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Slings.

Liam

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16
Location
Bristol, UK
Im thinking of getting some slings because, well why not. However, ive heard they can be difficult and die easy. So do people usually get a couple of the same species to maximise the odds of getting one to adulthood or is it fine when you just get one and look after it properly?
 

Jess S

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South Wales
As a newbie myself I worried about getting slings, but I've found them pretty easy to care for. And you sort of grow as a keeper with them.

Obviously you need to make sure you get your enclosures and care right. One of the main reasons I believe that slings die is too much humidity and not enough ventilation. One thing you need to be mindful of is not making the ventilation holes too big, as it's amazing how little a hole they can squeeze through. A good rule of thumb is the hole needs to be smaller than the width of the slings prosoma. Smaller holes mean you need a lot more of them!

Some slings will die seemingly for no reason despite all the keepers best efforts, those ones sadly just aren't strong enough. However, with the right care the vast majority survive.

When keepers buy slings in pairs or 3's it is usually to increase their chances of having a female.
 

Enn49

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Personally, I usually only buy 1 of each species at a time although others prefer to but multiples. Yes, you can often lose a sling but that's just nature and the majority will give you pleasure watching them grow.
 

PanzoN88

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Ohio
They are actually easier to keep than many think.

I try to get 3-5 of each species, unless there are others I want to get, then I'll get 1-2.

Here is a picture of most of my sling enclosures for reference (yes there are holes, I just use thumbtacks for poking holes in each container.

20191016_152559.jpg
 

AndrewClayton

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Messages
276
Location
Wishaw, Scotland
Im thinking of getting some slings because, well why not. However, ive heard they can be difficult and die easy. So do people usually get a couple of the same species to maximise the odds of getting one to adulthood or is it fine when you just get one and look after it properly?
That is just a myth there are some slings that will die due to no reason or fault of you’re own yes, but that isn’t very common. As long as you have the correct setup, buying one species at a time you shouldn’t have any issues. I personally when buying slings will buy 3 or more purely to get a female and I have had some where all 3 have been female so it can be a bit of a money spinner selling the 2 females that aren’t needed
 

GarField000

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211
Location
Netherlands
If you feed it and make sure it can get water I found them not hard to keep at all.
I do get 2 from most species .. not because i'm afraid one will die, but to have better odds to get a female.
Only the more expnesive ones I take only one .....
Like the G.pulchra is a bit expensive here .... I got one ... but it molted 3 times in the last 6 months so I'm afraid it might be male .. so last weekend I bought another one.
Psalmopoeus victori is very new here in holland so I only got one because off the price.
 

Rs50matt

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London
If you feed it and make sure it can get water I found them not hard to keep at all.
I do get 2 from most species .. not because i'm afraid one will die, but to have better odds to get a female.
Only the more expnesive ones I take only one .....
Like the G.pulchra is a bit expensive here .... I got one ... but it molted 3 times in the last 6 months so I'm afraid it might be male .. so last weekend I bought another one.
Psalmopoeus victori is very new here in holland so I only got one because off the price.

Just reading through and not helpful to the thread but my g pulchra moulted twice in 7 weeks and is suspect female so there's still a chance yours could be female to , fingers crossed :)
 

AndrewClayton

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Messages
276
Location
Wishaw, Scotland
If you feed it and make sure it can get water I found them not hard to keep at all.
I do get 2 from most species .. not because i'm afraid one will die, but to have better odds to get a female.
Only the more expnesive ones I take only one .....
Like the G.pulchra is a bit expensive here .... I got one ... but it molted 3 times in the last 6 months so I'm afraid it might be male .. so last weekend I bought another one.
Psalmopoeus victori is very new here in holland so I only got one because off the price.
DOnt worry about it being Male when there smaller they will moult more often until they reach about an inch so pretty hard to tell like that, and a species like that males are in high demand all the time so doing a 50/50 breeding loan will definitely get you a female lol
 

Spiderlover17

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Messages
6
Location
41villagestreetapt201
Ive got racks of slings...I dont have any dying off. Bad rumors in the hobby is what your hearing. Slings are simple to raise.View attachment 41696
Where do yoou get that many slings from, ive never had a sling or tarantula and ive wanted one for awhile but my money situation right know is ****ty so i cant buy one but hopefully i can have a good amount of them one day.
 

m0lsx

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Ide see if you wanted to trade but im a newbie and got no slings or tarantulas

Keep an eye on preloved for any that come up locally, the same with pets4homes. You can often pick up slings & juvaniles for less than via dealers & without paying postage on top too. And some of the Juvie's, adults sold via the above sites come with a reasonable enclosure too.
 

m0lsx

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We..My wife, daughter & I. Picked up several T's locally, including two tiny 2 slings last weekend & that from a post made on a FB Tarantula group that my wife spotted. My daughter brought herself her very first T, a Brachypelma Vagen, among those my wife & I acquired was a free OBT Juvie.
 

Arachnoclown

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The Oregon rain forest
I get around 10 tarantulas year given to me. The animal shelters in my area calls me a few times a year. I also find free spiders on craigslist ads in my area from people that cant keep them anymore.
 
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