B.smithi spiderling not eating

[patsyking]

My B.smithi spiderling has'nt eaten for 10 days now and has turned darker in colour. I know he could be coming up for a moult but I was just wondering how long they can go without food and is it safe for me to try him with food on a weekly basis if he is coming up for a moult. I will take the food out of course if he shows no interest. I know an adult chili can go for months not wanting to eat but just wondered about my little B. smithi as I'm worried he isn't getting enough to eat.

[Colin D Wilson]

Months Patsy, as long as it's little abdomen still looks plump and there's clean fresh water available there's no need to worry.
Try it with food and if it doesn't eat it, remove it.

you're on the right track

Colin

[patsyking]

Thanks Colin. His little abdomen looks fine but he doesn't have a water dish. He is so tiny so I keep the substrate damp, is that ok?

[Colin D Wilson]

Ooohh a diddy one then, yep thats ok

If you're wanting to make sure it can have the option to drink then a very fine spray on the side of the tub / pot / container or just a dribble on the substrate would do the job. try not to freak the little one out though, to him it would be like us being dowsed with a fire hose

[Nicola Dolby]

No Patsy, he should really have a water dish as well. There's no need to panic, an old jam jar lid with water in will do. Also drop the moistening of the substrate, for a B. smithi you need dry ish substrate, a water bowl or recepticle of some kind, a cave for him to shelter in (a plastic plant pot cut in half lengthways will do, I use half a bark tube with the back blocked by substrate) and if you're feeling generous some dried out sphagnum moss for him to play on! Look on www.brachypelmas.co.uk for further advice, but Brachypelmas are dry substrate, water bowl and 2-3 crickets a week spiders. Cheers

[Colin D Wilson]

He is so tiny

I'm under the impression it's just a sling Nicola,
if it is a juvi or larger then, yup i agree dry dry dry, bowl and hide!!!

[patsyking]

Yes, its just a sling, no bigger than my fingernail. I will spray just one side of his container with a very fine spray. I have bought a small sprayer that has just a misting spray on it and I'll just do one side. He has a hide that he spends most of his time in. I've only seen him out twice and that was in the early hours of the morning when it was dark. I'm sure if I put any type of container with water in no matter how small it was or how shallow the little man would drown.

[Tom Forman]

hi patsyking,
like you already thought right, you definetely don't need/want a waterdish with such a small sling. It won't need a water bowl for another 4 months at least.

What exactly are you trying to feed your spiderling? This will have a big effect if you ask me. I was having trouble finding the right thing to feed mine too to start with.

Although you should not worry about the little one starving ( he will survive for a long time without food) I would still try encouraging him to eat.

It is hard finding out what others feed their smallest of slings and I still don't really know but I had some great success with springtails sold at dartfrog.co.uk.

Once he has molted you will be able to feed dead fruitflies and once he is a bit bigger still he should be able to hunt live fruit flies.

If you cannot/don't want to get hold of springtails you will have to hope that he will eventually go for dead fruitflies. There are two sizes, big and small.

PS: I have plenty of springtails going and thought I would just mention that incase you are in birmingham sometime and fancy collecting some I would gladly hand some out. I just can't be bothered to send any out by post, that is what the shop is for

[patsyking]

Hi Tom

I'm feeding pinhead crickets to my sling. I can't come to get any of your springtails because I'm living in South Wales and can't get to you. I've never heard of them before anyway. What do they look like? Maybe I could buy them in one of the shops here.

[Tom Forman]

I got some sent to me by accident earlier last year..

They are very funny little insects, slightly smaller than an ant and they jump when disturbed. They feed on practically anything from bread to fish food to mould ( yes they eat and get rid of mould )

It might be that they are bright white which makes them easier to spot for a pretty blind sling or it might be their jumping that catches their attention.

PS: My smallest slings did not go for crickets either

Have you tried feeding a cricket cut in half? (I know, not very nice thought, freeze the cricket first if you cannot slice it alive) but it might work, just leave it in there overnight, see if it is there the next day.

[Kate Arbon]

Patsy something I do with my tiny slings that are too small for waterdishes, is I fold up a little wad of tissue, smaller than 1cm square, and dip it in some water so it soaks it up. Then just stick that in the container with the sling. I find they can drink from that really easily. After a day I take it out, and I do this about once a week or once every two weeks. I just prefer doing it this way because if I just make the substrate wet I never know if it drains away too quickly for them to get a good drink from it. Just a suggestion

[patsyking]

Hi Colin

I tried a dead cricket in the tub with my sling but still it was'nt eaten. He never comes out of his hide so maybe he isn't finding it. Would it stress him out if I took his hide away? He's in a ver small jam jar at the moment. He's been darker for a week now and no moult yet. I have sprayed the side of the jar with a very fine spray. No chance of getting it on him t hough as he's never out!

[James Box]

Patsy something I do with my tiny slings that are too small for waterdishes, is I fold up a little wad of tissue, smaller than 1cm square, and dip it in some water so it soaks it up. Then just stick that in the container with the sling. I find they can drink from that really easily. After a day I take it out, and I do this about once a week or once every two weeks. I just prefer doing it this way because if I just make the substrate wet I never know if it drains away too quickly for them to get a good drink from it. Just a suggestion

very good suggestion, actually! but make sure you take it out after a day
i'd probably forget lol...so i just spray a few drops down the side of the enclosure, trying not to freak the spider out. but that soaks into the soil, so maybe dries faster...might have to test this out.

[Colin D Wilson]

Hi Colin

I tried a dead cricket in the tub with my sling but still it was'nt eaten. He never comes out of his hide so maybe he isn't finding it. Would it stress him out if I took his hide away? He's in a ver small jam jar at the moment. He's been darker for a week now and no moult yet. I have sprayed the side of the jar with a very fine spray. No chance of getting it on him t hough as he's never out!

Seems very much like he/she's in premoult so i would leave it alone for a while, leave the hide in there too.
You could pop a little food item in the tub over night and see if it has moved the next morning, just to be sure there's food there if it really needs it, i doubt it will feed for a while yet though if it's moulting.
I have slings in tubs 3 inches across, some say this is too big but i've never had any problems with them finding food, they seem content if there's a hide in there so i wouldnt be concerned about the size.

bit of a waiting game now for you, let us know how when he/she shows up nice and freshly moulted.

Colin

[patsyking]

Thanks Colin

Thanks Colin

You always seem to put my mind at rest when you reply to my posts. I'll do just what you said and I'll try and get my camera to get a good shot of him after his moult. I'm practicing with it on small items in macro mode but they still come out fuzzy but I'll do my best. The jar he is in is also 3 inches across. Thanks so much.