Comprehensive list of feeders

Urzeitmensch

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
Messages
128
I have to disapoint you, I am not experienced enough to provide a comprehensive list of feeders.

But I had the idea that such a list would be very useful especially for beginners. I was thinking about listing all reasonable feeders with their pros and cons, maintanance and breeding requirements, as well as a list of general tips on feeding. Everything short and comprehensive.

Just to give an example that is neither complete nor necessarily right:


Zophobas (zophobas morio, aka "Superworms"):
[insert picture]
Larvae of the darkling beetle

Pros:
- low maintenance
- no smell
- no loud noises
- last a long time
- big meal
- not much waste after feeding

Cons:
- burrow in the enclosure
- can bite the T
- not much movement that triggers feeding response

Ideal for: bigger Ts or diced up for slings

Tips: crush the head before feeding to prevent burrowing (thanks @ColdBlood)

Maintenance: keep very close together and feed with oat meal (...). Don't add moisture.

Breeding: I have no clue, really ...
 

Andrew Clayton

Arachnobaron
Joined
Dec 19, 2018
Messages
579
Breeding: I have no clue, really ...
To breed them, when you have some big fat ones separate them, about 10 in separate containers with no food substrate anything, and leave them in a cupboard or drawer after a few weeks you should end up with the pupae and then the beetle obviously and just breed these there is a load of videos on youtube on how to make a setup and breeding
 

Demonclaws

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
141
not much movement that triggers feeding response
They move a lot... All my slings/juvies will gladly take down a small superworm, even the skittish ones. IMO, any hungry T will go for them. Sometimes, adult T will touch the worms and leave them along. If adult T refuse, I just try again in 1 month.

Pros:Cons:
Superworms won't pupate when kept together, unlike meal worms, but can't be refrigerated.

Don't add moisture.
I keep mine in a medium plastic tub with no lids. I add water to their containers every month, and it dries out the next day or two. They go nuts for water/moisture, to the point where water shoots out when you squeeze lightly with tweezers.
 

Urzeitmensch

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
Messages
128
They move a lot... All my slings/juvies will gladly take down a small superworm, even the skittish ones. IMO, any hungry T will go for them. Sometimes, adult T will touch the worms and leave them along. If adult T refuse, I just try again in 1 month.


Superworms won't pupate when kept together, unlike meal worms, but can't be refrigerated.


I keep mine in a medium plastic tub with no lids. I add water to their containers every month, and it dries out the next day or two. They go nuts for water/moisture, to the point where water shoots out when you squeeze lightly with tweezers.
Interesting! Since I started crushing the worms heads the feeding response has gone down even more with my Ts. Maybe they just don't like them.

On the topic on adsing moisture to the worms: I was told by the seller of my first T that I should not add moisture or they might pupate. However I already wondered how they could sustain themselves without any moisture. I don't breed them and keep them in the box they come in. How do you keep them ( substrate, food)?
 

Demonclaws

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 5, 2017
Messages
141
Since I started crushing the worms heads the feeding response has gone down even more with my Ts.
The key is not to crush the head completely. Just deformed enough that they won't successfully pupate.

I was told by the seller of my first T that I should not add moisture or they might pupate.
This is wrong.
However I already wondered how they could sustain themselves without any moisture. I don't breed them and keep them in the box they come in. How do you keep them ( substrate, food)?
They will eat other dead worms for moisture. I keep adult beetles with 2-3 inch cocofiber/top soil substrates so they lay eggs. Adults might fly so make sure you have a lid. I move the worms to a larger bin with no substrates after they reach 1inch in length. You need to skim through the substrates to find them. Beetles are fed with my leftover food (fruit, veggies, meat) and a water dish. Worms are fed with oats, cereal, and veggies.
 

lazarus

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
156
Interesting! Since I started crushing the worms heads the feeding response has gone down even more with my Ts. Maybe they just don't like them.
I usually drop an uninjured superworm, if the T doesn't take it and the worm starts to burrow I get it out with the tongs, crush its head and throw it back in. Usually the T takes it later unless it's in premolt. I have very few Ts that refuse to eat superworms, all of them are arboreal Aviculariinae and Pokies

On the topic on adsing moisture to the worms: I was told by the seller of my first T that I should not add moisture or they might pupate. However I already wondered how they could sustain themselves without any moisture.
They won't pupate but moist environment with oats bedding (or other kind of cereal) will attract grain mites. I just give them vegetables for hydration, carrots, zucchinis and watermelon rind for works the best in my experience. It's also important to offer a source of protein, I use dry cat food, otherwise they might start to cannibalize.
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,110
- not much movement that triggers feeding response
This depends on the superworm entirely. Some will move a lot and others are going to be still as if they're playing dead. So it's a 50/50 on superworm movement. Try throwing a super worm to a heavy webbing T. because it will move a heck-ton for sure IME.

Breeding: I have no clue, really ...
Separate the superworm from the rest and place it into a dark place (drawer, closet, anywhere dark). Then in 2 weeks (a little more or less) it's a larvae, which takes another 2 weeks (a little more or less) into beetles.

Overall this idea isn't bad, but this thread seems to over simplify things. Not saying it's bad, because it supposed to help beginners :happy:, but this stuff takes a while of experience for anyone wanting to do this. So a person writing info on a feeder must have good care and knowledge before writing stuff like this IMO.

I forbid anyone to post info on feeders on this thread unless they've cared, grown, fed, and bred a feeder species successfully down 5 generations of offspring with at least 1 year of expertise with a feeder colony. :troll::troll::troll:
 
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