Pinhead Cricket Question.

[Tanner Dzula]

Just wanted to reach out and get some tips from everybody on here.

So Recently i picked up a Little H. Maculata Sling (either second or third instar) and its been amazing and basically after a year I've finally gotten the chance to own one of my Dream tarantula's. so far its been pretty simple caring for him, but my big question is, what is the best way to feed him.

basically he's in a little Deli Side cup (the kind you'd get a side of ketchup in) and its a little hard getting the lid off and the tiny pinhead crickets in. now normally i use a Straw method, basically get the pinhead in the straw, Stick the end of the straw in the gap between the lid and cup and use a cotton swob from the other side to put the pinhead in. and this has been working with everybody BUT the H. mac. with even the slightest vibrations or movements with the cup or lid sends him on a Marathon doing laps around the cup of course.

So basically, just wanted to know, for anybody out there who has had H. Maculata/S. Calceatum and other such fast arboreal slings, what was your preferred or most efficient method of feeding/getting the crickets into the deli cup?

 

[sasker]

I have no experience with OW, let alone fast arboreals. But perhaps you can put your sling in a bigger enclosure? I mean, if your T freaks out at the slightest disturbance, maybe it should have a bit more space to hide and feel secure.

 

[Tanner Dzula]

I have no experience with OW, let alone fast arboreals. But perhaps you can put your sling in a bigger enclosure? I mean, if your T freaks out at the slightest disturbance, maybe it should have a bit more space to hide and feel secure.

if Anything the slings a little small for the enclosure. he's only 2nd or 3rd instar, and he has plenty of Sub, he's got a Crazy hide system setup At the moment.
i didn't think it'd be a huge issue as From everything I've heard/read/seen h. macs are the type to hide right away, but he just does laps instead. normally isn't an issue as I've dealt with Fast OW before, but my real struggle is getting the crickets in quickly.

ill post a pic in a fe minutes for size reference too.



He has the whole top webbed, as well as a whole series of web tunnels through the substrate on the bottom.

 

[sdsnybny]

House the little devil in a bigger deli cup, it wont have trouble finding food at all. Then instead of freaking him out with the loud snap/scrunch of a deli lid get a set of silicone earplugs, make an appropriate size hole in the lid or side for it to lock into. Then you have a porthole to stuff food into.
https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=131639945166&&&chn=ps

 

[Tanner Dzula]

House the little devil in a bigger deli cup, it wont have trouble finding food at all. Then instead of freaking him out with the loud snap/scrunch of a deli lid get a set of silicone earplugs, make an appropriate size hole in the lid or side for it to lock into. Then you have a porthole to stuff food into.
https://www.ebay.com/p/?iid=131639945166&&&chn=ps

thats actually a really good idea!. never thought to make a porthole like that, ironic because i have a similar thing going with my P irminia set up.

ill have to order a pair and check it out. Thank you for the reply!

 

[boina]

If one or even more of my slings started racing around the enclosure at the slightest disturbance I would actually really re-think my approach to housing them. I've several slings of fast and flighty arboreal species (Omothymus/Lamproplema/Psalmopoeus/Tapinauchenius) and I've never had a problem opening the whole enclosure, even rummaging around for uneaten food or something like that. But then I've a lot of clutter in their enclosures to hide: pieces of bark, moss, leaves, etc. And my enclosures are bigger. Your enclosure does seem to be a bit small and barren to me for an arboreal sling. And yes, I know most arboreal slings tend to burrow when small, but mine at least like to do it under bark and moss and don't really dig deep burrows.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I just open the enclosure, and throw a micro cricket (really micro) inside.

I just open the enclosure, and throw a little cricket inside.

I just open the enclosure, and throw a "teen" cricket inside.

I just open the enclosure, and throw an adult cricket inside.

T's are simple. I love semplicity

 

[14pokies]

If one or even more of my slings started racing around the enclosure at the slightest disturbance I would actually really re-think my approach to housing them. I've several slings of fast and flighty arboreal species (Omothymus/Lamproplema/Psalmopoeus/Tapinauchenius) and I've never had a problem opening the whole enclosure, even rummaging around for uneaten food or something like that. But then I've a lot of clutter in their enclosures to hide: pieces of bark, moss, leaves, etc. And my enclosures are bigger. Your enclosure does seem to be a bit small and barren to me for an arboreal sling. And yes, I know most arboreal slings tend to burrow when small, but mine at least like to do it under bark and moss and don't really dig deep burrows.

H.macs can be pretty spastic.. I have a young male with a hide and an appropriate size enclosure that he has webbed the hell out of.. When I pop the top he runs sometimes up,sometimes down or all around.. He is also quick to throw a threat.. He's just a high strung individual..

In contrast yesterday I housed 2 adult females that I picked up the other day and had to push them out of the deli cups into there new enclosures. They were very mellow.

I fed them for the first time a few minutes ago.. One female didn't really move much the other was a little more skittish.. Still neither are as crazy as my male..Yet Lol.

