Best set up to have crickets for 1 T

Clever Name

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Aug 1, 2018
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So I have one T with no plans on getting more and I'm very new to the hobby. Obviously owning the one T I don't have a need for many feeder crickets, however it makes no sense to drive 30 minutes once a week to the closest reputable reptile store to get... one/two crickets or roach or pinkie mouse. I'd rather keep my store visits to maybe once a month.

My questions is if it would work to keep a few crickets alive in the same tank my T is in or should I suck it up and make a small separate cricket hold to keep 3-5 alive at a time?
 

Krystal Anne

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Aug 22, 2017
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1. First of all, welcome! You may have no plans on getting more... for now ;)

2. I absolutely do NOT recommend feeding mice AT ALL. Crickets and roaches are fine.

3. Never leave live feeders in your tarantula's tank if it's not eating them. They'll only stress out your T, and in the worst case, eat your T if it's molting.

That said, when I had just one tarantula, I only went to the store 2x a month. But, instead of feeding once a week, I'd feed 2-3 crickets every 2 weeks. 1x a month may be too long to keep pet store crickets alive, in my experience lol.

I kept them in a critter keeper with egg crates/lots of room, food, and oranges/apples for water. IME, that usually keeps a handful of crickets alive for a couple of weeks.
 

SpaceM

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Most shops you buy crickets from come with egg crate and edible substrate already in the tub so all you need to keep them alive is occasionally add a slice of carrot/potato for moisture and you should be able to keep most of them alive for at least a month if you keep an eye on them. You'll have quite a bit of wastage too but that can't really be avoided.
 

Krystal Anne

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@SpaceM A month?! Lucky. All the local pet store crickets I get barely last 2 weeks with proper care, lol.

Every time I get crickets from a reptile expo, though, they last a LONG time. I've had those crickets live 3 months before. They were a different species though, idk if that means anything.
 

Torech Ungol

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I think the simplest solution would actually be to forego crickets and get mealworms. You can get a little tub of them that can last for several months refrigerated.
 

Krystal Anne

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I think the simplest solution would actually be to forego crickets and get mealworms. You can get a little tub of them that can last for several months refrigerated.
True, but I heard that mealworms aren't the healthiest for tarantulas as a stand-alone feeder? They contain a lot more fat, less protein, etc. and if you use them, it's better to have a variety. At least, that's what I read.

@Clever Name, maybe you can try dubia roaches. They're probably one of the healthiest feeders, and they're so hardy, they last forever lol
 

Krystal Anne

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poppycock!

Mealworms make fine feeders, especially for slings.
Ah, that's actually good to know! I knew they were good for slings to help fatten them up, didn't know they were for older T's. *still learning* thanks for clarifying!

And I'm assuming OP has an adult B. albopilosum? Judging from the profile pic? Can't be 100% though
 

Clever Name

Arachnopeon
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Aug 1, 2018
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@cold blood I have an adult b. ablopilosum as @Krystal Anne guessed (her name's Lulu)! Decided to go with a T that was good for first timers. She's about 4"-4.25".

Thank you for the welcomes and the advice so far. It's been really helpful!
 

cold blood

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At that size you could really just feed 2 larger meals a month...

But albos aren't really picky eaters, and will generally take mealworms readily...so you could keep a bunch of mealies in the fridge (they go dormant and last many months) and simply get a couple crickets every now and again when its convenient.
 

StampFan

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Jul 12, 2017
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So I have one T with no plans on getting more and I'm very new to the hobby. Obviously owning the one T I don't have a need for many feeder crickets, however it makes no sense to drive 30 minutes once a week to the closest reputable reptile store to get... one/two crickets or roach or pinkie mouse. I'd rather keep my store visits to maybe once a month.

My questions is if it would work to keep a few crickets alive in the same tank my T is in or should I suck it up and make a small separate cricket hold to keep 3-5 alive at a time?
Keeping crickets is a much bigger job than keeping one T. I vote mealworms in the 'fridge. Or supers. Or maggots. Or anything that's easier than crickets.
 

SpaceM

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Jul 16, 2018
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@SpaceM A month?! Lucky. All the local pet store crickets I get barely last 2 weeks with proper care, lol.

Every time I get crickets from a reptile expo, though, they last a LONG time. I've had those crickets live 3 months before. They were a different species though, idk if that means anything.
I usually get medium/large silent brown crickets, maybe i'v just been lucky or pet shop crickets have a better standard here in the UK but i'v never had any issues keeping them for longer.
 

The Grym Reaper

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A month?! Lucky. All the local pet store crickets I get barely last 2 weeks with proper care, lol.
I used to get pinheads from my LPS and be able to keep them alive for their entire life cycle (up to 3 months), it's not difficult and I'm not sure why everyone seems to think they just die in droves if you so much as look at them funny o_O:rofl:

True, but I heard that mealworms aren't the healthiest for tarantulas as a stand-alone feeder? They contain a lot more fat, less protein, etc. and if you use them, it's better to have a variety. At least, that's what I read.
Na, that's a carry-over from the reptile hobby, I have tarantulas (slings/juvies, I use red runners/supers for subadults/adults) that have eaten nothing but mealworms for the entire time I've had them, never had an issue.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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True, but I heard that mealworms aren't the healthiest for tarantulas as a stand-alone feeder? They contain a lot more fat, less protein, etc. and if you use them, it's better to have a variety. At least, that's what I read.

@Clever Name, maybe you can try dubia roaches. They're probably one of the healthiest feeders, and they're so hardy, they last forever lol
What do you do with extra dubia tho ? I have 53 Ts and mine can’t eat more then get produced . Ended up with a fly invasion
 

cold blood

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I usually get medium/large silent brown crickets, maybe i'v just been lucky or pet shop crickets have a better standard here in the UK but i'v never had any issues keeping them for longer.
you want them to live longer, simply buy banded crickets....they are easily the hardiest cricket in the feeder industry.

What do you do with extra dubia tho ? I have 53 Ts and mine can’t eat more then get produced . Ended up with a fly invasion
sell them....post a craigslist ad.
 

The Grym Reaper

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What do you do with extra dubia tho ? I have 53 Ts and mine can’t eat more then get produced . Ended up with a fly invasion
Sell them, I have 53 tarantulas and there was a massive population explosion in my red runner colony due to the recent heatwave here, I sold a bunch of them via the tarantula groups on FB, easy money.
 
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