Settling in as a novice, still have questions on feeding

[Trenor]

Slings aren't as fragile as everyone wants to act like they are. In the wild? Sure, absolutely. Anything can pick up a tiny 1" sling and enjoy a snack. In captivity? Not so much - there are no threats other than improper husbandry (keeper's fault) and unavoidable/mysterious illnesses (which kill at any age - DKS is one).

It's moreso "personal preference" but I don't see the point in power-feeding. Just seems pointless unless you want an adult so you can breed.
If not, why not enjoy the animal for as long as it's natural lifespan would be?

EDIT: I forgot to mention that overweight slings increases the likelihood of a failed or impaired molt. Just another reason not to power-feed.

Power feeding only works if you increase the temperature. If you do both - feed a lot AND increase the temps - I would agree that there is a chance that this may reduce overall life span, although I don't think there's proof for that.

I've had just shy of 100 slings which I keep plump (ok fat) with temps in the 77-83 range in the pet room year around. Mine do mature faster than a lot of other people with slings from the same sack but have shown no life span issues or molting problems. I've had 2 bad molts out of the lot if I remember right without checking my notes.

I've seen nothing other than speculation to indicate that (what is called power feeding) is a thing for tarantulas. These guys eat all they can in the wild and are often from climates much hotter than my pet room. So it's likely I'm growing them much slower then some of these species would grow in the wild. IMO the power feeding idea is a carryover from the reptile hobby where it is a thing.

It's like people saying that a T only has so many molts. I've seen nothing to show this is true. I would even guess it's not unless gender as well as species affects the number of molts. I say this because in the same species (with slings from the same sack) my females usually keep pace with the group molting cycles. So if they all molt roughly the same time then they have used the same amount of molts when the male matures. The female goes on to molt a lot more long after dude is gone so she would have to have a substantially greater amount of molts.

Another one is calcium causes molt issues. I have only ever fed dubias which are higher in calcium than a lot of other feeders and I've not shown any molt issues.

There are a lot of buzz things we hear. Then people pick them up and repeat them without knowing if they are true.

If, in the span of my keeping, I note a raise in molting issues then I'll then evaluate why that might be so. Lacking a study (which no one has and everyone claims experience has show their view right) on this and other things that is all I can do.

 

[Andrea82]

and unavoidable/mysterious illnesses (which kill at any age - DKS is one).

That is another myth. DKS is neither an illness nor unavoidable or mysterious. There is no such thing as DKS. The symptoms described as DKS are consequences of poisoning of some sort.

 

[nicodimus22]

Show me there's evidence against it, and I'll believe you. Until then, I'll go with experience.

If experience is what you value, why wouldn't you value the combined experience of all the breeders and keepers with many years in the hobby on this forum who have raised literally thousands of slings, compared notes, and discussed what works best with each other?

 

[cold blood]

EDIT: I forgot to mention that overweight slings increases the likelihood of a failed or impaired molt. Just another reason not to power-feed.

Yeah, if you believe this and are asking for "proof", you simply don't have enough experience with tarantulas (yet)......this is flat out false....slings can't be over weight, getting fat is part of their growth strategy...they're supposed to be fat when they are molting.

Good to see you back on the boards after a little hiatus grimm, I hope you and the ts are doing well!

That is another myth. DKS is neither an illness nor unavoidable or mysterious. There is no such thing as DKS. The symptoms described as DKS are consequences of poisoning of some sort.

Exactly...DKS is like a runny nose...its not a description or explanation of a problem, its merely a symptom of a problem...most often poisoning, but other factors such as dehydration for example can mimic this symptom.

Isn't the myth buster thread somewhere else?

Op, you seem to be doing fine, just over thinking things a bit. You can offer smaller prey items more often, or larger prey items less often, neither is right or wrong...feeding schedules vary greatly from successful person to successful person.

 

[grimmjowls]

This is one of my least favorite things about this forum. People are so rude, lol.

CB, the tarantulas are all fine. The vagans is about ready to pop, such heavy premolt, I check him every time I come home.

 

[grimmjowls]

... of some sort.

My point of referencing DKS. If you read the rest of my comments, I knew this, but saying it's not mysterious is laughable at best.

 

[GreyPsyche]

As you can see, OP, it's kind of up for debate. I just feed mine whenever it's convenient for me unless they're in PreMolt or postmolt then I generally wait till they molt or till they're exo gardens back up. For me, I try to feed my Ts a variety of diet but crickets is a main staple as they're readily available. I've fed two crickets to two of my 1.5-2" slings one day and the next I fed them another. I waited five days and fed once more one cricket each. Sometimes I wait a whole week or on rare occasion even longer to feed, it's just up to you and the T really. As for slings, I like to feed them often. Once they're of an age I just start feeding them whenever it compels me but I do try to not overfeed or underfed. Also I kinda think it depends on the species as some eat more and are more active than other species. I honestly think most beginners feed too often but like I said, when they're slings I tend to feed more often anyways.

 

[Ungoliant]

Everything I read about frequency never actually relates it to the size of prey. As my Dubai vary from 1/4-1", I'm not sure what to feed to whom.

I feed my slings (smaller than 1.5") about twice a week. I try to keep the prey about the size of the abdomen. I primarily give them mealworms, as I can always find small mealworms in my little colony.

If you don't have any tiny feeders, you can dice larger feeders like mealworms, crickets, or roaches. (Many slings will accept pre-killed food.) Otherwise, if you give a large meal, just wait longer between feedings.

Being fat doesn't seem to be a problem for slings, but for older spiders, it makes them more vulnerable to injury from falling (or dragging its fat abdomen around), and it may shorten their lifespan.

Starting at about 2", I reduce the feeding frequency. I don't feed any of my spiders on a set schedule; I just go by abdomen size at that point. Slow-growing terrestrials like my juvenile Grammostola pulchra get fed about 2-3 crickets a month, 1-2 large mealworms a month, or 1 abdomen-sized dubia roach a month. You can increase or decrease this frequency based on meal size and abdomen size.

Sometimes I give them a little extra if one of the other tarantulas ends up rejecting food due to pre-molt or if they look like they are in hunting mode.

Lastly, as my first one died from dks, not too long after I got crickets from a local pet store, I'm hesitant to feed anything else. Is there any risk to feeding only one food source?

Not that I know of. I've never had tarantula health problems problems with crickets. The reasons I try to avoid crickets are that they smell bad, die off at higher rates, and escape more often when I am trying to add new ones to the cricket container or extract them for feeding. (Sometimes they jump higher or farther than I expect.)

 

[Venom1080]

This is one of my least favorite things about this forum. People are so rude, lol.

CB, the tarantulas are all fine. The vagans is about ready to pop, such heavy premolt, I check him every time I come home.

Just trying to help any ignorant keepers who may stumble on this thread.

 

[grimmjowls]

Just trying to help any ignorant keepers who may stumble on this thread.

Rudeness is not helpfulness, lol.
My hiatus was not missed.

 

[sasker]

People are so rude

Any discussion on topics that people feel strongly about results in strong statements, but this is not a bad thing per se. However, such statements may come across as very fierce and aggressive because it is more difficult to add nuances to one's written words. Although posts may seem rude, I doubt that they were always meant to be rude. Still, it is good to avoid stating an opinion as an 'ultimate truth' as this will surely lead to heated debates that serve no-one's purpose.

 

[Venom1080]

My hiatus was not missed.

Less so now.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Less so now.

Savage

 

[Trenor]

Well this thread went from helpful to sad silly posturing with a quickness. I'm expecting a "No you're stupid" response at any moment.