Is it really hard keeping slings??

[keeper1]

I have read many articles about sling care, but me seeing the humidity shite and hearing slings dying for no reason I get scared.. I dont want to lose my slings...so what is the most important thing I should do to make them live?

 

[Ungoliant]

I have read many articles about sling care, but me seeing the humidity shite and hearing slings dying for no reason I get scared.. I dont want to lose my slings...so what is the most important thing I should do to make them live?

I was initially wary of getting slings, but now that I have them, I see it’s not that hard. Just a little different from juveniles and adults.

The main difference between sling care and adult care is that sling always need some moisture, because they haven’t yet developed the waxy layer on their cuticle that prevents them from losing moisture through their cuticle. Once they develop this layer (1.5″ or so, maybe earlier for some arid species like GBB), you can transition to the adult moisture requirements.

To raise the humidity, just slightly dampen the substrate and limit ventilation. The easiest way to keep them is in condiment cups or small deli containers with holes poked for ventilation. (To prevent escape, make sure all holes are smaller than the tarantula’s carapace.)

I would offer a water dish if you can find one that fits in a smaller enclosure — the sling is not going to drown. If not, when it’s small enough to live in a condiment cup, dripping some water down the side is fine. If you’re running the heater, be sure to stay on top of the moisture level in the container, as it may dry out more quickly than you expect.

As for feeding, all of the usual safety precautions apply (for example, pre-crush a mealworm’s head). Some slings will take live prey, and you can offer something that is the size of the spider’s abdomen or smaller. If they are too timid to hunt, most will accept pre-killed prey. Just place all or part of a prey item in the container for the sling to find. Since the container will be slightly moist, you should remove any uneaten prey (or parts of prey) after a day to prevent mites and fungi from becoming established.

 

[keeper1]

I was initially wary of getting slings, but now that I have them, I see it’s not that hard. Just a little different from juveniles and adults.

The main difference between sling care and adult care is that sling always need some moisture, because they haven’t yet developed the waxy layer on their cuticle that prevents them from losing moisture through their cuticle. Once they develop this layer (1.5″ or so, maybe earlier for some arid species like GBB), you can transition to the adult moisture requirements.

To raise the humidity, just slightly dampen the substrate and limit ventilation. The easiest way to keep them is in condiment cups or small deli containers with holes poked for ventilation. (To prevent escape, make sure all holes are smaller than the tarantula’s carapace.)

I would offer a water dish if you can find one that fits in a smaller enclosure — the sling is not going to drown. If not, when it’s small enough to live in a condiment cup, dripping some water down the side is fine. If you’re running the heater, be sure to stay on top of the moisture level in the container, as it may dry out more quickly than you expect.

As for feeding, all of the usual safety precautions apply (for example, pre-crush a mealworm’s head). Some slings will take live prey, and you can offer something that is the size of the spider’s abdomen or smaller. If they are too timid to hunt, most will accept pre-killed prey. Just place all or part of a prey item in the container for the sling to find. Since the container will be slightly moist, you should remove any uneaten prey (or parts of prey) after a day to prevent mites and fungi from becoming established.

thanks will keep this in mind... hope our slings will survive till maximum lifespan

 

[Deb60]

I was initially wary of getting slings, but now that I have them, I see it’s not that hard. Just a little different from juveniles and adults.

The main difference between sling care and adult care is that sling always need some moisture, because they haven’t yet developed the waxy layer on their cuticle that prevents them from losing moisture through their cuticle. Once they develop this layer (1.5″ or so, maybe earlier for some arid species like GBB), you can transition to the adult moisture requirements.

To raise the humidity, just slightly dampen the substrate and limit ventilation. The easiest way to keep them is in condiment cups or small deli containers with holes poked for ventilation. (To prevent escape, make sure all holes are smaller than the tarantula’s carapace.)

I would offer a water dish if you can find one that fits in a smaller enclosure — the sling is not going to drown. If not, when it’s small enough to live in a condiment cup, dripping some water down the side is fine. If you’re running the heater, be sure to stay on top of the moisture level in the container, as it may dry out more quickly than you expect.

As for feeding, all of the usual safety precautions apply (for example, pre-crush a mealworm’s head). Some slings will take live prey, and you can offer something that is the size of the spider’s abdomen or smaller. If they are too timid to hunt, most will accept pre-killed prey. Just place all or part of a prey item in the container for the sling to find. Since the container will be slightly moist, you should remove any uneaten prey (or parts of prey) after a day to prevent mites and fungi from becoming established.

I was also thinking of getting some slings , what would be the best to start of with , at the moment I have one which is a Grammostola which I believe is an easy one to keep ?

