Dead sling in water bowl

have you ever found a death sling in the water bowl/cup

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 7.4%
  • No

    Votes: 50 92.6%

  • Total voters
    54

smitje

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Little while ago I found my 1 centimeter S. crassipes dead in her water bowl. It looked like a crime scene, she was floating with her legs spread on the water. I'm not sure what happend, I check on them few times a day and didnt notice anything wrong at that time. I have 3 and they all looked Ok.

I searched the forum and most think slings can not drown. Seems a bit odd to me that my sling went over to the bottle cap, into the water and then just dropped dead? Anyone else experienced something like that?
 

nicodimus22

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Sorry for your loss.

No, I have never experienced that (or heard about it until now, to be honest.)
 

Goodlukwitthat

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From the discussions on AB over the years, the most common thing I've read was that a sling isn't heavy enough to break the water's surface....ya know kinda like those pond skimmer bugs (I was raised in the country not sure what else you'd call them). Most people who worry about their T drowning use pebbles in the water dishes and others wait till a T reaches a certain size before placing a water dish in the enclosure. Sorry for your loss and hopefully you'll get another one in the future. Take this as one of the many learning experiences that you'll go through being in the hobby. As a side note, slings have a higher death rate, which is another reason some buy slings in bulk (also helps the odds of getting a female later on)
 

smitje

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Aw, sucks :-/

but you made me laugh with 'crime scene' ah ah :-s
Thats what came to mind, like the dead guy in the pool, belly down arms and legs wide. Except for the bullet hole ofcourse. No death curl.

From the discussions on AB over the years, the most common thing I've read was that a sling isn't heavy enough to break the water's surface....ya know kinda like those pond skimmer bugs (I was raised in the country not sure what else you'd call them). Most people who worry about their T drowning use pebbles in the water dishes and others wait till a T reaches a certain size before placing a water dish in the enclosure. Sorry for your loss and hopefully you'll get another one in the future. Take this as one of the many learning experiences that you'll go through being in the hobby. As a side note, slings have a higher death rate, which is another reason some buy slings in bulk (also helps the odds of getting a female later on)
It was on top of the water. It didnt sink. I was wondering if its abdomen could stick to the water surface. Kind of when you put a drop of water between 2 microscope slides and they stick.
 
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Goodlukwitthat

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Just to clarify that it wasn't just doing a quirky tarantula thing, did you take it out of the water dish and confirm that it was actually dead?
 

smitje

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Just to clarify that it wasn't just doing a quirky tarantula thing, did you take it out of the water dish and confirm that it was actually dead?
Yes, definatly dead. I had it under a microscope but couldnt find anything strange on the outside.
 

nicodimus22

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I read somewhere the idea of using upside-down houses (the little green ones) from the Monopoly board game as sling water dishes, because they're not wide at all. Just an idea if you're looking to use something else.
 

cold blood

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From the discussions on AB over the years, the most common thing I've read was that a sling isn't heavy enough to break the water's surface....ya know kinda like those pond skimmer bugs (I was raised in the country not sure what else you'd call them).
You are thinking of the water strider.


Op, was the sling on its back, or upright.

I would suspect it possibly fell and maybe hit the sides of the dish.

Do you have a pic of the enclosure?
 

Ungoliant

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have you ever found a death sling in the water bowl/cup
I think a sling would have to be quite small to be trapped by surface tension alone.

I've never found a sling stuck in a water dish (dead or alive), but I have found numerous spiders trapped in water (typically having fallen into a container of water and not being able to climb out). If they've been in the water for a long time, they may look far gone, but 95% of the time, when removed, they revive within 30 minutes.

Spiders have slow metabolisms, so their oxygen needs are low. Additionally, their hairs trap a layer of air around them, increasing the amount of time they can survive in water.

Spider Myths said:
Source: Myth: Spiders hold breath when sprayed

The response to submersion in water is also wider opening, not closure of the lung slits. The reason some spiders do not drown during fairly long submersion is that their body hair traps an air film that can exchange some oxygen and carbon dioxide with surrounding water. Spiders experimentally exposed to a 4% oxygen atmosphere died in about 35 minutes – so complete closure of the lung slits for hours or days would be fatal even if it were possible.
 

smitje

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I read somewhere the idea of using upside-down houses (the little green ones) from the Monopoly board game as sling water dishes, because they're not wide at all. Just an idea if you're looking to use something else.
Since then I put a little peble in the bowl with the smallest slings just to make sure.

You are thinking of the water strider.


Op, was the sling on its back, or upright.

I would suspect it possibly fell and maybe hit the sides of the dish.

Do you have a pic of the enclosure?
It was upright, booklungs facing the water. Exactly in the middle of the soda cap. Size wise was just a little smaller then the coke cap.

I already cleaned out the container but something like attached.

I think a sling would have to be quite small to be trapped by surface tension alone.

I've never found a sling stuck in a water dish (dead or alive), but I have found numerous spiders trapped in water (typically having fallen into a container of water and not being able to climb out). If they've been in the water for a long time, they may look far gone, but 95% of the time, when removed, they revive within 30 minutes.

Spiders have slow metabolisms, so their oxygen needs are low. Additionally, their hairs trap a layer of air around them, increasing the amount of time they can survive in water.
It was pretty small, 1cm or so in total. I attached a picture with the cap and a coin that represents the size of the spider.

