Webbed Mealworm Pieces

Darkskies

Arachnopeon
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Sep 11, 2016
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Hi everyone,

I'm a relatively new tarantula keeper. I own two slings. One is a B. albo and the other is a Euathlus sp. red. They're both about 1/4 inches now(albo slightly bigger) and I got them about two months ago. I put in a mealworm slice for each of them 3 days ago. This is the first time I've left the pieces in there for as long as 3 days because I had heard that the sp. red takes a while to recognize food and eat it. I can't find a trace of the mealworm slice in the sp. red' enclosure so she either ate it or buried it somewhere. In the B. albo container, it is clear that she has spun quite a bit of webbing all around the mealworm piece. I can't tell whether this means she ate most of it. Would I do well to remove the fully webbed piece or should I just leave it in there? I imagine it would be hard to remove without taking a chunk of the vermiculite it's attached to. It's surprising how thickly webbed it is. Just a ball of thick white material attached to the vermiculite. Is there any risk of infection or other health effects if I leave the webbed piece in there?
 

Marijan2

Arachnobaron
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
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505
Why are you using vermiculite? These T's you have love to burrow and they can't do that in vermiculite. Coco fiber or top soil is much better choice for substrate
 

Ghost56

Arachnobaron
Joined
Aug 28, 2016
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443
Are you sure it's webbing and not mold? Either way I'd remove it, and throw in a fresh piece of mealworm. If it's not molded right now, it will if you leave it in there if the sub is moist at all.
 

Bugmom

Arachnolord
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
646
You don't need to feed them mealworm pieces. Get the mini mealworms. They'll eat them just fine. Pinhead roaches and crickets can also be used.

Don't leave food - dead, alive, or in chunks - more than 24 hours. It can attract mites which CAN kill your slings.

They'd do better on coco fiber or organic soil.
 

mack1855

Arachnoangel
Arachnosupporter +
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Sep 5, 2016
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820
My Megphobema.Mesomelas did the same thing.Didnt web it up ,but just dropped it.Ate 3/4 of it,
and all that was left was the husk.Took it out,because I just didn't want old prey items causing any
issues.
 

cold blood

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Jan 19, 2014
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Why are you using vermiculite? These T's you have love to burrow and they can't do that in vermiculite. Coco fiber or top soil is much better choice for substrate
I agree, vermiculite is an additive, not a proper substrate at all.
You don't need to feed them mealworm pieces. Get the mini mealworms. They'll eat them just fine. Pinhead roaches and crickets can also be used.

Don't leave food - dead, alive, or in chunks - more than 24 hours. It can attract mites which CAN kill your slings.

They'd do better on coco fiber or organic soil.
Mini mwal worms aren't always available...I don't have them available to me...I use diced mealworm pieces all the time and have for years without issue.

My experience is that they rarely actually mold, and when they do, the mold stays specifically isolated to the mealworm, making it easy to pick out. I agree on the 24 hours though.

If you buy top soil, do NOT buy anything labeled as "organic". All soil is inherently organic, when you see this label on soil, it is indicative of organic additives, such as dung. Organic additives will break down, potentially attracting flies and other pests.

The soil you want is the stuff sold for filling holes and leveling ground...its the cheapest stuff available, about 1/4 the price of anything with an organic label. I just bought 160 pounds today for just over $5 at home depot.

This is what I buy. $1.37 for 40lb (18.14kg).
 

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Bugmom

Arachnolord
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May 28, 2012
Messages
646
I agree, vermiculite is an additive, not a proper substrate at all.

Mini mwal worms aren't always available...I don't have them available to me...I use diced mealworm pieces all the time and have for years without issue.

My experience is that they rarely actually mold, and when they do, the mold stays specifically isolated to the mealworm, making it easy to pick out. I agree on the 24 hours though.

If you buy top soil, do NOT buy anything labeled as "organic". All soil is inherently organic, when you see this label on soil, it is indicative of organic additives, such as dung. Organic additives will break down, potentially attracting flies and other pests.

The soil you want is the stuff sold for filling holes and leveling ground...its the cheapest stuff available, about 1/4 the price of anything with an organic label. I just bought 160 pounds today for just over $5 at home depot.

This is what I buy. $1.37 for 40lb (18.14kg).
We're probably using "organic" with different definitions. By that I mean NOTHING added to it, such as fertilizer, compost, etc.
 

cold blood

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We're probably using "organic" with different definitions. By that I mean NOTHING added to it, such as fertilizer, compost, etc.
I meant anything labeled as such...which is what people will look for if you tell them organic, regardless of what you "mean". You're dead on right though:happy:
 

Bugmom

Arachnolord
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May 28, 2012
Messages
646
I meant anything labeled as such...which is what people will look for if you tell them organic, regardless of what you "mean". You're dead on right though:happy:
The bag of soil I buy is just dirt and totally says "organic" on it :p You are right though, lots of "organic" soil will contain additives we don't want.
 

Darkskies

Arachnopeon
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Sep 11, 2016
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The vermiculite is only in the B. albo's vial and the sp. red has coco fiber. The only reason the B. albo even has vermiculite is because the vendor at the expo had run out of coco fiber and had put all the B. albo slings on vermiculite. I have a brick of Eco-earth all ready to change his substrate out with but I just have had a very busy schedule and haven't yet done so. Plus, I'm a little wary about doing my first transfer. I will go ahead and remove the bolus/webbed piece/whatever it is. I'm pretty sure it's webbing and not mold though as mealworms have died in my crested gecko tank before and they always turn black over 4-5 days.

With regards to the euathlus sp. red, how can I tell whether she ate the mealworm piece vs. hiding it in the substrate as she's always rearranging. Regardless, should I be worried if she in fact did bury it in the substrate somewhere? Thanks for the replies!

@coldblood, The following is off-topic but I wasn't able to private message you(is there even a function for that?). If I were interested in getting a G. pulchripes sling from you, how would we go about that process? Thanks.
 
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Andrea82

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Jan 12, 2016
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Transferring a B.albopilosum sling isn't hard, although I understand you're cautious since it will be your first time. As soon as you have the time, set up the new vial/enclosure/tub with eco earth that is slightly damp, pack it firm, add a small waterdish (bottle caps work well), and add a small fake leaf or a little piece of bark, voila, you're done. Put the two vials next to each other. Using a straw or soft paintbrush, gently coax the spiderling into its new home. Put the lid on, done. If you're rehousing it to the enclosure it is in, gently coax it out into a cup or something with a lid, and set up the enclosure, coax it in as mentioned, and you're done. :)
 
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