• Are you a Tarantula hobbyist? If so, we invite you to join our community! Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your pets and enclosures and chat with other Tarantula enthusiasts. Sign up today!

TINY Sling Help

TokeHound

Active Member
Messages
170
Location
USA
I have a Hapalopus sp. Columbia (Large) sling that is 0.4cm small. I have been trying to feed it dead prey because no one around my area sells feeders small enough for this sling to hunt live.

The problem is I can't tell if it's eating. I haven't found a roach body (I've been breaking it up into 3 pieces, it's a really tiny roach) and I haven't found a bolus, but with a T that small, I can't imagine I will find a bolus.

So my question is, am I doing this right? Would you be able to suggest a place online where I can order small enough feeders for this sling to hunt live prey? (The tiny roaches I have left are from when I got the sling, and I can't get more without buying another Tarantula) Also, I tried looking up Flukers but they want to ship so freakin many and I only have 3 slings total. Thank you all for being so helpful!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

octanejunkie

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
4,163
Keep offering it pre-killed every 2-3 days and remove after 24 hours

Keep a patch of damp moss for hydration and make sure it can't escape from holes in the enclosure
 

timc

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
671
Location
Delco, PA
At that size it’s possible (probable) that it’s scavenging without you even being able to notice. Anyhow, just make sure water is available and it should molt and grow before long. That species grows pretty quickly.
 

WolfSpider

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,155
Location
Florida
if you can find flightless fruit flies, they are harmless to small slings. You can dump 4-5 in the enclosure and your sling will be able to hunt live prey
 

octanejunkie

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
4,163
if you can find flightless fruit flies, they are harmless to small slings. You can dump 4-5 in the enclosure and your sling will be able to hunt live prey
Tiny pinhead crickets work too.

if you get females crickets (ones with sticks out the back) keep a few on damp soil for a day or so and they will lay eggs in the soil. The eggs will hatch in a few days and boom, tiny crickets.
 

m0lsx

Moderator
Staff member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Tarantula Club Member
Messages
2,012
Location
Norwich, UK
I offer beheaded mealworm. I do not chop them up, I simply pop the mealworm in. My logic is that the head end offers easy access to the soft inner & the mealworm being whole makes it easy to remove.
 

Jenniferinfl

Active Member
Messages
113
Location
Florida
I have a Hapalopus sp. Columbia (Large) sling that is 0.4cm small. I have been trying to feed it dead prey because no one around my area sells feeders small enough for this sling to hunt live.

The problem is I can't tell if it's eating. I haven't found a roach body (I've been breaking it up into 3 pieces, it's a really tiny roach) and I haven't found a bolus, but with a T that small, I can't imagine I will find a bolus.

So my question is, am I doing this right? Would you be able to suggest a place online where I can order small enough feeders for this sling to hunt live prey? (The tiny roaches I have left are from when I got the sling, and I can't get more without buying another Tarantula) Also, I tried looking up Flukers but they want to ship so freakin many and I only have 3 slings total. Thank you all for being so helpful!
So, I have some fake leaves in my sling enclosures that I sort of use like plates. I put the prekilled prey item on the same leaf every time so I know where to look for it later. You can also take a before picture and then an after picture and zoom in to compare. I find that more helpful than just looking at it.

But, I really love Hydei fruit flies for small tarantulas. They seem to be harmless even to a molting tarantula and they will mostly live a couple days in the enclosure so you can put a few in and see if the disappear. The cultures are sort of a nuisance, you have to remember to pretty much start them weekly so you have some buffer in case your culture crashes. I believe at 28 days you should freeze and discard the culture to cut down on any mite infestations.

Overall, they're great because if you do it right, you buy your own once and then keep them going.

The only drawback is that my tarantulas fed so well on them that they've all outgrown the flies in around 6 weeks.. lol Now I have all these flies and just one little B. bohmei that isn't ready to move to pet store sized small crickets. My local pet shops only carry about a 1/4" small and a 3/4" large for crickets.

But, that's when you know it's time to buy more spiderlings.. lol
 
Top