Sling feeding

[Botar]

Do slings require more frequent feeding than their larger counterparts? I know it will probably depend on the species, but is twice a week a safe routine? I don't want to throw in more than will be eaten and risk the predator becoming the prey.

 

[Kenny]

Feeding

Hi..

Well,, I have 4 s'lings and they seem to eat a lot just after molt.

Since 3 of them are Avics I try to handfeed them since they don't seem to go down on the substrate so much. Well,, my 1,5' versicolor do some turns downwards, sometimes.

My A.Avic ( a matter of fact doing second molt right now) ate like 1 cricket a day after the first molt , so one can really feed them any way.

Just keep an eye on if they start to be "afraid" of the cricket.
My A.Avic and my 2 Versicolors behaved the same way just prior to molt, when cricket came down into webtube , they ran out the other way like "whimps"
I do feed them 1 cricket a day just after molt to "boost" them.
Some say power-feeding to make them become bigger and some say other kind of schedule.

So a twice a week routine would just work fine, me thinks.

I have had some many routines so it's all a mess now.=D

My big lady, 8 inch chaco I give around 6 crickets, once a week

One learn pretty soon their eating-habit that sometimes change into a none-eating-habit.


Kenny

 

[jwb121377]

I feed my slings about twice aweek two. 3-4 pinhead crickets each feeding, and everyone is growing well.
Jeremy

 

[Botar]

Thanks

Thanks for the input. I'm still a bit shakey on the sling thing, but I'm feeling better about it. Now if I can just keep from "over managing" them.

 

[Paul Day]

Actually, it depends on how small your sling is. If the spiderling is under an inch, I would feed it a cricket or two every other day. As it gets larger (or if you have a really big collection), twice a week becomes more acceptable. It really depends on how much you feed the spiderling in one sitting. Feeding them as much as possible when young ensures quicker growth.

It's called "power feeding", but there is little evidence to suggest this is bad. People say that "power fed" tarantulas are suspetable to molting problems, but I've never had a molting problem, nor has this been documented in any books I've read, just from some posts in messageboards. And of course, if you feed a spider more, it'll mature faster, and die sooner. That is only inevitable. If you want it to live a longer time, feed it as little as possible, and keep it lower then 80 degrees (but not below 75).

There is no solid evidence that a spider can be overfed, especially when young. In fact, it's safe to say that your young spiderling should always be full! Twice-a-week is a minimum in that case. Also, how much you feed it depends on how warm you are keeping them. If you are keeping them cooler then 80 degrees, then twice a week should be fine. But if you are feeding them that much and keeping them at 85, your spiders need to be fed more (that is of course, if they are still under an inch, over an inch). Spiderlings have never-ending appetites, just as teenage boys do. I just happen to keep my spiders warm so they grow quicker, so I have to feed mine more. Spiderlings can starve in a matter of weeks, not months like their adult counterparts.

Spiderlings, regaurdless of species, need high humidity and good ventilation. Don't keep your Desert Blonde .25 inch the same you'd keep an adult, in other words. I say, decrease the humidity gradually as the spider grows, depending on how much humidity it needs as an adult. For spiders like Goliath Bird Eaters, it will never stop needing the high humidity.

Pauly