Dangers of tong feeding

[J0urney]

Ok so here goes, In A different thread I had mentioned tong feeding as one of my A avics has started to hold onto her tongs and I wanted to gets some advice on how to make her stop, and I was highly criticized for tong feeding. However, in every other thread about tong feeding there were many veteran keepers who said they did tong feed. I understand that fang breaks are possible and that is not what this thread is about. I want to hear first hand experiences of fangs breaking on tongs in order to guage danger. I dont plan on continuing to tong feed unless Im sure its safe. I also want to know if, for example, bare metal is bad but its near impossible for tarantulas to break fangs on wood. Basically I want more information because everything ive gotten up to this point has been "not tong feeding is common sence" but when apparently so many people do it I dont think it is.

Summary: Please post first-hand tong feeding injurys to the spider and include species and tong material

 

[DARTH ARACHNUS]

My T's will not go near food held in Tongs.
I know someone who had a Brachephelma Hamorii fangs get damaged from metal tongs but turned out was not even a week after a molt so it was most likely not hardened enough so that's not conclusive enough to solely blame on tongs.
Off the subject of T's my P Vitticeps (bearded dragon) damaged its teeth from metal tongs so I now use metal tongs with rubber tip as he is very snatchy.

 

[MasterOogway]

I refuse to tong feed tarantulas. Not only for the risk of damaging fangs, I've seen skittish T's dart right up a pair of tongs before. I've even had a wound up B. albopilosum dart up them and then fall. It's not worth it for a variety of reasons. What are you hoping to accomplish by tong feeding that you can't accomplish just by normal feeding?

 

[DARTH ARACHNUS]

I refuse to tong feed tarantulas. Not only for the risk of damaging fangs, I've seen skittish T's dart right up a pair of tongs before. I've even had a wound up B. albopilosum dart up them and then fall. It's not worth it for a variety of reasons. What are you hoping to accomplish by tong feeding that you can't accomplish just by normal feeding?

A friend of mines P Metallica ran up a pair of tongs and tagged him lucky for him it was a dry bite said it still gave him a shock my T's wont go near them I drop the food let nature take its course

 

[ShyDragoness]

I just drop them in and if they dont move enough to entice the T use a wooden skewer or wooden tongs to agitate the feeder insect and entice a takedown.

 

[Thekla]

However, in every other thread about tong feeding there were many veteran keepers who said they did tong feed.

I can't quite believe this. Do you have examples? Because all I found when I did a quick search about tong feeding are the pieces of advice of experienced keepers to not tong feed.
And if they do tong feed it's with ill or old Ts, where it's kind of a last resort to help them eat.

 

[Uial]

I do drop the dubias in there with tongs, but never low enough that the T could attack the tongs. Basically, it just rains food once every two weeks, and if the T is not on it right away, I just wait until they cross paths again, at which point the dubia is usually eaten. Last Time I thought my GBB had eaten during the night and I hadn't seen it, but seven days later I saw her finally grabbing the dubia. Which is not ideal either, but I don't want to destroy the whole enclosure either, if the dubia runs behind some plants or gets lost somewhere else.

 

[Kitara]

I just don't understand the point. Ts have figured out how to eat a long time before we stepped in. Why do people feel the need to spoon feed them after they put them in a box? Do they really think they can't figure it out? Broken fangs, running up the tongs, or completely safe. Whatever. It still just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Vanessa]

It is a problematic practice that could result in a damaged fang, or an escape. I would say that most fang issues have gone unnoticed by people because either the fang was only partially damaged, or only one fang was damaged. In those cases, you wouldn't see a difference in the tarantula at all - only both fangs being gone is blatantly obvious.
I have heard plenty of stories, and seen more than enough videos, of tarantulas coming up those tongs with a vengeance, though. Personally, I would choose that scenario as the one that is more common of the two. And you don't want that to happen either - not even with the more tolerant species. Because they are in hunt mode when it happens, you are at a higher risk of being bitten as well as it being a risk of an escape.
I have tong fed a couple of my more tolerant species to get a video of it and I do tong feed my really old mature males, but I don't make it a habit of tong feeding healthy individuals who can catch them themselves. It is always a risk and, take my word for it, the last thing you want is to be dealing with a fangless tarantula. That is something that everyone wants to do everything to avoid... believe me.

 

[viper69]

were many veteran keepers who said they did tong feed.

I've never noticed this, this is interesting, which threads?

 

[J0urney]

I've never noticed this, this is interesting, which threads?

In all 9 threads about tong feeding there are always some people who use tongs who appear to have been keeping tarantulas for quite a while

Also just a reminder. I don't want to know that tong feeding is bad, I want to know how bad it is. So far nobody has linked any posts about breaking fangs or talked about their own experiences with injuries.

 

[viper69]

In all 9 threads about tong feeding there are always some people who use tongs who appear to have been keeping tarantulas for quite a while

Link us up please, we would be interested in reading this information.

Also just a reminder. I don't want to know that tong feeding is bad, I want to know how bad it is. So far nobody has linked any posts about breaking fangs or talked about their own experiences with injuries.

