Sling somehow escaped it's enclosure?! (please help)

[cold blood]

Then what? Was it in trouble? Is it now in trouble and it wasn't before you dug it up? What does that even mean? What "help" would the T need?

If you see a sling stuck in a molt, curling from dehydration, trapped in a collapsed burrow or anything, often there is something that can be done to help.

I see no valid reason to dig up a tarantula. To what end?

I never suggested digging up a sling, in fact I pointed out that advice saying not to was spot on....What I suggested was preventing excessive burrowing in the first place. To what end? To be able to monitor the sling to reduce the mystery death factor and help if we can.

 

[PidderPeets]

I did have it in something smaller for a brief period as suggested by Cold Blood... the only reason I moved it back is because it was very bolty and fast, so I thought I'd give it a bit more room and be able to catch it if it decided to bolt at any point when opening its enclosure in the future. It was recommended I went with something a little larger than a 2 oz deli container by an experienced keeper, someone who also had a mooreae. I am now deeply regretting not leaving it in the smaller container... I don't think I will ever get a sling as small as the mooreae again, very unfortunate event that has transpired here and I cannot stop blaming myself for things I could have done better.

I do vaguely remember reading that thread when it was first posted, and I personally found it odd that it was suggested to put it in something larger. However not having the species myself, I thought it was just a peculiarity with the species. But ultimately I think putting them in smaller cups is best.

I understand your concern with speed, but unless it's a species known to be extremely fast (I'm honestly not trying to be insulting with this, but Aphonopelma species aren't exactly known for being speed demons), it might be best to just tough it out and get yourself used to the speed.

You could put the small deli cup in a larger container so even if it runs out of the cup, it's still contained. I still do that when I get new species that are known to be faster. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. That method allows for you to deal with the spider more comfortably, get an idea of how the spider behaves, and keeps it safe if it bolts.

But regardless I don't think you should write off small slings entirely, and don't be too hard on yourself. It's an unfortunate situation no doubt, but it's just a learning experience. You learn and you grow from it

 

[moricollins]

You could put the small deli cup in a larger container so even if it runs out of the cup, it's still contained. I still do that when I get new species that are known to be faster. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. That method allows for you to deal with the spider more comfortably, get an idea of how the spider behaves, and keeps it safe if it bolts.

This is what I used to do. Keep the sling in a smallish container, put that container into a bigger one to give you more time to react

 

[PidderPeets]

This is what I used to do. Keep the sling in a smallish container, put that container into a bigger one to give you more time to react

If I know the T is bolty, or if it's a new T I'm not familiar with yet, that's what I do. In some cases, I've even done rehousings or containment for shipping in near fully enclosed mesh butterfly enclosures. Is it excessive? Absolutely. But it's also kept some of my bolty Ts from escaping, and it's taught me how to react in those situations and how to prevent escapes by seeing how the T behaves normally but without any real threat of losing it