DIY Avicularia Sling Enclosure and Substrate Mix 

At Home Depo with a cart full of substrate ingredients... Cashier: wow! What are you growing with all these? Me: Tarantulas (w/ a big smile) Cashier: .....!!!????

Yep, still Binging on my Favorite channel. Love Y'all and Dave's Little Beasties

I was not always a fan of Avics but lately they have been growing on me.

To fix the two halves of the Avic sling enclosure together you could drill two small holes below the level of the substrate across from each other that penetrated the outer and inner cups. Next push half a toothpick into each hole. Just leave enough of each anchor sticking out so they can be easily removed.

These are great. I would add a rubber band to keep the two cups together because I would defiantly be dumping the bottom part when I picked them up. Thanks buddy!!

Great to see other folks using the one part deli cup mixers for substrate lol. I do same thing When mixing stuff . The deli cup is the new standard measuring system. (Edited for terrible typos and grammer)

Came back to find these DIY enclosures, thanks for the brilliant idea, kind regards Joanne.

Thank you for the shout out and for the amazing f enclosure idea..I never would of thought to do this for them and I am so happy you are enjoying them!!!!! Thank you for the amazing footage as always

I love your little enclosures for the Avicularia slings. Your custom substrate mix looks great.

I will definitely try this out, once my Avics outgrow their pill bottle enclosures! Pinktoe slings having black feet never ceases to make me smile... nature is beautiful, as are the morph changes in tarantulas.

Been trying to find an idea for my C. Versicolor sling and this idea is amazing! All other ideas were with lids on top and it was bugging me so glad I found this! thank you :)

Bloody brilliant Avicularia spiderling homes.

This is brilliant. Heard it on your podcast but couldn't quite picture it. I'm trying this out.

Who would downvote this video? This is a great idea!!

Thank you, Tom. This video is a keeper for reference and I loved the enclosure idea. That setup would be good for small Jumpers too as they like to go to the top also.

Leaflitter is great. I always mix in oakleafs. Speicies like E murinus incorperate the leafs in its burrow construction. It looks great. When i had a huge colkection of baboons i often used clay that i mixed in with the substrate. I bought the clay from a company that was selling claypots and stuff like that. I used a large quantity of clay and when it dried it became very hard. But the spiders seemed to love it

Great video MacGyver 😂. I'm pretty impressed. I'm just looking at my little Avics in vials like "sry, I'll send u to Tom's house soon. I thought I gave u a good life." 😂😂😂. Love seeing cool stuff like this. Can't wait to make a few myself. Thx as always. Never cease to amaze me brother 😎

Slings are so small, I think you need to be very fast and delicate. This is good. I like to see ANYTHING that is not virus related.

How cool! I got a free avicularia avicularia sling with my Harpactira pulchripes. KF Inverts sent a small enclosure with it so it was cool and easy,but this is definitely handy for those type situations. I also,added a Hapalopus sp Colombia Sm. Form this week.😆

That enclosure idea is brilliant . If I ever get an Avicularia sling I'll be making one . Thanks !

Sibling home's are genius thanks im straight on that 👍

wow never thought about doing that with slings. Something that works for me with my adult avics is hot gluing little pieces of cork at the top and sides of the enclosure so that they don't web to the top but to the cork. You can even almost guide them on where you want them to make that web tunnel

What a clever idea on the enclosures cups 👍🏼👍🏼

Definitely gonna set one of these up for my Y.diversipes and A.purpurea once it arrives. Especially the diversipes, that little bugger is BOLTY holy shit.

thank Tom.Your custom substrate looks great

The avic enclosures are genius! I’m gonna have to try that for my C. versicolor slings. They always web the kids shut.

Awesome idea man! Love it

Brilliant idea tom💞 thanks for sharing

Great ideas with the sling pots.

Thanks for sharing it with us, love your suggestion, will try it 👍

Hi tom. You should cut the bottom off and hot glue it to the lid. That way the enclosure will be secure as you’ll be able to use the lid as normal. You and the family Stay safe in these crazy times. Mike

Horns up for your T-shirt 🤘

Just a thought, you could probably use a pin to hold the bottom of the enclosure to the top; just to prevent accidental drops. Just stick it through the side, and remove it when you want to open it.

Thank you professor. Omg I'm learning so much of you. Thanks again....

