Humidity and Burrowing Slings

Jeff23

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Jul 27, 2016
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I would like to get a clarification on application of moisture to substrate based on burrowing slings.

On several of my slings I was originally doing half and half where I let half of the substrate stay moist and don't touch the other half. However, I now have numerous slings that have burrowed with a blocked entrance (or entrance isn't visible). For most of them I don't know where they are located in the substrate and they haven't eaten in a few weeks. A few have covered their hide with substrate and their hide was in the dry zone. To compensate I have occasionally used my syringe to spray a little moisture down the wall on the dry side of the container. This is not enough to soak the whole substrate but creates extra moisture in the area for a day or two.

Will they search for the moisture under the substrate? Right now I am slightly safer probably because my geographic location is higher than average in humidity anyway. But winter usually brings much lower humidity levels for my area.

Some of my burrowing slings are as follows :
Euathlus Species 'Red'
Eupalaestrus Campestratus
Hapolopus Species Colombia Large Slings (moist side is slightly larger but doesn't get to the hide)
Grammostola pulchripes

All are in 5 oz deli cups except pulchripes (16 oz)

EDIT* I have very high ventilation on my containers (cross and top)
 

symbol

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Personally I would just keep the humidity gradient as it was before the slings burrowed and trust them to self-regulate as needed. However, I'm also a newb with very little hands-on experience, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
 

Andrea82

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With slings in closed up burrows, I make sure the (however tiny) waterdish is full, and keep the same routine as usual, wetting part of the substrate like you do, or simply overflowing the waterdish. They can find their optimal molting spot ;)
If there is a lot of ventilation, you probably need to apply moisture more often.
 

Jeff23

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With slings in closed up burrows, I make sure the (however tiny) waterdish is full, and keep the same routine as usual, wetting part of the substrate like you do, or simply overflowing the waterdish. They can find their optimal molting spot ;)
If there is a lot of ventilation, you probably need to apply moisture more often.
They either have a monopoly hotel or a 2.5 dram vial (pulchripes) for the water dish. It stays full.

I almost wish I had put all of my Euathlus Species 'Red' in a medicine vials. They are so tiny even in a 5 oz container. Strangely enough one of them is not burrowing and even climbs on top of its cork bark hide when it is hungry and detects me opening the lid.
 

viper69

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Euathlus Species 'Red'
Hapolopus Species Colombia Large Slings (moist side is slightly larger but doesn't get to the hide)
Grammostola pulchripes
I never worried about humidity for these at any point in the life cycle. I always provided a water bowl and did not moisten half the sub as many do.

Jeff if you have 1/4 to 1/3" slings, like your Red MAY be, put them in a condiment cup instead of a deli cup IF your Ts are having a hard time finding their prey. I find deli cups too large for such small slings regarding feeding.
 

cold blood

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When they burrow away to molt, they already have the basic moisture they need. Like viper, I wouldn't alter a thing just because its burrowed away.

I mean if theyre burrowed on the dry end, they did it on purpose, if they needed it moist they'd have burrowed on the other side.
 

Jeff23

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I never worried about humidity for these at any point in the life cycle. I always provided a water bowl and did not moisten half the sub as many do.

Jeff if you have 1/4 to 1/3" slings, like your Red MAY be, put them in a condiment cup instead of a deli cup IF your Ts are having a hard time finding their prey. I find deli cups too large for such small slings regarding feeding.
I have my "red"s in 5 oz cups currently which are fairly small but definitely much bigger than a condiment cup. Next time I probably will use condiment cups for T's this small.

I don't think there was a problem for them in finding food. Quite often they would almost touch the pre-kill and then turn the other direction. Then suddenly two cork bark hides started slowly disappearing under coco fiber along with the entrance. The third one seems to be eating well and has no interest in burrowing right now. Can the molts be this far apart on them if they came from the same sac? I got all of them from net-bug.
 

Jeff23

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When they burrow away to molt, they already have the basic moisture they need. Like viper, I wouldn't alter a thing just because its burrowed away.

I mean if theyre burrowed on the dry end, they did it on purpose, if they needed it moist they'd have burrowed on the other side.
Thanks for the advice.
I think a lot of the learning on T's is the patience game. Us humans are use to being constant hands on with animals or whatever. So when you do something and then you need to just stand back with patience it is a learning process to keep yourself out of the container. This is why it is good to have multiple T's.:D
 
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viper69

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I have my "red"s in 5 oz cups currently which are fairly small but definitely much bigger than a condiment cup. Next time I probably will use condiment cups for T's this small.

I don't think there was a problem for them in finding food. Quite often they would almost touch the pre-kill and then turn the other direction. Then suddenly two cork bark hides started slowly disappearing under coco fiber along with the entrance. The third one seems to be eating well and has no interest in burrowing right now. Can the molts be this far apart on them if they came from the same sac? I got all of them from net-bug.
What are the molt dates for all of them. There can be variability yes. In my experience, I've noticed variability among sacmates to be +/- 1-2 days. However, I have noticed greater variability as to when they will start eating more so than when they actually molt.

Across many different species, @Poec54 would be a good resource on that, so would @cold blood and others on here.
 
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