Help on feeding slings

[MardyBum]

I have a newly acquired Avicularia avicularia sling, and I'm thinking it's time for it to have a bite to eat. I took a cricket, cut it in half, and dropped it in its vial. Is this correct? What else should I have done or should do? How long before I take it out if it doesn't eat? Thanks

 

[JC]

You should wait about 7-14 days for the sling to settle in before feeding it (preferably allow it to web a bit). A good reason why you should allow it to web first is because they are more aware of things on and around their webbing, so a food item on the webbing is more easily picked up then putting it elsewhere. Also Avics don't like going down onto the the ground for food unless they see it moving. I think the Avic in your pic could take down a small cricket easily.You should take the dead cricket out about 14 hours after dropping it in.

 

[MardyBum]

Thanks JC for the thorough response. I also have another question regarding a B. smithi. I placed a live cricket in her container, (she's about 1.5, closer to 2") and she seems to think nothing of it. Should I also wait for her to settle in and relax before feeding? And should I take this cricket out as well?

 

[8by8]

I have had problems with mold if I do the chopped cricket thing. They ate the pieces, but I think the juices made the sub. mold. I always try to feed my slings live crickets that are the right size. Cant tell you how many times I have held crickets up to the glass to compair to a T. Your B. smithi may be in premolt. If my T's dont eat within a few hours I always take it out, no longer than 12 hours for me.

 

[cacoseraph]

i pretty much only feed out prekilled and just about always feed stuff the first day/night it is in its new container


if you only live feed i guess i could see a spider getting annoyed... but they are kind of top of the stack predators so they can handle themselves. of course, you don't actually know what periodof intermolt the spider is in, so i guess if you are trying to figure that out i could see it as a reason to wait


but i only dead feed, so i don't.

if you dead feed you have to take remains or uneatens out. if it is a drier cage you usually got like 2 days... maybe just one day. if it is a wetter cage you rarely have even one whole day safely

 

[TalonAWD]

i pretty much only feed out prekilled and just about always feed stuff the first day/night it is in its new container


if you only live feed i guess i could see a spider getting annoyed... but they are kind of top of the stack predators so they can handle themselves. of course, you don't actually know what periodof intermolt the spider is in, so i guess if you are trying to figure that out i could see it as a reason to wait


but i only dead feed, so i don't.

if you dead feed you have to take remains or uneatens out. if it is a drier cage you usually got like 2 days... maybe just one day. if it is a wetter cage you rarely have even one whole day safely

+1 I agree. I usually feed the first day its in its new home. Usually 2 hours after its in. If you can get really small crickets than toss it in with one of their hind legs taken off (this is my style when I use to feed crickets) I remove one hind leg so it has a less advantage of jumping correctly. Removing both makes the cricket walk funny and i want the cricket to at least make itself a target.
Remains and/or prekills can mold in a moist/humid container very rapidly.

 

[Kathy]

My avics were this size (maybe even a little smaller) and I fed them all a cricket the first day - they snatched it with no problem and ate right away. Just use the little tiny crickets - it won't be a problem. I've always fed mine right away after arriving. My chaco went crazy nuts and almost took my hand with it...:razz:

 

[SpiderLady79]

fruit flys

I don't know if you have them in your area but I was told to feed my slings pin heads and that made me very weary so I found at our LPS fruit flies. I thought no way Will my slings (LP's) be able to catch and eat those well I was wrong and my baby's loved them. I don't know if this helps or not but it worked really well for me

 

[Moose9]

I have always fed my slings within 12-48 hrs of receiving. I feed all my 300+ slings roach nymphs. If the roach is bigger then the sling, I pre-kill or disable with tweezers. By the next feeding there gone. I use N. cinerea nymphs for my arboreal slings, since they climb, the sling gets it right away.

If you find your tarantula not eating at all, chances are its in pre-molt. And although you shouldn't feed prey any larger than the length of the tarantulas abdomen, if there hungry, they'll take down prey the same size of themselves. All said has been my experience raising slings of various sizes.