# B. smithi sling buried?



## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Hello there!
I've been glancing at these forums for a few days now since my girlfriend gave me my _B. smithi_ spiderling (little bugger is about 11mm).

Right. Its been in a smallish tupperware tub filled halfway with substrate. This tub inside the 'small' faunarium that was given in a spiderling kit- heat mat suck to the side instead of bottom.

Last night, I located it in the plastic 'pot' that it arrived in (stuck some substrate in and put the pot on its side for a burrow/hide for now), sling had been avoiding crickets and seemed to get a bit paler... So I assumed a moult (so soon!!).

This morning I peeked in half expecting a slightly bigger sling sitting in a corner or the pot... Nope. No new holes or anything.

I panicked because it had gotten a bit cold overnight (20C, has been 23C minimum for 3 nights). I took the tupperware tub out of the and put it on the heat mat (lid on), threw some warm substrate into the faunarium, put the supplied cork bark in... (whch I should have simply done when it arrived!)
I picked up the plastic cup carefully, then placed it in the new fully kitted out faunarium... I expected the sling to scuttle out. It never.

I've since gently dug around all the substrate which was in the tupperware tub and plastic pot(burrow), the sling hasnt been found...

I rang exotic pets.co.uk and the very helpful lady seems to think it'll dig its way out eventually. I even threw a small cricket in to wonder around as a 'this way for food' indicator (which in retrospect could also be this way predator?).

Does the lil sling have a chance of finding his way out? We're really concerned for him!


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## Embo (Jun 7, 2012)

My B.albop sling has dug a hole and built a wall on either side of the hole with the excavated substrate. I've not seen him for about a week. And one of my P.murinus slings webbed himself a nice vertical tunnel and dug a hole inside, plugging the hole at the top with substrate. Not seen this one in about 2 weeks. But the pre-killed maggot I left in there at the weekend has gone missing, so I know he's in there somewhere.

My B.smithi tunnelled for all it was worth when he was small. 

It's what they do. If you've not had your sling long, you should just leave them be for a week or two. Being sent in the post can be stressful so you want to allow them to settle. I wouldn't panic for now, and don't bother trying to feed it just yet. If it is in pre-moult and tries to shed and you disturb it, this could have very bad consequenses.

Also, don't worry about temps. As long as the room it's kept in isn't in sub zero temps, it will be fine. There are a couple of good threads about temps in this section, could be worth a read for you.

My advice, leave well alone and don't panic! Give it a week and see where you're at.


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Thank you so much, I'll leave it be. 

We're like worried parents loosing a child!
I can't help but wonder over and have a look every hour or so!


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

So you have now put it in the faunarium? How big is the faunarium? At 1cm a sling can easily escape out of the vents, you will be better off keeping it in a deli cup (small plastic cup with a lid), put some tint air holes in it & Bobs your uncle :2thumb:. They don't need loads of space & given deep enough substrate will burrow into it.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

As said above at 1cm in size your little B smithi could quite easily do a disappearing act through the vents and never be seen again.

My advice, get yourself a deli pot, put some air holes in it with a needle or other type of pin, some substrate in the bottom, plastic plant stuff and a little bit of cork bark, leave your new sling for a few days and then offer some food.

I got my smithi as a grown on sling about 3cm in size and she was housed in a cricket tub, she's now about 5cm in size and is housed in a lunch box. Also, none of my slings have ever burrowed down into the substrate, they shift it round but never actually dug down to hide in it.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Just leave it alone and let it be a spider. If you have nothing else put it in a cricket tub and leave it there. Slings tend to hide away a lot anyway


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

The faunarium is 23cmx15cm (17cm high). OK this may or may not make sense, i'm worried for my new best friend :blush: 


The vents look far too small for it, for 1cm its got a fat bottom! 

The original setup was smallish container with some substrate and the plastic pot the sling arrived in as a 'burrow' (I shoved some subs in the pot- sling took to it last night), with a ventilated lid on this container placed inside the faunarium.

It was in a smaller container, I acted quite irrationally earlier on at first disappearance and practically moved all the small container substrate into the larger faunarium (already had some subs in it). I left it all quite loose and still expect the sling to come scuttling out!!

This is part of my problem (and all my own fault), sling disappeared, I panicked thinking he'd gotten too cold, figured it'd be more 'sensible' to move sling to the larger space with accurate heat and humidity monitoring.
SO i picked up the plastic pot (which I thought it was still in), and placed it on the subs i'd just put in the faunarium (it was warmish- its been kept by a radiator). When sling didn't run out of the transport cup to survey the new area I got a bit concerned and very lightly moved the rest of the small container substrare into the faun. Havent seen sling today :banghead:

Now i'm going to figure out how to attach pictures to make my dodgy descriptions easier.

I wish I'd thought of signing up here sooner :notworthy:


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Sling in transport pot









Transport pot in small container









Faunarium (no lid, lid has very small vents- and we've been watching all day)









Transport/burrow pot in small container, in faunarium









How it looks since sling disappeared and I gently emptied small container into faunarium


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

The faunarium is too big. The deli tub will be fine. You can keep them at room temp and they wont be too cold. If it was too cold it would not burrow but sit on the top looking huddled up and distressed


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Thanks so much for the advice guys'n'gals, when it surfaces I'll make it go back to the smaller tub- I think its going to hate me! Makes me wonder why the site lists a 'spiderling starter kit' with such a big faunarium... Robbing gits.



