Feeding Issue

[Bjorn Hultmark]

I keep an A.versicolor spiderling (about 2.5 - 3cm) in a 20cm high, 9 cm wide glass jar with about 6/7cm of substrate. I'm wondering if this jar is too big for the spider seeing as it doesnt seem to be able to find its crickets so easily. It never seems to catch the crickets, although I suspect it has eaten a few dead ones which have dissapeared, it just slowly follows them now and then in a half-arsed sort of way never quite managing to catch up with them. Does anyone have any advice? Whats the best way to observe your spider feeding? Cheers

[vincent winyard]

hi there bjorn i've got a versicolor spiderling as well. it's about 3/4s of an inch at the moment and doing very well. the container i have mine in is 9 inches high and about 7 inches in diameter with loads of vent holes all over as it's a plastic container. there.s plenty of twigs and plant for it to climb but it seems over the moon at the very top. when it comes to feeding i get a small cricket in a tube then slowly undo the lid and there it is waiting for it's grub. all i do is tip the tube just in front of the spider and as soon as it hits the web bang it's got it. sorry if i've gone on a bit but i hope this helps i suppose it all depends where your spider has settled.

[Bjorn Hultmark]

hi there bjorn i've got a versicolor spiderling as well. it's about 3/4s of an inch at the moment and doing very well. the container i have mine in is 9 inches high and about 7 inches in diameter with loads of vent holes all over as it's a plastic container. there.s plenty of twigs and plant for it to climb but it seems over the moon at the very top. when it comes to feeding i get a small cricket in a tube then slowly undo the lid and there it is waiting for it's grub. all i do is tip the tube just in front of the spider and as soon as it hits the web bang it's got it. sorry if i've gone on a bit but i hope this helps i suppose it all depends where your spider has settled.

No not at all its great to get some enthusiastic and helpful feedback! Sometimes its hard to get a decent answer. It's good to know someone with the same species and same age of T so that we can compare and refer to each other as they grow. Mine likes to sit at the very top too, on a dry piece of wood with other twig-like plants wrapped around and moss on the ground. Your spider sounds much more active than mine. Its generally quite slow and is not overly excited even when the cricket is right next to it. I like the tube idea but unfortunately my spiderling has not made any webbing really, only very little and I've had it for about 2 weeks. Should I be worried? I've heard versicolors can make amazing tubes with their webs, has yours done this or do they not do it as slings? Cheers for the reply

[Colin D Wilson]

The size of the container is perfect, what i would say is because it's glass there may not be enough air movement/ventilation for the likes of a versi.
sometimes still air will make them a little lethargic
If you change the glass jar to a plastic tub of the same size, making sure there's ventilation holes just above the surface of the substrate and high up the sides and lid, i'm sure the little sling will get a little more active.
They are avid little hunters and will actively chase and subdue their food items usually.

[Neill House]

I have one about the same size as the OP's one.. and the only thing different is the container. I got one from poundland, (actually 2 for 1, and they are perfect for arboreal and burrowers), and put loads of hole in it, as Colin suggests, just above the sub, and around the top. I also tool the middle of the lid out with the drill (not sure of the piece used, but it is for making nice large holes), and glued muslin to the inside.

My one is great.. always out and about, and an amazing little hunter (I give it the odd self raised bluebottle (not wild) and it is brilliant to watch). Avics aren't my thing at all, but this one is the special one in our house, and everything I have read about them seems to indicate that air circulation is very important... I'm not sure of the reason, as I doubt it is a breathing issue, but none the less, it is something that needs to be done.

[Bjorn Hultmark]

The size of the container is perfect, what i would say is because it's glass there may not be enough air movement/ventilation for the likes of a versi.
sometimes still air will make them a little lethargic
If you change the glass jar to a plastic tub of the same size, making sure there's ventilation holes just above the surface of the substrate and high up the sides and lid, i'm sure the little sling will get a little more active.
They are avid little hunters and will actively chase and subdue their food items usually.

Right, I'll try this and get back to you! My current lid is covered in ventilation holes because I knew they need a lot of air movement, but I guess this isnt enough. Any ideas why it isnt webbing?

[vincent winyard]

hi there bjorn as for the webbing no there's no tubes yet just a thick sheet of webbing at the top. as for vent holes i drilled loads of 2mm holes all over the container. as it's already been suggested sounds like you need vent holes. i must admit mine does go quiet just before a molt thats the only time though.

[Bjorn Hultmark]

hi there bjorn as for the webbing no there's no tubes yet just a thick sheet of webbing at the top. as for vent holes i drilled loads of 2mm holes all over the container. as it's already been suggested sounds like you need vent holes. i must admit mine does go quiet just before a molt thats the only time though.

