Handfeeding

[karmeleon]

How many have tried handfeeding? I worked up the courage to handfeed my Avicularia avicularia last night a cricket. She grabbed it right out of my fingers. The response was quite fast and exhilerating for me. Im not sure how discriminating they are and would not try it with a species with more toxic venom. Still it was an interesting experiment and I was prepared for whatever happened.

 

[cloud711]

i have a friend who hand feeds his a avic before. but now he uses a tweezer. i suggest you use a tweezer as well to avoid getting bitten.

 

[Thoth]

You might be able to get away with hand feeding with an avic but risk injury with other species (I shudder to think if I tried that with my A.genic). Also there is a bigger risk of the t escaping when you do that see how the enclosure has to be open and one of you hands is occupied. Better you use tweezers as Cloud711 suggested.

 

[KingJames]

Is there a point to shoving the food in the spiders face? Why not just throw it in the cage and be done with it? Forgive my ignorance if this is a stupid question...

 

[Entropy]

I think I'll stick to just dropping my Ts food in. It's much like offering your snake food from your hands, just a matter of time before they miss.

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

I use it two times for my over 15 years keeping t's for two specimens ready to die...
In one case I was successful; the other one gives the WC adult 'seems-so-very-old-and-half-dead' fem of H. schmidti additional 3-4 months of living (I feed and water her 2 times per week) but I give up after she doesn't start drink and eat herself... she died soon within 2 weeks I fed and water her last time...

 

[mybabyhasfangs]

I shudder to think if I tried that with my A.genic

Ditto this, some of ours even attack the brush and water stream.

Christina

 

[Mattyb]

More and more people these days are lacking common sense...:wall: :wall:


-Matty

 

[Joe1968]

I dont, I enjoy watching Ts hunt its prey.

 

[Socrates]

I would NEVER attempt to feed any of my Ts with my hands/fingers. Actually I think it's a dumb and irresponsible idea, but that's just me.

Once I tried removing a cricket from one of my avics enclosures and as I was pulling it out with the forceps and passed the avic, she literally pounced on it and ripped it right out. I'm surprised I didn't drop dead on the spot - but it's not something I care to experience again.

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Wendy
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[ilovebugs]

I say your asking to be bitten.

I have no problem enjoying the chase after tosing the prey in.

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

Socrates: I would NEVER attempt to feed any of my Ts with my hands/fingers. Actually I think it's a dumb and irresponsible idea, but that's just me.
==========

I do not think it's dumb to save a life of a creature...

 

[Morbus ascendit]

Socrates: I would NEVER attempt to feed any of my Ts with my hands/fingers. Actually I think it's a dumb and irresponsible idea, but that's just me.
==========

I do not think it's dumb to save a life of a creature...

I don't get your point IMHO Wendy is absolutely right here though it can be a good choice using feeding tweezers e.g. if one owns a lot of Ts and doesn't have the time to look after each one of them whether the prey has been caught or not the next day.

Regards,
Uwe

 

[Socrates]

I do not think it's dumb to save a life of a creature...

Ditto what Uwe said. If I was desperately trying to save my Ts life (doesn't matter which one), I would resort to trying to use forceps/tweezers to offer food, or any other means I could think of. But I would still never hold a prey item in between my fingers and offer it to the spider.

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Wendy
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[wicked]

I use it two times for my over 15 years keeping t's for two specimens ready to die...

I think there is some confusion here. If I am not mistaken M.F. Bagaturov is talking about trying to feed two dying Ts that could not feed on their own.

Karmeleon is talking about feeding a perfectly healthy T for the thrill of it.
Or that is my understanding at least. Please correct me if I missed something.
<edit> oops, Socrates beat me to it

 

[fleshstain]

Ditto what Uwe said. If I was desperately trying to save my Ts life (doesn't matter which one), I would resort to trying to use forceps/tweezers to offer food, or any other means I could think of. But I would still never hold a prey item in between my fingers and offer it to the spider.

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Wendy
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i agree with socrates on this one....even if it is a dying T i still would use my forceps or tweezers to try and feed it....even though it's possible dying it can still miss the prey and get you instead....i personally think handfeeding any tarantula is not a very wise decision on the caretaker's behalf....plus, what if they acclimate eating with seeing your hand?....everytime you stick your hand in there to pick it up it's gonna think it's getting fed and try to attack your fingers....

 

[wicked]

Hmm the link looks odd hope it works.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=45311&highlight=handfeeding

This is one of those dicey subjects that gets brought up every now and then, and sometimes get a bit umm.. out of hand. There are quite a few links
Remember we should try to cut the mods some slack and play nice. ;P Don't want another thread with the evil padlock of doom on it.

 

[moricollins]

i don't handfeed, but i HAVE tweezer fed some tarantulas with mealwrms on occasion. Doesn't work very well for some species, but others just go right after it.

 

[Hedorah99]

IMHO I think the people who are asking the cuddling and hand feeding questions need to buy different pets. I really hate to see what they would do with fish.

But I do tweezer feed some of my arboreals. They are in large terrariums and this way I know they are getting the crickets.

 

[Becky Wheeler]

well i've had my Avic swipe a cricket from me, not cos i was hand feeding it but because my fingers holding the cricket got too close and my Avic is impatient and hungry. So i either throw the crix in or i use tweezers. I like my hands and really don't want to be bitten. So use Tweezers!!! lol