Feeding a sling

[kormath]

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.

Good deal! I'd be a dedicated shopper at the 2nd pet store just for that and I would cease all business with the first pet store, mention that treatment to your friends and family, and write them a bad review. I can't stand businesses that flat refuse to help a customer with no reason.

As for food Flukers orange cubes along with Flukers high calcium cricket dry feed ($20 for both on amazon and the calcium feed is a 6 lb jar) is what i use for both crickets and roaches. The orange cubes provide hydration along with vitamins/minerals to compliment the calcium dry food.

The instructions say to use that to gut feed the crickets to give your animals the highest nutrition. Also says to stop feeding the crickets the day before you feed them to your pets. I keep forgetting to do this but i don't think it will matter any to the spiders eating them will it? they'll just dissolve the undigested oats or whatever along with the cricket or roach guts i'm guessing.

 

[rénee]

Ya my loyalty lies with the 2nd place

And if what Chubbs says about the whole remains being left over meaning the little one isn't eating then ya the little one hasn't eaten since in my care which has been 3 days now. The abdomen still seems plump, so maybe the little one is about to molt soon, or simply isn't hungry, there was also a bit of webbing - very little, but i accidentally ruined it when i went to change the water and drop half a meal worm in

 

[kormath]

It happens. Our GBB thinks it's cool to Web over the water dish. So his web is broken on cleaning days.

My boehmei didn't eat for just over a week when we first got him. Add long as the abdomen is plump they should be fine

 

[rénee]

So I'm hoping this won't happen, but what do you do if any size of T refuses and abdomen starts to shrink? Just curious for if i ever do run into this with ANY T's ill get in the future haha

 

[Chubbs]

So I'm hoping this won't happen, but what do you do if any size of T refuses and abdomen starts to shrink? Just curious for if i ever do run into this with ANY T's ill get in the future haha

Nothing you really can do, besides make sure it has water at all times and try offering food every so often. As I've pointed out in several other Avic-related threads, they'll sometimes take a while to settle in. It could be weeks or months before you see a significant amount of webbing. As for destroying some of it, it's natural to feel a tad guilty, but it really doesn't bother them that much and most of the time they'll re-web very quickly. This is just part of keeping Avics.

 

[kormath]

Here's some tips to help a T recover from lost limbs or dehydration - http://www.tarantulas.com/first_aid.html Not sure i buy the superglue part, unless it would wear off over time like on our fingers. Wouldn't it impede molting?

 

[DewDrop]

My rose hair sling is about a half inch and devoured a smallish almost a medium cricket. The baby spider had been in transit for a few days and was famished, but tackled the cricket and while I wondered how the sling could possibly eat that much, it ate it all in about 4 to 6 hours. It is fine today, active, plump and precious. I was worried the cricket was just too big, but apparently it wasn't. I am going to wait and feed after I watch and see how the behavior is, I have no idea how often the rosie will eat but I will offer another cricket in at least 3 days maybe closer to 5, but also read up to see what is recommended. Perhaps each spider is different with appetite?

 

[kormath]

From the little experience I have I can say my T's are different in their eating habits. Redrum is a little trash compactor and will devour anything I've put in his enclosure so far - half a cricket, killed fruit flies, and pinhead roaches. I have to kill the fruit flies or he can't catch them before they climb up to the ceiling and escape out the vent screen. They're more of a snack anyway as tiny as they are.

Koby so far has only eaten once since he arrived, he dug up the Dubai a day or so after we gave it to him.

Marley eats similar to Redrum but is a bit more picky. He devours the Dubai's if he can catch them before they burrow. He totally loves the large crickets though, I've seen him run half way across the enclosure to snag the cricket before it has time to move. The last time we fed him crickets it was like he was a linebacker in football. He charged it, hit it, wrapped it up with his legs, and rolled completely over with it. My son was trying to get a picture of him eating but it happened so fast he totally forgot and just stood there, then looked at me and said "Did you see that!" with these big open eyes lol.

 

[Chubbs]

My rose hair sling is about a half inch and devoured a smallish almost a medium cricket. The baby spider had been in transit for a few days and was famished, but tackled the cricket and while I wondered how the sling could possibly eat that much, it ate it all in about 4 to 6 hours. It is fine today, active, plump and precious. I was worried the cricket was just too big, but apparently it wasn't. I am going to wait and feed after I watch and see how the behavior is, I have no idea how often the rosie will eat but I will offer another cricket in at least 3 days maybe closer to 5, but also read up to see what is recommended. Perhaps each spider is different with appetite?

