Best way to crush B. Lateralis roach head?

[Sam12156]

I have pinhead B. Lat roaches for my sling but i cant for the life of me figure out a good way to crush their tiny heads. Ill put one in a deli cup and try grabbing it by the head or quickly stabbing at it with tweezers but i either miss completly or hit their thorax really hard which stopped it from moving entirely.

I tried dropping completly dead one at the mouth of its burrow and my T just ignored it. I know its hungry because the T will sit at the mouth of its burrow and i tried poking the substrate with a thin string of stiff plastic and it leaped out and held on to the strand.

I tried dropping in a live one but it hid inside the enclosure and now i cant find it. I moved the enclosure to my closet where its dark and left a carrot slice to try to draw it out.

So any tips on how to crush the head of these tiny pinhead roaches for a guy with poor aim?

 

[Sam12156]

I just realized i probably put this under the wrong topic,not sure how to delete or move it.

 

[Vanisher]

Have never crushed their head. Why should you? In case i am unsertain if the spider is in premoukt i feed the dead prey. If fed larvea, like superworms i check so the spuder grabs it, otherwise i take it out emideatly.

 

[Sam12156]

crushing the head is more to stop the roach from running away inside the enclosure where i cant find it and it also keeps their legs moving which attracts the spider to it. My T doesn't seem to touch dead prey even though its hungry.

 

[Vanisher]

Ok, yeah maybe is good!

 

[basin79]

In between you finger and thumb. Failing that pick the roach up in you finger and thumb and put its head in between the tongs where it's flat. Not the Top, further up.

 

[Sam12156]

In between you finger and thumb. Failing that pick the roach up in you finger and thumb and put its head in between the tongs where it's flat. Not the Top, further up.

I see, Ill have to get used to touching the roach then, dont know why but the roaches scare me even though the spider doesnt. Tried holding its body with another set of tongs but i dont have the control to not crush its whole body so isung my fingers should solve that.

 

[basin79]

I see, Ill have to get used to touching the roach then, dont know why but the roaches scare me even though the spider doesnt. Tried holding its body with another set of tongs but i dont have the control to not crush its whole body so isung my fingers should solve that.

Aye. Just pick them up. It's easier for you and makes sure they don't suffer.

 

[FrDoc]

I would add to @basin79 ’s comment that if you are dealing with smaller prey items, you may want to invest (and it’s not much) in a set of fine tip tongs. They allow for very precise work in many ways, very useful hobby tool.

 

[CheshireGleam]

If you don't want to touch them, grab them with the tongs by or under the head and crush the roaches' head against a hard surface. That's what I do because roaches stink. I second the fine tip tongs, got a pair in a soldering iron kit and it's very useful at catching pin head B. lateralis.

 

[chanda]

I pick up the roach and hold it between my finger and thumb of my left hand, then use a pair of tweezers to crush the head, Not the big tongs, but the little slant-tip tweezers like you'd use to pluck eyebrow hairs or remove splinters.

 

[Crone Returns]

I see, Ill have to get used to touching the roach then, dont know why but the roaches scare me even though the spider doesnt. Tried holding its body with another set of tongs but i dont have the control to not crush its whole body so isung my fingers should solve that.

Roaches are evil.

 

[SonsofArachne]

but i cant for the life of me figure out a good way to crush their tiny heads

Hydraulic press? just make sure it has fine adjustment.

 

[Bob Lee]

So any tips on how to crush the head of these tiny pinhead roaches for a guy with poor aim?

Take a needle and stab away, you are going to hit it eventually.
Or focus a powerful laser pointer on the roach, it would slowly burn though.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Telekinesis

I find they still try to hobble around a little even if you crush the body while trying to grab them (unless you absolutely annihilate them), fine tipped tweezers do help though.

 

[Teal]

Use bigger roaches and work on your aim

Another thing you could possibly do if you're just looking to slow it down for a little bit is put it in the fridge for a few minutes.

If you cannot find the other roach, is it possible it was eaten? They don't hide forever.

 

[Flashback]

This is jumping off topic a bit, but the OP brought up a question that I've recently had.

How do you if a T is hungry? I've scaled back to feeding my T just 2 crickets every 2 weeks.....The abdomen is pretty big, so it's "not starving" (and he always eats every time I drop crickets in the terrarium.

I know they can go months without eating, but I also don't want my T to be "hungry" in a traditional sense. It went from eating 3 crickets a week.....to 2 crickets a week.....& now its 2 crickets every 2 weeks.

Just want to know if there are any signs (besides a smaller abdomen, which he doesn't have) to find out if the T is hungry or not.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

How do you know if a T is hungry?

They will assume a hunting stance where they'll position themselves kinda spread out on/flattened against a surface to feel for movement (some examples below), you don't need to feed them every time they do this though, they'll often go back to doing it immediately after they've finished a meal and cleaned themselves, they don't know when their next meal will be and they don't realise that they have a constant supply of food in captivity.

0.1 Psalmopoeus irminia

• The Grym Reaper
• Jun 8, 2018
• 5
• irminia psalmopoeus psalmopoeus irminia suntiger tarantula

Gratuitous Shadowcat picture.

View media item 49060View media item 46601View media item 39592View media item 39541

 

[Flashback]

They will assume a hunting stance where they'll position themselves kinda spread out on/flattened against a surface to feel for movement (some examples below), you don't need to feed them every time they do this though, they'll often go back to doing it immediately after they've finished a meal and cleaned themselves, they don't know when their next meal will be and they don't realise that they have a constant supply of food in captivity.

0.1 Psalmopoeus irminia

• The Grym Reaper
• Jun 8, 2018
• 5
• irminia psalmopoeus psalmopoeus irminia suntiger tarantula

Gratuitous Shadowcat picture.

View media item 49060View media item 46601View media item 39592View media item 39541

Thanks! Good to know!

 

[Teal]

but I also don't want my T to be "hungry" in a traditional sense.

As opportunistic ambush predators, I am not sure they get "hungry" in the traditional sense?