N. chromatus feeding question

[vwcorrado16v]

Hi again, sorry for another post!

I have a N. chromatus, only got her yesterday. Confirmed female and she's around 8cm DLS.

I've heard it's ok to feed T's even if they've just arrived, so I thought I'd try feed her along with my other T's and I put the locusts on my rubber tongs and gently present it it her and she's straight into threat mode, but not kicking hairs.

I know they are a grumpy species and she might still be stressed, so I will leave her alone for a few days to settle, but once I try again and if she's still biting the tongs what's the best process to feed her? Just drop a locust in and leave her to it? I want to cause minimal stress as possible.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks again guys.

 

[dangerforceidle]

It will depend entirely on the T, really. I would give her a few days to find her way around, web a little, dig a little. Do all the normal spider things that she may want to do, then try again. When you attempt to feed, you could position the locust in the tongs in such a way that the tongs themselves don't get too close. Maybe pinch the wings or end of the abdomen with the tongs nearly 'in line' with the locust. This should allow you to offer the prey in a way that is less threatening.

I received two Harpactira pulchripes slings recently, from the same sac. They are completely different spiders when it comes to behaviour. One is voracious. It ate less than two minutes after a rehouse. The other is much more shy, and let a cricket bully it around. I removed the cricket, crushed its head slightly, and put it back in, and found the sling eating it a few hours later.

The point being, some spiders are not too bothered by the packing and unpacking process, nor by a new and unfamiliar home. Some take longer to settle, even within the same species and same sac.

 

[vwcorrado16v]

It will depend entirely on the T, really. I would give her a few days to find her way around, web a little, dig a little. Do all the normal spider things that she may want to do, then try again. When you attempt to feed, you could position the locust in the tongs in such a way that the tongs themselves don't get too close. Maybe pinch the wings or end of the abdomen with the tongs nearly 'in line' with the locust. This should allow you to offer the prey in a way that is less threatening.

I received two Harpactira pulchripes slings recently, from the same sac. They are completely different spiders when it comes to behaviour. One is voracious. It ate less than two minutes after a rehouse. The other is much more shy, and let a cricket bully it around. I removed the cricket, crushed its head slightly, and put it back in, and found the sling eating it a few hours later.

The point being, some spiders are not too bothered by the packing and unpacking process, nor by a new and unfamiliar home. Some take longer to settle, even within the same species and same sac.

Great, thank you so much for such a detailed response. It's very interesting to hear about your H. pulchripes and I will try that feeding method once she's settled. Thank you for sharing your experiences, it's put my mind at ease!

 

[Jones0911]

Hi again, sorry for another post!

I have a N. chromatus, only got her yesterday. Confirmed female and she's around 8cm DLS.

I've heard it's ok to feed T's even if they've just arrived, so I thought I'd try feed her along with my other T's and I put the locusts on my rubber tongs and gently present it it her and she's straight into threat mode, but not kicking hairs.

I know they are a grumpy species and she might still be stressed, so I will leave her alone for a few days to settle, but once I try again and if she's still biting the tongs what's the best process to feed her? Just drop a locust in and leave her to it? I want to cause minimal stress as possible.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks again guys.

I love this species I have about 3 unsexed juveniles and one confirmed juvenile female.

when I feed mine I drop the food on the opposite end of the enclosure so they'll find it on their own.

Its better if you crush the end so the body will keep moving for a while but the prey item cant hide/move too fast..

Also crushing the head prevents bites to molting Ts from hiding prey items

 

[Jones0911]

Hi again, sorry for another post!

I have a N. chromatus, only got her yesterday. Confirmed female and she's around 8cm DLS.

I've heard it's ok to feed T's even if they've just arrived, so I thought I'd try feed her along with my other T's and I put the locusts on my rubber tongs and gently present it it her and she's straight into threat mode, but not kicking hairs.

I know they are a grumpy species and she might still be stressed, so I will leave her alone for a few days to settle, but once I try again and if she's still biting the tongs what's the best process to feed her? Just drop a locust in and leave her to it? I want to cause minimal stress as possible.

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks again guys.

I love this species I have about 3 unsexed juveniles and one confirmed juvenile female.

when I feed mine I drop the food on the opposite end of the enclosure so they'll find it on their own.

Its better if you crush the end so the body will keep moving for a while but the prey item cant hide/move too fast and the T will find the food when it's ready to eat.

Also crushing the head prevents bites to molting Ts from hiding prey items and prevents them from biting any Ts molting

 

[vwcorrado16v]

I love this species I have about 3 unsexed juveniles and one confirmed juvenile female.

when I feed mine I drop the food on the opposite end of the enclosure so they'll find it on their own.

Its better if you crush the end so the body will keep moving for a while but the prey item cant hide/move too fast and the T will find the food when it's reedy to eat.

Also crushing the head prevents bites to molting Ts from hiding prey items

(Double posted by accident disregard)

Thanks mate, I will give that a go as well

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I always wait at least 24hrs after housing/rehousing before feeding but that's just my personal preference.

 

[sasker]

It is not necessary to stick prey items into the face of your tarantula. Just dropping them onto the substrate is enough. If you have very voracious specimen that 'bite first and ask questions later', they could break their fangs on your tongs.

Also, locusts are quite large prey items. Your tarantula is 8 cm, so the locust is presumably as large as the body of the spider? Anyway, it could help to offer smaller prey.

 

[vwcorrado16v]

It is not necessary to stick prey items into the face of your tarantula. Just dropping them onto the substrate is enough. If you have very voracious specimen that 'bite first and ask questions later', they could break their fangs on your tongs.

Also, locusts are quite large prey items. Your tarantula is 8 cm, so the locust is presumably as large as the body of the spider? Anyway, it could help to offer smaller prey.

Noted thank you, and no it was half it's size it's no way near an adult locust. Only reason I use locust is that my reptiles and other T's have them.

 

[Nightstalker47]

I don't like tong feeding any of my spiders, too risky to be honest. Sometimes the spider will continue to pursue the tongs even after its taken the prey. I've also seen videos of some Ts running straight up the tongs towards the keeper. There's just a lot of unnecessary risk involved. Plus you don't want them damaging their fangs on the steel, which is always possible when tong feeding.

Next time try just dropping the locust in front of your spider. Not all specimens will take food straight after shipping, it's a stressful process and they need time to settle down. Wait a week or so and give it another shot.

 

[vwcorrado16v]

I don't like tong feeding any of my spiders, too risky to be honest. Sometimes the spider will continue to pursue the tongs even after its taken the prey. I've also seen videos of some Ts running straight up the tongs towards the keeper. There's just a lot of unnecessary risk involved. Plus you don't want them damaging their fangs on the steel, which is always possible when tong feeding.

Next time try just dropping the locust in front of your spider. Not all specimens will take food straight after shipping, it's a stressful process and they need time to settle down. Wait a week or so and give it another shot.

Ok mate will do. How long should I leave it (locust) in there when I try again? Overnight?

 

[Ungoliant]

Ok mate will do. How long should I leave it (locust) in there when I try again? Overnight?

I remove any uneaten prey no later than the next morning.