Feeding baby rescue tarantula

[Kiiarah]

I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction here. I have no experience with baby tarantulas so I am interested in finding out what differences, if any, there are in care and feeding schedule for babies as opposed to adults. He is extremely small and is a wild spider so I am not sure what feeding schedule to have him on. He has not had a very enthusiastic feeding response, though it would appear he ate because the pinhead cricket I put in the enclosure is gone and there was a cricket leg lying in the corner. I read somewhere that small enough spiders should be fed 2-3 times per week. Is that true, and if so is he small enough to need that? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I just want this little one to recover and thrive.

(Disclaimer: I am not advocating handling, but in this case it was the only way to get a shot of him/her due to the size so I hope this is acceptable. In the second photo we had just removed him from the floor after finding him, the final shot of the enclosure should illustrate just how hard it is to take a photo in the enclosure, the camera just can't focus in close enough.)

This is a shot of him tonight, illustrating the normal body posture and overall size.

This is the picture of him on the night we found him showing signs of dehydration and missing two legs. He was placed into an ICU after this for a day which seemed to help.

This is a shot of him in his current enclosure.

 

[Kiiarah]

Anyone with any sling/juvi experience able to help? *crosses fingers* I am really out of my comfort zone winging it with one so tiny.

 

[Chubbs]

Is that him on the side? If so ,that enclosure is WAY too big for a sling of that size. I'm really surprised it hasn't escaped on you yet.

 

[Chubbs]

This is as big as you need to go for a sling that size.

 

[Kiiarah]

Thanks for the pointer. I was going to keep him in a Tupperware container with air holes but my concern is where I would keep him with natural light cycles that the cats couldn't reach. I really don't think he could possibly fit through the air slats, is there anything I can do to improve on this enclosure or are there problems beyond escaping with larger enclosures.

 

[Kiiarah]

Just wanted to add that I have read that finding prey is sometimes an issue with larger areas. It would appear that he had eaten a second cricket now. The crickets don't burrow do they?

 

[Chubbs]

They tend not to like large open spaces. Having too big of an enclosure can cause the spider to feel exposed and not settle in well. Not to mention it's just a huge waste of space.

 

[Kiiarah]

I see, in that case I guess I could use some help with what signs of settling in tarantulas exhibit. How exactly can I tell if he/she is relaxed or if the size is freaking her out (I am just going to say her for simplicity). She uses the small hide in there, but doesn't stay in there constantly. She still comes out now and again and climbs around, then goes back to the same hide. It seems like she had adopted that as her "burrow" but I could be misinterpreting her behavior. What can I look for to know she is settled?

I suppose it is a waste of space, except that it is what I had so as long as she is alright I am not bothered by using a larger container to house her. I don't have anything else I could use the enclosure for so it would just be in the closet if she weren't in it. Since she is eating my biggest concern is the height and fall risk, but I could address that risk by adding substrate to reduce the height couldn't I?

 

[Kiiarah]

Ok so I went out and looked all around today and found a couple of possible smaller enclosures. Would either one of these be acceptable? I would really like to go with the one with the blue lid instead of the deli cup if possible since it will be much less likely to tip. Is that one an appropriate size or should I go with the smaller tall container? Also is there a rule for where to place air holes and how many to add? Thanks a ton you guys, I really appreciate the pointers.

 

[Kiiarah]

Just posted an update thread for input on the new enclosure.

 

[Chubbs]

If you want the spider to run out of the container every time you open it, then the one with the blue lid might be a good idea. The deli cup is the safer option.

 

[Kiiarah]

Hi Chubbs! Thanks for the reply. I did actually consider that and what I am doing right now is keeping the new enclosure in the old one. I have already converted the blue one and set her up in it now, but I do still have the deli cup as back up. Let me show you how I have things arranged and I would appreciate your feedback on whether escapes would still be a risk. I think it is fairly secure, but there may be something I am overlooking.

It made me nervous how little space there was between the substrate and the top of the container, but I wanted to keep it filled enough to eliminate risk of fall injuries, so I figured putting it in the larger container for safekeeping minimizes the risk of her running out when I open it. It will also make it harder for the enclosure to get bumped or knocked over since the shelving unit it is in is almost exactly the height of the larger container. I am hoping that having the substrate in the large one underneath her actual enclosure will also reduce vibrations that reach her and provide a more stable floor that the smaller one won't slide around in.

What do you think, will these steps be sufficient? Anything additional you would recommend? Thank you so much for the advice so far by the way, it has been incredibly helpful and I don't feel nearly as in the dark about things as I did a week ago. She ate tonight in her new enclosure and I got to see her do it rather than her waiting nearly 24 hours with the cricket just disappearing at some point during that time. She even came out and (I think) drank from her dish and cleaned herself for a bit this evening. Hoping I am at least on the right track here.