Sling question

[Al Muoio]

My two slings, G. pulchra and B. vagans came in little vials. They are about 1/2 inch. I thought they needed something larger so I put them in small baby food jars. Because they both burrowed it was to hard to keep an eye on them. So I put them back in vials. Wow, that vagan can really run fast. It got out and the chase was on around my computer shelf. Finally got it back into the vial. Question - how long should I keep them in vials before moving them into something larger? I havent seen them moult yet.

 

[Rookie]

I kept Peso (who's also a G.Pulchra, as you probably know) in a baby food jar as soon as I got him (about 1") and he seemd to do okay. I don't know how happy he would have been if he had've been a little smaller. I'm obviously not the best at bestowing advice, but he did fine in a babyfood jar at one inch, so there you have it.
Paul

 

[Gail]

If the slings can reach half-way or more across the vial when their legs are in a normal resting position, they need to go into bigger housing. If kept in too small a vial they can have problems molting properly. At 1/2" they should do fine in baby food jars, though I know it can be a pain to keep track of them when they burrow. The b. vagans is going to burrow no matter what - every one that I have had digs asap. Your best bet might be to put them back into the baby food jars but this time only put in about 1/2" of tightly packed peat moss. At least when they dig the holes should be structured enough that you could check on them by looking underneath of the jar with a flash light. I myself would be more concerned that they can molt properly than that I could see them more clearly.

Gail

 

[Al Muoio]

Thanks

Thanks for the advice. I put them back into the baby jars. I saw some webbing or mold. in both of them. I couldnt tell but it looked mostly like carpet web. I cleaned and refilled with new substrate. Now I feel bad disturbing them. I still cant get over how fast that B. vagan can run.

 

[veronyka]

I hear you there. I have two b. vagans, and they have been growing really fast! They are both now about 1.25 inches and they move so fast. When I bought them, they were burrowed all the way to the bottom of the pill vials they were in. The day I got them I moved them into small deli cups. Both are wild sprinters. They both dug intricate tunnels all the way to the bottom, and I know they are having no problems molting, because a)they are getting really big fast, and b) I see the exuvium laying on the top of the substrate every once in a while. But anyway, if you are too concerned with the size of the container being too small, try small deli cups. Mine seem to be doing very well in those.