Strange food problem

[GForce134]

Well, I offered my 4cm A. Metallica sling a mealworm today, but it didn't want to eat it.
The mealworm, ofcourse, proceeded to crowl directly under the spiders net, which is on the ground.
So, now the mealworm is between the net and the ground. It won't move, and neither will the spider (named her GLaDos lol) out of her net...
I put a piece of salad into the jar so if the mealworm got hungry it wouldn't attack the spider, but I'm not exactly sure what else to do...
Please help!

 

[Obijuan56]

I hate using worms because they burrow, I generally use crickets, I would take the worm out after a day if your P. Metallica has not eaten it, especially before it dies or turns into a beetle

 

[GForce134]

Yeah, but I think a full grown cricket might be too big for the spider, and I currently can't get my hands on any smaller ones.

I have another question.
How should I keep the dampness correct?
my setup consists of a big deli jar with holes pierced into the lid (there's about 5cm (2") of substrate in it), inside a bigger terrarium. Besides the jar there's also a small cup of water in the bigger terrarium. I have a heating mat on the backside of the bigger terrarium.
The hygrometer shows between 50 and 65%. As I understand, A. Metallica has to have 80%...

 

[KoriTamashii]

You can also take a full sized cricket and chop it in half, or just squish its head so it's dead when you feed it to the T.

Works like a charm.

 

[webbedone]

if you squish their heads they dont technicaly die their little bodies function for a while, they kick their little legs and flop around, i fed my L.parahybana slings like that for a while untill they were big enough to take down a full sized cricket. Right now my smallest one(another parahybana) is about half an inch big so i am back to mutilating crickets jack ripper style. I got to admit there is nothing funnier than a tiny sling chowing down on a cricket leg twice as big as the sling itself. It looks like it ordered a mutton chop and is going at it like a hungry wolvarine!

You can apply the same method to the mealworm. Slice their heads off cut em in half or quarters so they twitch in agony and attrach your little guy. Sometimes carying for your T means becoming a mutilating chef.

Welcome to a wonderful world of serial cricket murderer!

 

[synyster]

The mealworm, ofcourse, proceeded to crowl directly under the spiders net, which is on the ground.

Am I the only one wondering why your Avicularia is on the ground? This is wierd behavior IMO...:?

I hate using worms because they burrow, I generally use crickets, I would take the worm out after a day if your P. Metallica has not eaten it, especially before it dies or turns into a beetle

Just in case you really had this in mind, OP has Avicularia metallica and not Poecilotheria metallica I'm already sure you know the diff.

How should I keep the dampness correct?
my setup consists of a big deli jar with holes pierced into the lid (there's about 5cm (2") of substrate in it), inside a bigger terrarium. Besides the jar there's also a small cup of water in the bigger terrarium. I have a heating mat on the backside of the bigger terrarium.
The hygrometer shows between 50 and 65%. As I understand, A. Metallica has to have 80%...

To be honest, I really didn't understand how your setup is. A picture would be easier. But when it comes to humidity, right now you are way too low. Misting directly into it's enclosure is your best option, keeping the substrate moist, and leaving water droplets from the misting on their webbing. Also airflow restriction works for keeping humidity high but you might not want to cut it off too much with this species as they like a well balanced humidity/airflow environment.

 

[skar]

My A. met sling won't attack prey in front of me ! I feed a mix of crickets mealworms and waxworms . one waxworm buried it's self in the substrate and I just left it there overnight I figured no biggy in the morn i'll remove it- in the morning my lil avic was chowing down on wax worm !!! as far as mealworms- I remove them after about 10 mins if not eaten.
I feed live sometimes half mealworms.

 

[Obijuan56]

Just in case you really had this in mind, OP has Avicularia metallica and not Poecilotheria metallica I'm already sure you know the diff.

Yes I do know the difference, I kinda skimmed over the species and saw metallica and assumed P. Mettalica, I am sorry.

To the last post, its good that it decided to eat the worm, sometimes mine wait awhile before eating too, or don't like to eat while I am watching them.

 

[ElevenBravo]

My G. rosea wouldnt let me watch him eat when I first got him now he takes his food off the tongs before they ever hit the substrate. Its a good thing I hate when the worms try to bury themselves. When I run out of worms my Ts may never get them again they piss me off. What's the most agravating thing a cricket does drown in the water??

My MF G. pulchripes dug a superworm out of the sub before it could bury itself I wanted to high five her so bad but she prolly would have fanged me for disturbing her meal.

Im sorry sometimes I ramble my point is your T may need a bit of privacy before it will eat. n

 

[Musicwolf]

What's the most agravating thing a cricket does drown in the water??

umm . . . no, I think it's the chirping . . . but it could be the smell of the dead ones too. :barf: