new sling

[nick young]

I finally got my first sling just two days ago a beautiful B.emilia about 1-2 cm leg span. Im not feeding till 3 days have past and shes been able to settle then i can re-mist the substrate. i wanted to know how am i supposed to make sure a pinhead cricket has been eaten?
i know that if it dies and is left in the enclosure the cricket will attract mold but how am i supposed to know if it was eaten something so small? obvoiusly i am dying to watch the hunt but if i put in a few and dont observe the death of all of them how can i be sure? i considered putting in a clear enclosure with damp toilet paper so i could be sure but would'nt that mess up the hole idea of letting her settle first? also she isnt burrowing yet and seems to not move unless disturbed, is this normal? or am i likley to expect a malt at some point?
a new and exited but worried father

happy days to all

[lynn mawdesley]

I finally got my first sling just two days ago a beautiful B.emilia about 1-2 cm leg span. Im not feeding till 3 days have past and shes been able to settle then i can re-mist the substrate. i wanted to know how am i supposed to make sure a pinhead cricket has been eaten?
i know that if it dies and is left in the enclosure the cricket will attract mold but how am i supposed to know if it was eaten something so small? obvoiusly i am dying to watch the hunt but if i put in a few and dont observe the death of all of them how can i be sure? i considered putting in a clear enclosure with damp toilet paper so i could be sure but would'nt that mess up the hole idea of letting her settle first? also she isnt burrowing yet and seems to not move unless disturbed, is this normal? or am i likley to expect a malt at some point?
a new and exited but worried father

happy days to all

Hi Nick congrats on your new edition

I wouldnt worry about burrowing its only a ickle baby.

Also about the feeding part they are nocturnal so you may not observe it eating for instance my G rosea ive never seen her eat but i often find the remains when doin maintenance (bolas) she buries them very good at recycling lol.

Also i wouldnt put a few in at once as it may stress the sling ?

Another food source i use with slings is white maggots ( ive read its not advisable to use the coloured ones due to the dyes in them) sometimes cut up( ie in half) depending on size and small meal worms aswell depending on size cut up.

You should be able to tell when its going into moult as its overall colour will darken at that point if it doesnt bother with food take it out or it will stress the sling also after it moults dont feed for a week as the exoskeleton needs to harden.

Hope this helps ?

Lynn

[nick young]

Thank you for your advice, its comforting to know everything is well.
ill watch out for the darkening exoskeleton for sure, but i think shes fine at the moment. just gave her first feed this morning, but now i realise i should have waited till tonight. caught the lil guy in no time at all but for about 15 minuites has had one leg just hanging out her mouth, bad manners if it doesn't dissapear soon ill leave her alone untill tonight. ill try and get some white maggots in the future after this lot of pinheads are gone but are you sure they are small enough? i dont know much about maggots.
how much water do you spray in a tiny enclosure about the size of a condiment cup ? a few sprays or enough to moisten the whole substrate? and misitng is a weekly thing i believe?
cheers for any help you can give.
many happy days

[matthew spooner]

hi nick, congrats on the new addition. what i would say is that if you have a 2cm sling, i wud feed it just small crickets rather than pin heads, if you get them to small, the T may not pay them any interest. at that size she would easily be able to take a small cricket.

[nick young]

only 1cm at the moment so i cant imagine that she could tackle a cricket yet or am i wrong in thinking so? she seems to only eat 1 cricket per feeding and then runs away from the following one im thinking shes a bit to timid for a real cricket yet?
happy days

[lynn mawdesley]

only 1cm at the moment so i cant imagine that she could tackle a cricket yet or am i wrong in thinking so? she seems to only eat 1 cricket per feeding and then runs away from the following one im thinking shes a bit to timid for a real cricket yet?
happy days

Hey Nick she will be fine on smalls, ive only used maggots /mealies in the past because smalls can be a pain in the ass to get hold of lol.

ive got 2 slings at the mo that are 2cm they are on smalls they tackle them no probs i got the smalls from a different shop when i purchased my GBB sling as the one i normally use dont sell smalls.

If shes running away then its a sign shes probs had enough she will eat more when she gets bigger.

A weekly misting will be fine its my understanding that Brachys dont like it wet.

Lynn

[nick young]

its good to hear from some professionals so i can make sure my baby gets treated well ill take your advice and get small crickets when shes eaten these ones. look forward to watching the combat
happy days

[lynn mawdesley]

its good to hear from some professionals so i can make sure my baby gets treated well ill take your advice and get small crickets when shes eaten these ones. look forward to watching the combat
happy days

Im far from professional Nick haha but thanks for the compliment hehe! it amazing how much you learn and how much more can be learned about T's .... i can guarentee in 6 months time you will have a collection ov T's and will be helping newbies yourself!
B emilia's are stunning mine moulted 2 nights ago examined her moult and she is a girl! yayyyy i call her flick for obvious reasons lol

Lynn

[Craig Mackay]

Hi Nick and welcome. I tend to find that 1 cm slings tend to be a little scared of the small crickets until they're nearer the 2cm mark. Then they'll take on crickets almost as big as them. When they're only 1 cm I feed mine micro crickets until they're a little bigger. If your worried about the size of them kill the crickets first as the slings will happily scavenge. Just make sure you remove any uneaten crickets the next day or you'll end up with mould.

[nick young]

congratulations on the girl, im really hoping mine is too! im calling her a girl in the hope that my affirmation will make it happen
i can easily wait till shes 2cm before i feed her crickets, i was a little bit scared at the idea to tell the truth because well shes so tiny. im thinking stay with micros till she has molted again or maybe twice, depends on growth rate. wait till shes 2cm and give her the real ones. i always watch her eat the cricket to make sure that no mold has chance to develop, she normally munches crickets right away otherwise i remove them and try again a few days later. nervous for my first molt but looking forward to it too!
happy days to all

[Michael Peachey]

I'm not sure about emilia's but i feed my Salon pink sling's on adult cricket leg's, they seem vert happy on those. I fed them fruit flies but this way saves on the cash. Although my salon pink's eat like little dragon's....happily munching half of an adult cricket leg gone :O Mike

[lynn mawdesley]

I'm not sure about emilia's but i feed my Salon pink sling's on adult cricket leg's, they seem vert happy on those. I fed them fruit flies but this way saves on the cash. Although my salon pink's eat like little dragon's....happily munching half of an adult cricket leg gone :O Mike

Good idea that Michael, theres nowt worse than trying to get hold ov them tiny cricks is there lol

[Michael Peachey]

Indeed, i can't helpy but feel like the karate kid when i try to get fruit flies or micro crix! "Man who catch fly with chopsticks get one wish daniel son!"
Mike

[matthew spooner]

ha ha good one mike. ur salmon pinks will be taking adult buffalo soon enuff lol, they grow like wild fire

[Michael Peachey]

Yea they do definately grow very very fast, one is approaching moult for the second time in a about a month. I should start getting the buffalo fattend up matt, what ya think?
Mike