I have a 1/4" A.Chalcodes spiderling. Ive had it for almost 2 weeks and it hasnt eaten at all since i got it. Is this normal for a spiderling this tiny or am I doing something wrong? Ive got it set up in the vial it was shipped in because the spider is too tiny for anything else, and I put water around the rim every night so Its getting hydration. Not sure if its too much or too little as I have zero experience with spiderlings.
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A. Chalcodes Feeding Question
- Thread starter Stephanie
- Start date
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- 9
I am still really new at T keeping.
I also have a small A.Chalcodes (though not quite as small as yours). He/she is really fickle and won't eat for weeks. In violation of only keeping a prey item in the enclosure for 24 hours I have taken to leaving a very small cricket in her cage so she can hunt and kill it when she feels like it. I made sure to get crickets that are much smaller then she is and I make sure there is a full bottle cap of water in for her to drink out of. I check on her twice a day to make sure the water is full, when I do that I check to see if the cricket is gone. If it is then I wait a week and drop another one in. Oh, and her cage is WAY too big for her but it is the smallest I have, so that might be a factor.
It normally takes her 2 or 3 days to decide to eat her cricket, and I will also change it up and put in a tiny meal worm. Again it will take her a few days to decide to kill and eat it. She will never take a prey item right away. When I first got her I was doing the take the food away after 24 hours thing and this went on for nearly 2 months. I was getting worried so I tried leaving the cricket in, and that is when she started eating, but only after it has been in for a few days.
I also have a small A.Chalcodes (though not quite as small as yours). He/she is really fickle and won't eat for weeks. In violation of only keeping a prey item in the enclosure for 24 hours I have taken to leaving a very small cricket in her cage so she can hunt and kill it when she feels like it. I made sure to get crickets that are much smaller then she is and I make sure there is a full bottle cap of water in for her to drink out of. I check on her twice a day to make sure the water is full, when I do that I check to see if the cricket is gone. If it is then I wait a week and drop another one in. Oh, and her cage is WAY too big for her but it is the smallest I have, so that might be a factor.
It normally takes her 2 or 3 days to decide to eat her cricket, and I will also change it up and put in a tiny meal worm. Again it will take her a few days to decide to kill and eat it. She will never take a prey item right away. When I first got her I was doing the take the food away after 24 hours thing and this went on for nearly 2 months. I was getting worried so I tried leaving the cricket in, and that is when she started eating, but only after it has been in for a few days.
She just molted yesterday, but doesnt look right now. It appears like her abdomen is still stuck and so shes dragging her molt around with her. Not sure what to do about this as Ive never encountered something like this. Ive got a 3 year old chilean rose hair that has molted 3 times since i got her 3 years ago and never had this problem
- Messages
- 639
- Location
- Cortland, NY
Hold the pieces she's dragging with tongs and her walking away from it should pull it away. If that doesn't work try gently brushing it with a wet paintbrush. Upping the humidity in the enclosure a little bit can help as well.
- Messages
- 800
- Location
- tyne & wear uk
how did it go ???
- Messages
- 800
- Location
- tyne & wear uk
looking good 
Congrats on the molt! Are you still misting your sling everyday? The substrate looks very wet. You should be misting for hydration, yes, but no more than 2x a week. Let the dirt dry out a bit so that you don't get mold. Your T will be happier too.
