the bad luck goes on.

[vincent winyard]

hi everyone. well i put a post on here a few weeks ago about an haplopelma lividum that i lost and now ive just lost my heteroscoda maculata sling/juvi. im sure it was in premolt but when i checked last night it was on its side against the side of the container it was in. i checked this morning and there was no change and again this evening still no change on its side no movement and the legs look like they've curled . it was very young the leg span couldn't have been more than an 1 and half inches and the abdomen seemed very large for a spider this size god knows what happened as the set up was done by the book so to speak. everything seemed great until i found it on its side im gutted. one thing i forgot to mention about the haplopelma lividum that i lost is that it had what looked like a tiny old wound either side of the eyes i don't know what it was or if it injured its self or how it done it but the other one i have got seems to have the same problem. again looks like a very tiny old wound either side of the eyes. i checked all my other t,s very carefully with a magnifying glass and the tanks to look for any potential problems and they all seem ok and in good health no midges no fungus nothing. there all kept on coco husk and they all seem to be doing well on it but is it ok for cobalt blues i need to know because i replaced the one i lost with a big female and again she,s settled well in her new home with no problems so far. sorry for such a long post but i guess im looking for some reassurance thanks everyone.

[Peter Roach]

. . . . . . . i guess im looking for some reassurance . . . . .

How was you keeping the H mac ?

[vincent winyard]

hi pete. the H mac was in a tubular glass container 180 m/m aprox diameter coco husk substrate 1 inch deep. i managed to get a small heat pad on the side and lightly misted every other day. he/she settled in ok as it made a funnel web to retreat in.it was eating well and had a little attitude. i know some people use other substrates but i thought all the other t's i have seem ok with it so presumed the youngster would be ok that's if that was the problem. thanks for getting back to me.

[Peter Roach]

I think the problem is ventilation . . . or rather the LACK of ventilation not helped by the misting and heatpad. All of which add up to moist, warm and stagnant air.
It sounds to me that you have been keeping it like many people unsuccessfully keep avic slings .
I have 9 avic versicolor sling, they get a few drop of water squirted onto their webbing from a syringe once every 7 -10 days, which makes a mockery of the so often repeated 'they must be misted every 1-2 days'.
A tall glass container isnt going to provide the cross ventilation needed. Get yourself a plastic container approx size of a mug or pint glass, melt or drill small holes in a around the container every few inches just above substrate level and repeat every 2 inches going up to to top, then more holes on the lid (I do a union Jack shape which is 20 holes) a small piece of upright bark. Water ONCE per week no matter what the idiotic online so called caresheets say.
I keep ALL arboreal slings like this, from £3.00 P cambridgei to £85 P everetti and it is VERY rare that I lose a sling.
There will be a few people who will say that what I have said is wrong but my results speak from themselves.


VENTILATION VENTILATION AND MORE VENTILATION.

PS. You didnt mention using a thermostat with the heatmat ?!

PPS. Dump the spray bottle and heatmat (unless you live in the artic)

[vincent winyard]

i really appreciate what your saying pete and will take it on board and dump the spray bottle. i didn't use a thermostat as it was only a small heat pad and i admit i didn't think it would need it. i managed to raise a versicolor from a sling and has done really well. i have read a few of your reply's in the past to other members and i should have learnt from that.there were plenty of vent holes but only in the top and it really was a light misting. a lesson learnt the hard way at the expense of a young tarantula i feel terrible. looking back i don't know why i didn't do what i done with the versicolor as described by yourself concerning plenty of vent holes. i had that in a plastic container with vent holes in the side. thanks pete i will get another H mac and this time i will do it the right way