Spiderlings

[Colbymgeek]

Hey, so I was wondering what methods people use to transfer their spiderlings to bigger cages. I've heard, of course, that it usually works best to put their current container straight into the bigger one and wait for the sling to come out, but what else can you do?
We just had to move our Greenbottle Blue and P. Metallica into a bigger container each (both new containers were too small for us to put them in while still inside of their old containers), and the P. Metallica gave us quite the fright a few times by trying to run out by our fingers instead of into the new cage! So how do people generally relocate them?

 

[killy]

I always take advantage of re-housing to handle the T in question and have a photo op. I have the new enclosure ready and waiting, then I coax the T onto my hand with a paintbrush - we visit a little bit, I take a few photos, then I coax the T with the paintbrush into the enclosure (they rarely want to go voluntarily - I think they get confortable with the warmth of my skin) ... a couple of exceptions - I don't handle my A. genic - turns out his hairs make me itch ... my vagans - forget it, he scares the living daylights out of me - in both cases I direct the Ts into a paper cup with the brush, then carefully nudge them out again into the new enclosures. The cup method works very well, and I suggest you try it!

 

[Colbymgeek]

Yeah? I've only held my B. Boehmei once, and that's it for my handling history! My parents have forbidden me from touching them ever - which is probably a good thing!
I never even thought of nudging them first into a cup! That sounds like it'd probably work a lot better than what we were trying - to direct them right into the narrow opening of their new enclosures. Thanks! I'll definitely try that in the future.

 

[James Quinton]

I for one dont agree with pysicly handling a T, my method is just put the old container in the new one and let them climb out, if that fails i take out any deco in the old container and then gently coax the T out with my tweezers and hay presto one succesfully moved T.

 

[TreeGuy]

There was a thread a little while ago about transferring quick species into a clear plastic bag first and then into the new enclosure. Also lets you visually inspect species like pokies that you normally don't get close contact with.

A search for Tarantula Plastic Containment Pouch should turn something up

 

[Colbymgeek]

Yeah, sounds like what we were trying to do.
And okay, I'll look that up, TreeGuy. Thanks!