Small sling buried for 4 months

Draketeeth

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 22, 2015
Messages
209
I've got an Aphonopelma hentzi sling in a deli cup that buried itself back in early July. I know this is spiderian for "Leave me be," but I'm wondering how long before I need to stress over this 1/3 inch sling who hasn't eaten anything in four months.

The little 'un dug its burrow so I have a viewing window, and I can see it is fine. I dribble water into the container soaking down to its level so it is able to drink periodically. Is this window perhaps a problem? Should I cover it so it doesn't have a false sense of being "above ground" from the light?

I know tarantulas go underground for a while, so I wasn't really worried when it closed up the burrow entrance, but I never really expected one so small to go away for so long.
 

Marijan2

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
505
That's aphonopelma for you :smug:
If he has nice plump abdomen i would not worry too much. Everything else seems fine
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
Yep. Sounds like normal Aphonopelma behavior.

If you can see it fine then I would only dig up if abdomen is small/shrivelled.

I hadnt seen one of my smaller G. pulchra for maybe a little over 4 months. Though it had built a large burrow and I coudnt see it at all. I thought this was a little too long for one its size. I eventually dug her up because I was worried and found a very lethargic spider with a shrivelled abdomen siting next to an exuviae. It must not have had the energy after molting to dig itself out. After I did this it went straight to the waterdish and emptied it twice.

I am glad I had gone with my gut instinct and didnt lose such a beauty.

Sometimes a 'do not disturb' sign can be an issue. When you cant see a specimen for what you think is way too long sometimes it is worth digging up.

Desert species tend to disappear for a fast even as youngsters if fed regularly. As there is not a lot of food in the wild they tend to get full much easier then hide theirselves away.

If I wish to see more of my Aphonos I feed them less regularly. :)
 
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vancwa

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 3, 2011
Messages
405
i always leave them alone. Antici...........wait for it, pation.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
620
You could occasionally put a pre-kill prey on the substrate for it and then remove it after 24 hours. I have noticed that some of my slings occasionally do come up for food but I can't figure out the path they arrived from in the substrate.

I use the 3M blue painters tape to make a covers for the substrate in my deli cups with burrowers so that light will be shielded for them. This may not be necessary but I think it does give the spider more security and comfort.
 

Graves6661

Arachnosquire
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
86
My C. marshalli being an obligate burrower stays under ground 24/7. usually I can tickler her out with a piece of straw to make sure she feeds but alot of the time she wont come oout. In that case Ill leave a pre killed prey item at the burrow entrance and wait until the next morning. 90% of the time she takes the prey in the middle of the night.

If you are really worried you could carefully dig the T up. gently scoop the substrate away following the burrow if you can. You can also clear the burrow entrance away if you think it may be too weak to open its burrow back up after a molt
 

Draketeeth

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 22, 2015
Messages
209
If you can see it fine then I would only dig up if abdomen is small/shrivelled.

Desert species tend to disappear for a fast even as youngsters if fed regularly. As there is not a lot of food in the wild they tend to get full much easier then hide theirselves away.
Alright, the desert species getting fuller faster makes sense, I didn't consider that aspect. I'm just used to my other species which are black holes and can't get enough to eat, so having this one seal up was a massive surprise.

I use the 3M blue painters tape to make a covers for the substrate in my deli cups with burrowers so that light will be shielded for them. This may not be necessary but I think it does give the spider more security and comfort.
Thanks, I'll have to see if there's any painter's tape around the house and try that. Sounds like it would come off decently easy if I needed to remove it.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
620
Alright, the desert species getting fuller faster makes sense, I didn't consider that aspect. I'm just used to my other species which are black holes and can't get enough to eat, so having this one seal up was a massive surprise.



Thanks, I'll have to see if there's any painter's tape around the house and try that. Sounds like it would come off decently easy if I needed to remove it.
If you take the tape and stick two square sections together you then create a flap and only need to tape down the corners which makes it easier to remove for quick peeks. On my small 5.5 ounce cups I took a second cup of the same size and covered the outside of it with tape. I then stuck the spider cup down into the taped cup. You can then remove the taped cup occasionally to hopefully see your spider. Just make sure you don't cover up too many of your vent holes with the tape or outer cup.
 
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