Best and worst feeder

[Jesse607]

I agree that it is very unlikely, but you never know what conditions or regions of the world people live in, so it is best to be aware that very warm and humid conditions could become a problem.

Better to be overly paranoid than to say its not possible and not be vigilant don't you agree.

I'm an Urban Entomologist, this is a subject i have expertise in. i assure you that B. lateralis will never be an indoor residential building pest species the same way that B. germanica or S. longipalpa are. Zero reason to be paranoid.

 

[Introvertebrate]

I sometimes think that those pest species would make easier feeders. They don't require any special conditions. No supplemental heat. You just have to be conscientious about escapes. We should already be good at that, since we don't want our venomous critters on the loose either.

 

[curtisgiganteus]

I sometimes think that those pest species would make easier feeders. They don't require any special conditions. No supplemental heat. You just have to be conscientious about escapes. We should already be good at that, since we don't want our venomous critters on the loose either.

You would have to breed them out several generations but it seems like a decent idea. You aren’t the first I’ve hear that from and I’m quickly being sold on it

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I sometimes think that those pest species would make easier feeders. They don't require any special conditions. No supplemental heat. You just have to be conscientious about escapes. We should already be good at that, since we don't want our venomous critters on the loose either.

I tried to raise some outdoor species once I caught in North Carolina on a vacation. But they died when I put them outside behind the garage in a bin (from fear of infestation,, were too fragile a species I should had kept inside .
sadly they were all climbers otherwise I’d still have some .
How long do orange head roaches take to build a colony from 40-50 I got those .. I paid for 100 got half that. Although a species that doesn’t need a heat mat is appealing!!!
these big roaches grow too slow.

 

[Kada]

Any reasons the American cockroach cant be used? In terms of the predator? Breeding, not catching wild ones.

They are a pest that is everywhere here, so infestation is a non issue.

I like dubia for their relatively easy to prevent escapes with. For my climate, I would be worried if any of the common feeder roaches got out as they arent naturalized here yet. Would like to perhaps breed some native species instead and then just not need to worry about escapes altogether.

For me, worst are crickets. by far. but they are easy to scale up fast.

 

[Introvertebrate]

Back in New Jersey, the kitchen was my Blattella germanica bin. I don't know why crickets get such a bad rap. From the second generation on, they're very healthy.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Back in New Jersey, the kitchen was my Blattella germanica bin. I don't know why crickets get such a bad rap. From the second generation on, they're very healthy.

What do you mean an infestation of a kitchen lol ?
Crickets are hard to keep alive .. I sure could not do it . Although I did breed a few years back didn’t get past one gen . Pet stores around here. Don’t have adult crickets. And 100 crickets x 10 cents = $10? That’s expensive I quit buying crickets . I only buy super worms now or roaches.

 

[Kada]

Back in New Jersey, the kitchen was my Blattella germanica bin. I don't know why crickets get such a bad rap. From the second generation on, they're very healthy.

I find crickets easy, convenient and fast. I just dont like them cause they chew and if there is an egg sac, molting spider etc, they can chew on it. something I havent seen dubia ever do. some species are insanely meat hungry as well. Otherwise I find them an incredibly convenient food source.

 

[Jesse607]

The feeder I prefer to use and rear myself, is the Lobster Roach. The feeder that is most fun to watch tarantulas capture, are crickets (any kind).

The worst feeder IME are butterworms. The Ts capture them, but many end up discarding them uneaten, or take days to consume them. Another feeder I didn't care for that was pre-B. dubia popular, was Discoid Roaches. They could play dead for DAYS! They just didn't seem to elicit a strong feeding response. Also, once they burrowed into the substrate, they seemed to rather starve to death rather than ever emerge to the surface again.

 

[Isaax Critterz]

Best feeders for any tarantula:
Mealworms
Crickets ( controversal imo )
Waxworms
Hornworms
Red-runners
Roaches ( as long as they don't give birth on you're T )
Fruit-flys ( for slings)

Worst feeders for any tarantula:
Rodents ( VERY controversal )
People ( a "great" OBT snack)