How do you water a spiderling without escape?

[Bugmom]

I think the L. parahybana and the H. maculata slings got to chatting in their shipping box, and decided to pull a prank on me, cause Pogo (the Togo) is playing possum, and the LP is running laps around her* vial. She hasn't stopped moving since I got her; in fact, at first I thought I got an empty vial as she outsmarted me and ran out of the vial and onto the backside of the paper towel as I was pulling it out. Then when I went to mist tonight (stupid desert climate), she made a mad dash out of the vial, across my hand, onto the floor, and attempted to run under my bathroom cabinet. I was prepared with a catch cup though and she's (unhappily) back in her vial.

So obviously I have to open the lid at some point to mist. How do I minimize escape chances with something so small and so fast? I searched and came up with a suggestion to use a small syringe to inject water, has that worked well for anyone? The less I have to open that lid, the better. The H. mac is in one of Jamie's reverse spiderling enclosure kits so I can water through the screen..... right? ::

*I just picked a gender, seems nicer than saying "it."

 

[S2000]

Water the H. Mac through the mesh. Maybe you should consider upgrading the LP's enclosure?

 

[Bugmom]

I had an enclosure for her, but after seeing her speed, I decided against it, as it still requires opening a lid all the way. Until her new one gets here (same one as the H. mac, unless anyone else has a better suggestion), I will have to mist the vial once a day (thank you New Mexico climate) unless I really soak it.

 

[grayzone]

what kind of vial is the Lp in? it should be fine eventually. It will likely start burrowing (assuming its a tiny sling) so just cracking the vial a bit to spray in will suffice. It should prove to be pretty easy actually

 

[Bugmom]

Very tiny sling. Same vial it came in, I just added some substrate. I thought it would burrow too, but nooooo, it wants to hang out. Maybe I'll wake up and it'll be all cozy in a burrow *fingers crossed*

what kind of vial is the Lp in? it should be fine eventually. It will likely start burrowing (assuming its a tiny sling) so just cracking the vial a bit to spray in will suffice. It should prove to be pretty easy actually

 

[jwlp]

LP slings are damn fast. I learned that the hard way when re-housing. I won't underestimate them again.

 

[Scoolman]

I have my Lp slings, 4i, in 2oz deli cups. I loosen the lid and prop it just enough to slip the tip of wash bottle into the cup and drip some water into the sub (I do not mist, evaporates too fast and spooks the T). They are fast, but i don't seem to have any trouble with them running out.
I have 13 of them, and only two have made any attempt at burrowing, and they are half hearted burrows at that.

 

[charm271]

What you do is trade your tiny fast slings for fat lazy ones. :biggrin:

Syringes should be in every tarantula keepers toolkit. Absolutely required if a taranrula is seriously dehydrated and can't drink on its own. What you want to look for is "irrigation" syringes, some irrigation syringes have bendable tips which may be handy in your case. If you need a syringe with a long tip (3+ inches) look under spinal tap syringes. Generally you want to look for some with a blunt tip and larger gauge (16 - 18). You can put the syringe through air holes or vents. If your vents/air holes are very small you will need a smaller gauge needle obviously (26 - 30).

 

[Bugmom]

Yeah. Still no burrowing. I've got syringes here at home I can use until I work something else out.

 

[madamoisele]

Use a needle to squirt water along the inside of the enclosure walls.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... Then when I went to mist tonight (stupid desert climate), ...

... So obviously I have to open the lid at some point to mist. ...

MISTING? People are still MISTING?

That's SOOooo 20th Century! As others have responded there are so many better ways to do the job. But, I'm concerned that you have to hydrate the substrate so often. Too much ventilation? Not enough substrate to hold moisture?

I particularly like the idea propounded by someone else: A 5 to 10 ml hypodermic syringe with a short, # 15 or #16 needle. It should fit through one of the ventilation holes in the lid nicely.

Enjoy your flighty, little, 8-legged, speed demon!

 

[obtenthusiast]

I rehome all my slings into glad containers I drill small holes around the inside of the rim and just water the container top it drips down after a few min

 

[Bugmom]

It's the climate here in southeastern New Mexico. "Humidity" is not a word we are familiar with. I've even got them in my bathroom, which is the most humid room in the house. No more ventilation than anyone else seems to use (and the H. mac is in an actual spiderling enclosure).