I can say from personal experience in retrieving a water bowl, that the long hemostat I was using was a perfect plank for a rare arboreal I owned to run right up and out. I was fortunate she was an arboreal in this case. That was the last time I used a tall narrow container.

 

[ThorsCarapace22]

Ok so here goes, In A different thread I had mentioned tong feeding as one of my A avics has started to hold onto her tongs and I wanted to gets some advice on how to make her stop, and I was highly criticized for tong feeding. However, in every other thread about tong feeding there were many veteran keepers who said they did tong feed. I understand that fang breaks are possible and that is not what this thread is about. I want to hear first hand experiences of fangs breaking on tongs in order to guage danger. I dont plan on continuing to tong feed unless Im sure its safe. I also want to know if, for example, bare metal is bad but its near impossible for tarantulas to break fangs on wood. Basically I want more information because everything ive gotten up to this point has been "not tong feeding is common sence" but when apparently so many people do it I dont think it is.

Summary: Please post first-hand tong feeding injurys to the spider and include species and tong material

If you have your heart set on tong feeding maybe try the rubber coated ones. Or the wooden ones. Other than that I don't know really. And it is your decision. You bought your Ts so you can do whatever you wish. Just remember the risks. Not only with tong feeding but other things as well. Just be safe man. Ain't no sense in thinking too hard.

I have personally tong fed my Ts quite a bit. But last week my gbbs fangs hit the tongs and the sound made me cringe. I doubt I'll tong feed anymore. Not worth it. Could have ended badly just for my own satisfaction... It honestly made me feel like a crap onwer for .8 seconds.

 

[mack1855]

So far nobody has linked any posts about breaking fangs or talked about their own experiences with injuries.

Probably because you would not know if a fang was broken at the moment the T hit the tongs taking the prey.
I mean,i don't know how anybody would know.

Unless your tong feeding an 8 inch DLS LP,or stirmi,and examine that T,an hour after taking the prey,how do you know?And,you would need to examine that particular T,before hand, to ensure both fangs were intact.
Much less a 2 inch DLS P.metallica,or a B.hamorii.

Tong feeding a perfectly designed hunter/carnivore.Beyond me.

 

[EtienneN]

For me tongs are only good for manipulating water dishes in defensive tarantulas’ cages whilst the tarantula is safe and sound in its hide.

 

[viper69]

Probably because you would not know if a fang was broken at the moment the T hit the tongs taking the prey.
I mean,i don't know how anybody would know.

Unless your tong feeding an 8 inch DLS LP,or stirmi,and examine that T,an hour after taking the prey,how do you know?And,you would need to examine that particular T,before hand, to ensure both fangs were intact.
Much less a 2 inch DLS P.metallica,or a B.hamorii.

Tong feeding a perfectly designed hunter/carnivore.Beyond me.

I just pick up Poki's they are like little fluffy kittens

Ok so here goes, In A different thread I had mentioned tong feeding as one of my A avics has started to hold onto her tongs and I wanted to gets some advice on how to make her stop, and I was highly criticized for tong feeding. However, in every other thread about tong feeding there were many veteran keepers who said they did tong feed. I understand that fang breaks are possible and that is not what this thread is about. I want to hear first hand experiences of fangs breaking on tongs in order to guage danger. I dont plan on continuing to tong feed unless Im sure its safe. I also want to know if, for example, bare metal is bad but its near impossible for tarantulas to break fangs on wood. Basically I want more information because everything ive gotten up to this point has been "not tong feeding is common sence" but when apparently so many people do it I dont think it is.

Summary: Please post first-hand tong feeding injurys to the spider and include species and tong material

Here's some people talking about fang damage due to tong damage- we aren't making this up. I found this in 1second.

Let's see those 9 links you mentioned.

https://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/anyone-broken-off-a-fang.24309/

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/broken-fangs.299138/

post#13


I'll let you find the rest, I don't have time to provide more data on this subject that is known, and is common sense.

 

[moricollins]

I never tong fed, yet still managed to have a p. murinus come up my tongs when I was doing cage maintenance and up my arm onto my shoulder around to my back.
I don't get why anyone would feel the need to tong fed a healthy tarantula, just another unnecessary risk.

 

[mack1855]

I never tong fed, yet still managed to have a p. murinus come up my tongs when I was doing cage maintenance and up my arm onto my shoulder around to my back.

How did that happen???.If you care to talk about it,if not,thats fine.

 

[moricollins]

How did that happen???.If you care to talk about it,if not,thats fine.

Was pulling out cricket leftovers close by the tarantula's web, it came out of the web, up the tongs and up my arm before I could really even react. I managed to get it back housed with some help from my wife... They were 12" tongs that I was using too

From that point on I made a point of not putting tongs anywhere close to a tarantula unless absolutely necessary

 

[J0urney]

@viper69 thank you for finding those for me. I still wonder why these stories havent been told in any threads about tong feeding but ohh well. Now I know too look for broken fangs specifically rather than just general injuries.