sling feeding ideas

[sarah Smith]

Having just got my first batch of slings I am trying to work out the best way to transfer the micro crickets fruit flies into the slings containers without to much agro. Anyone got any sugestions at all please?

[mesomelas]

try squats, (small maggots) - much easier

[sarah Smith]

I thought bout that but wont they burrow, like meal worms do? plus im my area squats are tricky to get hold of. Can you reconmend somewhere I could order them from please?

[James Campbell]

If they burrow, you've got a lovely fly for the spider the catch in a couple of days!

Most online live food places sell them to my knowledge....If not, is there a local tackle shop you could go to?

[sarah Smith]

Nopes no tackle shops nearby, and the online places I found only do wax worms, earth worms and meal worms not maggots. Besides which these slings are only 1 cm leg span not sure they could eat a fly just yet tho I am sure my blue fang would love one.

[mary walters]

FEEDING SLINGS

Hallo there,
Have you got a garden, or access to rose bushes, just nip the shoots off with greenfly on and put them in with your slings, they love them, I have raised many on them, mind you, the roses don't half suffer haha.
Seriously, it works, I have quite a few Barbados painted tiddlers at the mo, I just put a leaf in every few days, the new born greenfly are just right.
Mary

[Howard Farley (Huk7)]

Hi,

Try this, it has worked for me:

Put the micros into a medium sized tub (a bit bigger and taller than a normal cricket container) and gather them into a film container, you have probabaly got these already, but if not, try your local photo processing shop.

That way you can collect as few or as many as you want at a time, and when held vertical, the micros have major problems jumping out of them. Also being smooth sided, the micros are easy to 'pour' into the slings container, sometime a slight 'tap' may be required.

Hope that this is of use.

Howard

[Matjaz]

I use a simple pooter, made of two tubes (the short one a little smaller in diameter) with a piece of stocking between.

[sarah Smith]

Thanks for all the idea's peeps I will give them all a try and see which works best for me.

[Layla McInnes]

yup i think its all down to personal preference. I dont doubt that maggots would be a million times easier but URGh cannot be doin with a house full of flies!
I have just bought mini mealworms online and they seem to be doin the trick. the slings are quite small but seem to manage them fine. When they dig down and the slings are hungry they will get em.
Layla.xx

[sarah Smith]

well I managed to feed the slings today once their food arived I used a tea spoon to pick the things up and then flick them into the slings container. I think in time I will add in some mini meal worms but for now, till they settled in micros and fruit flies will do. I cant belive that the slings are already showing personality traits tho. One of my Chaco's is already showing signs of being a little horror when it comes to escaping, while one of my red knees is already showing signs of thinking its a climber when its not sighs. The other red knee is showing signs of being an eatting machine. The good thing is none of them have shown any tendancy towards being agressive so thats one thing I wont need to worry bout.

[James Campbell]

I find that making the smaller ones (that would struggle) eat dead small locusts. The larger ones seem to love them cos they fight back.
Seeing a 30mm LS P.ornata running around the outside of its tank with a struggling locust is more than amusing!

[sarah Smith]

lol that would be funny you got any experiance with a 0.5cm sling at all? as I have bout 10 comming my way shortly.

[Ray Hale]

Some good ideas. Just one thing about feeding aphids, make sure no one has sprayed them with an insecticide like malathion or something else. Otherwise not a bad idea Mary.

[Catherine Procter]

When I feed my really small slings, I put the crickets into an olive oil/vingarette bottle (unused of course) There are the slim bottles with the metal spout on them. These only allow two or three crickets out of the tube at once.

When i used wider pots, i'd tap and tap and tap then a whole load would fall on with the sling. I find the other way a lot easier.
Also if i run out of micro crickets, i used chopped mealworms or large crickets, the slings seem to have no problem taking the dead food, but I make sure any remains are cleaned up fast.