Red in "Not Hungry" Shocker!

Last night Red was offered a bean weevil and paid it no attention. I took out the weevil and gave her a little cricket, she couldn't care less.

I know it's not a definate indication of an approaching moult, as has been discussed, but combined with the darkening of the skin and the previous hunger it's a suggestion that it could be on its way.

Either way, I'm not going to offer her food tonight and see what happens if I give her a cricket tomorrow.

Strike a Pose!

So, I'd been going on about how the little girl is growing and getting a nice figure on her and I decided I should have another go at photographing her so you can have a look for yourself.

Photographing spiders is tricky. They don't like light, as slings they are pretty much the same colour as the substrate and are really difficult to get a good auto focus on. Still, here is my best effort:

You can see the legs and pedipalps (leg like appendages at the front) quite clearly and also make out the eyes. The abdomen is now quite large and getting a bit darker. Notice the black spot on the dorsal surface of the abdomen, this spot was the total size of the abdomen when Red arrived!

Last night I added a tiny piece of cork bark in to the spiderling pot and created a small depression underneath it to act as a hide. I'm hoping Red will want to investigate this. Even if she doesn't go under it she may like to sit on it for a different texture and elevation to experience.

"You're The One For Me, Fatty!"

Those of you with superior taste in music will get the post title :)

Little Red is filling out nicely to become a plump little Red. I'm still feeding one prey item every other day and then giving her a rest for a few days. Every time I feed her she voraciously goes for the meal.

Sunday nights feed was another good one in her progression insofar as there was no struggle. The cricket went in and as usual she was straight on it, but this time she subdued it straight away.

Her abdomen is still filling out so much, in a healthy looking way, that I'm sure a moult must be around the corner. I'm expecting her to go off her food soon in anticipation of this.

It is really nice watching this development in her hunting and feeding behaviour, it makes you feel like a proud parent!

Anyone for Cricket?

Red is turning out to be a master hunter. Last night I caught her a small cricket, which was about twice the size of a micro cricket, and popped it into a feeding vial. To avoid disturbing her, and as I thought these crickets would have a bit more jump in them, I left the lid on the sling pot and tipped it down the feeding vial access that is fitted into the lid.

True to form as soon as the cricket hit the ground Red was on it in a flash, but in a manner reminiscent of the first encounter with the bean weevil she jumped off again!

The cricket hopped to the opposite side of the spiderling pot. I wondered what Red would do, and if I would have to remove the cricket.

A minute or so later the cricket started to walk around the perimeter of the pot, towards Red. This was make-or-break I thought, how would Red react? Last time she did this with the weevil she didn't want any part of it. Not this time!

Learning from her previous life experience she pounced on the cricket for a second time and this time hung on! She dragged it over her burrow entrance and finished the job.

I think I'll leave it until Sunday night to feed her again, I don't want to over do it. I feed her every other day and only one prey item, that's no where near over-feeding her but I don't want to take the risk. Really over-feeding can shorten their lives, I have read.

For the time being, I'm just glad she's showing healthy natural instincts and is eating well.

Named!

It might not be the most exotic or original name but the sling is now officially answering to "Red". It seems to fit and is unisex. Also, many years ago, I had a pet fish called Red so it's keeping the name alive!

Feeding time tonight, Red has cricket on the menu, I'm trying the "small" size rather than "micro" so I hope she's up for it!

Bean Weevils!

Having fed the little sling again on a bean weevil last night and she took it with the same gusto that she did the last one, I have no hesitancy in recommending these to anyone with a spiderling.

Firstly, after the initial attempt, she seems to love them. They are easy to keep and catch and best of all once you have spent only a couple of pounds on your first culture you will have free spiderling food forever! Here's how it works:

Once you've bought your bean weevil culture (this is a tub of black eyed beans with bean weevil eggs on them) and some have hatched off, you can transfer some of the culture to a new tub with some more dried black eyed beans. You can repeat this process and always keep a culture developing with no need to buy any more.

As a varied diet is vital to health, and to ensure that the baby tarantula does not miss out on any nutrients, I shall continue to feed her crickets as well.

Go sling! Go!

I was very proud of my girl last night.

I was out of micro crickets and only have bean weevils for her, and I was certain she needed feeding. I decided to try another weevil despite the aborted attempt last time out.

