Have you ever tried this?

[Spiderguy47]

So recently I tried a new method for feeding slings. I teased them with a cricket leg and they actually took it straight from the tongs. While this didn't work for all my slings I found that some of my more "aggressive" species would do this. OBT's were quick to take it but even my 1/8 inch Hapolopus Sp. "Columbia" attacked the leg. While it can be time consuming, I enjoy doing it because I know immediately that my T is eating rather than finding out the next day by just dropping in a leg and checking if they ate it. I was wondering if any of you have tried this before. What do you experienced keepers think of this feeding method?

 

[Venom1080]

I just drop a prekilled in and it's gone the next day. No reason to complicate it.

If you really like tong feeding, you do you I guess

 

[Anoplogaster]

I tong feed roaches to all my arboreals. Works great. I’ve heard of a report of a cracked fang from tong feeding. But I have to do it with some of my spiders to keep the roaches from burrowing. Haven’t had issues yet.

 

[chanda]

Tong feeding is not without its risks. It is possible (particularly with metal tongs) for a spider to damage its fangs by striking the tongs instead of the intended prey. Even with rubber-tipped tongs, the risk is not altogether eliminated. Also - particularly with some of the speedy arboreal spiders - there's the chance that, instead of taking the prey, they might run up the tongs, onto your hand or arm, and escape or fall.

If you're worried about roaches burrowing, just crush their heads. They'll still kick and wriggle around enough to attract the spider's attention, but won't be capable of purposeful movement (like digging or running away).

 

[floraborabora]

Tong feeding is not without its risks. It is possible (particularly with metal tongs) for a spider to damage its fangs by striking the tongs instead of the intended prey. Even with rubber-tipped tongs, the risk is not altogether eliminated. Also - particularly with some of the speedy arboreal spiders - there's the chance that, instead of taking the prey, they might run up the tongs, onto your hand or arm, and escape or fall.

If you're worried about roaches burrowing, just crush their heads. They'll still kick and wriggle around enough to attract the spider's attention, but won't be capable of purposeful movement (like digging or running away).

I'm a newb so forgive me... I crushed the head of a pinhead dubia for my C. versicolor and it definitely doesn't move. Do I need to be uh, more gentle with braining the roach?

 

[Spiderguy47]

If you're worried about roaches burrowing, just crush their heads. They'll still kick and wriggle around enough to attract the spider's attention, but won't be capable of purposeful movement (like digging or running away).

My slings are too tiny for roaches so I have to feed them legs.

 

[chanda]

I'm a newb so forgive me... I crushed the head of a pinhead dubia for my C. versicolor and it definitely doesn't move. Do I need to be uh, more gentle with braining the roach?

Maybe with pinhead dubias. I've ripped the entire head off a juvenile dubia before and it still walked around the enclosure long enough to get the spider's attention.

 

[ccTroi]

Pre-killed prey for picky slings.
I like to use ff flies or xs lateralis for entertainment.

 

[PidderPeets]

I don't do it on purpose, but my 3" LP doesn't even give me the chance to drop superworms from my tongs before she grabs them. I try to get them close to her before dropping them so they don't burrow, but she goes after them before I even can drop them. Luckily, she seems to tackle and grab the tongs rather than bite them

 

[floraborabora]

Maybe with pinhead dubias. I've ripped the entire head off a juvenile dubia before and it still walked around the enclosure long enough to get the spider's attention.

I gave her a live one this morning and she was happier with that, so I guess I'll forego prekilling her prey for now.

 

[chanda]

I gave her a live one this morning and she was happier with that, so I guess I'll forego prekilling her prey for now.

With the exception of crushing roach heads, I almost never use pre-killed prey. If I have something that's too small for baby crickets (which isn't often) I'll give it fruit flies until it gets bigger. I realize that fruit flies aren't the most nutritious prey, but they still work - and most of my critters seem to prefer live prey.

 

[chanda]

I don't do it on purpose, but my 3" LP doesn't even give me the chance to drop superworms from my tongs before she grabs them. I try to get them close to her before dropping them so they don't burrow, but she goes after them before I even can drop them. Luckily, she seems to tackle and grab the tongs rather than bite them

My alligator lizard is like that! I don't even bother with tongs when I'm feeding him crickets because I can just dump them in and let him round them up later, but I do tong-feed roaches (I try to drop them in front of him) and every once in a while he leaps at the roach before I drop it. Sometimes he gets it - and sometimes he gets the tongs instead. I use rubber-tipped tongs so he won't hurt himself, but it still sometimes takes a while to convince him to let go of them. I certainly would not want to try hand-feeding him!

 

[PidderPeets]

My alligator lizard is like that! I don't even bother with tongs when I'm feeding him crickets because I can just dump them in and let him round them up later, but I do tong-feed roaches (I try to drop them in front of him) and every once in a while he leaps at the roach before I drop it. Sometimes he gets it - and sometimes he gets the tongs instead. I use rubber-tipped tongs so he won't hurt himself, but it still sometimes takes a while to convince him to let go of them. I certainly would not want to try hand-feeding him!

Perhaps I should consider getting rubber tipped tongs instead of my regular ones for her. She's actually pretty timid with prey that actually walks around as a means of transportation (I just posted a picture in another thread of her hiding in her water bowl from a cricket), but something about superworms squirming in the air drives her nuts. She'll grab the tongs without fail, pause when she realizes the tongs aren't moving but something else is, then corrects herself and grabs the worm.

 

[chanda]

Perhaps I should consider getting rubber tipped tongs instead of my regular ones for her. She's actually pretty timid with prey that actually walks around as a means of transportation (I just posted a picture in another thread of her hiding in her water bowl from a cricket), but something about superworms squirming in the air drives her nuts. She'll grab the tongs without fail, pause when she realizes the tongs aren't moving but something else is, then corrects herself and grabs the worm.

Yeah, if she's grabbing the tongs, you should definitely switch to rubber tipped to decrease the risk of her damaging her fangs - but even those are not foolproof.

 

[viper69]

So recently I tried a new method for feeding slings. I teased them with a cricket leg and they actually took it straight from the tongs. While this didn't work for all my slings I found that some of my more "aggressive" species would do this. OBT's were quick to take it but even my 1/8 inch Hapolopus Sp. "Columbia" attacked the leg. While it can be time consuming, I enjoy doing it because I know immediately that my T is eating rather than finding out the next day by just dropping in a leg and checking if they ate it. I was wondering if any of you have tried this before. What do you experienced keepers think of this feeding method?

Without knowing more, it's a recipe for an escape or some unfortunate accident due to unneeded interaction between human and T.

These animals are born predators.

All my slings eat pre-killed, even the 1/8th size had no issues. ESP the H sp. Columbia. I've raised many of these, and there's no reason Im aware of to feed such a good eater.

 

[viper69]

Do I need to be uh, more gentle with braining the roach?

No

 

[viper69]

I like to use ff flies

Fruit flies are widely believed to be nutrient deficient for Ts.

 

[viper69]

Perhaps I should consider getting rubber tipped tongs instead of my regular ones for her

Feeding with tongs can lead to fang injury, if both are gone, your T could die of starvation.