Im not sure, I checked in the evening and the next morning it was in the cup. Could of been 8 or 10 hours. I left it under the microscope for some hours untill my Son came home from school (wanted to show him as the spiders are his). So no doubt it was really gone.

I have read drops can easily kill a tarantula but a sling that small has very little weight. Arent they a lot less sensitive to impact?

It was an Australian tarantula (Queensland barking tarantula) so they should be accustomed to water or at least not be particulary sensitive to it as they do get rain there.

Funny/sad part is I just moved all my slings to their new enclosures few weeks before from their pill pots because these where to small for a waterdish. Bummer. :)

Someone forgot to tell this tarantula that it can't swim:
Interesting, did you notice the abdomen hanging in the water slightly and that it was using its front legs to pedal? Pretty much the posture I found my sling in. Was it heading for the boat to get out?
 

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darkness975

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It probably tried to molt but was unsucessful. Doubt you did anything wrong.
 

Trenor

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Interesting, did you notice the abdomen hanging in the water slightly and that it was using its front legs to pedal? Pretty much the posture I found my sling in. Was it heading for the boat to get out?
I think that's just their natural buoyancy position. Like with people, when you're swimming or a body is floating, both remain the same level/layout in the water. It's the same with a T or any other animal.

I really doubt your T drowned without some other factor trapping all of it's booklungs under the water where it couldn't move to get them out. They don't have much oxygen requirements like mammals so they can last a long time. Also, it wouldn't have been hard for T to climb out of the dish if it had tried. They swim well even as slings.

I would look at a fall like CB said or I'd suspect a temp change (think vent draft etc) cooling it off too quickly. Slings are susceptible to either of these and it doesn't take much rapid cooling or temp drop for it to cause death.
 
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cold blood

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It was upright, booklungs facing the water. Exactly in the middle of the soda cap. Size wise was just a little smaller then the coke cap.

I already cleaned out the container but something like attached.
Just looking at the set up, while it is indeed not much of a drop, and the set up isn't all that bad, but there are unnecessary obstacles to fall on, which would even make a short fall from even a sling, potentially fatal. Rocks may look nice and natural, but they are a fall risk, a big reason why most of us urge people not to use rocks as decoration. Also the water dish is right at the side, so it could have fallen and hit the edge.

Now it could be something else that we just won't be able to figure out, but for future reference, those hard obstacles should be avoided in the future.

Sorry you lost the little one.
 

smitje

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Thanks guys. Hopefully it wont happen again.

On the rocks, you will probably hate most of my enclosures :) Then again, there is little room for them to drop and some species really enjoy sitting out on a nice peble. So far nothing happend. In general the spiders always have something in reach even when hanging from the ceiling. I found this helps and prevents them from getting in such a hanging position and eventually dropping.
 

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Jeff23

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I have found my 1/4" slings in the water containers multiple times. I am not sure how long they were there either. I am not sure whether they would know how to easily get out of the water on their own so I always help them with a piece of sphagnum moss. They have always acted startled when I interrupted their visit.

For some reason slings love to hang out in empty Monopoly containers so I try to put two of them in my containers in case I can't refill one of them

Thanks guys. Hopefully it wont happen again.

On the rocks, you will probably hate most of my enclosures :) Then again, there is little room for them to drop and some species really enjoy sitting out on a nice peble. So far nothing happend. In general the spiders always have something in reach even when hanging from the ceiling. I found this helps and prevents them from getting in such a hanging position and eventually dropping.
Is the second picture for an arboreal or terrestrial. If arboreal it seems like that rock should be replaced with something taller like a cork bark or taller plastic plant. If it is a GBB, it may be okay, but I wouldn't use rocks myself. I can't determine what type of T you have in there so I may be off base.

What are you using as substrate? I see a section of what looks like tiny pebbles in the left picture and the whole substrate in the right picture.
 
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smitje

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The substrate is mostly peat mixed with some calcisand and moss. I found mites die upon contact with the calcisand so I always mix this through.

The enclosures above hold a smithi and a Chromatopelma.

The GBB is mainly calcisand, peat and a partly a thin layer of shell, it webs up everything anyway so no hide. Just a few fake cacti, the rock and a death cow for anchoring. Under the water bowls its crushed shells, again to prevent mites and to make my life little easier when cleaning out the bowl. No more mud :) They have been in there for a couple of weeks now and seem to like it. I also have a pulchra in a "rocky" enclosure hence smaller. Both the smithi and the pulchra use the rocks a lot just to sit on. The GBB will sit in its web when ready. I just moved them on these pictures.
 
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Jeff23

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The substrate is mostly peat mixed with some calcisand and moss. I found mites die upon contact with the calcisand so I always mix this through. The enclosures above hold a smithi and a Chromatopelma. The GBB is mainly calcisand, peat and a partly a thin layer of shell, it webs up everything anyway so no hide. Under the water bowls its crushed shells, again to prevent mites and to make my life little easier when cleaning out the bowl. No more mud :) They have been in there for a couple of weeks now and seem to like it. I also have a pulchra in a "rocky" enclosure hence smaller. Both the smithi and the pulchra use the rocks a lot just to sit on.
Is this the same as calcium sand? I see some red alerts for reptiles when Googling it. But I am not familiar with it nor whether it is okay for a tarantula.
 
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