I took the entire spiderling pot out of the terrarium and removed the lid, this way I could drop the weevil right next to her rather than down the feeding vial.

It worked a treat!

The second the weevil landed on the substrate, about an inch away from the spiderling she shot on to it and grabbed it with her jaws. The weevil was fighting back and scrabbling it legs about. The spiderling readjusted her position and tried to hitch her legs up, resting some of them on the sling pot walls to keep them out of the way, all the time attacking the potential prey.

I really didn't think such a battle would ensue and I was poised to intervene should the spiderling look in trouble. I need not have worried, in an example of ringmanship that any fighter would have been proud of the tiny tarantula held on to her prey and used the edges of the pot to her advantage and to keep her limbs out of the action. She was also elevating her position to stop the kicking weevil from using the ground to get purchase.

She then showed what an intelligent hunter she is. She carried the scrapping bean weevil over to her burrow hole and suspended her body and the prey over the drop into the hole. This meant that she could keep herself safe and give no advantage to the weevil until she was victorious.

Eventually she was, and she took her prey onto the flat surface of the substrate to slowly consume it, which she did over the course of an hour.

She has a fat little tummy now, sorry - I meant a full abdomen! I doubt she will want to feed again for a couple of days so I'll leave her be.

I've ordered some more micro crickets to keep her diet varied, but its good to know she can take a weevil. Someone on the Arachnophiles forum suggested that her reaction to the previous weevil might have been because it fought back at her, it looks like she has learnt from this and over come it. Good girl! :)

Strange Feeding.

Last night I dropped a bean weevil in to the sling pot and after a few seconds the spiderling shot over to it and pounced. As soon as she "hit" it she jumped straight off again and wouldn't touch the weevil again.

I wonder whether she doesn't like the taste of them? Maybe they are too big and she can't get her fangs in?

I think I'd better get some more micro crickets.

She's Back!

So, a valuable lesson has been learnt in spider escapology!

I came home last night to find the little tarantula outside of the sling pot but inside the terrarium.

In order to reduce some humidity in the spiderling pot, I had left the cap of the feeding vial open a few millimeters. Big mistake! Learn from my error and NEVER give a spiderling a gap bigger than the pinhead holes in the pot lid!

Despite the end of the feeding vial being off the ground and away from the pot wall, with a minute gap to escape from - she did! Thank goodness for the extra enclosure around the sling pot which retained her.

I was able to catch her and return her with a minimum of fuss. Perhaps I'll name her Houdini.

All's well that ends well I guess, I'll see if she's up for a feeding tonight after her adventure.

One of our Spiderlings is Missing!

I arrive home last night to find an empty sling pot! I shone a torch in to the pot to have a good look down her burrow and it does appear that some digging has gone on down there. I am hoping that she has burrowed herself in and not escaped somehow! If she has escaped I have no idea how!

Maybe the lack of eating was a sign she was about to moult and she has extended her burrow to do this in private?

Anyone else had this happen?!

Not Hungry?

Over the last few days since my last post I have offered the spiderling food twice, on both occasions it has been spectacularly ignored!

On the first instance I added a bean weevil, which had at last hatched, and settled down to watch. It's important to observe the sling feeding if possible to keep an eye on its health and happiness.

The weevil wandered about in the sling pot, and seemed intent on having a good drink in the condensation on the walls. Once his thirst was slaked he walked right up to the baby spider (I'm not really liking the name I gave her earlier so its back to the drawing board on that one) and sat under her legs! The spider didn't even move!

I watched for about half and hour in total and then left them to it. On returning a couple of hours later the weevil and spider were still happily cohabiting so I took the former out and put it back in the weevil pot.

I wondered whether the spiderling just didn't like weevils, so two days later I put a micro cricket in. Again the spider seemed disinterested and the cricket even walked up to her and under her body and started playing beneath the spiders mouth parts! This cricket was seriously taking the pee! Brave or stupid its not clear, but the cricket survived.

So I'm not sure if the sling is preparing to moult, two days since the last feeding attempt she hasn't shown any signs. Maybe she's just not hungry?

I know that tarantulas go of their food sometimes, and having G.rosea I know all about this! They really do have some funny feeding habits.

I hope the little spider is OK, and I don't know what to do other than offer some more food tomorrow if she hasn't moulted by then. Fingers crossed.