Gut loading

[Pops Tarantula]

So I'm trying my luck at gut loading meal worms using carrots. She still juvenile so I think horn worms are still to big and crickets and roaches will hide or bury in substrate. Any other feeding tips out there?

 

[m0lsx]

There is no need to gut load for Tarantulas. But giving your feeders some fruit or veg to gain moisture from & thus remain healthy, is far from a bad idea. I use currants & rasins, as they tend not to go mouldy. But I used to use carrot.
With roaches crush the head, as they will remain alive for well over 24 hours. They breathe through their body, so can survive days, possibly even a few weeks without a head.

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Soldier flys and their larvae. Flys are safe if you think your T may be nearing a molt and the larvae can be seriously juicy morsals but would not leave in if the T is near a molt. What species of T do you care for???

 

[m0lsx]

Soldier flys and their larvae.

Black Soldier Fly larvae are also known as Calci Worms, due to their high calcium levels. So do not feed them the larvae regularly. As inverts do not have bones & do need calcium. In fact too much calcium in thier diet can cause issues for them, as they cannot process it properly. But as a treat /occasional food, they make a good food. In the same way, Moriworms are high in fat & make a good occasional food, but not a good regular food.

 

[Pops Tarantula]

Thanks for the tips, I have gbb. We got her in April, just moved her to new enclosure. I was just looking for good ways to pep up the diet.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

Here's an interesting theory that I've heard - and I personally don't believe a word of it but take it as you will.

I've been told that feeding Brachypelma sp. and other types that have red markings on crickets loaded with foods like carrots and sweet potatoes significantly strengthens the red coloration of the spider. I know one person who tried it with a T. vagans and swore that it brought out the red in their spider's butt almost immediately.

In theory, at least, this does make a little bit of sense. Carrots and sweet potatoes are both loaded with β-carotene which does turn things, including people who take too much of it, bright orange or yellow. I can certainly see how adding it to spider's diet via a carrot-loaded cricket or worm could enhance a T's coloration.

On the other hand, bristle and cuticle are pretty much static features. They don't constantly grow and replace themselves like hair and skin do. Their color shouldn't change in between molts. I can believe that β-carotene might have an impact over time, but I call BS on anyone who says they see a change in their T's coloration over a few days or weeks after starting carrot-loaded crickets. That's just not how invert biology works.

So do what you will with that info. I personally feed my crickets carrots because my wife loves them and always has them in the fridge. I hate them so the more the crickets eat the fewer there are for my wife to try and shove on me. It's a win-win for me and the crickets no matter what effect it has my T's. Your mileage and skin color may vary.

 

[Pops Tarantula]

I heard the same thing reading 2 nights ago. It would be nice if it enhances coloration of our T. But really I just the healthiest food her, I figured it's like anything else the better the food the better the life. I hate crickets they stink, and roaches well I'm an exterminator so bringing roaches in my house isn't something Im trying to do lol. I know I can cut the heads off well I guess I'm just a bit hesitant. I would use Dubai not red runner they look to much like German roaches.

 

[Eighth Eye Blind]

I'm an exterminator

Yikes!

In case you don't know (and for the benefit of others who may not), some commercial insecticides that "don't work on spiders" actually do work extremely well on spiders and we just didn't know it.

We're just learning that pesticide resistance in spiders is highly species dependent. A lot of the data that we have was only collected from a couple of different species - mostly European wolf spiders - and the numbers just don't apply to T's. It turns out that wolf spiders can happily shake off a fat spray of a neonicotinoid pesticide while some T species shrivel up and die at 1/10 the dose.

Pyrethroids and phenylpyrazoles may have even more variability in true spiders versus tarantulas. Bifenthrin and cyhalothrin toxicity may be thirty times higher in T's than in web builders. There's some suggestion that fipronil has long-term toxicity in tarantulas at 1/1000th the commercial concentration for insects . . . which is just a crazy low dose.

I strongly suspect that a lot of the excess mortality in pet store spiders is due to the staff carrying flea and tick treatments from other animals or parts of the store into the spider area on their hands and clothing. It's notable that stores that specialize in reptiles and fish don't seem to have a problem keeping spiders alive but stores that deal in cats and dogs do.

So definitely wash those hands and change those clothes when you get home! Don't trust what the manufacturers say about toxicity of their products in arachnids. All of that data is almost certainly bad. Be careful not to accidentally contaminate your little spud!

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Black Soldier Fly larvae are also known as Calci Worms, due to their high calcium levels. So do not feed them the larvae regularly. As inverts do not have bones & do need calcium. In fact too much calcium in thier diet can cause issues for them, as they cannot process it properly. But as a treat /occasional food, they make a good food. In the same way, Moriworms are high in fat & make a good occasional food, but not a good regular food.

I feed my T's Dubia and crickets as well. Like to pop a horn worm to them if I think there nearing a molt for the moisture content. Like a nice varied diet for the guys and gals! The flys are good for slings and get some killer take downs. They buzz those wings and the dinner bell rings!! Happy Spoodering!