Feeding a sling

[rénee]

Im just curios as to how often and how much and what is best to be feeding a sling. When i got it the lady told me to feed half a meal worm every 2-4 days.

The sling is about the size of my fingernail. I know obviously crickets and super worms are probably out of the question right now, but how do i know when to start upgrading, i think i read somewhere that you generally feed them something that is about the size of their body(not including legs). If that is the case then how often. i heard slings can be piggies haha, so should i just drop half meal worm daily and if it isn't eaten within a few hours just take it out and try again in a day then?

Thanks, and P.s for anybody who is curios as to how its doing in the new enclosure- it seems to be doing good, as of right now its just chilling on the leaf

 

[~8-legz~]

offer food every 2-3 days and try different types of food as well I have an A. metallica sling that wouldn't eat mealworms but grabbed a prekilled tiny cricket and ate that so they can be picky... what species sling do you have?

 

[rénee]

offer food every 2-3 days and try different types of food as well I have an A. metallica sling that wouldn't eat mealworms but grabbed a prekilled tiny cricket and ate that so they can be picky... what species sling do you have?

I have a A. Avic.

 

[Kymura]

I for one am always interested in updates on everyone's slings
I would do as you said and give her her half mealworm, if she doesn't eat it after a few hours then remove wait an additional day and try again

There are a lot of sling size options in roaches and crickets, or just offer her a part of a pre killed larger one.
I keep a small colony of mealworms as I refuse to raise crickets and cant always run to buy a dozen , some will eat them, others not so much

My A.avic is about 3" so past the sling stage but still extremely picky about food. I despise crickets but so far that's all she will even consider.
Hoping these (ugh) roaches I have coming will perk her interest. Most of all, as long as she looks plump, don't worry, they know when they are hungry far better then we do ​

 

[rénee]

I for one am always interested in updates on everyone's slings
I would do as you said and give her her half mealworm, if she doesn't eat it after a few hours then remove wait an additional day and try again

There are a lot of sling size options in roaches and crickets, or just offer her a part of a pre killed larger one.
I keep a small colony of mealworms as I refuse to raise crickets and cant always run to buy a dozen , some will eat them, others not so much

My A.avic is about 3" so past the sling stage but still extremely picky about food. I despise crickets but so far that's all she will even consider.
Hoping these (ugh) roaches I have coming will perk her interest. Most of all, as long as she looks plump, don't worry, they know when they are hungry far better then we do ​

Unfortunately roaches are illegal where i am.. (My province really sucks lol). I have a few meal worms in the fridge(i was told if you leave them out they will turn into beetles?).

But if it doesn't eat the half meal worm i gave this morning before work, i'll try again tomorrow, if still nothing then i will try a small pre-killed cricket the next day.

Honestly I'm not sure what is considered a "plump" abdomen on a sling haha, its whole body is so small! All i know is the abdomen is smaller than the carapace, but it does not look shrivelled or wrinkled or anything, just looks small in general haha.

I would have expected slings to be more active, but again it is still pretty new to its new enclosure

 

[rénee]

P.s this is the little one, picture is a bit blurry its hard to capture such a small thing haha. But to me it looks fine?

 

[Chubbs]

renee, there really is no set schedule that you have to follow with these animals, that's why they're such low-maintenance pets. Slings generally should be fed maybe twice a week, but you could feed them more than that if you wish to. It really depends on where they are in their molt cycle (the size of the abdomen is often helpful in determining this), and how fast you want them to grow. I like to feed my small slings as much as possible, that way they'l grow faster, and will be past that more vulnerable/delicate stage. When they hit about 2 inches, I'll slow the feedings down a lot. I personally think crickets are the easiest feeders to use anyway, since just about every tarantula I've had eats them and they also don't burrow. You can try prekilled if live ones are too much of a hassle.

 

[rénee]

Thanks chubbs, basically I will just figure out what system/routine works best and keep at it

 

[Kymura]

I probably over feed mine and offer anytime I see them out and about just in case they are hunting

 

[micheldied]

What I've always done for slings is offer food pretty much every day, or every other day. I prefer power feeding them to get them out of the fragile stage as soon as possible. They won't eat themselves to death, and will stop eating when they don't want to. I usually give them prekilled food, so I don't have to worry about prey bothering the slings, and this way you can offer any sized prey item without worrying. Just remove whatever is uneaten the next day.

 

[MassExodus]

Many times I've given tiny slings half a large superworm and watched as they crawled on top of it and fed for 2 days. It's like watching a mosquito slowed down to a much longer feeding..when they finally crawl away, dragging their fat little butts behind them, they look obese..I've always found that very funny..

 

[rénee]

Many times I've given tiny slings half a large superworm and watched as they crawled on top of it and fed for 2 days. It's like watching a mosquito slowed down to a much longer feeding..when they finally crawl away, dragging their fat little butts behind them, they look obese..I've always found that very funny..

