Proper enclosure for slings

[icemanx2]

Hi guys, question: how and where should a sling (3cm Chaco and 5cm B. Smithi) be kept? I use to keep them on a small container like the one below

and decided to move them this morning to a smaller deli container.

Do I need to put some kind of hide or something for them to hide if they wanted to or just leave the substrate as it is and let them dig in if they wanted to?

 

[Storm76]

Are the sizes you're talking about BL (body-length - without legs) or DLS (diagonal leg-span)? If it's the first, than those sizes can be pretty much doubled for DLS (3cm BL is close to 6cm DLS ~ 3" size).

I have a 3" B. smithi juvie (6cm legspan approx) that is housed in a general medium critter keeper (or "faunarium" as some are called) - works totally fine. However, if the T is below 2-2,5" DLS (4-5cm legspan) I personally (personal preference!) wouldn't suggest a critter keeper but some kind of deli cup.

As for hideouts: Grammostola pulchripes (Chaco Golden-knee) and Brachypelma smithi are both known to like to burrow. I'd offer them a hide in form of a corkbark piece and underneath dig out some earth. I'd also fill in substrate according to the size (but as said in the beginning, please elaborate first what size we're talking about here).

 

[icemanx2]

thanks for the reply. That would be DLS, and I think the measurement is wrong, both of them are less an inch ni DLS.

 

[Storm76]

1" = 2.54cm actually, so your 5cm smithi can't be less than an inch, but is about 2". However, it was a ROUGh estimation, admitted. I just wanted to learn if it's BL or DLS we're talking about here. Either way, I'm sure Stan will chime into this thread momentarily anyways

Hides as mentioned already
Containers appropriate to their size, 1,5x - 2x their size is my PERSONAL rule of thumb here. 1.5x is probably the normal thing. SPACE is more important than HEIGTH for these, since they're terrestrials!
Substrate for those I'd suggest 2-3" deep, so they can burrow down (which they'll probably do in case they don't accept the hide yet).
Small waterdish (bottle cap), NO misting, DRY substrate for the smithi, personally I keep my G. pulchripes the same.

The others will give you more insight, too.

 

[Ben Oliver]

i try to keep slings in a container that is about 3x's the size of the of the T and give it a little coco fiber in the bottom that way they can burrow if they want to. Then i mist it just alittle to add moisture.