Help with spiderlings

[Yinnon Dolev]

I have recently (4 days ago) aquired 4 spiderlings of diffrent kinds.
B. smithi;
C. crawshayi;
A. metalica;
C. cyanopubscens

I have placed all 4 in seperate film cases, each with some damp toilet-paper.
All 4 cases I have place inside an aquarium, with some damp peat and a heating cable under the aquarium.
The next day, the C. cyanopubscens died . he had a droplet of water that aculamated inside the case around his abdomen. He wan't at the bottom of the case, but on his webs in the middle.

I figured that it was a bit too wet inside the casing and the heat caused steam to rise and eventualy casued drops of water in which the spiderling has drowned...

The next day, the avic died as well, though I have added more toilet paper so absord all excess water.

PLS help!!! what am I doing wrong??
I have taken out the two cases with the surviving spiders. I am putting them nest to a low heat sorce where it is much cooler (around 21-24 deg' C) hoping that no steam will be created.
The cases are definitly clean because they are the same cases they were raised in up from the start, so I don't think there is any pesticied in them....
This is my first time handeling spiderlings and I was told that they are easy to raise - though so far I am down to 50% in only three days!!
Any insights and expirance would help!!
thanks,
Yinnon.

[Eleanor]

Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your losses. I also lost my first spider and felt terrible! I am still quite new to keeping spiders but I have six now, some really tiny. Until I get better at this I'm keeping the really tiny ones in larger containers than film pots - the tubs you get salads and stuff in, about 3 inches diameter, with slightly moist peat and a hiding place. That way, they can find drier or wetter places to sit in if I don't get it quite right. Then if I watch where they prefer to sit, I can learn what conditions are best for them. I had one a bit too moist so the spider sat on top of the shelter where it was drier, and now that it is a bit drier in there it is under the shelter, so I am slowly learning what level of moisture they need by giving them a choice and watching them. They seem to be doing ok!

By the way, I keep them about 25 degrees, but never higher than that. I don't think they need to be really warm.

[paul towler]

looking after spiderlings

hi hike 34,
sorry to hear about your spiderlings but you have already said what the problem is ,sounds to me you have got them to wet , film cases ok but its hard to see how much moisture is inside , if you can get some small sethrough containers pref, plastic . small drinking glasses i use. put mall holes all over with hot pin the more the better,spiderlings do not like stale air and it will stop condensaition, put about 2"of substrate in botom of beakers and dont get it to wet,irish moss peat or vermiculite or 50/50 mixed. but dont forget to fit a lid on them lol, hope this solves your problem

[John]

hi you said you dropped the temp down to 25 what was it before maybe you had them to hot and to humid to have steam rising

[Yinnon Dolev]

The temp' was 29 deg.