Lmao that sounds adorable!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, really appreciate it! i will probably just feed it half a meal worm every day(I found no leftovers when i came home, so yay it must have ate it or buried it lol), and once it gets a bit bigger i will go to a bit more bigger prey but probably still pre-killed for a bit. I'm not sure its molting schedule yet, once i figure that out then perhaps than it can start hunting on its own

I feel like a mother with a newborn

 

[kormath]

Lmao that sounds adorable!

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, really appreciate it! i will probably just feed it half a meal worm every day(I found no leftovers when i came home, so yay it must have ate it or buried it lol), and once it gets a bit bigger i will go to a bit more bigger prey but probably still pre-killed for a bit. I'm not sure its molting schedule yet, once i figure that out then perhaps than it can start hunting on its own

I feel like a mother with a newborn

Most pet shops offer various sizes of crickets. Or you can order then online. My 1/4" b. Vagans eats 1/2 of a small cricket once a week, roughly half the size of his abdomen, but I give him pinhead crickets every other day as a snack. It's so fun to watch him hunt those fast lil buggers after he can't catch them.

Meal worms turn into a species of darkling beetles. Like stink bugs.

 

[rénee]

Most pet shops offer various sizes of crickets. Or you can order then online. My 1/4" b. Vagans eats 1/2 of a small cricket once a week, roughly half the size of his abdomen, but I give him pinhead crickets every other day as a snack. It's so fun to watch him hunt those fast lil buggers after he can't catch them.

Meal worms turn into a species of darkling beetles. Like stink bugs.

Well I don't want to get the crickets from my pet stores because they coat them in the calcium powder. I do have another place though that I do get them anyways, also I do keep the meal worms in the fridge so they don't turn into beetles.

I'm not really sure if the little one is eating the meal worms or not anyway. I found the bodies still in the enclosure, when I checked last night the little one was on top of the worm, then this morning it was still there, not sure if the little one just kind of ate the inside of the worm.

Also I never see it climb anymore. Past 2 days it's been on the ground although it could also be up in the air while I'm at work or while I'm sleeping too

 

[rénee]

OK! On the contrary the little one actually can't keep ahold on the sides! It tries to climb but can't, do I need to find a new container or is this normal for slings having a bit of trouble?

 

[rénee]

OK! On the contrary the little one actually can't keep ahold on the sides! It tries to climb but can't, do I need to find a new container or is this normal for slings having a bit of trouble?

on the DOUBLE contrary.. (sorry for the triple post here now lmao), The little ones abdomen has doubled in size since last night, either from the food, or molt soon, not sure yet, So this could possibly be why its having trouble climbing the walls? right now it climbed to the top and is perched on the "hammock leaf" but like i said, it had some troubles getting up there.

 

[Thistles]

Sounds like premolt. It's common for tarantulas to be a little bit clumsy before molting and also for their opisthosoma to swell.

 

[Chubbs]

Well I don't want to get the crickets from my pet stores because they coat them in the calcium powder. I do have another place though that I do get them anyways, also I do keep the meal worms in the fridge so they don't turn into beetles.

I'm not really sure if the little one is eating the meal worms or not anyway. I found the bodies still in the enclosure, when I checked last night the little one was on top of the worm, then this morning it was still there, not sure if the little one just kind of ate the inside of the worm.

Also I never see it climb anymore. Past 2 days it's been on the ground although it could also be up in the air while I'm at work or while I'm sleeping too

You can't just ask them not to put calcium powder on them? Even if you can't it won't cause any harm to the spider. If it was eating them you wouldn't be seeing whole remains. Mygalomorphs eat by mashing up their prey while secreting digestive juices, turning the prey into a kind of "soup" which they suck up. What's left over is a little ball of leftovers (chitin, wings, legs, antenna and other indigestable solid parts), called a bolus. You would be seeing these if it was eating them. When Avics are approaching a molt, they'll often have trouble climbing.

 

[kormath]

The local pet store here caters mostly to lizards with their cricket supply and dusts them with calcium powder. It's never bothered my GBB or Vagans. My Boehemi is also looking like it's going into molt - shiney abdomen with black mark on top and can't climb the walls very well. I'm guessing that's why he's been so "fearful" of food when we try and feed him.

I've also read that if you leave the cocofiber dust on the sides of the enclosure it makes it harder for them to climb the walls and can help prevent falls. I've done this with my Vagans and so far he hasn't climbed to the top since. Makes the enclosure look a little dirty (i've only left the dust on the sides just a little farther up than they can reach) but i can handle that it if helps keep them safe.

 

[rénee]

Ok thanks guys I figured this was the reason the little one couldn't climb, and the dust on the sides does make sense.

As for the crickets the one pet store is crap and said no, before they even put it in the tank to sell they coat them in a bag and shake them, they wouldn't let me put a few aside before they coated them either for me. But I got another pet store to make a deal with me that every Wednesday when their shipment comes in they will put 20 aside for me without the coating and I will just come get them, and I will feed them my own foods. I am looking into actually breeding my own crickets when I get more T's lol.