Moving with tarantulas/possible sling rehouse

[Remington]

Hi everybody,
I'm aware that other threads about this already exist, but I wanted to get some help more pertinent to my specific situation.
My questions are twofold:

1) I am moving back to college in a couple of days and I will be taking my 3/4" B hamorii sling with me. I am wondering what the safest way to transport her in the car would be. It's a 3-4 hour drive depending on traffic, temperature is not a concern as I live in a very mild climate. I still have the vial I received her in.

2) I am trying to decide whether to rehouse her before I leave or not. I have her juvenile enclosure already, a 4x5x3 inch acrylic box with a sliding lid. I know this is generally considered too large for a sling this size, but I am thinking about rehousing her early for a couple of reasons.
> the current enclosure is made of plastic. It is cracked and lacking adequate ventilation (it has some, but not much, and I don't currently have the means to create more holes).
> I prefer the sliding lid over the current one I have. I am very anxious about this sling escaping into my dorm room and getting lost or hurt. She's my only tarantula so naturally she's my little buddy and I love her very much. She can be skittish. The sliding lid with magnetic lock would make me feel a lot more secure feeding and watering her in my dorm. I would only have to open the lid a small crack. This also gives me room for a larger water dish, meaning I can open her enclosure less often to refill.
> I don't want to rehouse her while I'm at college if at all possible. Preferably I wouldn't have to take her out of the enclosure at all. Placing her in a larger enclosure now while I'm at home ensures that she'll be kept safer in the future.
If the cons outweigh the pros, I will definitely keep her in her current enclosure. It's just something I'm considering.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

 

[BoyFromLA]

I'm aware that other threads about this already exist, but I wanted to get some help more pertinent to my specific situation.

The way I see it, answers are already out there within other same / similar / identical threads about ‘moving with tarantulas’. It’s not so much different.

But anyway, regards to your ‘specific situation’, you should rehouse them once you are completely settled.

 

[cold blood]

I am wondering what the safest way to transport her in the car

Pack it like you would for shipping, plain and simple....never transport a t long distances in their enclosure.

I am trying to decide whether to rehouse her before I leave or not

See the above comment.

the current enclosure is made of plastic. It is cracked and lacking adequate ventilation (it has some, but not much, and I don't currently have the means to create more holes)

You can just get a new condiment cup...the things are readily available and are generally free....as for the ventilation, i dont think you realize just how little ventilation is required for your sling.

I prefer the sliding lid over the current one I have. I am very anxious about this sling escaping into my dorm room and getting lost or hurt. She's my only tarantula so naturally she's my little buddy and I love her very much. She can be skittish. The sliding lid with magnetic lock would make me feel a lot more secure feeding and watering her in my dorm.

You are worried about a 3/4" sling escaping? its not a shark...lol, its a weak little baby t, there is zero need for a magnetic locking mechanism. The needs of the sling should come first...house it in a condiment cup or some smaller enclosure.

I don't want to rehouse her while I'm at college if at all possible.

You are REALLY over-thinking this re-housing thing...its a sling, it will take you like 3 seconds to re-house it, 15 seconds if you include setting up the new enclosure.... literally, there is no simpler task in t keeping than re-housing a little NW terrestrial sling.

 

[Remington]

Pack it like you would for shipping, plain and simple....never transport a t long distances in their enclosure.

See the above comment.

You can just get a new condiment cup...the things are readily available and are generally free....as for the ventilation, i dont think you realize just how little ventilation is required for your sling.


You are worried about a 3/4" sling escaping? its not a shark...lol, its a weak little baby t, there is zero need for a magnetic locking mechanism. The needs of the sling should come first...house it in a condiment cup or some smaller enclosure.

You are REALLY over-thinking this re-housing thing...its a sling, it will take you like 3 seconds to re-house it, 15 seconds if you include setting up the new enclosure.... literally, there is no simpler task in t keeping than re-housing a little NW terrestrial sling.