Each one is different with appetite. However what the OP is describing sounds like normal premolt behavior.

 

[DewDrop]

Oh ok, thanks. So it should molt soon then? Right now the little spider is so full, it won't get food offered for at least a week.

 

[rénee]

See I put the smallest cricket I could in(pre-killed) and the sling immediately ran to the top and did not come down till I removed it, I guess it was scared? I have been putting half meal worms in but nothing.. the little one hasnt eaten in 5 days now. The abdomen is still plump, and there is a bit of webbing going on in some places. Perhaps a molt soon?

Also my rose hair hasn't eaten in about a month now, normal, abdomen still very plump and she is active so no worries there. Rosies can yo a very long time without eating although I didn't get my girl as a sling though I'm sure their appetite is different

 

[Chubbs]

See I put the smallest cricket I could in(pre-killed) and the sling immediately ran to the top and did not come down till I removed it, I guess it was scared? I have been putting half meal worms in but nothing.. the little one hasnt eaten in 5 days now. The abdomen is still plump, and there is a bit of webbing going on in some places. Perhaps a molt soon?

Also my rose hair hasn't eaten in about a month now, normal, abdomen still very plump and she is active so no worries there. Rosies can yo a very long time without eating although I didn't get my girl as a sling though I'm sure their appetite is different

Try giving it a prekilled cricket. If it still doesn't eat then it's probably in premolt. You don't wanna have live crickets in an enclosure If you suspect it's in premolt.

 

[rénee]

Try giving it a prekilled cricket. If it still doesn't eat then it's probably in premolt. You don't wanna have live crickets in an enclosure If you suspect it's in premolt.

It was pre killed. And the little one quickly scurried up the side of the enclosure and just hung upside down at the top. Then when I removed the dead cricket cause it wouldn't eat it it came back down

 

[Chubbs]

It was pre killed. And the little one quickly scurried up the side of the enclosure and just hung upside down at the top. Then when I removed the dead cricket cause it wouldn't eat it it came back down

I would probably have left it in a while longer. If it was hungry it would probably find it on its own and eat it. Sometimes they'll take a while to find it. That is IF it's not in premolt, which at this point is still sort of inconclusive i guess.

 

[rénee]

I would probably have left it in a while longer. If it was hungry it would probably find it on its own and eat it. Sometimes they'll take a while to find it. That is IF it's not in premolt, which at this point is still sort of inconclusive i guess.

Ya I'm really not sure if the little one is in premolt. I want to say yes? But I've never gone through a molt eith either of my 2 T's yet. Like I have said the abdomen seems pretty big, isn't eating and doesn't seem to be moving around too much.

 

[Chubbs]

Ya I'm really not sure if the little one is in premolt. I want to say yes? But I've never gone through a molt eith either of my 2 T's yet. Like I have said the abdomen seems pretty big, isn't eating and doesn't seem to be moving around too much.

That is why a clear picture would help [emoji14]

 

[rénee]

Hahah I know, here is a pic, it's about the best I could get. As you may be able to see there is webbing starting! Just noticed that today

 

[RedCapTrio]

As a self rule, I feed my slings everyday if they take it. Currently feeding them mealworms and superworms as I have a lot of supply. My b. latts are yet to make a colony so am not touching it yet except the ones I get to feed from when they arrived.

Then, I also do not feed 5 days to a week after the T molted, used to be 10 days but I think slings harden faster with the logic that they are smaller.

It is better if you feed them a lot when as slings because it will make them molt faster and thereby get big faster.

 

[kormath]

I'm doing that also. I feed Redrum 2 lateralis pinheads every night. He's been hiding in his burrow the last couple days so i'm hoping he's getting ready to molt. But he's still eating. All i get to see are a leg and his pedi's as he snags the pinhead when it starts down his burrow. Koby has holed himself up in his burrow, he's walled up the opening and has cleared out a space in the corner of the enclosure so we might be able to see him molt. His abdomen is still pale but the triangular spot on top is quite dark and he hasn't eaten in 2 weeks.

We tried feeding Marley this evening with a small dubai, not even half his abdomen size, and he ran up the wall and wouldn't come down until it was removed. My son talked me into going to buy crickets tomorrow so Marley would eat again. He hasn't eaten in about 2 weeks also. I ordered a bunch of lateralis from neherps today, hopefully Marley will eat those so i don't have to buy crickets again.

Edit: Sorry not neherps, feedersource.com. I was at neherps looking at the cork bark selections.