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Tarantula Forum Topics
Tarantula Feeding and Feeder Insects
2 Unanswered Feeding Questions
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<blockquote data-quote="Dave Jay" data-source="post: 131494" data-attributes="member: 27677"><p>Question #1</p><p>I do think that feeding a variety of prey would benefit any predator. If you look at the breakdowns of various feeder insects they do vary in the amounts of each nutritional element tested for, and the ratios of the minerals they contain.</p><p>That said, feeding a wide variety of prey is not always practical, only my frogs and fish readily take a wide variety of prey, followed by my centipedes.</p><p>There are often practical rather than nutritional reasons as to why one prey is better than another for various predatory "pets".</p><p>Because of this I think giving the feeders a varied diet is important so that their nutritional needs are met and they themselves are not deficient in any vitamins or minerals making them as nutritious their species can possibly be.</p><p>I do think that gutloading with different foods on different occasions makes up for a lack in variety in prey species and I practice this as much as possible but carrot and leafy greens such as spinach and chard are my staple gutloading foods, the caratone and thiamine are important for my lizards and fish and I assume the inverts might benefit from adding those nutrients as they would usually be present in the gut contents of their wild prey too.</p><p></p><p>Question #2</p><p>Firstly, I agree with what Mass has said on the matter, but I'll add my thoughts and experiences.</p><p>I did used to feed wild caught insects to some of my animals, I had read that moths are a good source of iodine making them a good food for my aquatic tortoises, I would imagine I read it in TFH as I was a devout reader of the magazine and reread every copy I own over and over again.</p><p>I also have collected slaters and worms from my yard to feed various animals as I know that chemicals have not been used in my garden and I'm on a large block of land. I stopped catching moths as feeders when outdoor flyspray dispensers became common. Before that I was pretty sure that moths hadn't been sprayed with insecticide but moths being attracted to a porch light where an outdoor dispenser is located is too likely imo and not worth the risk.</p><p>Something similar to what you mentioned regarding caterpillars is that while I wouldn't feed wild caught flies because you don't know what they've been in contact with and what their gut might contain I have a "maggot farm" of sorts. I don't use it all the time but occasionally I put some food in it and collect maggots to hatch out so I can have clean flies for my frogs, I plan to do this for my tarantulas sometime, I think it will be great viewing for me and good environmental enrichment for them.</p><p>I think some caterpillars may be toxic in themselves regardless of what they eat but I'm not sure. If you were to I.D. research the species and their food plants I would think that you could be sure of whether it's wise to use them as feeders or not. Grasshoppers and locusts can travel great distances as far as I'm aware so I would be wary of them but flightless nymphs couldn't have come from very far away so if you're on a large property I would think they'd be ok.</p><p>The degree of risk of parasites and disease would be fairly dependant on whether tarantulas or similar spiders are present in the area you live in but I think there will always be some risk.</p><p></p><p>I've made my answers fairly general as although I've kept a variety of animals all my life I'm only a few months into keeping tarantulas. I went from none to 30 in about a month though so I've got a lot of opportunities for observing and learning to come!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dave Jay, post: 131494, member: 27677"] Question #1 I do think that feeding a variety of prey would benefit any predator. If you look at the breakdowns of various feeder insects they do vary in the amounts of each nutritional element tested for, and the ratios of the minerals they contain. That said, feeding a wide variety of prey is not always practical, only my frogs and fish readily take a wide variety of prey, followed by my centipedes. There are often practical rather than nutritional reasons as to why one prey is better than another for various predatory "pets". Because of this I think giving the feeders a varied diet is important so that their nutritional needs are met and they themselves are not deficient in any vitamins or minerals making them as nutritious their species can possibly be. I do think that gutloading with different foods on different occasions makes up for a lack in variety in prey species and I practice this as much as possible but carrot and leafy greens such as spinach and chard are my staple gutloading foods, the caratone and thiamine are important for my lizards and fish and I assume the inverts might benefit from adding those nutrients as they would usually be present in the gut contents of their wild prey too. Question #2 Firstly, I agree with what Mass has said on the matter, but I'll add my thoughts and experiences. I did used to feed wild caught insects to some of my animals, I had read that moths are a good source of iodine making them a good food for my aquatic tortoises, I would imagine I read it in TFH as I was a devout reader of the magazine and reread every copy I own over and over again. I also have collected slaters and worms from my yard to feed various animals as I know that chemicals have not been used in my garden and I'm on a large block of land. I stopped catching moths as feeders when outdoor flyspray dispensers became common. Before that I was pretty sure that moths hadn't been sprayed with insecticide but moths being attracted to a porch light where an outdoor dispenser is located is too likely imo and not worth the risk. Something similar to what you mentioned regarding caterpillars is that while I wouldn't feed wild caught flies because you don't know what they've been in contact with and what their gut might contain I have a "maggot farm" of sorts. I don't use it all the time but occasionally I put some food in it and collect maggots to hatch out so I can have clean flies for my frogs, I plan to do this for my tarantulas sometime, I think it will be great viewing for me and good environmental enrichment for them. I think some caterpillars may be toxic in themselves regardless of what they eat but I'm not sure. If you were to I.D. research the species and their food plants I would think that you could be sure of whether it's wise to use them as feeders or not. Grasshoppers and locusts can travel great distances as far as I'm aware so I would be wary of them but flightless nymphs couldn't have come from very far away so if you're on a large property I would think they'd be ok. The degree of risk of parasites and disease would be fairly dependant on whether tarantulas or similar spiders are present in the area you live in but I think there will always be some risk. I've made my answers fairly general as although I've kept a variety of animals all my life I'm only a few months into keeping tarantulas. I went from none to 30 in about a month though so I've got a lot of opportunities for observing and learning to come! [/QUOTE]
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2 Unanswered Feeding Questions
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