I'm sure you can tell this is my first tarantula, lol. I'm more worried about my roommates than anything I or she would do.
I will leave her in her current enclosure then (it is not a condiment cup, it's more of a box type deal). Since it's my only tarantula I didn't really want to keep her in a condiment cup. I want to be able to see her! Thank you for your input.

 

[greeneyedelle]

The smaller the size of the container you’re moving her in, the better, in my opinion. She’ll probably curl into a little “dear god I don’t like this” ball either way, but small, tight spaces are comforting and secure. Her brand new, much larger enclosure is neither of those things. If your goal is to limit the amount of times you’re needing to move her from container to container, you’re better off moving her in what she’s in (making sure she won’t get smushed by anything in her enclosure) and rehousing when you get to school.

“And I’m sure you already know this, so I’m adding just in case, but one of the risks with a small sling in a larger enclosure is the risk of it escaping through one of the ventilation holes, so just make sure whatever holes you have in the new enclosure are smaller than the size of her carapace.” -Captain Obvious

OH and good luck! With traveling and with school!

 

[Remington]

The smaller the size of the container you’re moving her in, the better, in my opinion. She’ll probably curl into a little “dear god I don’t like this” ball either way, but small, tight spaces are comforting and secure. Her brand new, much larger enclosure is neither of those things. If your goal is to limit the amount of times you’re needing to move her from container to container, you’re better off moving her in what she’s in (making sure she won’t get smushed by anything in her enclosure) and rehousing when you get to school.

“And I’m sure you already know this, so I’m adding just in case, but one of the risks with a small sling in a larger enclosure is the risk of it escaping through one of the ventilation holes, so just make sure whatever holes you have in the new enclosure are smaller than the size of her carapace.” -Captain Obvious

OH and good luck! With traveling and with school!

Thank you! I will just bring the new enclosure with me in case I do end up needing it.

 

[cold blood]

I'm sure you can tell this is my first tarantula, lol. I'm more worried about my roommates than anything I or she would do.
I will leave her in her current enclosure then (it is not a condiment cup, it's more of a box type deal). Since it's my only tarantula I didn't really want to keep her in a condiment cup. I want to be able to see her! Thank you for your input.

A condiment cup will allow you to see it the most. The small cup means it will adopt the cup as its hide....slings in cups generally sit out in the open all the time, making them always visible. It also makes them more aggressive eaters and faster growers. Too much space or sub depth leads to hiding slings that are not often visible.

The biggest mistake IMO that new keepers make with slings is the housing they choose (for all the wrong reasons). JME

 

[Remington]

A condiment cup will allow you to see it the most. The small cup means it will adopt the cup as its hide....slings in cups generally sit out in the open all the time, making them always visible. It also makes them more aggressive eaters and faster growers. Too much space or sub depth leads to hiding slings that are not often visible.

The biggest mistake IMO that new keepers make with slings is the housing they choose (for all the wrong reasons). JME

I've had mine for a couple months and, despite not being housed in a cup, she's virtually always visible and rarely refuses food. She burrows sometimes, but generally she's happy to hang out in the open. I would guess that it's because I keep her in a pretty warm, dim environment. That or I just got lucky with a brave sling.

 

[Craig73]

If the acrylic enclosure with the sliding lid is from one of the mainstream companies I’d be a little leery using it solely because the T is just about the size it may or may not be able to squeeze through.

There’s a ton of small containers that are as clear as acrylic and/or clear enough to provide good visibility, and thin enough you could easily use a thumb tac to give it proper ventilation.

The cylinder one was a cheap snack pack container from the Container Store. The square ones I got from Amazon, possible they are in stores too.

 

[Remington]

If the acrylic enclosure with the sliding lid is from one of the mainstream companies I’d be a little leery using it solely because the T is just about the size it may or may not be able to squeeze through.

There’s a ton of small containers that are as clear as acrylic and/or clear enough to provide good visibility, and thin enough you could easily use a thumb tac to give it proper ventilation.

The cylinder one was a cheap snack pack container from the Container Store. The square ones I got from Amazon, possible they are in stores too.

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Thanks for the recommendation! Maybe once I get to school I would be able to put something like that together.