Neischnocolus sp. Panama slings feeding response

[CommanderBacon]

Is it me or do these guys have a mediocre feeding response?

I have them in 2oz deli cups with dirt and no hide. They eat when they want, which is not often. They will refuse food that they later eat, or refuse food and not eat it. I can't tell until I check the next day to see if there's a prey item that they did/did not touch.

Both have buried themselves in their deli cups and have molted in my care, but when they refuse food for no visible reason it drives me nuts. I have no other slings that eat this poorly.

Should I make a husbandry change, or is this just par for the course for these guys?

 

[Vanessa]

What temperature are they being kept at? Maybe put them in a warmer spot and dampen the substrate a bit more. My girl has always been a very good eater, but I did not raise her from a tiny spiderling.

 

[CommanderBacon]

What temperature are they being kept at? Maybe put them in a warmer spot and dampen the substrate a bit more. My girl has always been a very good eater, but I did not raise her from a tiny spiderling.

I think the substrate is sufficiently damp, tbh. If I add more water, it might get muddy. Apartment is 74º f/ 23º C on average, but I had them closer to the window where it has been warmer lately. Think I should keep them over there?

As a side note, I had gifted a friend one of the three total slings I had. It never ate and has since died so I'm mildly paranoid, but these guys have been eating, just not well.

 

[Vanessa]

Hey, thanks for doing the conversion for me!
I would try to keep them around the 77°F/25°C range for as much as possible. The spiderling in the first photo looks just fine to me... and well fed too. I would be expecting them to start picking up in the moulting department right around now.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Hey, thanks for doing the conversion for me!
I would try to keep them around the 77°F/25°C range for as much as possible. The spiderling in the first photo looks just fine to me... and well fed too. I would be expecting them to start picking up in the moulting department right around now.

Thanks! I certainly hope so.

I fed the fat/visible one a tiny mealworm yesterday. It raised its legs, backed off, and walked away, so I made sure the head was thoroughly crushed and left the worm in there. I was honestly surprised to see that it had eaten this morning, because the same thing happened last week and I had to pull the feeder out. That has been par for the course.

The little one in the burrow molted in the last week, but it opened up the burrow and had tossed the molt out yesterday, so I offered a prekilled mealworm. It shrank away from it, so I pulled the worm back out.

These guys are driving me insane.

 

[viper69]

but when they refuse food for no visible reason it drives me nuts. I have no other slings that eat this poorly.

HAHAH, I love it. Never owned these yet. There are WORSE species than this one trust me! Pretty sling, you are doing something right w/those.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Mine's always been a pretty good eater tbh.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Mine's always been a pretty good eater tbh.

What size was yours when you got it?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

What size was yours when you got it?

1-2cm IIRC, took me 3 attempts to get one of them as two died in transit.

 

[CommanderBacon]

1-2cm IIRC, took me 3 attempts to get one of them as two died in transit.

Oh wow. Ok. So these little guys are just under 1cm, and they have grown since I got them.

I hope they eat better soon!

 

[CommanderBacon]

Just an update: One of these is eating like a champ and taking down live 2 week crickets like a pro. The other one of these wouldn't eat until I shoved a mealworm between its chelicerae and it realized worm was food.

The same one that is too lazy to eat threat posed me when I moved its enclosure last night, so maybe it's just a jerk.