What is your Feeding Schedule? (slings)

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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Hi guys,

My feeding schedule is every Friday with misting and Tuesdays just misting. But my slings sometimes doesn't eat the food I offer them and they are veeery skittish. At the moment I feed them half dead mealworm or cricket. I have a Chilean Rose about 1" and a Salmon Pink Birdeater at 0.75"... I need some tips on how to feed them easier/better; I know they're slings but sometimes it's annoying for them not eating and I always replace the food.

Thanks,
KenTheOtherBugGuy
 

nicodimus22

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I do it on Monday and Thursday evenings. I freeze small crickets in a jar to kill them, and then thaw them out for ~90 minutes before leaving them in the sling enclosures. 24 hours later, I pull out whatever is left of the crickets to prevent mold. There will always be some wasted crickets...just part of the territory with slings IMO. I slow down to one feeding a week once they hit the 2 inch mark.


I overflow the water dish a little bit every night, so there is always the option of hanging out on moist or dry substrate.
 

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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I do it on Monday and Thursday evenings. I freeze small crickets in a jar to kill them, and then thaw them out for ~90 minutes before leaving them in the sling enclosures. 24 hours later, I pull out whatever is left of the crickets to prevent mold. There will always be some wasted crickets...just part of the territory with slings IMO.


I overflow the water dish a little bit every night, so there is always the option of hanging out on moist or dry substrate.
I would definently try that freezing method.. Mhh, should I feed them twice a week also? Or once a week is fine?
 

nicodimus22

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I would definently try that freezing method.. Mhh, should I feed them twice a week also? Or once a week is fine?
Most people here feed slings 2 or 3 times a week. It accelerates their growth through the more delicate stage of being a sling with no real downside. They put all of that food towards a new molt rapidly. Once they become juveniles at around 2 inches, you'll want to pull back to once a week to prevent obesity and the risks that come with that. You can't really overfeed a sling, though. It will stop eating when it is full.
 

Andrea82

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I offer food every other day to my slings, diced up mealworms mostly, with S.lateralis nymphs for variety and to give them a chance to hunt.
With really small slings you can't always tell if they've eaten since they don't require much per feeding. Which is why I offer multiple times a week.
Taking out uneaten prey is part of the hobby ..especially since you have a G.porteri/rosea ('chilean rose'). ;)
 

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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Most people here feed slings 2 or 3 times a week. It accelerates their growth through the more delicate stage of being a sling with no real downside. They put all of that food towards a new molt rapidly. Once they become juveniles at around 2 inches, you'll want to pull back to once a week to prevent obesity and the risks that come with that. You can't really overfeed a sling, though. It will stop eating when it is full.
Huh, I didn't about slings should be eating multiple times a week. I just keep hear on YouTube that you should feed them 1-2 a week but once a week is fine too... But for slings, I guess it isn't. Thank you!
 

nicodimus22

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Huh, I didn't about slings should be eating multiple times a week. I just keep hear on YouTube that you should feed them 1-2 a week but once a week is fine too... But for slings, I guess it isn't. Thank you!
It doesn't hurt to feed slings once a week, but it makes them stay slings longer, which most people consider a pain in the ass. :)
 

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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I offer food every other day to my slings, diced up mealworms mostly, with S.lateralis nymphs for variety and to give them a chance to hunt.
With really small slings you can't always tell if they've eaten since they don't require much per feeding. Which is why I offer multiple times a week.
Taking out uneaten prey is part of the hobby ..especially since you have a G.porteri/rosea ('chilean rose'). ;)
Yeah.. My Chilean Rose isn't always interested in what I offer..her? haha also..How will you dice up a meal worm?

This is her close to the food but isn't interested...:/
image.jpg
 

WeightedAbyss75

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I just feed every other day to every few days. For me, I have Pampho slings, which eat almost every day when I remember. My others though, I usually wait a few days. I just like to get them molting and out of that fragile sling stage ;) Your sling looks great, nice and plump. So long as you make sure it isn't going to molt, you should be fine with feeding it quite a bit.
 

