GBB sling moisture

[Danzog]

I'm going to be picking up a 3/4-1in GBB in a couple days and I've heard mixed info on their substrate requirements. My thought is I can go bone dry at this size with a water dish in a 16oz. Your thoughts?

 

[moricollins]

Arachno search engine here.

Here are your results:


Search results

 

[Chebe6886]

I wouldn’t go “bone dry” maybe keep a section slightly “dark/damp”. IME not good to keep just about any sling bone dry. They are one of the hardiest though and tolerate a lot.

 

[Danzog]

I wouldn’t go “bone dry” maybe keep a section slightly “dark/damp”. IME not good to keep just about any sling bone dry. They are one of the hardiest though and tolerate a lot.

I guess I can't go wrong with a 1/2 slightly moist 1/2 dry . Thanks for the input the gbb and a couple other 1/2" slings are going to be my first slings so I'm kinda stressing.

 

[Chebe6886]

1st rule RELAX. Try not to overdo it and disturb them as little as possible.
Keep them in relatively small enclosure.
They take a bit to settle in so don’t freak out if in the first week or two they don’t eat, they hide, or even dig a burrow and seal themselves shut. Need to be patient.
Overall Ts are very easy to care for and do great with proper research and husbandry.

 

[Danzog]

1st rule RELAX. Try not to overdo it and disturb them as little as possible.
Keep them in relatively small enclosure.
They take a bit to settle in so don’t freak out if in the first week or two they don’t eat, they hide, or even dig a burrow and seal themselves shut. Need to be patient.
Overall Ts are very easy to care for and do great with proper research and husbandry.

I also have a L.P. and a N. Coloratovillosus both 1/2" coming in. I was going to set them up in a 50 dram bottle with a good amount of substrate depth, moisture and some spagnum moss on top as a moisture retainer. I've been reading a lot about all these species I was just curious of others experiences.

 

[Smotzer]

Pretty much I kept mine completely dry, after a short time it was so webbed up that there is no way you could even try to moisten the substrate. It’s just all web. It made its choice on how it wanted to be kept, which was dry. They come from a very xeric area.

 

[Chebe6886]

Good choices. All should be very straight forward and easy to care for. Most of them are pretty manageable temperament wise but you can get individuals that are prone to kicking hairs and being defensive at time.
Be as active on here as makes you happy and keeps you well informed
I will just warn that because all three are very common and well documented you should be able to easily search for solutions to basic care/problems.
If you get into some less commons situations or problems there will be plenty here capable of giving you a hand.
Enjoy

 

[Danzog]

Good choices. All should be very straight forward and easy to care for. Most of them are pretty manageable temperament wise but you can get individuals that are prone to kicking hairs and being defensive at time.
Be as active on here as makes you happy and keeps you well informed
I will just warn that because all three are very common and well documented you should be able to easily search for solutions to basic care/problems.
If you get into some less commons situations or problems there will be plenty here capable of giving you a hand.
Enjoy

Thank you, I have done a lot of reading on the forums regarding all three species. I guess I was looking for something definitive for reassurance, while I should have realized there may not be one as people have had success both ways. Thank you again for your replies and information.

 

[Smotzer]

Give this a read through Click here

 

[Danzog]

Give this a read through Click here

Very informative thread, that's the thread that made me question my decision. The op said he had one sling that preferred moisture even though he had most kept dry. That's all it took for my brain to go into overdrive Thank you both.

 

[Chebe6886]

Thank you, I have done a lot of reading on the forums regarding all three species. I guess I was looking for something definitive for reassurance, while I should have realized there may not be one as people have had success both ways. Thank you again for your replies and information.

There are very few “definitives” as you can see @Smotzer and I are both pretty good keepers from what I can tell and go about things differently. Doesn’t mean one is wrong, just means we each have a way that works for us.

 

[EpicEpic]

Bone dry/Water Bowl....especially for a pretty well started sling. These guys come from the driest of conditions. They don't need moist sub IMO. enjoy!

