I think she finally ate!

babyjtwizt

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Have had my Euathlus sp. red sling since Tuesday and I think she finally ate. Killed a roach for her and left it... now ... I can't find it at all. She didn't touch the last one I killed, but I replaced it with a new one and it's gone. She seems calm now. occasionally she is in a hole but lately she has been chilling out in the open. I guess I will try to feed her a fruit fly later.. either tonight or tomorrow night? Sooo glad she is ok after all the chaos my first day with her. As far as how I keep her enclosure... I keep a tiny bit less than half the substrate damp.. it is the side with her water dish... then once a day I spray the top to the deli cup with water before putting it back on. Anything else I should be doing? I have researched as much as possible so I hope I am doing everything right.
 

Vanessa

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I find that my two Euathlus sp. Red spiderlings are picky eaters compared to other spiderlings. They don't eat as much or as regularly. You might want to hold off for a couple more days so you aren't having to dig uneaten prey out all the time.
I never spray anyone, it stresses them out and is not the best way to provide moisture or drinking water. I take a syringe and trickle a tiny bit of water down the side every few days. Although spiderlings need a bit more moisture, especially when they are about to moult or just moulted, it sounds as if your spiderling is getting far too much water added to their enclosure. These are a species who do better in drier conditions. They don't need to be sprayed and they don't need it daily. You are asking for trouble - mould and stagnant air mostly. That is not good for anyone.
 

Andrea82

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+1 to above post.
My Euathlus sling is 1cm DLS, I have a tiny waterdish in its container. I never spray it, i make sure it has fresh water, and ONCE a WEEK i lightly dribble some water down the side. Maybe twice now the central heating is on, and things dry quicker.

I'm not sure if this is a trait in this genus, but my sling tends to drag its prekilled half mealworm to its burrow, and leaves it there, or buries it. At first i thought it was just eating very well :D , but no, anything uneaten gets a proper burial :p
 

Vanessa

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You are not alone, @Andrea82, one of my two does the exact same thing. Good thing he has his burrow on the side so I can see the remains and grab them with tweezers.
 

babyjtwizt

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Thanx! I wasn't misting her.. i would only hold the lid in my hand and spray the lid before replacing it. I would never mist her directly. But i will stop doing that as often and refrain from dampening half of the substrate. I guess i thought i needed to do that because it is VERY dry in my house... it even effects us humans quite a bit how dry it is. I did decide to wait a while before more food too.
 

viper69

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Spraying a lid is misting too! There is no need to wait on food. Feed as often as they will eat. They do not need a diet program.

Some people dampen sub, I have found no value in this approach for this species. However there is no harm in doing a damp spot.
 

Vanessa

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Spraying a lid is misting too! There is no need to wait on food. Feed as often as they will eat. They do not need a diet program.

Some people dampen sub, I have found no value in this approach for this species. However there is no harm in doing a damp spot.
I suggested that they maybe hold off a couple of days on the food because she only fed them yesterday and mentioned that she was going to feed them again today. I don't put my spiderlings on a diet program either, but feeding them two days in a row is probably going to end up with digging around to get uneaten prey out of the container.
 

viper69

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but feeding them two days in a row is probably going to end up with digging around to get uneaten prey out of the container.
I must be missing something. What's your point?

It's a personal decision to feed or wait to be honest assuming the abdomen is reasonably sized.

I'd feed it, but those are my Ts hah. I would be worried about the length of time she has owned that sling as a reason to wait.

When I receive slings, I feed them all the day they arrive within a couple of hours. I've only had 2 ever refuse to eat. I think shipping stirs up their metabolism.
 

babyjtwizt

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well either way, damp or not, misting or not, feeding or waiting... I am working hard to do what is right by my T. It may take some time to get it right and I pray I don't kill it because I will feel horrible, but I am doing my best to care for it. There are a lot of conflicting opinions and deciphering which to follow is tricky. Blaze is looking good though. and made herself another hole lol. I think i check in on her like 5 times a day. I am tempted to hold or touch her, but I won't. I know handling is not ideal. she is just sooo cute.
 

viper69

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well either way, damp or not, misting or not, feeding or waiting... I am working hard to do what is right by my T. It may take some time to get it right and I pray I don't kill it because I will feel horrible, but I am doing my best to care for it. There are a lot of conflicting opinions and deciphering which to follow is tricky. Blaze is looking good though. and made herself another hole lol. I think i check in on her like 5 times a day. I am tempted to hold or touch her, but I won't. I know handling is not ideal. she is just sooo cute.
If you feed it well, keep at about 72-75F, and it's male, it will likely mature in about 1.5 yrs. If not, then you'll have a female. They are reported to be slow growers, but I have not observed this with males, only females. Males grow surprisingly fast I think.

No one knows their lifespan to my knowledge, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's 20 yrs based on their growth rate.
 

Andrea82

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well either way, damp or not, misting or not, feeding or waiting... I am working hard to do what is right by my T. It may take some time to get it right and I pray I don't kill it because I will feel horrible, but I am doing my best to care for it. There are a lot of conflicting opinions and deciphering which to follow is tricky. Blaze is looking good though. and made herself another hole lol. I think i check in on her like 5 times a day. I am tempted to hold or touch her, but I won't. I know handling is not ideal. she is just sooo cute.
If it is true to its Euathlus nature, it will at some point handle you ;)
My 1cm dls sling occasionally walks right up to me when feedinh or watering, totally ignoring both, and just scuttles on my hand to sit there. No running, no flicking or hiding, just sitting. It will come to you in time ;)

And concerning the conflicting information, take two opposites, and aim for the middle ground. :)
 

Venom1080

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I suggested that they maybe hold off a couple of days on the food because she only fed them yesterday and mentioned that she was going to feed them again today. I don't put my spiderlings on a diet program either, but feeding them two days in a row is probably going to end up with digging around to get uneaten prey out of the container.
i feed my slings every day till they go into premolt. it just helps them grow quicker.
 

viper69

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If it is true to its Euathlus nature, it will at some point handle you
So very true. They show no fear. Including walking out the container and potentially falling if the owner isn't paying attention. Once the lid open, you just can't turn your back on them heheh.
 

babyjtwizt

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So very true. They show no fear. Including walking out the container and potentially falling if the owner isn't paying attention. Once the lid open, you just can't turn your back on them heheh.
She cant crawl up the side.. too smooth so I dont have to worry too much... but still... i keep an eye on her once its open
 

babyjtwizt

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If it is true to its Euathlus nature, it will at some point handle you ;)
My 1cm dls sling occasionally walks right up to me when feedinh or watering, totally ignoring both, and just scuttles on my hand to sit there. No running, no flicking or hiding, just sitting. It will come to you in time ;)

And concerning the conflicting information, take two opposites, and aim for the middle ground. :)
Even though I am dealing with my fear and i think she is totally cute... i really cant hold her... still too scared for that. Even as a sling. Im scared if i hold her she may bite... or she may scurry away and i lose her... she is a bit skittish. If i lost her... i would DIE. Because i know she will grow into something scary and i wont know where she is. I have moved her around her enclosure with a paint brush only. She has yet to seem pissed about it... but she is definitely skittish. As a sling i am still a lil fearful... no idea what she will be like on my fear scale once she is bigger. I cant IMAGINE holding her then.
 

Andrea82

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I think your fear will actually be a good thing when it comes to dealing with the sling. You're cautious and careful from the start, which is a good trait when keeping T's. I think you'll do fine. ;)
There is actually a therapist working with T's on here, who came for advice on care. Maybe she can be of assistance.
@spidertherapy78
Maybe you can give some tips and tricks ;)
 
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