got a mold farmer. Mine used to do the same when it was just a little pinpoint. However, they CAN eat way more than you think, so it might not be too bad.

I would always get my tongs and pick out the moldy parts, but because of the extensive webbing involved in any burrow (even if you can't see it) this usually pulls the whole burrow up. The sling will almost always panic and run out of the ground on its own; just watch out for this so it doesn't get away from you.

But yeah, you can't cave in one of these burrows. It's a solid wall of web and dirt, they're good.

Also if you gave it that much, you may not see it again for a while. Mine once ate a dead cricket bigger than its legspan and then hid for a month and a half to sleep it off, heh.

 

[Corranthe]

I gave my B. Smithi sling a cricket that was larger than him this morning. He is right now walking around with the leftovers in his mouth. I think he is holding onto it until he can finish it. You would really be suprised how much they'll eat.

 

[PaulT]

Cheers mushroom

Thats positive and helpful advice mushroom, I know nothing about the species. It was a freebie in a parcel we ordered from the UK. Number 1 it must be clearly feeding or why else would it drag it down the burrow? Would it be ok if i can get the T safely from the burrow 2moro, monitor how much it has eaten, and let it burrow away after that. I so don't want to cock it up. Im checking on these guys like i did my own kids when they were babies. Thanx for your advice!!

 

[PaulT]

We also have a 1cm B.smithi here that has been arched over a thawed cricket twice its size for about 4 hours now, its easy to monitor the other slings, but the lassi is proving difficult cos its underground. I so wish my son had got the ferret he intended to buy!! or do i??

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Number 1 it must be clearly feeding or why else would it drag it down the burrow? Would it be ok if i can get the T safely from the burrow 2moro, monitor how much it has eaten, and let it burrow away after that.

At the moment, unless you can see mold forming (did yours burrow against the side of the enclosure? mine always did, seemed to like having a free stable wall), I'd leave it be. Even if you can't see inside the burrow, mold is pretty noticeable. To help keep it down, I'd hold off on misting the enclosure for about a week, since misting once a week is plenty anyway. Let things dry out a bit.

No way will any parahybana have leftovers for long, they LOVE to eat. You'll have to be careful if you're feeding it really large meals; a cricket bigger than itself should suffice for at least two weeks. They'll overeat if you let them. And because they grow so fast, they already have shorter lifespans than the slow species, so no need to speed them up too much.

 

[PaulT]

The burrow is very close to the wall of the container, and can be viewed without even opening the lid. No sign of mold, and i misted a very small area of substrate yesterday. the beauty traveled across damp substrate to haul the cricket down its dry burrow while i was fast asleep in my bed. But I am doing my best to monitor the progress. Its great fun watching them in the early stages, so forgive me if I ask questions that have been answered a million times or more. its simply to equate the knowledge so that I am not responsible for the doom of any T due to my negligence. Learning is fun. And what a magnificent species to learn about!!

 

[bushbuster]

My L para did the same thing. I couldn't see in the burrow very well, so I got a mini mag lite and did the LED upgrade on it. That move helped a lot with my stress level, allowed me to see what was going on, which was nothing but a normal lil spider doing its biz...u can also get some 10 gauge wire and strip off the insulation and get a strand from the bunch, make you a tool to thread down the hole and bend a hook on the end, works great to fish the junk out of the burrow.

 

[The_Thunderer]

I've been worried about mine as well. It completely sealed off its burrow after eating a few pinhead crickets. I know that its probably molting and that I should leave it undisturbed, but I have also heard that they can are fragile things that need to be watched diligently. I've misted into the cage a few times, trying not to disturb it, but I have no idea whether things are copacetic or not. I guess I'll wait a few more weeks... IMPATIENTLY! LOL.

 

[Flagg]

Keep providing moisture and wait it out. They're probably molting.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I have also heard that they can are fragile things that need to be watched diligently.

Fragile? This species? No way.

 

[The_Thunderer]

Fragile? This species? No way.

Well, yeah, you're right. The guy who sold my my L/p said that it was just about "bullet proof". I still worry about them because they're so small and I simply don't want to make any mistakes with them... like feeding them right after a (hidden) molt so that the crix can EAT the sling.

 

[PhilK]

PaulT I think the important thing here is to remember that they know what they're doing. They've been a long time in evolving and haven't changed much. They're good at digging, so it won't cave in. And they've been eating small bugs in their burrows for a long time too.. Don't panic so much about the little fella!! Though I know what it feels like!

 

[Mushroom Spore]

like feeding them right after a (hidden) molt so that the crix can EAT the sling.

It's true that this is a concern with any species, no matter how bulletproof they are otherwise. 's why I've always fed prekilled to anything that's not twice the size of a live cricket.

The method I always preach here on the boards is to do what the OP is doing: keep a tupperware of crickets in the freezer, and just drop one in on feeding day. They thaw fast, and your sling will go right for it if it's hungry at all.

 

[The_Thunderer]

The method I always preach here on the boards is to do what the OP is doing: keep a tupperware of crickets in the freezer, and just drop one in on feeding day. They thaw fast, and your sling will go right for it if it's hungry at all.

Thanks, I'll follow that procedure. Its a good idea! I'm just not used to the idea of Tarantulas eating carrion.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Thanks, I'll follow that procedure. Its a good idea! I'm just not used to the idea of Tarantulas eating carrion.

Yeah, it doesn't occur to most people, but it's fairly rare for slings to actually refuse dead prey (usually the ones that do are problem eaters anyway). I guess it makes sense--if you're 1/4 of an inch in size, you'll be delighted not to need to fight your food!

 

[FilliamHMuffman]

With my slings, I've gotten in the habit of catching the small crickets and mushing their heads with the end of a chopstick before throwing them in. And yes, it's as fun as it sounds, but I've got this paranoid fear that the slings will get eaten by the cricket, and since I've only got four slings total (one big enough to not need the heads of the crickets crushed) it only takes 10-15 minutes to feed them all. I give them two smallish crickets each Saturday, and if I have time, one small cricket during the week, but not always. One of the things I love about T's is only having to feed them once or twice a week tops.