I'm not one for fossorials to be honest but the more and more I look into H.gigas I find myself more and more tempted. My main query is (and this is purely hypothetical as I'm not averse to rehousing) wouldn't it be better to give slings a fairly large enclosure from the offset given the rate of growth and the fact they will just keep extending their burrow rather than creating a new one with each re house? Has anyone ever tried or heard of it before?
H.gigas slings
- Thread starter Fossa
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dopamine
Arachnobaron
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- Feb 7, 2010
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Great species!!! I had a full size female once and regret ever selling her 
Very pretty spider.
Very pretty spider.
I think the main reason for not giving slings a large enclosure is they might not be able to find their food, and/or you might lose them in the enclosure and can´t keep an eye on them. Also, the sling might feel unsafe, unsecure in a large enclosure. Personally, I think it´s possible to compensate for the not finding food part, by placing an (incapacitated if necessary) cricket right near the sling. Also, if it's a burrowing species, it's just gonna stay in it's burrow most of the time and expand on it as it grows. So I don't really see the problem with putting a sling in an enclosure to 'grow into' if you're willing to do what's necessary to accomodate the sling.
Especially if it's a spider you'd dread rehousing (OBT, S.calceatum, H.gigas, Poeci's...) you could put it in a larger enclosure.
That's what I'd do anyway, but I've only had puppy dog T's
Especially if it's a spider you'd dread rehousing (OBT, S.calceatum, H.gigas, Poeci's...) you could put it in a larger enclosure.
That's what I'd do anyway, but I've only had puppy dog T's
spiderengineer
Arachnoangel
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yes, but their is some things you need to consider. the whole too big to find food is a bit misleading, because in the wild they have a so much more open space and they seem to thrive
. also since most just direct the food to the T or ensure they are fed it tends to be a mute point about never finding food. another thing to consider is making sure a large tank is escape proof for the sling which can be a difficult thing to do. the real reason why people don't do it is space. I mean a sling could take a year maybe more before they could be considered ready to rehome them in a large enclosure. so if you a hobbyist like me who has alot of burrowers that kind of space would be going to waste when i could use it to have more slings the whole too big to find food is a bit misleading, because in the wild they have a so much more open space and they seem to thrive
the real reason why people don't do it is space. I mean a sling could take a year maybe more before they could be considered ready to rehome them in a large enclosure. so if you a hobbyist like me who has alot of burrowers that kind of space would be going to waste when i could use it to have more slings
Yeah i've never really seen the not finding food thing as a big problem really..if they're hungry they'll find it lol. I think space wise i would probably use something suitable to last up to about 4" - 4.5" DLS before the move up to final enclosure. I just think it would be less stressful than digging them up all the time lol but yeah I understand your reasoning about space lol my (wifey approved) allocated space for T's in the reptile room is steadily extending to every available spot lol.... I wonder if i can start mounting tanks on the wall??? lol
Poec54
Arachnoemperor
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Hysterocrates are enthusiastic feeders, they should find anything to eat in a reasonable-sized cage. I've bred Hysterocrates in the past, great spiders. The mothers kill food and drop it for their young to feed on. It's amazing that a mother, with her babies all round the cage and even climbing on her, can detect and kill crickets, without injuring one of her own offspring. If fed well, the young can be kept together for months.
spiderengineer
Arachnoangel
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your right it would be less stressful. thats why I limit the amount of rehouse as much as possible. I do things like find decent containers that can hold the T for a couple of molts. another thing I do is only change out the substrate unless I can not control a mold problem. but at the end of the day its all about how much room you are working with.
ladyspidercorn
Arachnopeon
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- Jul 25, 2024
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Hey. I am a breeder from South Africa. I have done alot of breedings and egg sac pulling ect, but for the first time I finally got a MF H.gigas and I paired her with a MM that I had Already. She dropped a nice sized sac it's almost time for me to pull the sac. I just wanted to know if maybe someone could tell me +/- how many slings I can expect?
Normally I would point someone to the breeding reports (after a quick search myself), but no one has posted that data point in any of them! There are a few pictures in older posts though.
Found this comment by someone reputable though!
Hysterocrates gigas cameroon true form breeding reports
Hi I am looking for a Hysterocrates gigas cameroon breeding report that contains egg sac size and amout of slings produced :-) thanks in advance
arachnoboards.com
ladyspidercorn
Arachnopeon
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Thank you so much
. I am then going to try to make a post about the amount of slings with pics and everything.
I attached a pic with her and the egg sac.
Attachments
Look at herThank you so much
I attached a pic with her and the egg sac.
You’ll want to make a completely new post for that, and if you want to write up a breeding report, there’s a whole section for that. I do believe you need to request permission to post one there but the mods are quick.
I couldn’t find a breeding report or egg count for another species I did myself but was able to get a good idea by finding counts for other species in the genus. Even still I was surprised with an extra ~160 slings. Have fun drilling sling pots!!!!