Feeder Help

NevularScorpion

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
916
Does any expert breeders here have any special method on feeding sling less than .5" ?
I know that some sling in a whole clutch just don't know how to eat pre killed and they just end up dying.

I'm breeding some small T sp atm and scorps too. I been looking for a way how to feed them to avoid loses. Usually the once who learns how to eat pre killed are the ones that usually survive. I want to decrease the mortality rate of new born slings by making them all eat. does any one have an some good methods ?
 

Leviticus

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
Messages
357
I have some Cyriocosmus ritae slings that are currently less than 1/4 inch. I feel them on pinhead crickets, if there are non available to you you can buy adult females and place a container of moist peat or other substrate in with them and they will lay eggs. The eggs hatch very quickly(day or two) and voila you have some tiny crickets to feed the smallest slings. I also breed mealworms and the tiniest mealworm larvae seem to work well for them as well. What species are you breeding at the moment?
 

NevularScorpion

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 30, 2007
Messages
916
Flightless fruit flys maybe? ......
I think that is too big :( my friends tried that and still had loses 70% mortality!

---------- Post added at 09:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------

I have some Cyriocosmus ritae slings that are currently less than 1/4 inch. I feel them on pinhead crickets, if there are non available to you you can buy adult females and place a container of moist peat or other substrate in with them and they will lay eggs. The eggs hatch very quickly(day or two) and voila you have some tiny crickets to feed the smallest slings. I also breed mealworms and the tiniest mealworm larvae seem to work well for them as well. What species are you breeding at the moment?
Good idea!! I will try your advice :), thank you

BTW, I'm breeding M balfouri, malasian trapdoor, S donensis, and front horned baboon. My friends had a couple of successful sac of M balfouri but they have high mortality because they are so hard to feed. They are like as small as a trapdoor sling.
 

Hobo

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Staff member
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
2,208
I'm no expert breeder, but I don't think you have to be to answer your question. Just cut up a cricket, and get tweezers with needle-thin tips. Dangle the morsel near the spider or it's burrow, and it should take it if it's hungry. I feed a sac of C. Perezmilesi slings this way with no problems.


Alternatively, you can just get a tupperware or something of moist dirt, stick some egg-laying adult female crickets in there, remove them after a night, and put the container somewhere warm for a couple of weeks. Enjoy your pinheads!
In my sac, all have taken prekilled, though there were a few that never ate after molting into second instar, be it live, prekilled, or dangled! They eventually died.

EDIT:
Oh and regarding the 70% mortality rate with a diet of fruitflies...
I've read that fruit flies by themselves aren't a good enough diet for slings. It's in the TKG too, I'm fairly sure.
 

webbedone

Arachnobaron
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
410
Pin heads should be alright, if you are too worried do what hobo said and cut em up
 

AbraxasComplex

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 23, 2007
Messages
1,145
I rotate between Drosophila hydei (larger flightless fruitflies), bean weavils from time to time, and the occassional flour beetle larvae to feed my spiderlings.
 

dannyboypede

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
142
Smash a pinheads head with the tip of your tongs and give it to the sling. I have had crickets with smashed heads walk around for nearly 2 days. One time when I was running out of crickets and had quite a few small spiders to feed, I used the scissors on the Swiss Army Knife (basically nail scissors) to cut a pinhead in half. The back half walked around for less time than the front, but still for a good amount of time. It is kind of gross, but it has worked for some of my small true spiders.

--Dan
 
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