Awesome enclosure idea! Thanks!

i think mixing in some orchid bark looks really nice

I'm going to be getting a M6 sling soon and was looking for ideas for an enclosure. Thanks Tom!

Very helpful video. THANKYOU

Love this!! Great idea cutting the cup. Thank you, definitely going to try this.

Hi Tom, Sorry if someone already mentioned this. I dabble in Bonsai and could not help but notice the "Giant" size of the charcoal you used. Try looking at Bonsai web sites they usually have all different sizes from 1/16th inch to 1/2 inch. I have previously used American Bonsai Tool and Supply Co. They sell different sizes and quantities from quart, gallon, 5 gallons from $5.50-$55.00. They also sell Sphagnum moss which I have also bought. Search CharMAx or Sphagnum to save time if you decide to look at there website. Thanks for all the great video and Podcast. Keep them coming. I have a B. boehmei 3-4in and a G. pulchra sling. Thanks again!!

Nice vlog for diy enclo .. Very very nice

Thanks for the video! Really helpful

This was GREAT! Thanks for sharing---definitely going to put these tips to good use!

Man I hope your family is safe too.

Love the little cups! I never would have thought of it!!!! Heck yes man! Great video as usual!

Great enclosure ideas!! Thanks for sharing the information on the substrate and yes that's an adorable sling🕷

Thank you so much for the enclosure idea! I've been wanting to get a C.versicolor for ages but have trouble finding a suitable enclosure here in the UK. Definitely going to try this, then get myself a couple of slings 😀

I love your videos! Very interesting and informative! 👍

Very nice!! Absolutely love the arboreals and this is a very clever way of doing the enclosure

I like your mix. Good idea adding in the moss n charcoal. Thx for sharing.

Thank you so much Tom, learning something new everyday by watching your channels, keep safe.😊

This is really helpful specially for my avics and c. Versicolor species. Thanks Tom!

Great video! Stay safe my friend!

Great tip

I really love that part mixing your subtrate. It feels so much fun doing it 😊. Keep safe, Tom!

With diy I tell everyone to watch this video

Great ideas thanx 4 sharing

I love you DIY stuff. These cups are perfect for Avics and Versi

I just got my first Caribena Versicolor. This is extremely helpful! Thanks!!

Nice one Tom thanks for the information I'm definitely going to try and mix my own substrate

A very informative vlog again!😊🤟🕷🕷

That’s really good idea🕷👍

My favorites! Thanks for sharing 🤩😍🕷🕸

Anorher trick i will have up in my sleeves,.. Thanks Mr. Moran

Ohhh! that was very clever 👌🏻😲

Brilliant! So simple! :)

Fantastic idea 👍🏼🕷

Wow every so often I see a d.i.y. enclosure that blows my mind and this is definitely one of them. Such a great economical idea too. I use the hobby lobby match box display cases that I add a acrylic hinge too and this is so much more accessible to everyone.

I bought a big bag of that sphagnum moss. I noticed how dusty it was so I didn't use it because I wasn't sure if it would be bad for my Ts. This answered my question. Thank you. I was about to give it to my dad.

Thank you so much for this video and what an awesome DIY with the sling enclosure. You just solved an issue of mine 😃🕷😉🇩🇰

You give us something to do tomorrow. 👍👍

Thank you!

This is awesome...I love playing in dirt and it.saves on the wallet in the long run...like you said more money for Ts!!!! Thank you for sharing!

Super video tom and I'm glad to see you guys are safe and well. Love the little diy enclosures. One positive from being stuck at home is I've actually got to witness two of my four baby scorpions go through their first molt. The first one had problems and seemed to be stuck for days in its molt but thanks to RU-vid I learnt how to moisten it down and that did the job thank god. Stay well and safe tom and keep the cool videos coming my friend.

That's genius and exactly what I was just looking for. Hoping to pick up a couple of avic slings in a few weeks and this'll work perfectly.

I'm gonna start have to start saving and cleaning my salsa cups when I order Mexican lol

Hi Tom. that is the best setup i have ever seen for these T slings. wish i had known about this setup years ago lol. beautiful little slings. glad to hear you and your family are safe and healthy. keep up the wonderful info. Thanks.

