Feeding burrowing species?

[swimbait]

My LP sling has made himself a deep burrow. Haven't seen it in 2 weeks, my question is how do you guys go about feeding slings in burrows? Do you just send the cricket down and remove it if it comes back up? That's what I've been doing but I don't like the idea of my sling molting down there and the crick finding an easy meal...

 

[DVirginiana]

Do you have access to something like dubia roaches? I don't know much about feeding techniques for burrowers, but dubias are a lot less likely to chew on your spider than a cricket. I feel safe leaving them in my tanks in situations I wouldn't feel good about leaving a cricket in.

 

[swimbait]

Yea I sort of do, I need to start another colony soon I have just been procrastinating it. I'm wating til the next expo to pick up a good amount, I could always buy them from the pet store but they are half dead in those containers theres no point.

 

[sym]

Hi swimbait.
My G.Pulchra likes to burrow all I do is drop the cricket down the hole and it never returns. The sling has dug out most of 1 side to his/hers deli cup so you can actually watch him/her eat..

Sym

 

[Tomoran]

I never drop them down the holes, as I can't be sure if they are in premolt or molting (although, some will close up the entrances when they don't want to be disturbed). I will drop the crickets on the surface. The T can feel the vibrations from the cricket's movement, and it will come out and snatch it up if it is hungry. Also, many of the burrowers come out at night to hunt, and they find the prey items then.

 

[swimbait]

Well its pretty hard to keep the crick out of the hole, they seem to find it almost immediately and fall down. He didn't take the dead crick last night so I will wait a couples days and try again

 

[Tomoran]

Well its pretty hard to keep the crick out of the hole, they seem to find it almost immediately and fall down. He didn't take the dead crick last night so I will wait a couples days and try again

I don't actually try to keep it out of the hole. I just don't purposely drop it in the hole. If it wanders in, there is nothing I can do to stop that. Most of the Ts have laid some web leading to the entrance, and many of the crickets will hit this web and turn away. If they decide to explore down the hole, the tarantula will feel the approach and will be prepared to snatch it up (or slap it away if it's not hungry).

 

[swimbait]

My LP has yet to do any webbing. It took it a few days to burrow and has since been down there. I don't even see it at night and I often check on them in the middle of the night. I'm hoping if it molts it will push it out so I know

 

[Tomoran]

When my LP was a sling, she buried herself for several months, molting twice below ground before finally reemerging. It seems to be something many slings of this species do. It can be a bit frustrating, as you will rarely see the T for a while, but they outgrow it as they get older. I was fortunate in that mine did push the molt out both times.

 

[swimbait]

It doesn't bother me too much, I got this sling as a freebie so it wasn't exactly a species I was dying to have. Not that I am not excited to have, I kinda like the idea of it reemerging twice its size will be cool to see!

 

[Tomoran]

It doesn't bother me too much, I got this sling as a freebie so it wasn't exactly a species I was dying to have. Not that I am not excited to have, I kinda like the idea of it reemerging twice its size will be cool to see!

Ha! Yup, when it finally reappears quite a bit larger, it will be worth the wait.

 

[R.NUTT]

If I am wary that the sling may be pre molt I simply don't feed them as regular and then offer a dead cricket. This way the sling will most definitely have no troubles taking the cricket and if it doesn't want the cricket I simply tweezer it out or leave it laying in there for a while. My King baboon sling has a habit of letting dead prey sit in its burrow and then eating when it feels ready. Make sure you drop the cricket where the tarantula can feel it though that way it will instinctively still strik the dead crick as though it was alive.

 

[Enn49]

I never put the cricket down the hole but even my deepest burrowers have eaten by next morning unless in pre-moult.

My LP has yet to do any webbing. It took it a few days to burrow and has since been down there. I don't even see it at night and I often check on them in the middle of the night. I'm hoping if it molts it will push it out so I know

My 2 LPs only ever web as they are about to moult making a mat and even the one that burrows will moult on the surface.

 

[swimbait]

I never put the cricket down the hole but even my deepest burrowers have eaten by next morning unless in pre-moult.



My 2 LPs only ever web as they are about to moult making a mat and even the one that burrows will moult on the surface.

I would love for that to happen, just so I can know. No sign of any molt yet, I will leave a dead crick in again tonight

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

My LP sling has made himself a deep burrow. Haven't seen it in 2 weeks, my question is how do you guys go about feeding slings in burrows? Do you just send the cricket down and remove it if it comes back up? That's what I've been doing but I don't like the idea of my sling molting down there and the crick finding an easy meal...

Hello
Most times tarantulas know what they are doing, even slings. They will close up entrances when coming close to a molt,and when done emerge again. Coming to the feeder,I went with roaches fully never looked back and no risk to my specimen at all. As for burrowing specimens,I have employed tubes into the substrate which they use to make their burrows. This in turn,causes them to make their homes in such a way I can check in on them just a suggestion.

 

[swimbait]

When I put a crick in there last night, I think it truly found like a second entrance to the burrow. He ran to the other side of the cup and disappeared under a leaf, I picked that leaf up and it was no where to be found. I dug all around gently, while also avoiding where I assumed his burrow to be, never saw a sign of the cricket. Hoping he ended up down there and got eaten...I don't think my LP is in pre molt because the burrow is still wide open, but I have also never experience this particular sling molt before so I don't know how it acts

 

[newtots]

don't worry about it too much, i have 2 lasiodora parahybana and they love their burrows.. i just put the crickets in and let the curious little buggers find their way into the burrow.. if the tarantula still hasn't eaten them after a few hours i just take it out and try again another day. i was nervous getting an lp because of the size that they get but the personality of them has made it so worth it. i haven't known at all when my lp's are in pre molt because they both ate up until the day they molted. mine just hide and eventually i find either a molt or it just comes out larger than it was lol.

 

[swimbait]

Well it ate last night, and I don't see any further evidence of the disappearing cricket in the cage so maybe it did find a trapdoor and he grabbed it. Truly no idea what happened. But this morning instead of a normal bolus it was more like half a cricket. It was totally chewed up. Maybe he's just not hungry? Would seem weird to me from what I've read these guys are crazy eaters.

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

Well it ate last night, and I don't see any further evidence of the disappearing cricket in the cage so maybe it did find a trapdoor and he grabbed it. Truly no idea what happened. But this morning instead of a normal bolus it was more like half a cricket. It was totally chewed up. Maybe he's just not hungry? Would seem weird to me from what I've read these guys are crazy eaters.

If a lasiodora doesn't eat,there is a reason pre molt prey is just too large. They are a hardy species,so I wouldn't stress too much. Try changing the feeder type,maybe a Roach or mealworm.