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Use both mealworms and crickets

spider4747

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Veronica and Belial usually eat crickets. Veronica eats mediums with ease and can tackle meal worms one by one. I noticed that when both crickets and meal worms are used the roseys develop wonderfully strong looking joints and colorful hairs. Belial currently has purplish little bristles on her fangs, which she revealed to me (flossing) are close to an inch long and fine-tuned little hooks. Veronica is growing rapidly to adulthood and developing a fine coat of rosey pinkish hairs too.
 

Entity

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yeah it is a good idea to offer a variety to u spiders as much as they will accept. their are different vitamins and fat levels in different prey foods. so it makes sense that they would get more from that. plus spiders in the wild eat whatever they can overpower, not just one thing.
 

Scoolman

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Roaches are my staple, crickets, and sometimes super worms, are offered occasionally for variety.
All my feeders get my roach chow and fruits/veggies before being fed off.
 

MassExodus

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I have been using straight dubias for awhile now. I just bought two containers of superworms. After 3 months of just roaches, my spiders seemed to tear into them with gusto. I think a little variation is probably the best thing as well.
 

Phil

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I have been using straight dubias for awhile now. I just bought two containers of superworms. After 3 months of just roaches, my spiders seemed to tear into them with gusto. I think a little variation is probably the best thing as well.
Mine must be fussy buggers! Apart from my GBB, anything not cricket related is usually snubbed completely. My A. Geniculata actually runs away from locusts and mealworm despite being 7/8 inches in length. Weird ☺
 

MassExodus

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Mine must be fussy buggers! Apart from my GBB, anything not cricket related is usually snubbed completely. My A. Geniculata actually runs away from locusts and mealworm despite being 7/8 inches in length. Weird ☺
That is weird. My genic will eat anything..just found her freshly molted this morning
 

Chubbs

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Some are just fussy eaters. I'm trying to establish a colony of silkworms and hornworms. Silkworms seem to get one of the best feeding responses out of even the pickiest eaters. Sadly they're hard to find this time of year, since they don't breed as well in cold weather, so many vendors don't have them atm. I have never tried hornworms yet, but I have heard nothing but good things about them.
 

Bugmom

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Crickets (and anything that moves like a cricket) has always had the best feeding response from my tarantulas, which means they're more likely to eat it, which means healthier spiders. Mealworms and superworms are a pain because unless you crush the head, they'll just start burrowing into substrate immediately (and I've also had slings devoured by mealworms). They're a bit of a last resort for me. Dubias were hit and miss, but more misses than it was worth to keep a colony going. Same with lobster roaches. Neither moved enough for most T's to think "oh that's food" and the little nymphs just went straight to burrowing.

My favorite feeder so far is the banded cricket, but alas I cannot get them now that I've moved. I'm going to be ordering some Turkish roaches though (red runners) as those are the "crickets of the roach world." Speedy and meaty! I'd like to get a colony of them going so I can stop going to Petsmart once a week for crickets.

Since no one knows what exactly the optimal nutrition requirements are of tarantulas, I'm hesitant to say any particular feeder is "more nutritious" than another. It can't be "more" if there isn't a baseline to begin with.
 

MassExodus

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Crickets (and anything that moves like a cricket) has always had the best feeding response from my tarantulas, which means they're more likely to eat it, which means healthier spiders. Mealworms and superworms are a pain because unless you crush the head, they'll just start burrowing into substrate immediately (and I've also had slings devoured by mealworms). They're a bit of a last resort for me. Dubias were hit and miss, but more misses than it was worth to keep a colony going. Same with lobster roaches. Neither moved enough for most T's to think "oh that's food" and the little nymphs just went straight to burrowing.

My favorite feeder so far is the banded cricket, but alas I cannot get them now that I've moved. I'm going to be ordering some Turkish roaches though (red runners) as those are the "crickets of the roach world." Speedy and meaty! I'd like to get a colony of them going so I can stop going to Petsmart once a week for crickets.

Since no one knows what exactly the optimal nutrition requirements are of tarantulas, I'm hesitant to say any particular feeder is "more nutritious" than another. It can't be "more" if there isn't a baseline to begin with.
I've been feeding dubia and superworms for years without any fuss, and recently started a lateralis colony. I think you'll be pleased with them. They trigger hits like crickets, my spiders all love them. They're fast but its easy to just tap an egg carton over a catch cup for feeding. You say mealworms ate a sling of yours? Could you describe what happened? I'm just curious, I've heard of it happening but never spoken to someone who experienced it. I've never used mealworms, but I never had any issues with my superworms.
 