You MAY run into a SPECIMEN that enjoys a moistened corner but most prefer and will thrive bone dry!

They also will rarely use their waterbowl. You can put a couple droplets on their webbing once in a blue moon if you wish. That would be similar to what they get OCCASIONALLY in nature but will do fine getting their hydration from well taken care of feeders!

 

[Chebe6886]

Since these are your first, I do recommend get your enclosures set up post images of them and people will def give you some things to improve if there are any

 

[Danzog]

Since these are your first, I do recommend get your enclosures set up post images of them and people will def give you some things to improve if there are any

Will do

 

[Smotzer]

There are very few “definitives” as you can see @Smotzer and I are both pretty good keepers from what I can tell and go about things differently. Doesn’t mean one is wrong, just means we each have a way that works for us.

Exactly! There are people who have kept slings in both conditions and had success. Ultimately your individual will give you a better indicator how it wants to be kept if you offer both.
When I had mine on all moist substrate in the very beginning at like 1/2in, all I know is it did not like it and did not web until it dried out at least partly.

 

[EpicEpic]

Exactly! There are people who have kept slings in both conditions and had success. Ultimately your individual will give you a better indicator how it wants to be kept if you offer both.
When I had mine on all moist substrate in the very beginning at like 1/2in, all I know is it did not like it and did not web until it dried out at least partly.

Spiders are great at this. The key is to be a keen observer. Even the smallest of slings will take to climbing should you add a bit too much moisture in their enclosures or hover a water bottle cap if its gotten a bit too dry. Truly a hoot!

 

[Colorado Ts]

I'm going to be picking up a 3/4-1in GBB in a couple days and I've heard mixed info on their substrate requirements. My thought is I can go bone dry at this size with a water dish in a 16oz. Your thoughts?

Signs the enclosure is too moist for Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens sling:

1. sling climbs the sides of the enclosure and hangs out near the vent holes
2. sling looks to be in constant stress pose and refuses food or is a picky eater
3. sling stays off substrate and refuses to explore enclosure
4. sling refuses to web, or webs are minimal and poorly maintained

I brought in 5 slings and put them on damp substrate, above are my observations. I dried out the soil after 5 days and the slings behavior changed over night, they started eating and exploring and webbing.

I had one sling that remained stressed, so after a month, I completely re-did its enclosure and put it in a humid damp enclosure for a week and gradually let that enclosure dry out. That sling is doing much better, but is now in an enclosure on dry substrate.

If you observe the 4 queues listed above, your substrate is too wet and your sling will suffer.

Always include a water dish in the enclosure.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Well ventilated enclosure and moisten about 1/4 - 1/3 of the sub, once they hit 1.5" they can be kept on bone dry sub with a water dish. They can survive being kept bone dry right off the bat but I've seen several people run into issues keeping them like this so I personally wouldn't recommend it.

There's an documentary segment with Rick West on YouTube somewhere that shows them in their natural habitat (it's dubbed over in German, the English version was taken down), they live in a xeric environment but burrow under the bases of large shrubs for moisture and protection from the heat. Also, if I remember correctly, their habitat experiences episodic flooding.

 

[Colorado Ts]

Well ventilated enclosure and moisten about 1/4 - 1/3 of the sub, once they hit 1.5" they can be kept on bone dry sub with a water dish. They can survive being kept bone dry right off the bat but I've seen several people run into issues keeping them like this so I personally wouldn't recommend it.

There's an documentary segment with Rick West on YouTube somewhere that shows them in their natural habitat (it's dubbed over in German, the English version was taken down), they live in a xeric environment but burrow under the bases of large shrubs for moisture and protection from the heat. Also, if I remember correctly, their habitat experiences episodic flooding.

I would keep the newly hatched slings on moist substrate, but once they get to 3/4” to 1”, they do better on dry substrate.