singapore blue

[EmilyK]

A friend bought a .75" singapore blue for me for my birthday because he knows I've got a few spiders. He said it molted on the 4th. I've offered it fod twice (last night and about four days ago) and it hasn't eaten yet. It looks good, though, so I'm not worried about that. I tried to feed it a mostly- dead dubia..not sure if I should be feeding it small crickets instead. The rest of my spiders do fine with roaches.

I am, however, worried that it's too fast for me and it might not be set up correctly yet. It's in the vial I got it in (which is probably 2" tall) with about an inch of slightly damp substrate, a piece of cork propped against the side of the vial, and a few small sticks. This seems correct to me because its how I keep my avics, but I'm open to suggestions. Also, if anyone has pictures of their setup for young slings, I would love to see them.

It stays in its burrow most of the time, and it only comes out when I take the top of its vial off. It's almost gotten out both times I've tried to feed it and once when I took the roach back out. Its fast! We've got dark carpet so I'm afraid I'd never find it again if it got loose. Is there something I could be doing to make it nervous, or is that something they just do? The rest of my spiders are really relaxed in comparison.

Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

 

[2oCHEVYo0]

Well, from what I've learned from ours they are not really much of arboreals (at least in captivity). They tend to be reclusive burrowers, and I have not seen mine out of it's hide once since I purchased it back in August. I would try feeding it pinhead crickets as some tarantulas are quite picky on their diets.

Maybe you're opening the vial to quickly or making too much of a commotion when feeding or removing food. They spook easily from what I've learned and especially at that size.

If you are doing that and it's still trying to get out, I would make the recommendation of moving it to a slightly larger enclosure. Something like a small acrylic cube from a hobbystore, a deli cup or anything along those lines. I personally use the OXO vaccuum sealing containers found at Target. They work great and even though it's still quite small, I bet a small OXO container would work great for it. Just prop some cork bark up against the side of the enclosure and maybe a little bit of moss in there would do. probably don't need any branches or anything in there since they tend to only come out when they are EXTREMELY hungry/thirsty.

I use a peat/vermiculite substrate as it holds moisture alot better than some other stuff i've seen, and hasn't molded on me yet. Make sure the substrate is constantly damp, but not overly soaked. I usually just spray enough water to soak the top layer and do that once or twice a week.

 

[EmilyK]

Thanks for the info! Do you have any pictures of your Ts enclosure? How big is yours?

I was wrong about the size of the vial. I'm not sure exactly how big it is, but it says 55-40 on the bottom of it and its more than 2" tall. I don't tilt it or move it around much when I move it to my worktable. I'm going to try moving more slowly next time to see if it helps.

I'm going to Target after work today to pick up some larger homes for my newest spiders. I've seen the containers you're talking about before. They look nice. I think it'd be cool to have a bunch of uniform cages instead of a bunch of mismatched stuff like I do now.

 

[Kris-wIth-a-K]

When they are smaller they tend to stay in burrows.. That's what pretty much ALL of mine did. As they got older around 4" + they started coming out more and more. As they grow older they become more arboreal.

 

[Raine]

As I'm getting my guy to warm up to the idea of me owning more than one T, I've been looking for some 'non handling' species that don't have a high venom potency. I am unsure about this particular spider but that it was listed as arboreal--though some of the forums and here say not so much in captivity? Since this is not a spider I would be handling, I would actually like for this to be one of my first slings. I also saw it was listed as defensive. Meaning I could probably have not too much trouble getting water and food in there if I'm careful to keep an eye on it.

I've checked the price for Tarantula Canada and they are listed as $40 which is MORE than a fair price for such a lovely T in my opinion. Only slings make me nervous because they are so small! Would this be a good non handling sling for a beginner, or should I wait a while and perhaps go for a Brachy for my first sling?

 

[Balkastalkman]

As I'm getting my guy to warm up to the idea of me owning more than one T, I've been looking for some 'non handling' species that don't have a high venom potency. I am unsure about this particular spider but that it was listed as arboreal--though some of the forums and here say not so much in captivity? Since this is not a spider I would be handling, I would actually like for this to be one of my first slings. I also saw it was listed as defensive. Meaning I could probably have not too much trouble getting water and food in there if I'm careful to keep an eye on it.

