Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New articles
New media comments
New article comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Articles
New articles
New comments
Search articles
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Light Theme
Contact us
Close Menu
Are you a Tarantula hobbyist? If so, we invite you to join our community! Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your pets and enclosures and chat with other Tarantula enthusiasts.
Sign up today!
Forums
Tarantula Forum Topics
Tarantula Feeding and Feeder Insects
Can I feed slings mealworms?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Tortoise Tom" data-source="post: 137387" data-attributes="member: 27883"><p>Calcium to Phosphorous ratio. As the chart demonstrates most insects have more phosphorous than calcium. For reptiles, we want the opposite. For reptiles we generally want a Ca : Ph ratio of 2 : 1. So two parts Ca to every one part Ph. I don't think this matters for tarantulas, other arachnids, or insectivorous insects. This is why we use the "shake n' bake" method of coating feeder insects with calcium carbonate powder before feeding to our reptiles, and why we try to feed insects with a better Ca : Ph ratio to our lizards and amphibians.</p><p></p><p>That is the theory anyway. What has always perplexed me, and I've never found a suitable answer for is: Why don't insectivorous insects arachnids need this higher calcium to phosphorous level? Its been suggested that this is because the reptiles have skeletons and need the extra calcium for growing bones. But this leads me to the question of: How are these reptiles getting these Ca : Ph ratios in the wild eating wild insects?</p><p></p><p>I don't have all the answers, but I have some...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tortoise Tom, post: 137387, member: 27883"] Calcium to Phosphorous ratio. As the chart demonstrates most insects have more phosphorous than calcium. For reptiles, we want the opposite. For reptiles we generally want a Ca : Ph ratio of 2 : 1. So two parts Ca to every one part Ph. I don't think this matters for tarantulas, other arachnids, or insectivorous insects. This is why we use the "shake n' bake" method of coating feeder insects with calcium carbonate powder before feeding to our reptiles, and why we try to feed insects with a better Ca : Ph ratio to our lizards and amphibians. That is the theory anyway. What has always perplexed me, and I've never found a suitable answer for is: Why don't insectivorous insects arachnids need this higher calcium to phosphorous level? Its been suggested that this is because the reptiles have skeletons and need the extra calcium for growing bones. But this leads me to the question of: How are these reptiles getting these Ca : Ph ratios in the wild eating wild insects? I don't have all the answers, but I have some... [/QUOTE]
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Tarantula Forum Topics
Tarantula Feeding and Feeder Insects
Can I feed slings mealworms?
Top