I don't have this issue in the adult Ts tank, but she has a water bowl I refill weekly.

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[le-thomas]

From what I've learned, the issue isn't humidity, but the amount of water stored in the tarantulas epicuticle (incorrect term?). So, you don't need to worry so much about the humidity, but the amount of moisture. Humidity is very plastic in the natural habitat of a tarantula and varies a lot. For spiderlings, though, this moisture is much more important and must be consistent (as I'm sure you're aware). Just wet down the substrate and, possibly, decrease ventilation.

 

[Jared781]

Here is how i water all my Ts without taking of the lid.

i use a Utility Syringe:: Pic <----

and use it too squirt water through the holes and into the dish... it even works for the Ts which have the smallest drilled holes, a utility Syringe is a must have because not only it serves the purpose of "watering" but its also very useful when dealing with an Injured and/or Dehydrated T!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo885LhI4qo <--- as Rob C Demostrates

I just found another funtion.. you can also use to squirt water in front of the T to determine if its ready to eat or not, as it will attack the stream of water if enough time has passed since the recent molt.

 

[Deftones90]

I use eye droppers I bought from walgreens.

 

[2oCHEVYo0]

I find the best ways to keep them from escaping when watering is to open container very slowly and spray slowly, or you could just smash it with a hammer. While it would be very dead, it would also lack the proper motor skills to escape again. I would go with first choice though

 

[jarmst4]

My slings always dart down when I open the lid. You'll have a stubborn one every now and then, but it's not that hard to get them to go down. Then I just spray the lid and put it back on. Keeps them from teleporting if you spray them. But, I always use those amac containers for slings, which leaves plenty of room on the lid to spray in.

 

[Stan Schultz]

From what I've learned, the issue isn't humidity, but the amount of water stored in the tarantulas epicuticle (incorrect term?). ...

Close, Colonel, but no cigar!

The tarantula's epicuticle possesses a layer of a waxy substance that effectively waterproofs the tarantula. Not only will the tarantula not become wet from the outside, but it also prevents loss of internal water. Baby tarantulas develop the wax-like layer at about their fourth or fifth instar (I think). Thus, before that time they are at great risk of dehydrating and dying if kept in a situation where the relative humidity is allowed to go too low. After about that time, tarantulas are pretty much impervious to low humidity. But, it's not that simple. There are limitations and exceptions to the basic rule. Read Relative Humidity... for a more complete discussion of the issue.

Perhaps, "water stored in the tarantulas epicuticle" in the sense that the water is stored within the tarantula's body tissues and enclosed by the exoskeleton (of which the epicuticle is one layer), but not within the epicuticle itself.

... It's the climate here in southeastern New Mexico. "Humidity" is not a word we are familiar with. ...

I've been in Roswell many times. One of my favorite stops is at the Dairy Queen on N. Main near the military academy for a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. (An addiction is a terrible thing!) I also enjoy the UFO museum, stopping there every chance I get.

Yes, it's dry there, but not THAT dry! During cold weather when the furnace is working, my home is at least as arid as yours!

You shouldn't have to water it any more often than you need to feed it. Here is a photo of some ways to house baby tarantulas. (Click or right-click the thumbnail to see a larger image.)



Note that the containers are up to half full of peat, and it's kept damp, not soggy. It also often dried out pretty much for a few days before I could get around to rehydrating it, with little harm to the tarantulas. They're survivors! Also note that there are only a few small holes in the covers.

... I've even got them in my bathroom, which is the most humid room in the house. No more ventilation than anyone else seems to use (and the H. mac is in an actual spiderling enclosure).
...
I don't have this issue in the adult Ts tank, but she has a water bowl I refill weekly....

It would be most helpful if you could post a set of photos of the individual containers and the general setup. A few cell phones take pretty decent pictures but most are incapable of focusing well enough. Use a better camera if possible, maybe borrowing one from a family member or friend if necessary. Focus is very important.

Besides, "We LUVS pichers!"

 

[Bugmom]

I prefer the DQ on the west side, but that's closer to home.

Know where the little LP hangs out? Upsidedown on the lid. Brat.

Pogo likes the top back corner, until I walk in then he scurries down and hides. I need to glue his piece of bark in there for him.

They were both tossed in their containers on my lunch break Monday as I didn't get the tracking number to say they'd shipped and was totally unprepared when they showed up. Getting them properly set up is on my Saturday agenda.

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