Ok thanks. Mine has been quiet since it arrived really. I've got lots of ventilation in the lid. I'm going to try Colin's suggestion with a plastic container and holes down the sides. Do I need to make special arrangements for the molt if thats the case?

Also how long did yours take to start webbing and how long have you had it?

[R Thomas]

Hi Bjorn,

You do not say whether you have something for it to climb up in the container. I always use either an offcut of tree branch (which after sawing I bake in the oven for 30 mins to an hour) or a piece of cork bark. Some slings will web up the top of their enclosures without this wood/cork structure making a sort of hammock/safety net to live in but I prefer to give them something to hide around and climb over. As for catching them eating their food that is another matter - I rarely see any of my Avics moving or catching their dinners - but the food items still disappear. I would just as said before make sure ventilation is good and the enclosure not too dry.

Richard

[Bjorn Hultmark]

Hi Bjorn,

You do not say whether you have something for it to climb up in the container. I always use either an offcut of tree branch (which after sawing I bake in the oven for 30 mins to an hour) or a piece of cork bark. Some slings will web up the top of their enclosures without this wood/cork structure making a sort of hammock/safety net to live in but I prefer to give them something to hide around and climb over. As for catching them eating their food that is another matter - I rarely see any of my Avics moving or catching their dinners - but the food items still disappear. I would just as said before make sure ventilation is good and the enclosure not too dry.

Richard

I do have something for it to climb up on - a very dry/dead piece of wood which it loves to sit at the very top of. I also have a layer of moist moss over the substrate as I've heard this helps with keeping the humidity. Out of interest what happens when you bake a tree branch? I suppose it kills it off and has something to do with stopping mold/fungus in the T container?

[vincent winyard]

hi bjorn i've had mine about 2 months now and i've had 2 molts already. on both occasions it did go really quiet prior to the molts and there were no special arrangements involved i just let nature take it's course. i think it started to web up the day after i got it. i had the container up and running a couple of days before i got it so that things would be perfect for it as soon as it went in maybe thats why it didn't take it long to settle down.

[Bjorn Hultmark]

hi bjorn i've had mine about 2 months now and i've had 2 molts already. on both occasions it did go really quiet prior to the molts and there were no special arrangements involved i just let nature take it's course. i think it started to web up the day after i got it. i had the container up and running a couple of days before i got it so that things would be perfect for it as soon as it went in maybe thats why it didn't take it long to settle down.

Unfortunately I also prepared the container before I opened the package and put it straight in. Do you keep yours heated? What are your thoughts on my last post?

[Neill House]

Well Bjorn, I am lucky enough to have a dedicated room. The room is statted, and there are two heatmats on the wall. They come on if the temp drops below 20C, and at this time of year, that is pretty often. Any other time, I just do room temp (if I can sit with my T shirt and shorts comfortably, then they will be grand).

If your house is really cold, or just your room, then it maybe an idea to move it to the warmest room of the house (living room?). If you can't do that.. then perhaps a small heat mat is required.. they are less than a tenner.

[Bjorn Hultmark]

Well Bjorn, I am lucky enough to have a dedicated room. The room is statted, and there are two heatmats on the wall. They come on if the temp drops below 20C, and at this time of year, that is pretty often. Any other time, I just do room temp (if I can sit with my T shirt and shorts comfortably, then they will be grand).

If your house is really cold, or just your room, then it maybe an idea to move it to the warmest room of the house (living room?). If you can't do that.. then perhaps a small heat mat is required.. they are less than a tenner.

Ok, thanks for the help

[Jon Candlish]

Hi there.

Most of the right stuff has been posted already but ill recap the main points from my experience of avic slings.

- Avic slings are the hardest slings to keep by far. Most of the issues are due to getting the environental conditions correct.
- Humidity is required but ventilation is critical. Get lots of holes in the container you keep them in on both the top and sides.
- Up the heating a bit. In making conditions where there is good air circulation you also increase the amount of heat lost so you need to compensate for this as the colder is gets the more sluggish they become.
- Crickets are escape artists. I had exactly the same problem re dissapearing food. In putting so many vent holes in you make it far easier for them to do a runner. Keep your avic slings home inside a bigger tank to see if any micros are getting away.
- Avics (esp my a.versicolor 1-2cm) take time to get settled. I suggest leaving it well alone for as long as possible (about a week) to let it get used to its home- this tends to encouarge their natural webbing behaviour.
- Finally all this odd behaviour could be explained by an upcoming moult. My avic slings tend to have 'moult weirdness' far earlier than other slings, often a good 2 weeks+ so dont panic just yet!