LOST: GBB

[Conna]

So... Few weeks back I made a post on here about my GBB sling. I purchased a "Beginner Package" from a recommended online dealer that came with the habitat, substrate, small peice of bark, and the sling. Things were going great over the past few weeks and I was loving watching this thing web up the enclosure.


Here is the sad news:

Got off from work and came home immediately went to checkout my T and see how it was doing and noticed it wasn't out in the open... fearing the worse I picked up the enclosure and kinda looked around didn't see any evidence of it or under its hiding spots. Well...being a frantic first time owner I decided to slowly sift the substrate just to ease my mind that it was in fact still in the habitat... well..... it wasn't. The little 3/4in-1in sling had crawled out of the pre drilled hole on the habitat that I was sent as a starter kit. I will attach a picture of the sling and the size of the hole it crawled out of. FeelsBadMan. I tore apart the closet it was in and it is GONE. I don't know what to do now besides keep looking. Is this thing most likely going to be crawling down low somewhere or should I be searching in high places? Any tips? Besides never buy a starter kit for a sling and not realize the hole was to big

 

[Ungoliant]

I would try to seal off the room where he was kept so that your search area is as small as possible.

Besides that, there isn't much you can do but keep looking.

 

[Trenor]

Yeah, that hole is bigger than I would use for a sling that small. Always check the enclosure when you get the T. I've had to quickly put together new enclosures when the slings arrived because they were smaller then I thought they would be.

Sorry to hear it got out. Maybe you can find it but at that size it's unlikely. Good luck.

 

[user 666]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.

Can I ask who was the vendor?

 

[Jason B]

I gonna be honest with you, I've had two 4 inch spiders escape, and I didn't find either one of them until 1-2 months later and one was just hanging on my bathroom wall and the other strolled across my living room. A spider that size can really be anywhere, if your lucky maybe it will do some webbing.

 

[Trenor]

I gonna be honest with you, I've had two 4 inch spiders escape, and I didn't find either one of them until 1-2 months later and one was just hanging on my bathroom wall and the other strolled across my living room. A spider that size can really be anywhere, if your lucky maybe it will do some webbing.

At that size, I doubt it'll live long thought GBBs are hardy Ts. Unless it can find food and water.

 

[Conna]

Yeah, that hole is bigger than I would use for a sling that small. Always check the enclosure when you get the T. I've had to quickly put together new enclosures when the slings arrived because they were smaller then I thought they would be.

Sorry to hear it got out. Maybe you can find it but at that size it's unlikely. Good luck.

As this is my first T/Sling I wasn't really sure exactly what size hole was going to be to big for it. I guess I was to confident that it was all good to go out of the box. I did email the vendor after receiving it to verify that only 1 hole was enough ventilation for it. The reply I got was that the 1 hole would maintain some humitidy for it and would be just fine but if I wanted to add more holes I could on the side. It didn't cross my mind that the one hole was to big.
I guess I learned the hard way.

 

[Conna]

I would try to seal off the room where he was kept so that your search area is as small as possible.

Besides that, there isn't much you can do but keep looking.

It was kept in a closet which I literally took everything out and searched... Unless it crawled down on the floor off the shelf and out of the closet. Must have an explorer! Boo. I will keep looking

 

[Jason B]

Well that dealer gave you some pretty terrible advice, a) 1 hole is some terrible ventilation and this is a species that lives in an arid area and doesn't really require humidity. On top of this they had to have some idea that the whole in the enclosure they sold you was big enough for the sling they also sold you to get out of. I wish you luck in finding it and if you do get a deli cup to house it in until it grows and you can add more ventilation.

 

[Ungoliant]

I'm glad you posted this thread, because it reaffirms a recent enclosure decision I made. Not long ago, I set up a new enclosure for my Acanthoscurria geniculata sling with larger holes for better ventilation. Then I looked at the holes and the spider, and that made me nervous. I couldn't be 100% sure that the spider couldn't fit through the holes, so I erred on the side of caution and drilled smaller holes into a second enclosure.

As this is my first T/Sling I wasn't really sure exactly what size hole was going to be to big for it.

For future reference, you want to make sure that any holes are smaller than the tarantula's carapace. (The abdomen, even a fat one, is more flexible and can be squeezed through surprisingly small spaces.)