I've checked the price for Tarantula Canada and they are listed as $40 which is MORE than a fair price for such a lovely T in my opinion. Only slings make me nervous because they are so small! Would this be a good non handling sling for a beginner, or should I wait a while and perhaps go for a Brachy for my first sling?

No go for the singapore , just be aware that they are very fast. When they do have a nasty old world bite but i sling shoulndt give you any of that trouble. Neither will and adult for that matter as long as you are mindful that ti can bite you if you get too close and piss it off. brachy slings a pretty boring in my opinion. if you are nervous about its speed and stuff make sure when you feed it you do in in a large enclosed open space like a neat bathroom. Withh al small hole puged of course. However if it has a good sized vial to live in it will run into it burrow when it is frightened. They grow much faster than brachys and they will be so much more enjoyable.

 

[Raine]

No go for the singapore , just be aware that they are very fast. When they do have a nasty old world bite but i sling shoulndt give you any of that trouble. Neither will and adult for that matter as long as you are mindful that ti can bite you if you get too close and piss it off. brachy slings a pretty boring in my opinion. if you are nervous about its speed and stuff make sure when you feed it you do in in a large enclosed open space like a neat bathroom. Withh al small hole puged of course. However if it has a good sized vial to live in it will run into it burrow when it is frightened. They grow much faster than brachys and they will be so much more enjoyable.

Faster, hmm? Well I would certainly prefer it go hide to trying to race away! What size vial do you recommend? I only have my G. rosea so this would be my first sling and I have no idea of what kind of home a sling needs. As a final size tank what would you recommend? My rosea is in a 10 gallon but I was told a 5 gallon would have worked just as well. She does seem to be utilizing the space and her two favorite spots are on either side of the enclosure: hide and a little corner she dug out that she bunkers down in. Plus seeing as these Ts are said to be arboreal would I be including things to climb on? Would the tank need to be more vertical than horizontal? I am going to search the site for pics of an enclosure for these!

 

[EmilyK]

Raine, it isn't a spider I would have picked for myself, actually.. it's much faster than I'm used to. I'm thrilled that my friend thought to get me such an awesome a T, though! I can't wait 'til it's bigger. Have you seen Rob's video of his getting out when he was moving her to a different tank? She's beautiful!

I like my vagans and pulchra the most out of my whole (small) collection, even if both of them flick hair at me if I get too close to them while I'm doing stuff in their cages. I've only had it for about a month, but my pulchra is one of my favorite pets, period. It has some hides and a burrow, but it's almost always out in the open.


I like the bathroom idea. I tried it out last night and it worked pretty well. I'm going to give the little booger several more days to settle in before I try feeding it again and see if that helps it relax, too.

 

[Raine]

I will try to locate the video! I don't plan on getting it until I have more Ts under my belt and more experience. I just like that it grows quickly and it is the most beautiful T I have seen--or at least one of! I like the vagans too! I think that is the T I will be purchasing next. It's just tricky finding one that is not a sling. I like them when they have a couple inches to them. Easier to see and all that. But it still might be worthwhile to get a sling regardless.

Could you tell me a bit more about the pulchra, perhaps? I am looking for relatively docile Ts with a lower venom level since I am a beginner. Like the G. rosea and vagans. Though if I do take out a Brachy I will likely take the advice of wearing gloves. My rosea is great! She hasn't flicked hairs or postured and is always climbing out onto me up the side of the tank when I'm changing her water dish. She is a really neat T. Or he. I don't know yet.

 

[EmilyK]

I don't handle my spiders so I haven't bothered to look at the bite reports yet. I enjoy just watching them. So far they've just flicked hair at me. Neither has acted like they're going to bite, but I'm sure either of them would if I put a hand in front of them that was close enough to get to. They're fiesty.

 

[2oCHEVYo0]

Hey Raine, don't worry so much! lol, a 2.5" singapore blue was my first T and it has given me the absolute LEAST amount of trouble! They are awsome, but you do need to give them enough space to make a burrow. Once they do that you will not see it out and about unless you forgot to feed it for like 2-3 weeks. Like I said, mine still has yet to leave the burrow in almost 4 months, not even to chase a cricket. They are somewhat defensive (though I've not seen it personally yet), but I've caught more defensive behavior from my Suntiger and it's only at 2". They are AWSOME tarantula's and grow quite quickly. If you're afraid of its speed, just get it a slightly oversized container and you'll be just fine Let me see if I can get some of my pics up of it's container and the ones that I like to use. These are right when I put it in, so it's not all webbed up like it is now!!!

