T Seladonia Sling not really settling in?

[phantomwaves]

Hey All,

I purchased a T Seladonia sling at the VA beach expo a few weeks ago. It came with the enclosure that they sell this species with. It's got a piece of vertical cork with little holes and such in it that are meant for it to build its trapdoor. As far as I can tell, it has not made a home in any of them yet. It seems to spend a lot of time near the top of the enclosure, doing slow laps and circling.

I use a syringe to keep the sub damp, and am careful not to get its door building materials wet in the process. I think it has eaten, altho I am not totally sure. I have dropped some pinhead crickets in there, as well as some prekilled red runners. I might just be paranoid but I don't feel like its safe from seemingly random death until it creates a trapdoor or 2.

Has anyone else had similar experience? Any tips or tricks?

 

[BoyFromLA]

In that picture, I don’t see a suitable habitat for your tarantula.

I’d strongly suggest to rehouse it.

Below are the helpful posts for you to read:

T seladonia trap door building

So I swapped the cork bark in one of my seladonia vials yesterday to accommodate the growth. One of my seladonia has been wandering around and trying (but failing) to hide in its trap door. Within an hour it had already started construction on a new trapdoor, of which I was able to get about 6...

arachnoboards.com

T. seladonia not using trapdoor is okay

So as the title suggests T. seladonia not using a trapdoor is fine if it's continuing to feed and thrive. I always see on Facebook groups where if an OP says that his/her T. seladonia has a trapdoor but is out all the time, people in the comments automatically assume that there is something...

arachnoboards.com

Typhochlaena seladonia - From sling to subadult

This is just my experience, how I've cared for and raised them from 1/3" slings to the present. So before I even thought about purchasing these slings, I've already read tons of threads about them. After that, I went ahead and asked the best person I know about this stuff, the forefront breeder...

arachnoboards.com

Tip: How to get Typhochlaena seladonia to make a new trapdoor

Over the past couple of years I have seen several threads started by new keepers of Typhochlaena seladonia asking what can be done to trigger the spider to build a trapdoor. Some people suggested drilling a hole into the cork, others suggested to increase the humidity or add lichen flakes. While...

arachnoboards.com

 

[phantomwaves]

In that picture, I don’t see a suitable habitat for your tarantula.

I’d strongly suggest to rehouse it.

Below are the helpful posts for you to read:

T seladonia trap door building

So I swapped the cork bark in one of my seladonia vials yesterday to accommodate the growth. One of my seladonia has been wandering around and trying (but failing) to hide in its trap door. Within an hour it had already started construction on a new trapdoor, of which I was able to get about 6...

arachnoboards.com

T. seladonia not using trapdoor is okay

So as the title suggests T. seladonia not using a trapdoor is fine if it's continuing to feed and thrive. I always see on Facebook groups where if an OP says that his/her T. seladonia has a trapdoor but is out all the time, people in the comments automatically assume that there is something...

arachnoboards.com

Typhochlaena seladonia - From sling to subadult

This is just my experience, how I've cared for and raised them from 1/3" slings to the present. So before I even thought about purchasing these slings, I've already read tons of threads about them. After that, I went ahead and asked the best person I know about this stuff, the forefront breeder...

arachnoboards.com

Tip: How to get Typhochlaena seladonia to make a new trapdoor

Over the past couple of years I have seen several threads started by new keepers of Typhochlaena seladonia asking what can be done to trigger the spider to build a trapdoor. Some people suggested drilling a hole into the cork, others suggested to increase the humidity or add lichen flakes. While...

arachnoboards.com

Very helpful, thank you. The picture of the cork I posted is probably looking less than ideal because of the side of it that I absent mindedly posted. Here is the other side...some holes. Still no bueno?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Very helpful, thank you. The picture of the cork I posted is probably looking less than ideal because of the side of it that I absent mindedly posted. Here is the other side...some holes. Still no bueno? View attachment 453164

Nice container but it might be a little large for that t size . I’m not too familiar with this particular species care though . Besides they make trapdoors . See how it settles in ..

 

[SpookySpooder]

As mentioned above, it's fine if they don't use their trapdoor.

Some build them quickly, some take their time. The longest a sling took to build their trapdoor for me was ~6 weeks.

As long as they eat, there is no need to worry.

Way too big for that sling. Unless you are feeding them directly the size of that container will decrease their prey interactions. They're not active hunters by any means.

I have mine in tiny dram vials and I hand feed them prekilled feeders. If they don't take food right away, I leave it in front of the trapdoor for them to eat overnight. This almost always works and they never miss a feeding besides during premolt, during which they will furiously kick the feeder away from the trapdoor down to the substrate.

Also, I don't wet my substrate, leaving the substrate permanently wet promotes a musky smell and mold. I water them directly near their trapdoors with a syringe and the only time water makes it to the substrate is when I overfill the water dish or from runaway droplets. I allow the sub to dry between wettings. The main importance is that you provide hydration for your T to drink, that's more important than humidity.

I mist the cork bark and trapdoor once a week, and provide water drops twice a week, but I never make anything soaking wet. I have seen them stick their faces outside just to take a quick drink, so I continue this practice.

Give me a couple minutes and I'll pull out the TSels for a photo reference

Black cap is the container I recieved them in. It had a musky earthy smell when I first popped it open and it still hasn't dried out since I got it. I immediately rehoused them into more suitable spaces for their size.





This is their home from 2i-3i



I plan on rehousing them into a slightly bigger container (4x4x7 cm) when they finish their 4i molt.

The trapdoors are getting quite big for these vials.





Here is the Seladonia I have that loves to go on walks whenever I pop the top. Classic Avic behavior if you ask me. People say they're reclusive and you never see them but I think that varies based on the individual. Like other T's, they seem to have individual personalities and preferences. Generally though, they almost never leave their trapdoors on their own so it's nice to get individuals that are brave and adventurous.

 

[viper69]

They are very short lived species so enjoy

They are also one of the most advanced species to own. If it’s your first T, it will likely die.

Haven’t heard of peeps keeping sub moist, though it wouldn’t surprise me it some peeps do because this species is sensitive to humidity. It’s not something I would do nor recommend

An early adopter of this species used plants instead for humidity.

I never thrown bunch of feeders in with a T such as this. They are small, and not aggressive eaters like say a C versicolor

IMO from people who have successfully kept more than 5 of them, they were babied extensively, and IMO they are a high maintenance for many reasons.

They don’t trap build immediately either might take a month or more in some cases.

Spooky’s words all match up with other owners I’ve researched.

Classic Avic behavior if you ask me.

Never had an Avic do that. I don’t recall people mentioning that as a thing either..? I wouldn’t call it classic at all.

Now H chilensis that’s classic