 

[Tanner Dzula]

If one or even more of my slings started racing around the enclosure at the slightest disturbance I would actually really re-think my approach to housing them. I've several slings of fast and flighty arboreal species (Omothymus/Lamproplema/Psalmopoeus/Tapinauchenius) and I've never had a problem opening the whole enclosure, even rummaging around for uneaten food or something like that. But then I've a lot of clutter in their enclosures to hide: pieces of bark, moss, leaves, etc. And my enclosures are bigger. Your enclosure does seem to be a bit small and barren to me for an arboreal sling. And yes, I know most arboreal slings tend to burrow when small, but mine at least like to do it under bark and moss and don't really dig deep burrows.

i do have/had a piece of cork bark that was up at an angle that he had set up a makeshift dirt curtain too, right next to a tiny water dish(metal bowl from a doll house set lmao) But i woke up the other day and he had of course filled the bowl completely with Substrate and the cork bark had either fallen/been pulled down and it looks like he pulled the whole dirt curtain over it and now has his tunnels going through it, the problem is overtime i go to open it to move it or put it back up, he comes bolting out of the tunnels with a threat posture or just doing laps around the side until i put the cup down and he promptly goes back into his hide.


I've considered putting him into a new enclosure, but its so hard as it is to find him and deal with him in the current one with how small he is. i measured him completely splayed out across the top of the enclosure and he's not even a full .5". he is seriously a tiny little guy haha.

I'm definitely gunna consider the whole porthole idea, sounds like a pretty solid way to get food in without having to actually disturb him much.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

H.macs can be pretty spastic.. I have a young male with a hide and an appropriate size enclosure that he has webbed the hell out of.. When I pop the top he runs sometimes up,sometimes down or all around

My P. pulcher is like that at times, my irminia and cambridgei run straight to their hides, the pulcher will sometimes just spaz out and run all over the shop.

 

[Tanner Dzula]

My P. pulcher is like that at times, my irminia and cambridgei run straight to their hides, the pulcher will sometimes just spaz out and run all over the shop.

My irminia is the same way, Any major disturbance and its right into her hide. same with most of my other T's especially my OW's. all my OBT's, My E. Pachypus, My O. Philipinus, ETC all usually go right for their hides, but for some reason, my H. Mac is a fearless little guy. he will come out of his hide, Threat posture and if i try to open or make any other movements he just climbs up the side and either waits there or starts doing laps.

 

[Timc]

My A. diversipes (she was A. diversipes when I bought her and she'll be A. diversipes until the day she dies! None of this Ybyrapora crap!) used to be a lap runner in her deli cup days...since her upgrade to a larger enclosure she as stopped. Now, she's much bigger than half an inch so the move was needed, but I think them being arboreal has a lot to do with it. Their instincts are to go up and when the roof comes off I think they really don't know what to do. I'm in the process of patenting the front opening deli cup for this very reason

 

[BorisTheSpider]

a "teen" cricket .

Too funny .

 

[Ellenantula]

I've used a port hole in a condiment cup lid -- I bought some small corks on eBay and just used my soldering iron to make a good size hole for a small cork. I did it for my C fimbri escape artist to make food drops easier though. But,I imagine removing a cork still causes some disturbance.
The corks I found were varied sizes (probably intended for mini to small sized bottles) but it meant my hole didn't have to precise -- at least one of the various corks would fit. I also used the cork hole method with my juvie enclosures -- just made food drops easier for faster slings/juvies.

 

[Tanner Dzula]

I've used a port hole in a condiment cup lid -- I bought some small corks on eBay and just used my soldering iron to make a good size hole for a small cork. I did it for my C fimbri escape artist to make food drops easier though. But,I imagine removing a cork still causes some disturbance.
The corks I found were varied sizes (probably intended for mini to small sized bottles) but it meant my hole didn't have to precise -- at least one of the various corks would fit. I also used the cork hole method with my juvie enclosures -- just made food drops easier for faster slings/juvies.

thank you for the suggestion!

and yea it seems like it would be a bit of a disturbance, but I'm sure not nearly to what it is at the moment with removing the lid even a little. it also doesn't help that the lid is basicly webbed to the bottom by the renaming strands from the web curtain he did before i got him. so even opening a tiny crack, basicly lifts some of the sub on the bottom.

I've gotten a separate cup set up with a Port hole cut/burnt into it currently, just looking for a good "plug" for it now, and then time to do the rehousing haha. so hopefully this goes well!

 

[Ellenantula]

Can't find example of condiment cup -- it's just out of view on bottom left....
Anyway, you can see larger enclosures (3 in view) using various corks.

(Apparently I used my potato camera for this pix lol)

 

[Tanner Dzula]

Can't find example of condiment cup -- it's just out of view on bottom left....
Anyway, you can see larger enclosures (3 in view) using various corks. View attachment 240023

(Apparently I used my potato camera for this pix lol)

ahh the picture is greatly appreciated! definitely seems to work nicely.

 

[viper69]

what was your preferred or most efficient method of feeding/getting the crickets into the deli cup?

Carefully