How much should I feed my gbb sling?

tyler1998

Arachnopeon
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Feb 15, 2018
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12
i have a 1 inch GBB sling and was wondering how frequently I should be feeding it. Is it better to feed large crickets every once in a while or should I feed small crickets more frequently? It can and has eaten crickets as large as itself, but recently I got 1/4” crickets and they seem tiny. It’s abdomen noticeably changes size so it hasn’t been too hard to tell when it has or hasn’t had enough to eat. What does a healthy sized abdomen look like? Any tips on feeding would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 

cold blood

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Is it better to feed large crickets every once in a while or should I feed small crickets more frequently?
Same basic thng...you can feed smaller items more frequently or larger items less frequently. There are no set correct or incorrect feeding schedules...you can feed heavily, or sparsely and either way you could raise a healthy t.
What does a healthy sized abdomen look like?
There is no "healthy" size abdomen. This is a myth created by care sheets, pet stores and other people that just have no clue about the actual life cycle of a t.

Every t molts, and is at its slimmest.

As they eat, their rump gains size....

And keeps getting fatter as it gets closer to molting...

Eventually the t will max out in size, and prepare to molt...(different species, but you get the picture)

when it molts, this cycle begins all over again.

What an unhealthy rump would look like, would be shriveled or mis-shapen...but it can be these things and be plump or skinny or anywhere in between.
 
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Devin B

Arachnobaron
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Sep 30, 2016
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326
i have a 1 inch GBB sling and was wondering how frequently I should be feeding it. Is it better to feed large crickets every once in a while or should I feed small crickets more frequently? It can and has eaten crickets as large as itself, but recently I got 1/4” crickets and they seem tiny. It’s abdomen noticeably changes size so it hasn’t been too hard to tell when it has or hasn’t had enough to eat. What does a healthy sized abdomen look like? Any tips on feeding would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I would suggest switching to meal worms or super worms as they are easier to handle than crickets. Also they are easy to keep alive and they don't smell.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
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Mar 7, 2012
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There is no "healthy" size abdomen. This is a myth created by care sheets, pet stores and other people that just have no clue about the actual life cycle of a t.
Overall I agree, but I try not to let my juveniles and adults get super fat, as this makes them more likely to injure themselves in falls. They can also experience drag/scrape injuries on the underside of the abdomen as a result of dragging their fat abdomens on the substrate (instead of lifting them a bit like normal).

It is also very hard to break the obesity cycle for a fat juvenile or adult, as their metabolisms are so slow. When a fat tarantula molts, it won't be much slimmer, but it will still be as hungry as a normal post-molt tarantula.
 

The Grym Reaper

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Jul 19, 2016
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Is it better to feed large crickets every once in a while or should I feed small crickets more frequently?
Either works fine, I go with smaller items twice a week for slings.

What does a healthy sized abdomen look like?
Slings - Can get as fat as they want because they weigh nothing and put everything into growing larger.

Juveniles/adults - I try not to let the abdomen exceed 2x the size of the carapace, I don't leave enough height in my enclosures for falls to be an issue but they can sustain drag injuries and damage their book lungs if they get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off the floor.
 

grayzone

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Jan 17, 2011
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Depends on how fast you want it to grow.
I feed all my slings a minimum of 1x a week and i always feed larger prey items.

I want them to know how to hunt. I dont do teeny pinheads or prekilled
 

Garth Vader

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Jun 25, 2016
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I have GBB slings around that size. I feed them and sometimes they eat and sometimes they don't. I offer small crickets, sometimes medium crickets, or cut up mealworm. When they have very plump abdomens I am less inclined to offer prey regularly.

This is very vague advice and is very similar to how I feed my human toddler. I offer food. Sometimes it is eaten. Sometimes it is not. Okay then. Growth seems to occur so I am doing something right. :happy:
 
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