So at the last expo I saw a few little versicolor spiderlings for sale and I took the jump! I'm not going to lie; spiders make me a little nervous but I figured that having one might be a good way to get over that fear. I have a ton of questions and have been doing tons of Googleing. I joined Arachnoboards to read stuff on there. The little guy came in a vial but everything I've been reading says that those vials aren't good for versicolors because they get too humid.
I have personally never heard this. You can always add more holes in the vial if you need better ventilation. You can even add holes in the sides of the vials for better cross ventilation. Just make sure the holes are NOT big enough for the T to squeeze through. I got worried and moved him to a tall plastic cup with a lid but I cut the center of the lid out and replaced it with some fine plastic mesh. He's got some Eco Earth substrate and a few pieces of wood to climb on.
Keep a close eye on the wood (if it is from outside) because it is known to mold fast and mold can kill your T. I'm thinking of adding some silk plants and more twigs to make it feel more secure. Would that make it more secure?
Yes and it is a good idea. I'm not even clear on if they even need to feel secure.
They do :gj: Some are eaiser to do so then others though. I've been misting every couple of days and feeding it little crickets that are about the size of its body every couple of days. Is this okay?
Misting is okay. I feed slings 2 x a week personally at most but 2-3 x's a week is generally what is recommended. Does he need more food, less food?
See my last comment :D Is that an okay size?
Size is fine if it is eating them at that size. But they might eat less and will need less food with a bigger size. I would crush the crickets head before putting it in there so the T does not have to fight that size cricket. I have a picture that I'll post at the end of him with his cricket. I've been removing uneaten body parts from the enclosure. Does my set up sound okay?
Sounds ok to me. You can post pics of your new set up for better opinions. What should I add, if anything?
Nothing really, sounds good. I've been keeping it mid 70s to low 80s which is what my research has indicated is correct. So in your experience is that the right temp range?
Yup, that's fine :D I'm not heating it or anything just keeping it close to my snake enclosures and checking the temp with a temp gun. It spends all the time right up by the lid. Is that okay or is that an indicator that something is wrong in the setup?
They are aboreal so they will stay around the top. Some times slings will stay near the bottom for some reason but yours is doing what instinct tells it to :gj: I keep saying "it" is there any way to tell as a little T what gender it is?
At that size there is no way to tell yet :( Any suggestions or anything else I need to know?
Watch for mold, keep your humdity up and make sure you have good ventilation. I've been reading that these guys are hard to raise up from spiderlings so anything that can help me get it into adulthood would be great. They are said to be hard to raise up from spiderlings.
Avics have been known to die as slings for no appearant reason. Okay, as promised...pictures!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net..._2658383_n.jpg
This shows the size crickets I'm feeding him and the vial he came in initially. I still have the vial so if he'd be better in there I can put him back.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...9_172398_n.jpg
SO BLUE! I can't get over looking at it.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net..._7324203_n.jpg
Day one! My boyfriend's sister got one as well.
Thanks for all the help and your time! It's fun to learn about a whole new animal.
