how hardy are slings?

[asmaa farooq]

im a born worryer and my hubby thinks im crazy but how hardy are T slings i have a green bottle blue shed for me and is now a decent size maybe 2-3cms long and a peru purple noticed its shed today still looks 1-2cms long only its all fluffy now instead of pink with black toes really cute but still small not worried on size just if its likely to die on me for no apparent reason probable a silly question seen as it eats fine and its shed fine

just made me wonder as i see alot of adult Ts described as hardy and hard to kill so great for beginners and made me think are slings the same or more delicate

[Paul Arnold]

Hi Asmaa,
Slings are definately not as hardy as adult Tarantulas. The mortality rate,though perhaps more so in the wild of slings is high. I have had slings die on me several times over for no apparent reason.Some survive and some dont.They are more fragile in general and less able to deal with extremes of temperature/humidity. When a T is described as hardy and ideal for beginners it means it can tolerate conditions either side of its normal range quite well and they are more forgiving of mistakes made by the keeper than the more delicate species with specific requirements. Always endeavour though to keep T's within their specified ranges. Just carry on feeding your babies,keeping them correctly and youll hopefully end up with a couple of stunning adults

[asmaa farooq]

i hope so both are my 9yr olds so a death will result in a lot of tears when she chose that species in shop i made them pick the largest sling they had and i know they come from spidershop so figured they would be in decent health now the GBB is a lovely size active webbed its little container like crazy the peru purple just sits in it and hides eats ok and its shed fine just worries me it being small i have my Ts in display tanks but the slings are hidden behind the others away from kids and cats temps at what they need to be humidity etc just think ill relax more as that one gets bigger seems way too small compared to the others i have but i suppose thats what i get being used to juveniles and an adult

[asmaa farooq]

spoke too soon the peru purple died still in its after molt postition legs curled under it 1 daughter not happy i did get her another sling hoping this fairs better but if anyone has or knows someone selling juveniles let me know i dont mind replacing one as shes determined to have this species but id rather have an older one just in case

[Simon Brown]

sorry for your loss I too have had problems with Avicularia slings and rarely a problem with any other sling

Peter Roach gave some advice on an earlier thread stating that he kept his Avic slings practically dry with plenty of cross ventilation

I hope to give avics one more try using his method to see how well this fairs as believe mine died due to poor cross ventilation which many believe to be the key but also due to the poor ventilation I believe the humidity was far to high, so am hoping that Peters advise as it has been in the past, could well be the key to success

[asmaa farooq]

this avic is now on eco earth before i had mix of vermiculite and bark not that it cared it made a web in top corner its a small cricket keeper container plenty venitlation thru the top solid plastic so not sure how to get holes in sides without disturbing it or breaking it just hoping it fairs better i would rather buy juveniles but my 9yr old has her heart set on this peru purple bought with her own money and alot of tears when it went wrong lovely spiders these avics just not liking the slings very much at minute fingers crossed this will do better

[K Smith]

Agree withsl Simon regarding Avics. Iv had a few slings die ajd found out that they definately require good ventilation. Cross ventilation. I sacrificied ventilation for humidity believing that the high humidity was required, and ended up with dead avics. Once id started keeping them drier with lots of ventilation everything is fine and they grow and eat very well. Just give the webbing a spritz with water every few days

[asmaa farooq]

thanks wonder if this is why the other one liked the lid so much as that has alot of air slits across top and side of it that built its web there so far this one has done nothing except sit on the wall of the keeper just leaving it be and peering at it thru another tank its sat behind hoping its going to be ok as long as it isnt disturbed too much and basically left to its own devices makes me rather glad the GBB is alot bigger maybe 1 or 2 sheds from juvenile size

[Peter Roach]

As my name keeps popping up, I though that I'd take a few quick pics on my phone to show how i house my avic slings/juvs.
I rehoused this juv last week so its sulking and hasnt webbed up yet. Notice the dry substrate.

Please excuse the quality .

[asmaa farooq]

this is what its housed in you can just see it up in the lid substrates eco earth its a tiny bit damp but on a 5w heat mat almost dry its been in there since monday definate fast today up my arm as i dried off the sides wondering if i need move it into a plastic container or if that would just stress it more but will def be looking for some today its usually kept behind another tank out of way of kids and cats on a unit so not too bright

[Peter Roach]

It needs somewhere to climb and web over in the middle like a piece of bark or leaves or ANYTHING, cos that tank looks really bare. spiders (especially slings) need somewhere to hide and an avic needs somewhere to anchor its hammock style web. That container has plenty of ventilation, just leave it where it is and just add some climbing stuff.

[asmaa farooq]

the best i had was a smallish reptile hide looks like a log almost fills the keeper hollow inside and couple holes in the extra designed with ripples like a log hoping its some good if not ill go and get some fake plants or something twig like

[Simon Brown]

a few twigs from the garden is sufficient, to be honest is all i use for my aboreal slings.

I put a couple in the centre criss crossing each other the spider then seems to web them together and make a nice sling at the space in the top

[asmaa farooq]

a few twigs from the garden is sufficient, to be honest is all i use for my aboreal slings.

I put a couple in the centre criss crossing each other the spider then seems to web them together and make a nice sling at the space in the top

i would but we have a lot of cats in area and dogs that owners let run around so mess to clean wondered if that would be harmful for Ts i can always nip to shop i get them from they sell pieces wood at good prices and then i can always move them with the T if i ever get it big enough for upgrading tank if the reptile hide log stood on its end doesnt work

[Peter Roach]

i would but we have a lot of cats in area and dogs that owners let run around so mess to clean wondered if that would be harmful for Ts i can always nip to shop i get them from they sell pieces wood at good prices and then i can always move them with the T

I'm guess that you live on mars or another planet other than earth ?

I only ask this as on earth or at least the part where I live dogs dont poop or wee on the tree branches unless the tree has fallen down and I have NEVER heard or seen a cat climb a tree and have a poop or even a wee while up there !!!

You are really making things complicated for no reason.

Go outside with a pair of snips and cut ANY twig from ANY broadleaf tree or shrub (not pines or firs) with or without leaves on as long as the twig is at least waist height . . . . . and that is it !!!
You can give it a rinse under the tap if you really must, personly i dont bother. I use any twig, branch or leaf from my garden from any plant (I've got a dog and she doesnt wee anywhere apart from the floor) and stick it straight into the spiders tub, never had a problem yet. I usually use ivy leaves cos I've got a big ivy plant with lots of different shaped leaves and they can last for weeks before dying and turning brown and crispy.


Some pics of a few tubs with things ive got either from the garden or the local park.
There is NO need to go and buy expensive decor from a shop, its ALL available for FREE from the garden or local park.