Heteropoda Davidbowie sling question

[Ben Do]

I'm getting a heteropoda davidbowie within the week and I've done as much research as possible for them, but there still seems to be limited information about them (for slings at least). I know they're incredibly fast and can jump far even when tiny, but I was thinking more about what to feed it. I typically feed my T slings cricket legs or pre-killed food, but from what I gather hunstman spiders like to hunt rather than scavenge. I haven't tried fruit flies with my other slings, but would those be more appropriate or can they eat food left inside to find until they put on more size?

 

[Danzog]

Try using pinhead B lateralis.

 

[Liquifin]

Feeding huntsman slings are usually determine by the size of the spider. If it's smaller than 1/2'' then you're going to have to use flightless fruit flies until 1/2''+. Once they're past the 1/2'' I would try pin-head lateralis to see if they will take it. If not then feed it more flightless fruit flies until they're big enough to take pin-head lateralis.

 

[ReignofInvertebrates]

They’ll scavenge occasionally but that’s not a reliable option. They are sit-and-wait predators so movement is kind of required for them to find prey.

 

[NYAN]

You need flies.

 

[BenLeeKing]

I use fruit flies for young Heteropoda slings, that's the most reliable, if you have pin head lats or crickets then you can use those.

 

[CommanderBacon]

I got some TINY H davidbowies a few months ago and I picked up large fruit flies for them, which was nice because I used them for some of my super tiny dwarf slings, too. The H davidbowie slings were also eating freshly born baby crickets, but I didn't have easy access to those, but fortunately, the fruit flies lasted me long enough to allow me to transition the slings to baby mealworms. I turn their vials onto the side to give them easy access the baby mealworms or they won't hunt them, because the worms bury themselves the moment they hit the substrate.

When I rehouse the slings into their adult enclosures in one more molt, I will move them to larger prey items. My LPS has maggots now, which is awesome, so I'll be using those.

I also heard a number of cautionary tales from other keepers who mentioned that their H davidbowies bolted and vanished into their homes during feedings and rehousings, so I drilled a small hole into the lids of their vials and made a plug for them. That might be a little overkill, but I've been feeding them and watering them through that hole stress free since I got them and they seem to be doing fine.