You know those lemon juices in the lemon shaped container? The caps to those would work well for a tiny water dish

Thank you for the updated video, going to the store to try and buy some of this. I was just using reptisoil but now that I need to add substrate to a 40 gallon breeder, I need a cheaper alternative.

that is such an awesome enclosure idea! every single day I watch your channel and every single day my knowledge about these wonderful animals grows. Thank you for being you Tom! Never stop ;)

I used this when I got my first Avic sling and it really did crawl right to the top and made itself a "hammock" there first day. My other arboreal slings, while they do climb around often have made their homes closer to the ground.

Luv it good vid brotha

Just recently got one of your o Philippines slings from fearnot Love this t

You can also run the sphagnum moss through a blender to get a really fine cut while still retaining the water holding properties.

Fantastic advice, we love your videos! Could you do an update on phormingochilus sp rufus please? Trying to find information and husbandry advice for this species but theres not much out there! Thanks Tom, keep the vlogs coming. They are great!

I was considering using used eco earth substrate for bio active bedding. I have rotten magnolia leaves and the forest moss I used to put at the bottom of my enclosures before the substrate to hold humidity; which I don’t do anymore. I’m sure most of that used substrate has urticating hairs in it, but that stuff is biodegradable. It’s not made of styrofoam, so it will break down. I was going to add isopods to one batch, and orange head roaches to the other. Kevin from New England Reptiles said in one of his you tube videos that orange heads are great for bio active soil because they break it down further than it already is. Plus they are my favorite looking roach species and are too pretty to feed off. The adult males smell like bacon as I remember, so that’s another leg up for them. No, I didn’t taste them. My pantry is full, so I’m not that hungry.

Perfect timing ❤️💖 I’m getting 20 slings from a breeding loan tomorrow. Wasn’t ready to get them so early but now i am

Bro its genius 🤯

So cute! I love my juvenile Avic avic. He is so active and always exploring his enclosure. As a house plant enthusiast, mixing soil is one of my favorite parts of the hobby. Just something so gratifying about it. I have gone away from peat because peat mining is quite damaging to the ecosystem, but I found a great organic, non manure compost that I mix with coco coir.

Thanks Tom for another informative guide. I cant believe that your prices are so much higher than here in the uk. My versi just moulted and changed from all blue! All the best tim

great video as always! i had the idea of turning cups around as soon as i started the hobby, but never had any cover that was deep enough, nice trick u got there. for the substrate mixture: i always had the problem of bad absorbtion, thanks for the suggestion with the sand, that will definetly come to use next time! hope u all stay healthy, have a nice week!

That DIY Avic enclosure looks so easy and efficient. Should I try my luck with a sling, I would think that your setup will help in avoiding escapes and such. Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)

Great idea for the avics! My daughter asked for one today and I was debating if I should get a sling because I wasn't sure about housing. Perfect timing for this video! 😱

Awesome video as always man 😁 I've just set up 2 new caribena enclosures with just peat and sphagnum (cut up) as the media. I use a small cork tube of which they normally web up the centre and it kinda avoids them webbing the lid which is nice 👌 Anyway hope you and the family are safe and well! 🤘

I created my versicolor sling enclosure from this video. I fed her(?) Today and it was super easy. She seems very happy. I put a small amethysts rock in it to make it look a little nicer and tbh I think it looks prettier than the critter keeper my curlyhaired is in. Even though it is just a recycled deli cup.

I absolutely love your content man. I just ordered my first 2 Ts from FearNotTarantulas (G. Pulchra & G. Pulchripes) + got an avic avic as a freebie. Might've gone overboard for my first time but I'm excited and your videos are making me feel very comfortable starting out! In case anyone seeing this comment in the future is curious, I'll reply with an update on the slings. :) All 1" - 1 1/4" at time of order.

Wish I had seen this before I made 4 large enclosures with straight top soil, you're right about the muddy mess lol

I do something similar but I glue to tubs together bottom to bottom then cut the bottoms out, so you open it from the bottom or the top. Nice substrate mix I will try moss instead of vermiculite on my next mix.

That’s a great idea! I’m definitely going to try that method! Plus if you file the cut ones you can use it as a water dish for bigger Ts! I really liked seeing your substrate mix that was so helpful! You had been taken off my recommendations so I’m just catching up 🤷🏾‍♀️😂

I have to agree with the move to Sphagnum Moss over Vermiculite. The moss seems to allow the substrate to perculate more so than the Vermiculite does. And lets face it, Vermiculite can be rather pricey! Another great video Tom!