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Need a couple of advices

Taraspatula

Member
Messages
59
Location
USA
Hi most of you do not know me but I just recently became interested in this hobby. I currently have three tarantula slings and need advices for all three.

1. C. versicolor (1/2)
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At his/her current size what food is best for him/her?

BB70E7D6-77A3-4403-BA5A-15B0F1A14EFF.jpeg


2. P. murinus (1”)
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My first little guys just molted. How long should generally wait to feed again and when can I tell the gender? I will post the picture of his molt.

4EAE092B-37ED-4FBF-8F6B-2B1C9B3C7CF4.jpeg


3. G. pulchra (2”)
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Similar to the other guys predicament. She dug out all the substrate under her cork bark that she hides under and covers all the exit and refuses food. Im guessing pre molt?

70C1B85A-6394-43A9-BB7D-93E5401A1B0B.jpeg


thanks in advance
 

Nunua

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
539
Location
Finland
Welcome to the addiction :D

1. Pieces of mealworm (just take scissors or knife and chop chop) or maybe small redrunnes. Slings are scavengers so they often seek for prekilled food.
The current mealworm in the enclosure is way too big.

2. A week is ok with slings. They sometimes even refuse to eat if the fangs are not hardened up (= turned black). Hardening up takes longer the bigger the T gets.

3. Can be premolt or can be just its way to live at the moment. Definitely no need to worry - the sling seems plump anyway. :) Several tarantulas burrow and hide especially when slings.
 

Taraspatula

Member
Messages
59
Location
USA
Welcome to the addiction :D

1. Pieces of mealworm (just take scissors or knife and chop chop) or maybe small redrunnes. Slings are scavengers so they often seek for prekilled food.
The current mealworm in the enclosure is way too big.

2. A week is ok with slings. They sometimes even refuse to eat if the fangs are not hardened up (= turned black). Hardening up takes longer the bigger the T gets.

3. Can be premolt or can be just its way to live at the moment. Definitely no need to worry - the sling seems plump anyway. :) Several tarantulas burrow and hide especially when slings.

Okay, I was going to start doing that with the meal worms.

More questions for the G. pulchra. Should I put more substrate so it could dig some more or just leave it be? Also it refused the cricket in that picture that I literally put in front of her mouth :(
 

menavodi

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
1,939
Location
Kentucky
Okay, I was going to start doing that with the meal worms.

More questions for the G. pulchra. Should I put more substrate so it could dig some more or just leave it be? Also it refused the cricket in that picture that I literally put in front of her mouth :(
The setup looks good. If she don’t eat she might be full. Wait a week and try it again. Welcome to TF :)
 

Nunua

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
539
Location
Finland
Should I put more substrate so it could dig some more or just leave it be? Also it refused the cricket in that picture that I literally put in front of her mouth :(

It's fine for now, and happy as long it can hide under the cork bark if needed.
About refusing the cricket, totally normal. My tiny B. auratum has refused food for close to 60 days at the longest. All they need is fresh water and peace :D

Also, @menavodi is right. The key when keeping Caribena versicolor or any Avicularia, is efficient cross-ventilation. Enclosures with weak airflow are bad for them, and at one point they kept dying like houseflies because many people kept them in moist and stuffy enclosures. The best thing is to think about where they do live - in treetops. Airflow is constant, even if the surroundings get humid during rain.
 
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Taraspatula

Member
Messages
59
Location
USA
UPDATE! That shouldn’t be to tall for him/her to climb and get hurt if he/she falls? Better ventilation or should I do a cross ventilation?

AA0D1092-D1EE-41C8-8DC8-33F7437EBE1C.jpeg
 

Nunua

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
539
Location
Finland
Cross ventilation is always better than top-only, because that's when the air flows through the enclosure instead of staying still. However, I think that jar should be fine as long as you keep it relatively dry so it won't get stuffy :) If it's impossible to have a water dish (for example cut and wash a piece of painkiller blister pack, or use a small bottle cap etc.), drizzle a bit of water on one side every few days so the sling can drink - Caribena and other Avics drink quite often, but don't mist the whole enclosure so the air won't get too humid and stale.

No need to worry about the height. As arboreal species, C. versicolor won't drop that easy and they can handle falls better than heavy bodied terrerstrial ones. I would add few twigs (or plastic straws for example), so the little guy have anchor points for webbing. They live in treetops where there is plenty crisscrossing twigs and leaves - Not impenetrable, but a nice place to create a web castle :D

Furthermore, if the sling starts webbing the lid (the best airflow, dark, easy to make a horizontal web tube) you can just keep tearing it down - Tarantulas aren't stupid, they try webbing one place few times but move to the better area if the web keeps getting destroyed.

Here's all enclosures I've had for my C. versicolor so far :)

0633b2b944.png

Almost impossible to see, but there is a clear blister pack as a water dish in the bottom.

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8f1762bce1.png


There could be more vegetation in the last one, but so far it has seem to been happy with the setup.
 
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