While looking for the escape video above, I found a video with tips. Finding a sling is a long shot, but any chance is better than a 0% chance.

 

[Conna]

I have 2 cats roaming around my apartment I really hope one of them doesn't find it first or get sick from eating it This is a nightmare. Not to mention my wife is freaking out first month of me owning a T and it's loose somewhere.
I am not sure what the rules are on here about posting dealers names so I went ahead and posted anonymous so it didn't immediately become a dealer flaming thread.

HOWEVER. I DO NOT want this to happen to someone else who happens to buy the "Beginner Package" thinking everything is ready to go out of the package. I would hate to have another T get lost.
I want to see what the response is to my email. I sent a picture of the hole and my empty enclosure

 

[Conna]

I'm glad you posted this thread, because it reaffirms a recent enclosure decision I made. Not long ago, I set up a new enclosure for my Acanthoscurria geniculata sling with larger holes for better ventilation. Then I looked at the holes and the spider, and that made me nervous. I couldn't be 100% sure that the spider couldn't fit through the holes, so I erred on the side of caution and drilled smaller holes into a second enclosure.




For future reference, you want to make sure that any holes are smaller than the tarantula's carapace. (The abdomen, even a fat one, is more flexible and can be squeezed through surprisingly small spaces.)

While looking for the escape video above, I found a video with tips. Finding a sling is a long shot, but any chance is better than a 0% chance.

Thanks for this. I will be making my own enclosures from now on and will only use tiny holes for any slings I get.

 

[Conna]

This was the response to my email about the escape

"
Hi there. Please get with me tomorrow afternoon and we will work something out.

Don't worry. Have a good night. "

 

[Python]

That seems a rather lazy reply. It doesn't sound very responsible for a dealer to have such a casual attitude. I wonder if they have any plans on correcting their methods. Seems to me that they could have at least apologize for the trouble or show some concern or something.

 

[Jason B]

I wouldn't worry about your cats and a 1 inch gbb sling, its not like this is a pokie or obt or something with medically significant venom. Theres videos of cats playing with ow tarantulas as they would a mouse, cats are predators if they run into your sling it most likely won't survive but the cat will be fine. There is a section on the forum for posting reviews of vendors, see what there willing to do to make it right, then post a honest review of the same situation.

 

[Conna]

That seems a rather lazy reply. It doesn't sound very responsible for a dealer to have such a casual attitude. I wonder if they have any plans on correcting their methods. Seems to me that they could have at least apologize for the trouble or show some concern or something.

This is exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Jason B]

That seems a rather lazy reply. It doesn't sound very responsible for a dealer to have such a casual attitude. I wonder if they have any plans on correcting their methods. Seems to me that they could have at least apologize for the trouble or show some concern or something.

I agree though that whole enclosure with one hole states as fine but you can drill more is also pretty lazy, if thats also an Arboreal 'starter' its an avic death trap. When I was 7 and I caught spiders in my yard with a glass jar/metal lid. I provided more ventilation for them then that starter enclosure.

 

[GreyPsyche]

You ordered them from fear not tarantulas didn't you? I ordered the same package, I used the same enclosure but only for a day because I didn't have a better one. I knew from looking at it that it sucked. It's kind of a way to make money off us beginners. It's a nice enclosure but it's too big for a tiny sling like that plus the one hole thing is crap. I've bought all my Ts from them and although I love the Ts and the woman running it was fairly kind and very concerned about them making the journey. I kinda got annoyed by her lack luster answers to a question my girlfriend asked her about the last time they molted. Her answer made me wonder if they're just a seller and not an actual breeder because she said that the molt dates are included in the packages but only if they molt in their care...

I don't know, I like them but I'm kinda put off at the same time. I may try other sellers.

 

[viper69]

Who was the vendor, did I miss that info?

Not knowing who the vendor is doesn't help anyone out at all. If the vendor is known to us then the next person can at least ask if the hole's have been changed etc.

 

[GreyPsyche]

Look up at my reply, I think it's the same vendor I used as I have what looks like exactly the same enclosure from them with the one hole. Also I had a rosehair stick her leg out of that hole on her first day in the enclosure. She didn't spend much longer in it.