Singapore's make some VERY elaborate burrows, this corner now has practically NO substrate back their and the burrow runs up to the top, out to the side and a good 3-4 inches under the corkbark! It's pretty amazing

 

[Raine]

Oh, very nice set up! And good pictures! Well since I don't plan to pick the little guy/girl up at all, I could very well do just that and get a bigger container like the one you have there! As I said I'm not too worried about the bigger version of it. Slings are so tiny so I really would want to get a bigger vial and put some substrate in and all that. Plus, again, tiny. I can very clearly see my G. rosea when it moves about. So I will be keeping such a close eye on my sling when I need to feed it! Just curious: how do slings get water? I know that you're not supposed to put in a shallow water dish (and you can't in a vial!) so where does their water come from?

 

[EmilyK]

That cage looks great. I'm really excited about getting my little guy into a more natural-looking setup. What kind of a drill do you use for the holes? The cages I make with my wood burner look nowhere near that professional.

I mist a side of my vials once or twice a week and make sure a little water pools on one of their fake leaves.

 

[Raine]

Is that okay for them? Someone was saying misting is something that has not been done for a while now amongst more experienced keepers. Is this only true for the older Ts who can drink from a water dish? Plus that was for G. rosea, not these Blue Singapore ones. As I think more about it I am very eager to get a sling now. To see one grow within a year will be awesome. But one last thing: is there any way to know if you are getting a male or female sling?

 

[EmilyK]

I don't spray the whole vial, just the side that's oposite of the side the spider is on. I guess you could drip water onto the side of the vial instead, but as long as you aren't getting the spider wet in the process, I don't see much of a difference, personally. As soon as my spiders are in cages big enough for a shallow water dish, I put one in.

I've gotten all of the spiders I have now as little guys. Its really rewarding to watch them grow. I don't know anything about sexing them, so someone else will have to answer that, but it seems like they'd have to larger.

 

[bobusboy]

I've got a 1" one right now and all it does is live in its burrow. Which is several inches deep and opens up in to a larger cavern or it did before i changed it to the larger enclosure.

very cool species, I plan to breed them in the future.

 

[Raine]

Well, after this little chat I will make my first sling a Singapore Blue! They are beautiful, grow fast, and though I will be constantly wary about how fast they are sounds like if I am careful they are decently easy spiders to work with.

Just curious: everyone talks about putting slings in 'vials'. Are we talking about like the ones you put a plug in the top of and put in a holder, like in biology or chemistry? Or is there a different kind of vial for slings? Because how would they not tip over? I would want my sling to be safe, and a vial sounds tricky to me.

 

[CAK]

Well, after this little chat I will make my first sling a Singapore Blue! They are beautiful, grow fast, and though I will be constantly wary about how fast they are sounds like if I am careful they are decently easy spiders to work with.

Just curious: everyone talks about putting slings in 'vials'. Are we talking about like the ones you put a plug in the top of and put in a holder, like in biology or chemistry? Or is there a different kind of vial for slings? Because how would they not tip over? I would want my sling to be safe, and a vial sounds tricky to me.

Hey Raine, most folks use these for vials. They can be ordered all kinds of places and most folks that sell spiders may sell you just the vials if you need just a few with no spiders. Many reputable dealers and hobbiests will sell slings in a vial that is large enough to double as a home for the time being. I know I typically do.

Here are the specs for the different vials that thornton sells.

Thornton Vial Specifications

 

[Raine]

Oh wow, this is VERY helpful, thank you CAK! I will be doing a lot of research on the forums before I get my sling. Super excited but want to be sure I get this done right. Already figured out I'm getting one from Tarantula Canada, it's only $10 for shipping to where I am!

From the reviews I read the breeder there is exceptional. All slings and Ts arrived healthy, in great time, and the breeder is very, very helpful with any questions and checks up to see how you are doing with your new Ts! So it sounds like a great and reputable choice.

These vials are flat bottomed! That is much better than the ridiculousness I was trying to picture. I can actually fit several of these very safely on my miniature bookshelf without worrying any harm would come to the slings in them. I will be vial hunting--but I do believe the breeder sends them IN the vials. From what I read, anyhow. So this is great! I'm going to go look for threads on raising slings.

 

[EmilyK]

I got impatient tonight and tossed a small cricket in. Booger ate. Man, those little legs are quick.