What a Downer

I've just had to move 3 of my P.Ornata slings to a new tub after having a look and finding 1 dead and one in serious condition at the bottom of the tub . There also were a few parasites in evidence , the little white ones . Mites ?

The 3 seem clear from what I could see . I've put the the fourth one in ICU but i don't hold out much hope as it seems Very lethargic and lifeless but who knows .

At times keeping slings sucks but on the whole I find it more enjoyable as i love watching them grow .

eek! I lost a couple lately but be careful as these should be moulting now. The mites suggest too much moisture, these are from a dry area of Sri Lanka so no need to provide too moist an environment.

Mites shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as numbers are low and you spot clean.

Good luck

Iv heard that ornatas can be hard to keep. I got 1 as my 1st pokie and lost him within a week

Thanks all . The one in ICU has shown a little improvement this morning and it's a slightly more responsive but it's still early yet .

Has it drank any water yet if not try hand feeding it water and keep the little one warm but not to hot.

good luck with them mate, fingers crossed. Tis not good when u lose one no matter whether sling or adult, tis still gutting :-(

DAMN !

The one in ICU died as expected . Now I've lost a third one , even though I'd completely changed everything in their tub . No outward signs of distress , it just faded away . I've separated the last 2 and I'm hoping that whatever happened to the others was inflicted by one of the survivors .

So much for my communal 'experiment' .

How are you keeping them, do you have any pix or can explain conditions please?

On the subject of mites !!!!!!!

If they are white they are detritivores which means they only eat dead/decaying matter so they shouldn't be a problem with them apart from them being unsightly.

If they are Brown/ Cream in colour they are the problem mites that MAY attack you inverts.

Hope this helps

Stigg

Poxicator wrote:How are you keeping them, do you have any pix or can explain conditions please?

They're in 16oz tubs with about 3/4-1'' of slightly damp substrate (just enough to change it's colour) . They've also got a bottle cap of water and are being kept at room temp at the moment .

Are you providing a hide? or arboreal structure
Have they webbed at all?

Oh, and are you going to BTS?

Poxicator wrote:Are you providing a hide? or arboreal structure
Have they webbed at all?

Oh, and are you going to BTS?

They've got a bit of plastic leafage for them but they have dug a shallow hole in the past .

And yes , I'm going to the BTS .

My community are high and low and don't seem too bothered about moving around on the substrate or laying in it. As these are arboreal it makes sense to provide a communal piece of wood. I very much doubt this is down to disease and I'd be very surprised if it were down to cannibilism either, as you'd have no dead spider to show for it! Check your substrate once more, make sure its not too wet.
Come and see me on my table at BTS, I'm sure I can replace one of these.