beginner tarantula keeper..

Gpack

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 11, 2017
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23
I have 6 t slings. Ranging from 1cm up to 2inch. I just got a 1cm B.smithi. problem is i have no pinheads or nymph lats atm. I only have superworms. I usually cut them in half before feeding my other slings. Questions is, do i just cut them right away or i have to freeze them first? Cutting live ones are a bit messy and gross. How do pros do it? :DDDD
 

jaycied

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Messages
224
You can cut them live. I usually grab one end with tongs and cut pieces over the enclosures.
 

Mojo288

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
freeze super worms? why would you freeze them at all super worms would die? you refrigerate meal worms to make them last longer, but never feed frozen feeders or feeders that have been dead for a while (im guessing you've had herps before) take them out, find the feistiest ones (they are usually healthier with more meat on them) and chop off the head and just leave it somewhere out in the open then check the next day. i have a 1/4 b albo sling that will walk around with pieces of scavenged food bigger than it is. ALWAYS FRESH KILL , you don't want to give your T something that has been rotting for a while.

Just a PS: once iv gone through my current batch of meal worms, i will never be using them again for my T's, if you pick one up with tongs from the tail it'll start chewing on the tongs, and i could feel the damn bugger munching on the steel tongs, like surprisingly hard, that is not something im gonna risk with my little guys. Wax worms and horn worms with crushed heads just to fatten up fresh molters.
 
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Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
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Jul 2, 2016
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2,612
freeze super worms? why would you freeze them at all? you refrigerate to make them last longer
Superworms are a tropical species and will die if you refrigerate them. Mealworms on the other hand will last longer if refrigerated...I think your confusing the two.
 

Mojo288

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
Superworms are a tropical species and will die if you refrigerate them. Meal worms on the other hand will last longer if refrigerated...I think your confusing the two.
Yup, thank you for the correction. But eitherway, super worms and meal worms are off my feeder list. Ill edit immediately.
 

Gpack

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 11, 2017
Messages
23
Thanks for all the replies.

Well i just thought of freezing or refrigerating them so that when i cut them guts wont spew out. And freezing for an hour or so wont make the worms rot.
 

Mojo288

Arachnoknight
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Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
Thanks for all the replies.

Well i just thought of freezing or refrigerating them so that when i cut them guts wont spew out. And freezing for an hour or so wont make the worms rot.
You would be defrosting frozen dead feeders, that would thaw and instantly start rotting, as opposed to freshly killed that can survive for some time, in the case of some roaches, they can keep walking around with no head until they die of dehydration.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
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Sep 24, 2015
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4,611
@Mojo288 mealworms are fantastic. Easy to breed too, I've had my colony going for almost a year now with minimal effort. Crush the heads, they can't bite then.
 

cold blood

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Jan 19, 2014
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13,223
Just a PS: once iv gone through my current batch of meal worms, i will never be using them again for my T's
That's a mistake.

They make splendid feeders due to their higher fat content...this makes them ideal for slings, freshly molted juvies and adults and ts with issues like missing fangs or even limbs.

Once a t hardens, its exoskeleton protects its self....and you should be crushing heads anyway before feeding so they can't burrow.

For slings, don't feed whole mealies, just dice them up....I get my best growth rates with slings using worms....plus there is no easier way for me to feed groups of slings....because I dice them, they are getting larger meals, which are also fattier and plump the slings quickly, and because the turnaround between molts can be so quick for a sling, this really maximizes growth while at the same time, I need to providing fewer feedings....meaning less cleanup as well.

@Mojo288 mealworms are fantastic. Easy to breed too, I've had my colony going for almost a year now with minimal effort. Crush the heads, they can't bite then.
We need to talk, I tried twice to get a colony going and must be missing something because I am having no success with something I know s super easy.
 
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Mojo288

Arachnoknight
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Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
That's a mistake.

They make splendid feeders due to their higher fat content...this makes them ideal for slings, freshly molted juvies and adults and ts with issues like missing fangs or even limbs.

Once a t hardens, its exoskeleton protects its self....and you should be crushing heads anyway before feeding so they can't burrow.

For slings, don't feed whole mealies, just dice them up....I get my best growth rates with slings using worms....plus there is no easier way for me to feed groups of slings....because I dice them, they are getting larger meals, which are also fattier and plump the slings quickly, and because the turnaround between molts can be so quick for a sling, this really maximizes growth while at the same time, I need to providing fewer feedings....meaning less cleanup as well.



We need to talk, I tried twice to get a colony going and must be missing something because I am having no success with something I know s super easy.
I completely agree with you with regards to the fat content, but its mealies and supers i want to avoid, the mandibles on those guys are no joke, i much rather wax worms, they are much softer and, well for a lack of a better word, plumper. A fat wax worm is ALWAYS my first meal for freshly molted T's. As for the head crushing the heads, absolutely, although i cut them clean off lol, im ocd about my T's getting hurt.

For my bigger T's i plan on getting hornworms as needed, but iv just started a colony of dubias and a collony of madagascar hissing roaches, they will be my main feeders.
 

cold blood

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I completely agree with you with regards to the fat content, but its mealies and supers i want to avoid, the mandibles on those guys are no joke, i much rather wax worms, they are much softer and, well for a lack of a better word, plumper. A fat wax worm is ALWAYS my first meal for freshly molted T's. As for the head crushing the heads, absolutely, although i cut them clean off lol, im ocd about my T's getting hurt.

For my bigger T's i plan on getting hornworms as needed, but iv just started a colony of dubias and a collony of madagascar hissing roaches, they will be my main feeders.
Waxies are awesome feeders...I don't crush their heads though if the t is large enough to take it down.

But it was specifically mealworms and superworms that was talking about in my previous post...they are both great feeders....if you crush their heads, they are no more formidable than a wax worm.
 

Mojo288

Arachnoknight
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Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
Waxies are awesome feeders...I don't crush their heads though if the t is large enough to take it down.

But it was specifically mealworms and superworms that was talking about in my previous post...they are both great feeders....if you crush their heads, they are no more formidable than a wax worm.
Gotcha :)

With regards to growth rates, do you notice any difference between mealies/supers and waxies? Substantial enough to notice i mean, if it is id be willing to stick it out with them, but i just feel like the wax worms are easier for a T to deal with. If they're better for the T's ill happily spend all day decapitating the little buggers, i just assumed they had pretty similar fat/protein content.
 

cold blood

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Gotcha :)

With regards to growth rates, do you notice any difference between mealies/supers and waxies? Substantial enough to notice i mean, if it is id be willing to stick it out with them, but i just feel like the wax worms are easier for a T to deal with. If they're better for the T's ill happily spend all day decapitating the little buggers, i just assumed they had pretty similar fat/protein content.
No, but I never directly compared them....I do believe waxies are a little higher in fat content.
 

Anoplogaster

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jan 15, 2017
Messages
675
Cutting mealies and supers with a pair of scissors is less messy than a knife. You can just designate a pair of scissors to use for just that. Hope that helps:)
 

Gpack

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 11, 2017
Messages
23
And another thing, how long should i let the cut mealworms stay inside the enclosure if the slings doesnt take it right away?
 

Mojo288

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
160
Overnight is enough, if its not gone by then its probably not gonna take it, wait a couple days for a small sling and try again.

Rinse and repeat until the food is gone.
 
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