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Just got a sling

bbolivier1234

Member
Messages
30
Location
Canada
Hey everybody, im planning to get my first sling ots going to be a b.emilia sling. How do you care for them, how do you feed them, can anyone explain to me the basic husbandry of a sling t. Thanks in advance.
 

Anthony York

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
370
Location
Goregia
Well first off make sure you have the appropriate size enclosure. Then the substrate could be multiple things coco fiber which it is one way but tends to get moldy if you keep it to wet and With slings you need to keep them kinda damp. I use the zoo med creature soil for my slings it works better then coco fiber in my opinion. On my juveniles I usually use creature soil small chunks of cork bark a bigger piece of cork bark for the hide spag moss mixed in the soil and then I add some springtails in to help with clean up. My adults get full bioactive encloseures
 

Anthony York

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
370
Location
Goregia
Now on to feeding lots of choices you can do crickets meal worms roaches fruit flies wax worms horn worms. And there are loads more. I usually use dubia roaches out of my colony. But if your nervous about it bolting on you you can drop it in never the T. If it doesn't eat it within 24 hrs get it out. You can also feed will tongs if you have some that are long enough and small enough to hold the prey and keep your fingers out of fangs way
 

DustyD

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
1,181
Location
Maine
Ask the person you are getting the t from what they are feeding it. Familiarity is a good thing. Traveling and moving into a new environment can be an anxious time for tarantula and new owner as well.

I have also used Creature Soil and recommend it (I am now trying out the soil sold through BioDude). I don't have a B. emilia (yet) so hopefully others with experience will chime in. I think they are from a dry/arid environment.

Have everything ready for it's arrival. Include a water dish, a plastic cap from a 2 litre bottle should suffice.

Based on size, a very small enclosure is needed, probably a few times the spider's length in either direction. I keep my 3/4 - 1 inch spiderlings in a roughly 2x3 enclosure.
 

bbolivier1234

Member
Messages
30
Location
Canada
Ok do this is how im keeping mine , i yse a pill jar about 3/4 filled up with a mixture of coco fiber, topping soil, pete and sand. Every 2 days ill do one spay out of a push push bottle of water , for feeding ill cut up small pieces of mealworms fed on squash cabbage and pumpkin( i have a large colonie), cant use turks since they are illegal in canada and my t seems to grab the mealworm every time which is good. Is this good or is there something i should do more or less?
 

Tarantulafeets

Well-Known Member
Messages
348
Location
Socal
Ok do this is how im keeping mine , i yse a pill jar about 3/4 filled up with a mixture of coco fiber, topping soil, pete and sand. Every 2 days ill do one spay out of a push push bottle of water , for feeding ill cut up small pieces of mealworms fed on squash cabbage and pumpkin( i have a large colonie), cant use turks since they are illegal in canada and my t seems to grab the mealworm every time which is good. Is this good or is there something i should do more or less?
I wouldn't spray every two days, just moisten the substrate periodically, like every other week. Check out Tom moran's videos on Youtube as Tom's big spiders.
 

HeavyFuel

Member
Messages
30
Location
West Sussex
Hopefully an easy answer. I won 5 slings at an event on Sunday. They are all doing well but my kochiana brunnipes has not eaten where all the others have eaten.
I don't think it's anything to worry about but wondering if you have any tips to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong.

At the moment I am using flightless fruit flies but this poor bubba is about the same size as the fruit fly.

Any other recommendations of what I could use or do?
 

x_raphael_xx

Well-Known Member
Messages
745
Location
Plymouth UK
Hopefully an easy answer. I won 5 slings at an event on Sunday. They are all doing well but my kochiana brunnipes has not eaten where all the others have eaten.
I don't think it's anything to worry about but wondering if you have any tips to make sure I'm not doing anything wrong.

At the moment I am using flightless fruit flies but this poor bubba is about the same size as the fruit fly.

Any other recommendations of what I could use or do?
Slings will usually scavange, try a cricket leg.
The sling could also just be in premolt
 

Oursapoil

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1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
1,744
Location
Queens, NY
Hello Canadian friend,
I am very excited you are getting your first T. Amazing people are taking time to answer your questions so no need for my input but I just wanted to bring up as best practice that it is recommended to research the basics on how to care for an animal before ordering one, the same way it is recommended to learn how to drive before buying a car ;)
Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your baby, have a great day.
 

x_raphael_xx

Well-Known Member
Messages
745
Location
Plymouth UK
Cheers. Didn't think of a cricket let. My big girls seem to prefer locusts, so I am assuming locust legs will work the same way?
I imagine so, I just use crickets as the locusts I get for my beardie are extra large, so a leg would be huge :) a small locust leg would be fine.

Incidentally I 'harvest' my cricket drumsticks by holding them by a leg as I feed Smaug the beardie. If I hold tight, she gets the juicy bits and I'm left with sling food :D
 

octanejunkie

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3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
4,163
Freeze mealworms and slice slivers off for slings. Cricket legs have the heaviest armor of the entire cricket
 

timc

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
671
Location
Delco, PA
2 oz. deli cup, slightly moist substrate, little piece of cork bark for a hide if that’s convenient, water dish if you like, cut up worms, prekilled small crickets they’ll really eat almost anything and will readily scavenge at that size. Easy peasy. Seriously. I have a harder time keeping plants alive lol
 

HeavyFuel

Member
Messages
30
Location
West Sussex
I imagine so, I just use crickets as the locusts I get for my beardie are extra large, so a leg would be huge :) a small locust leg would be fine.

Incidentally I 'harvest' my cricket drumsticks by holding them by a leg as I feed Smaug the beardie. If I hold tight, she gets the juicy bits and I'm left with sling food :D
That is brilliant. Lol
Not so sure its that much fun for the cricket though.
Usually I find the locusts are such stubborn little sods that their legs just fall off because they won't let go of whatever they are holding onto.
 

Vladerscump

Member
Messages
30
Location
Virginia
Hey everybody, im planning to get my first sling ots going to be a b.emilia sling. How do you care for them, how do you feed them, can anyone explain to me the basic husbandry of a sling t. Thanks in advance.
How big? Your basic terrestrial set up. Small deli cup like these are cheap or get a terrestrial sling enclosure when you order.. Fill the bottom with natural potting mix or coco fiber to allow burrowing. Make a starter burrow with a paint brush or pen. Provide a tiny hide like a piece of bark or a curled leaf. Depending on the size you can use a bottle cap. When I do I put a piece of gravel in it to keep prey or it from drowning. Sometimes you just dampen the corners of your enclosure with water. To get to the bottom layer of soil use a push down in the corners with the tip of a paint brush.Throw in some moss. Depending on the size you can use mealworm and cricket chunks or pin head size prey.
 

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DustyD

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
1,181
Location
Maine
I have two G. rosea slings, both about an inch now. I feed them superworm segments. I think with one I tried a small incapacitated roach. The t ate it. Still the superworm pieces are my preferred food as they are like a canoli or a cream horn, both ends are open and ready for eating. It's pink inside the enclosure because it's twilight time.

20210907_193901~2.jpg
 

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