A.geneculata feedenig

[thesillynames]

Hello, Im pretty new to this hobby and still learning alot of stuff. I got a question for all of you fellow breeders. I reccenty bought a sling (3cm) LS A.G and It can eat like truck. I fed her 2 roaches eceryday and It took them without any queation. So I want to know If feedeing eat everyday with 2 roaces is okay? I read that it will speed its growth but will reduce its lifespan. Thank you very much for your help I can provide a picture if needed

 

[boina]

it will speed its growth but will reduce its lifespan

No, it will not. All you get out of that is a prolonged phase of fasting, because even an A. genic, one of the most voracious species out there, can not keep up with that kind of food for too long. If you want to speed up growth you also need to increase temps, but I'd strongly advise against that since increasing temps comes with a whole new set of problems and caveats. So, stop feeding that much - like one roach every couple of days is plenty - and enjoy your spider grow.

 

[boina]

Why did you make two threads out of this? This is just annoying, so I'm not wasting my time here again.

 

[thesillynames]

Why did you make two threads out of this? This is just annoying, so I'm not wasting my time here again.

Thanks for your advise. Im new to this forum and can not find way to delete one

 

[Arachnophoric]

Thanks for your advise. Im new to this forum and can not find way to delete one

Members don't have the authority to delete threads or posts - only mods can do that.

+1 to what @boina said - there's no need to feed your T so much so often and will just end up with a very fat T who won't eat until after it molts again, which can take weeks to months. A. geniculata grow fast enough as it is, just be patient.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Feeding every 3-5 days is fine at that size.

I read that it will speed its growth but will reduce its lifespan.

Any reduction in lifespan will be negligible, we're talking a matter of months in animals that can live for well over a decade.

 

[thesillynames]

Feeding every 3-5 days is fine at that size.



Any reduction in lifespan will be negligible, we're talking a matter of months in animals that can live for well over a decade.

Thank you do i feed it 1 roach or give it as much is it wants?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Thank you do i feed it 1 roach or give it as much is it wants?

Just one is fine, tarantulas are opportunistic, in the wild they don't know when their next meal will stumble by (and they don't realise that they have a constant food supply in captivity) so they will eat anything that they can overpower. While you can't technically overfeed a sling (they have short moult cycles and put everything into growth) there's no need to just pile loads of food into it, tarantulas have very low food requirements.

Also, tarantulas need both a set amount of time (which increases as they grow larger) and a certain amount of food in order to complete a moult cycle, if you fatten them up too quickly then you usually just end up with a tarantula that won't eat for ages so they need to be fed less often as they grow larger.
I feed my adult female A. geniculata either a superworm or 3-4 MM red runners once every two weeks, she goes a year between moults so feeding her on that schedule means that she eats right up until about a month or so before she's due to moult.

 

[sasker]

I usually go by abdomen size. Tarantulas are usually quite skinny after a molt, especially the fast growing ones. When the tarantula starts eating again I usually give it something every day until the abdomen is a more healthy looking size. From then on I feed about once a week or once every two weeks, depending on size and species of the tarantula. You can stick to the diet described by @The Grym Reaper if your tarantula doesn't need to fatten up. Feeding as much as the tarantula will eat will result in an obese tarantula, a tarantula that stops eating for a long time, or both.

 

[Vanisher]

I usally feed spiderlings 2 times a week up to small juveniles, then i feed them 1 time a week. Adults i feed based on their abdomen size! But i tell you this, better to feed adults less than more! It is not healthy for them with a baloon sized abdomen, it also looks bad! But with slings i belive that feeding them often results in healthier adult spiders! AND A VARIED menu is also imported! Dont feed them only crickets or only roaches! Mix the feeders! A friend of mine that is one of Swedens best arachnologist! She has made reserch about feeding wolfspiders. A varied menu when they where slings resulted in healthier more fertile adult spiders! I tend to believe this is true for ither types of spiders as well!?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

AND A VARIED menu is also imported! Dont feed them only crickets or only roaches! Mix the feeders!

Tarantulas raised on only one type of prey are no less healthy than those raised on multiple types. There have been a plethora of threads where this has been brought up. Sure, a variety won't hurt, but it's not essential.

 

[Vanisher]

Maybe, i dunno, i just referd to her study, i tend to believe they do but i may be wrong!? But the woolfspider proved to be healthier and more fertile

 

[Vanisher]

I have raised slings from sack to adulhood on merly crickets and they where where as fine as other tarantulas. But as you say, it doesnt hurt to vary their diet, it is more likely the best!