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Can you over feed a T?

Brina916

New Member
3 Year Member
Messages
29
As I posted before my GBB has never refused a cricket, even if he/she just ate the day before. I figured if the crickets are being eaten right away and not just jumping around the enclosure for even a few minutes then it should be fine... right?
 

Dana C

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3 Year Member
Messages
4
I have heard some people expostulate on over feeding and "fat" tarantulas. Some do get what I suppose would be considered overly large abdomen which would increase the danger of death if it fell or jumped a ways, the key is to not put them in a position where they feel it necessary or able to.
I feed mine once or twice a week at most. I used to feed almost daily when I first started which is unnecessary.
 

Josh

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Seems like they would know to stop when enough is enough but some animals don't - like horses... Since tarantulas are so opportunistic I think maybe they wouldn't know when to stop.
 

jetfire

Moderator
3 Year Member
Messages
81
Location
chucktown,sc
I actually keep 4-5 crickets free-ranging in the enclosure, so she can eat when she's hungry. She usually takes one every couple days, and I keep a small pile of cgd (crested gecko diet, just the dry powder) in a corner of the tank for the crickets to eat.
 

BigOtto

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
47
Location
Palatine, Illinois
Your tarantula will stop eating for a while if you feed it every day, they do know when to stop eating for the most part. Tarantulas also stop eating before a molt which could take a couple months for older T's.

On the side of letting crickets free range in the enclosure, if your tarantula is not eating them and the T is near a molt you run the risk of the cricket bitting the T and possibly killing it. Do not leave crickets in an enclosure for more than a few hours.
 

Brina916

New Member
3 Year Member
Messages
29
Crickets can be jerks! Loud and smelly too!
Tell me about it, we just ordered a 1000 large, they never shut up and one bit the crap out of me while hand feeding one of my chams! I honestly didnt think they could bite very hard but the really big adult ones that I have mistaken for roaches so many times can hurt more than you would think.
 

CrypticSpider

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
292
Location
Where the Spiders are.
Tell me about it, we just ordered a 1000 large, they never shut up and one bit the crap out of me while hand feeding one of my chams! I honestly didnt think they could bite very hard but the really big adult ones that I have mistaken for roaches so many times can hurt more than you would think.

Be careful of the newer breed of crickets.. These are very bite-y crix, and there are actual documented reports of the crickets feeding on chameleons, geckos, etc. They are supposed to be more docile & hardier/virus-resistant. Their mandibles are impressive and massive!

OK, why does my text settings revert to forum default? (sorry, off-topic, I know)
 

BigOtto

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
47
Location
Palatine, Illinois
When I have alot of slings I set up a cricket farm in 20 galon storage container. Some prep work is needed in setting this up because pin heads can climb glass and plastic.

I take the tub and use the clear boxing tape/packaging tape and tape a ring around the top inside of the container. Pin heads have a very hard time climbing the tape if it's clean. Then I toss in about half an inch of substrate (again cocofiber works great) and mist it a little. Add a couple egg crates, a small food dish with cricket feed, and another dish with water crystals so the crickets can't drown. Throw in 2 dozen large or xl crickets and in a couple days you'll have pin heads to feed your slings.

Yes crickets are can be smelly, they make alot of noise, and they don't live long. This is the best way I've found to have a feeding supply for slings however. Otherwise I'm prekilling crickets and cruching them up or I'm pulling legs off of roaches.

The substrate in the container does get full of the dying crickets and replacing it is difficult at times because there are alot of pin heads running around. You may just want to wait until the farm stops producing and start another farm up when you notice the other slowing it's reproduction down dramatically. Picking the dead out of the substrate is pretty difficult otherwise.
 

Donk

Member
3 Year Member
Messages
40
Location
Near Newcastle
I feed once a fortnight, it works for my girl....i offer more often but she rarely takes..and has in the past fasted for 4 months, does have a "big bum" as my daughter says but nothing overly large...slightly larger then the pic <---- infact
 

harleyqueen

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3 Year Member
Messages
2,402
Location
Essex
my rose hair ramases is always eating. i suspect he was wild caught and may not have eaten for a long time before i got him. and i suspect he is waiting for the famine spell. he makes a real song and dance over his meals and tap dances around looking glee full and chuffed with himself its hilarious. sometimes he gets angry and kicks the cricket across his tank then two minutes later it Will be in his mouth.
 

Runningwolfe'

New Member
3 Year Member
Messages
1
Thanks all. My baby girl with her 4th molt she's just munching down & plumping up.Before this she had her own little set schedule & now she's just going crazy. No signs of molting yet..I check her ever few hours when there is a cricket in with her...just in case there's something I'm not seeing! She's so smart too! As far as the crickets mine are still alive & I got them in September & now they're breeding oh, lord! I don't know where I'm suppose to put my addy so here it is: [email protected] just in case...ok thanks all! Runningwolfe'
 

MassExodus

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5,547
Location
Outside San Antonio, TX
Thanks all. My baby girl with her 4th molt she's just munching down & plumping up.Before this she had her own little set schedule & now she's just going crazy. No signs of molting yet..I check her ever few hours when there is a cricket in with her...just in case there's something I'm not seeing! She's so smart too! As far as the crickets mine are still alive & I got them in September & now they're breeding oh, lord! I don't know where I'm suppose to put my addy so here it is: [email protected] just in case...ok thanks all! Runningwolfe'
This is a thread from 2012 :) Just letting you know.
 

Rockpython

Active Member
3 Year Member
Messages
108
Tell me about it, we just ordered a 1000 large, they never shut up and one bit the crap out of me while hand feeding one of my chams! I honestly didnt think they could bite very hard but the really big adult ones that I have mistaken for roaches so many times can hurt more than you would think.
I once had to force feed a lizard (I think it was a horned mountain lizard, but anyway...) I put the cricket in my mouth in the manner of holding a nail in your mouth, so I could adjust the lizard... that motherloving cricket bit my lip and made me bleed.
 

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