Dead H. mac sling

thaddeus300

Arachnopeon
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May 5, 2014
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6
So not sure what happened. I bought 2 H. mac slings in September and they have been doing great both have moulted and have been eating great. Monday I realized one of them was out of it's hidey hole on the side of the container and when I moved the container the spider didn't move. I opened it up to examine it and it was very lethargic and slow I tried moving it to closer to the water dish and it moved around a little. Well today I found it dead. I'm not sure if I didn't something wrong I kept it in 32oz delicup with a water dish and kept part of the substrate damp. The other one is doing good just ate last night but now I'm panicking because I'm keeping it the same as the dead one so if I'm doing something wrong I really wanna figure it out. Any ideas would be great. I know sometimes slings just die but I also want to rule out anything I did to contribute to it. The pictures are of the set up I had it in any advice is greatly appreciated
 

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FrDoc

Gen. 1:24-25
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Jul 18, 2017
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The picture is not very clear, and my eyes not very good. However, it appears that enclosure is very dry. H. macs don’t need as much substrate moisture as many arboreals, but they need some. This being said, the photo (albeit not particularly focused on the spider) doesn’t indicate any glaring indications of dehydration. A question, what are you using for substrate?
 

thaddeus300

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
6
The picture is not very clear, and my eyes not very good. However, it appears that enclosure is very dry. H. macs don’t need as much substrate moisture as many arboreals, but they need some. This being said, the photo (albeit not particularly focused on the spider) doesn’t indicate any glaring indications of dehydration. A question, what are you using for substrate?
Thank you for the reply. I kept the bottom few layers moist and the water dish was always full the picture doesn't show it. But I could always add more water it may not have been moist enough. I'm using peat moss and I think I mixed in a bit of sand so the water could drain down easier

The picture is not very clear, and my eyes not very good. However, it appears that enclosure is very dry. H. macs don’t need as much substrate moisture as many arboreals, but they need some. This being said, the photo (albeit not particularly focused on the spider) doesn’t indicate any glaring indications of dehydration. A question, what are you using for substrate?
I didn't realize I didn't post the second pic that's how moist I kept the bottom layers
 

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FrDoc

Gen. 1:24-25
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Jul 18, 2017
Messages
832
I’m not saying it’s detrimental to you spiders, but I would stop using sand for your H. mac next rehouse, as there’s no real reason it’s necessary. Plus, especially as slings, they burrow. I keep mine on straight topsoil and they are thriving marvelously.
 
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