 

[Ungoliant]

I was also thinking of getting some slings , what would be the best to start of with , at the moment I have one which is a Grammostola which I believe is an easy one to keep ?

I would mainly avoid arboreal slings (e.g., Avicularia and Caribena), as they tend to be more fragile.

As a beginner, you can consider a sling for any beginner species, such as Grammostola and Brachypelma. @EulersK made a great video highlighting some of the common beginner species.

Many beginner species are painfully slow growers, however, so you may want to skip to juveniles.

 

[keeper1]

I would mainly avoid arboreal slings (e.g., Avicularia and Caribena), as they tend to be more fragile.

As a beginner, you can consider a sling for any beginner species, such as Grammostola and Brachypelma. @EulersK made a great video highlighting some of the common beginner species.

Many beginner species are painfully slow growers, however, so you may want to skip to juveniles.

he made a nice intro there...

 

[Rob1985]

Slings can be difficult to care for.

Making sure you have a good balance of moisture/humidity, temperature and ventilation is important. This is often a skill easier learned through caring for a larger T.

 

[Andrea82]

he made a nice intro there...

He has lots of useful info in his other episodes, the series is called AraneAid.

If you want to raise a sling, i would go with a faster growing species, like C.cyaneopubescens ( or 'GBB') or a G.pulchripes.

 

[nicodimus22]

I started into the hobby with 1/4 inch slings, so I don't think they're hard to take care of at all. Like any animal, you should do research before you get one so that you know what it needs from you. Ungoliant really covered all the care already.

 

[Rob1985]

I started into the hobby with 1/4 inch slings, so I don't think they're hard to take care of at all. Like any animal, you should do research before you get one so that you know what it needs from you. Ungoliant really covered all the care already.

The problem is a lot of people don't do their research or they do their research and still kill the sling. I would never not suggest a sling for a newbie, but I started in the hobby with an adult T and was sure glad I learned about them first before jumping into a sling.

 

[Venom1080]

i got into slings after about 3 years of owning a few tarantulas. they were all arid species so the experience didnt really teach me much. i got a sling as a freebie(1/4" B albo) along with a P muticus and A versicolor (RIP). very easy to keep. i dont really see anything wrong with a beginner getting slings, keep them a little moist and prekill small crickets and mealies for them and theyre grow up in no time.

 

[Andrea82]

I'm not sure, but iirc, @keeper1 already has a T?
If yes, there is no reason to not get a sling, you just need to be careful picking a sling that is more bulletproof. Don't start with Avicularia (-Caribena) slings for example. The slings I mentioned in previous post are easy to keep and grow up.

Wow... .something went really wrong with our posts @Venom1080

 

[Stella Maris]

I have 4 tarantulas now and all of them are 1-2 inch slings. I would rather watch them grow up even if they do grow slowly. Slings are adorable who wouldn't want them?

 

[Andrea82]

I have 4 tarantulas now and all of them are 1-2 inch slings. I would rather watch them grow up even if they do grow slowly. Slings are adorable who wouldn't want them?

Nothing wrong with that either. It is just that getting a sling means the new owner will experiencing 'tricky' moments like molting, premolt, burrowing, refusing food or eating like a horse much more often than with a juvie or adult spider. Which can be good and fun, but also stressful and worrying. Add to it the fact that slings are more fragile and it can be just added stress.

 

[Venom1080]

Wow... .something went really wrong with our posts @Venom1080

what happened?

 

[Andrea82]

what happened?

!
A glitch in the Matrix....i saw our text before....oh no!

Nah, probably some bug in the forum software or something, or my connection went wild again.

 

[smitje]

To me slings are not all that easy. Keeping several of the same species, one died on me the rest is fine. No clue why, same feeding schedule, everything, but still. I did have one drowning in a cokebottle cap (S. crassipes, looked like a crime scene, belly down legs spread). Especially the smallest slings, really fragile and they just need more care. You need to prekill their food and most of the time they leave half of it (which molts) and you have to clean after them. Not a problem ofcourse but they do need that little extra care and bring their own issues.

Im not getting anything under few centimeters anymore.

 

[darkness975]

With the abundance of people who give their slings pre-killed prey I have to ask if anyone actually gives them live prey like they would get in nature?

 

[Stella Maris]

My A. seemani sling (1.5 inch) will gladly take live crickets when I feed him once a week.

My B. baumgarteni is skittish and so far will only take pre-killed prey. My two newest additions I haven't attempted to feed yet.

 

[Andrea82]

With the abundance of people who give their slings pre-killed prey I have to ask if anyone actually gives them live prey like they would get in nature?

If i have prey small enough, I offer live food. S.lateralis nymphs or small mealworms. It is extremely gratifying to see an A.geniculata of 0,5cm DLS wrestle with a roach and winning