Andrea82

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Yeah.. My Chilean Rose isn't always interested in what I offer..her? haha also..How will you dice up a meal worm?

This is her close to the food but isn't interested...:/
View attachment 235530
Yeah, G.rosea/porteri aren't known to be good eaters, going long periods of time without feeding.
I cut a mealworm in pieces with small scissors, holding it with tweezers.
 

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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I just feed every other day to every few days. For me, I have Pampho slings, which eat almost every day when I remember. My others though, I usually wait a few days. I just like to get them molting and out of that fragile sling stage ;) Your sling looks great, nice and plump. So long as you make sure it isn't going to molt, you should be fine with feeding it quite a bit.
Thanks! Yeah, it molted two weeks ago. Though, I will try to feed it every other days. Also, any tip on opening the enclosure? Because every time I open it, they get skittish, they run away. Maybe that makes them not in the mood to eat..? Maybe?
 

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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Yeah, G.rosea/porteri aren't known to be good eaters, going long periods of time without feeding.
I cut a mealworm in pieces with small scissors, holding it with tweezers.
Yeah, last time, this gal made me worried that she didn't eat for a month.. And one time, I left a decapitated roach, she ate it. I was jumping with joy when I found the remaining of the roach which is..just the wings.. haha.

Oh, wouldn't the guts and juice will come out of that mealworm...? :/??
 

Andrea82

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Yeah, last time, this gal made me worried that she didn't eat for a month.. And one time, I left a decapitated roach, she ate it. I was jumping with joy when I found the remaining of the roach which is..just the wings.. haha.

Oh, wouldn't the guts and juice will come out of that mealworm...? :/??
Yup...if you squeeze too hard when cutting it is going to be messy :D.
I hold it by the head and then gently cut it. Practice makes perfect ;)
 

KenTheOtherBugGuy

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Yup...if you squeeze too hard when cutting it is going to be messy :D.
I hold it by the head and then gently cut it. Practice makes perfect ;)
Okay, holding it by the head makes sense since they're..hard..headed.., Another question..sss. How long should the cutting be and will it make a mess on the substrate since the guts and juiiice may or may not ruin the substrate...? Did that make sense?>.< Thank you!
 

Ungoliant

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I don't have a set schedule, but I feed slings about twice a week depending on the size of the meal and how they look.

Similarly, I don't moisten the substrate on a set schedule. I check on it daily and add a bit of water when it looks dry.

My slings already take live prey, so I select an appropriately sized mealworm from my little colony and crush the head. For pre-killed prey, you can leave it in for a while, and the slings will usually scavenge for it when they feel safe. Remove any uneaten prey the next day.
 

TomKemp

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I offer my slings pre killed smaller crickets or tiny dubia once or twice a week depending who the "takers" are. If the slings are super tiny, I'll offer them pieces of a tiny cricket or dubia (One small insect can sometimes do many feedings). Tiny slings are scavengers and will survive better than you would expect.
 

Andrea82

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Okay, holding it by the head makes sense since they're..hard..headed.., Another question..sss. How long should the cutting be and will it make a mess on the substrate since the guts and juiiice may or may not ruin the substrate...? Did that make sense?>.< Thank you!
How big the piece of mealie is depends on the sling size. About the size of the abdomen is usually okay.
Yes, it can make a mess on the substrate, spot cleaning is the way to go :)
 

WeightedAbyss75

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Thanks! Yeah, it molted two weeks ago. Though, I will try to feed it every other days. Also, any tip on opening the enclosure? Because every time I open it, they get skittish, they run away. Maybe that makes them not in the mood to eat..? Maybe?
Depends on the enclosure. For me, I have most of my slings in long boxes. Usually, if a container has locking clasps to hold down the top, I will leave it unlocked. That way, when I go in to feed, I can just lift up the top and feed. At sling stage, most T's aren't powerful enough to lift the top anyway :D Other than that, just getting an easy to open enclosure is the easiest way
 
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