​


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## rob158 (Nov 27, 2009)

If I thought I lost it or it died I would have tipped the soil into an empty contaner to have a rake through for it.
Yeah 20c is not going to kill it, my snake is the only thing that has a heat mat and my house has went down to 10c before. :lol2:
Small pots are fine. I keep my babies in clear houmous or coleslaw pots.


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

rob158 said:


> If I thought I lost it or it died I would have tipped the soil into an empty contaner to have a rake through for it.
> 
> I keep my babies in clear houmous or coleslaw pots.


Thats essentially what I tried to do, i assume I missed it and its still in a bit of substrate! it can't realistically be anywhere else. 

I'm very releived that the 'guidelines' for temp aren't *that* strict!

Oooh houmous pot sounds like a great idea! Thank you


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## stevemet (Dec 29, 2011)

If you have a bit of fine net it may be an idea to stretch it over the faunarium before putting the lid on. I lost my first ever sling through a tiny hole in a braplast box, another container too big for a sling. Also live food small enough for a sling may escape through them.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

The transport tub will be OK for the next 6 to 12 months or even longer.

Take out the dial gauge thingy and throw it in the bin . . a useless piece of junk and totally inacurate

In the 4th photo it looks like you have drenched the faunarium with a hose :gasp:. 
A B smithi sling only needs the substrate slightly damp NOT drenched.

Dig it out, fill the travel tub about 1/2 full of slightly damp substrate and leave the sling alone in there for 2-3 weeks to settle in. 

No poking, feeding or touching

Here is a smithi that is about to get moved to a slightly larger container











The same smithi a few months later in its new tub.


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## Veyron (Mar 29, 2011)

PeterUK said:


> The transport tub will be OK for the next 6 to 12 months or even longer.
> 
> Take out the dial gauge thingy and throw it in the bin . . a useless piece of junk and totally inacurate
> 
> ...


What lovely hands you have.


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Okie doke, when it surfaces I'll nudge it back into a little tub and leave it 

Yeah the substrate was a bit too wet when I received it- my girlfriend and her grandparents couldnt work out pints-->litre for the coco brick... It dried out quickly!

Beginning to feel a tad negative towards Exotic-pets.co.uk now!

Thanks for the advice :notworthy:
I feel like such an idiot! Learning a LOT from my mistakes...


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

This may be of some use to you 

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/invert-care-sheets/175559-sling-care-sheet.html


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Again thank you!

I thought I had this down for a few days but just panicked when the sling disappeared!


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## Embo (Jun 7, 2012)

Once you get the basics right, tarantula care is really quite easy with terrestrials. Hope your sling surfaces soon. 

I had a look at my B.albop last night and he's dug so far down he's reached the bottom of the tub so you can see him underneath. Fascinating things.

My slings are in little deli pots I got from 99p shop. 10 in a pack. Just melt some ventilation holes with a hot needle then you're good to go. Mine will be in there for the next 12 months at least. You don't need to spend a fortune on spider housing lol.

And with bricks of coir (coco husk) it's best to add a little water at a time and break the block with your hands. You will end up using a LOT less water then recommended and it will dry out much quicker.

You will find a lot of pet shops will overcharge for things and sell inappropriate 'starter kits'. It's best just to do it all yourself. I dread to think how much you paid for the spider itself!


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Because I was paranoid I took up a challenge, I dug the sling out.

I was very worried for a moment because I found something that looked like two legs!

shortly after that a clump of substrate moved and I could see Jésús' pearly little legs waving at me 

Got him out and into the small container again, its quite at home on a bit of cork bark now :2thumb:


My girlfriend got me the spider and kit, the kit ws £35 (plus p&p) and the sling was £8; Ive now seen them on The Spider Shop for £3!! 
That sounds like a much better way to work the brick; I'll rememver that!

Thanks to you all, now I'm going to leave Jésús alone for a good while :blush:


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## Arrans (Nov 10, 2012)

Don't worry about it mate! They burrow all the time, it could be coming to a molt just like mine is too(B.albopilosum)and could just be burrowing itself into a hole... :2thumb: If on the other hand it's burrow has fallen on it(they use their silk anyway to secure it in place)then it could still have a chance of digging out, lots of air in the substrate(between it, etc you know what i mean)so it should eventually get to the top...but i wouldn't try to feed it yet, just let it settle in for a few days, it's going to be under ALOT of stress and is going to try to run/hide away.. :O when i get knew ones, i just tend to keep a small blanket over them to hide the light and a bit of background noise off them... and then lift it off over the next 3-7 days depending on how it's doing  And as for a heat mat'! Don't use it! They are fine at room temp, that's what mine are kept at..and they are fine! lowest temp 16 highest 26(right next a radiator). They don't feel heat the same as we do, so if it gets too hot they will burrow and can burn themselves to death! :/ But when you get your next T (you'll get addicted)try to get one 3cm+, little bigger and you wont get these problems, oh and don't get a tank too big either, they don't use them haha! mine is a little big for my curly and it only uses 1 3rd of it! :O
Anyway good luck with what ever happens! Good bye & keep safe  (and your T's too)


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## MattyMUSEROCKS (Dec 11, 2012)

Thanks a lot 
I've noticed about the tank size! I think next time I would definately get a slightly larger T, I've no intention of stopping at just one ;D


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## gambitgareth (Sep 18, 2011)

glad you found it dude - digging pet ts out is fairly common - it probably wont be the first time for you,, it seems every time i keep haplopelma sp i end up digging them out - which is not a job to envy!


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