tiny sling nowhere to be seen for 1.5 months

[chickenooget]

this a. geniculata sling (approx 1/3” dls) arrived feb 11 and immediately burrowed away. i’m definitely kicking myself in the foot rn for not putting it in a smaller enclosure. :/

i also can’t really see a burrow anywhere looking from the sides, nor do i see a burrow entrance on the surface. i can’t get good visual underneath the cork tho, so maybe it’s there?

i’m beginning to worry that it’s either dead or escaped. this is my first experience with such a small baby so i’d love some advice and/or reassurance

 

[cold blood]

That's why you don't want small slings to burrow away....not only does it make it impossible to monitor them, but it greatly hinders the growth rate as well.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

 

[chickenooget]

That's why you don't want small slings to burrow away....not only does it make it impossible to monitor them, but it greatly hinders the growth rate as well.

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

ik man i already said i regretted it :’) but what do i do now?

 

[cold blood]

but what do i do now?

As my post says...house your sling like this

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

ik man i already said i regretted it :’) but what do i do now?

I’d dig it out and use a condiment cup like pictured above. I use them for slings plus all my vials got thrown away. So much for storage in the garage.

 

[chickenooget]

I’d dig it out and use a condiment cup like pictured above. I use them for slings plus all my vials got thrown away. So much for storage in the garage.

sounds good thanks, i was hesitant about digging it up since the usual consensus is to never do so

 

[TheraMygale]

sounds good thanks, i was hesitant about digging it up since the usual consensus is to never do so

thats because a tarantula could be molting. Personaly, and this is just my opinion, i don’t believe in the “never do so”. sometimes you don’t have a choice for whatever reason. Its all about how and when you do it.

you can dig it out safely, by doing it very slowly. removing all the stuff, and checking it. the sling could be anywhere. So be gentle and extra slow.

the sling can either be is a curl because its afraid, or be skittish and jump out. So be prepared for that.

if for some reason, you notice it has molted: the molt will be there, then proceed with extra care.

i don’t know how quick A genics molt when this small. But by looking at the picture, it was not ready yet. And if it has been hiding, i doubt you have been getting it any food. When you look in @cold blood ’s condiment cup, that tarantula‘s abdomen looks darker.

when you find it, you will be able to see if abdomen has darkened.

i have successfuly dug out more then one tarantula this way.

i have been lucky to have all my tarantulas, that burrow, visible through the enclosure wall. this allows me to monitor them and know if its a good time or not to dig out.

extra note: when rehoused, less is more. It does not need all the leaf litter and tons of moss. That makes it harder to get feeding responses from the tarantula.

 

[viper69]

so maybe it’s there?

Maybe

 

[Tarantuland]

I would dump the whole thing out I do a bigger container and sift through the dirt with a paintbrush