Bugmom

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I've been feeding dubia and superworms for years without any fuss, and recently started a lateralis colony. I think you'll be pleased with them. They trigger hits like crickets, my spiders all love them. They're fast but its easy to just tap an egg carton over a catch cup for feeding. You say mealworms ate a sling of yours? Could you describe what happened? I'm just curious, I've heard of it happening but never spoken to someone who experienced it. I've never used mealworms, but I never had any issues with my superworms.
It happened twice - one was a dwarf species, Kochiana brunnipes. The K. p. was in the vial. Put mealworm in. Spiderling was nowhere to be found at next feeding. Couldn't have escaped because I observed it in it's burrow after the mealworm was placed in there and the lid put back on. I can't recall the other species, it wouldn't have been a dwarf species, but it was the same scenario. There was NOTHING left except the mealworms in those vials. Those vial lids are either "on" or "off," they snap on so tight that I'm positive it wasn't an error on my part. I've never lost a sling out of a vial due to improper lid closure.

I honestly thought the mealworm-eats-sling thing was mostly hype but it's clearly not. I will not use mealworms again unless the head is crushed and the T is mostly scavenging on the worm. I know people say crickets will eat slings too but I've yet to have that happen. However, if a tarantula doesn't take the prey within 10 minutes, I take it out. It'll eat when it wants to and any tarantula that starves itself to death would have done so despite anything I did or didn't do, and was clearly not meant to thrive.
 

MassExodus

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It happened twice - one was a dwarf species, Kochiana brunnipes. The K. p. was in the vial. Put mealworm in. Spiderling was nowhere to be found at next feeding. Couldn't have escaped because I observed it in it's burrow after the mealworm was placed in there and the lid put back on. I can't recall the other species, it wouldn't have been a dwarf species, but it was the same scenario. There was NOTHING left except the mealworms in those vials. Those vial lids are either "on" or "off," they snap on so tight that I'm positive it wasn't an error on my part. I've never lost a sling out of a vial due to improper lid closure.

I honestly thought the mealworm-eats-sling thing was mostly hype but it's clearly not. I will not use mealworms again unless the head is crushed and the T is mostly scavenging on the worm. I know people say crickets will eat slings too but I've yet to have that happen. However, if a tarantula doesn't take the prey within 10 minutes, I take it out. It'll eat when it wants to and any tarantula that starves itself to death would have done so despite anything I did or didn't do, and was clearly not meant to thrive.
That's terrible. I actually only crush superworm heads for the little ones, or cut them in pieces. I don't mess with fruit flies or pinhead crickets, I just give tiny ones a chunk of worm to sit on and eat for two days :) Ive never seen a sling that wouldn't scavenge prekilled. I don't like crickets for many reasons, but the main one is their mortality rate, even when kept appropriately. There's just too many better feeders to choose from in my opinion.
 

MassExodus

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My boehmei is a juvie male, he's actually surprised me with his growth rate. I got him as a one inch sling three years ago. He's every bit of 4 inches now. Which is bad, really, it leaves me less time to find and buy an adult female, which won't be cheap.
 

Phil

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My boehmei is a juvie male, he's actually surprised me with his growth rate. I got him as a one inch sling three years ago. He's every bit of 4 inches now. Which is bad, really, it leaves me less time to find and buy an adult female, which won't be cheap.
Jeez....that is some rapid growing. Are you using compost for substrate lol
 

Bugmom

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My boehmei is a juvie male, he's actually surprised me with his growth rate. I got him as a one inch sling three years ago. He's every bit of 4 inches now. Which is bad, really, it leaves me less time to find and buy an adult female, which won't be cheap.
That is INSANE growth for a boehmei. Adding growth hormones to your feeders? lol I have a male as well, had him for almost two years, and he's pushing 5" but still hasn't matured. I'm not looking forward to the price tag that will come with finding him a woman, but I'll pay it. There needs to be more boehmei!
 

MassExodus

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That is INSANE growth for a boehmei. Adding growth hormones to your feeders? lol I have a male as well, had him for almost two years, and he's pushing 5" but still hasn't matured. I'm not looking forward to the price tag that will come with finding him a woman, but I'll pay it. There needs to be more boehmei!
Couldn't agree more :) I guess if a Brachy is a male and has a great appetite, they can grow like normal spiders do sometimes. Mine will eat up until a week or two before a molt. I have a few like that.
 

MassExodus

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Great news on the moult. Please post some pics when you get some.☺my B. Boheimi seems to have been in pre moult for ages now!
Here she is. Around seven inches, freshly molted
 

IamKrush

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I have been using straight dubias for awhile now. I just bought two containers of superworms. After 3 months of just roaches, my spiders seemed to tear into them with gusto. I think a little variation is probably the best thing as well.
I use straight and gay dubia. I dont Discriminate
 

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