The Perfect Food For T's

[Travis K]

Sorry to bring this one back...

Why it is cool to see people using the search function. Especially when it is a thread that I started!

 

[Yojimbo1717]

Searching makes for less trouble!

I had a great experience with superworms and just the opposite with mealworms. Gah I hate those things.

Would you suggest mealworms instead of crickets for the two tarantulas when they're young? I want to move to superworms but good God I hate crickets. They smash up easily, drown easily, eat each other incessantly, are loud...it's a world of trouble.

 

[Travis K]

Searching makes for less trouble!

I had a great experience with superworms and just the opposite with mealworms. Gah I hate those things.

Would you suggest mealworms instead of crickets for the two tarantulas when they're young? I want to move to superworms but good God I hate crickets. They smash up easily, drown easily, eat each other incessantly, are loud...it's a world of trouble.

I would suggest mealworms over crickets and and roaches over mealworms. As to your question, I have no experiencce feeding meal worms to slings just baby roaches.

 

[billopelma]

Small superworms or cut up segments of same work for slings as well as any other feeders I keep.
The issue I've run into is that the colony seems to coordinate itself into cycles and you eventually end up with mostly similar sized worms in any one colony. The only way I've gotten around this is to have a few colonies going simultaneously, started at staggered intervals. I have also noticed this to a lesser degree with mealworms.

I currently keep four different species of roaches in addition to the super and meal worms and still end up buying crickets because everything I feed won't eat the other stuff all the time. If you don't try offering crickets (or any given alternate food) then you really have no way of knowing whether the critter your feeding isn't hungry at that time or simply doesn't want what your offering.
I see countless examples of this all the time and there appears to be no discernible pattern as to what will eat what, when. This includes not only my reptiles, T's, fish and the feeders themselves but even my parrots and chickens. Nothing replaces variety....

Bill

 

[AubZ]

I use mealworms for smaller T's and supers for the larger. The bulk diet is crickets though, unless mated, then I try feed more supers more often.

 

[Travis K]

Small superworms or cut up segments of same work for slings as well as any other feeders I keep.
The issue I've run into is that the colony seems to coordinate itself into cycles and you eventually end up with mostly similar sized worms in any one colony. The only way I've gotten around this is to have a few colonies going simultaneously, started at staggered intervals. I have also noticed this to a lesser degree with mealworms.

I currently keep four different species of roaches in addition to the super and meal worms and still end up buying crickets because everything I feed won't eat the other stuff all the time. If you don't try offering crickets (or any given alternate food) then you really have no way of knowing whether the critter your feeding isn't hungry at that time or simply doesn't want what your offering.
I see countless examples of this all the time and there appears to be no discernible pattern as to what will eat what, when. This includes not only my reptiles, T's, fish and the feeders themselves but even my parrots and chickens. Nothing replaces variety....

Bill

what do you do to get a super worm colony going? Mine always died but I kept them with the meal worms.

 

[Yojimbo1717]

Great suggestions everyone. I'll try a diet of mostly mealworms to start out, with roaches at second and crickets last. Later on I'll add superworms as the primary. Variety is a good thing. Thanks everyone.

 

[dtknow]

Do you guys think that the acceptance of crickets may have to do with most of our animals being previously fed these.

I've noticed cases where apparently hungry T's turned down a roach and then later accepted a different food item.

 

[digiwalker]

Quiet Crickets!

As noted by others, I too became annoyed with the sound of adult crickets chirping. In fact I would literally hunt down the native ones in my house at night just to shut them up.

I did alot of work outside, and I kept noticing when I moved large items there were often dozens of camel crickets (aka cave crickets or spider crickets or even "sprickets")

The one thing I noticed is that they don't chirp! So I gethered about 8 females and 2 males. I put them in a 10 gallon aquarium with about 2" of play sand, a feeder dish and about 15 toilet paper tubes. They were fed potato slices and/or orange slices and rolled oats and other grains. It took about 4 weeks until I noticed little pinheads runing around!

The cool thing about these crickets is that they will throw their hind legs really easy, making them great prey items for slower, or even injured/ill herps and spiders. Their bodies are fairly soft without a lot of shell. AND the best part of all, they don't chirp!

So if you live on the east coast, you will probably find these running around in your basement or under large rocks, or even in your outside water cutoff box!

 

[pato_chacoana]

I agree with you Bill. VARIETY in diet I think is the most important thing when feeding. I don't think it's healthy for tarantulas to eat ONLY on same roach species for their entire life. And if a tarantula doesn't eat a cricket she is got to be in premolt or not hungry at all! In my experience, the most irrestible preys for tarantulas are big black crickets for bigger tarantulas or the common Acheta domestica for smaller tarantulas.
I don't like any worms for my tarantulas though.

Pato.

 

[dtknow]

As noted by others, I too became annoyed with the sound of adult crickets chirping. In fact I would literally hunt down the native ones in my house at night just to shut them up.

I did alot of work outside, and I kept noticing when I moved large items there were often dozens of camel crickets (aka cave crickets or spider crickets or even "sprickets")

The one thing I noticed is that they don't chirp! So I gethered about 8 females and 2 males. I put them in a 10 gallon aquarium with about 2" of play sand, a feeder dish and about 15 toilet paper tubes. They were fed potato slices and/or orange slices and rolled oats and other grains. It took about 4 weeks until I noticed little pinheads runing around!

The cool thing about these crickets is that they will throw their hind legs really easy, making them great prey items for slower, or even injured/ill herps and spiders. Their bodies are fairly soft without a lot of shell. AND the best part of all, they don't chirp!

So if you live on the east coast, you will probably find these running around in your basement or under large rocks, or even in your outside water cutoff box!

I've found they are highly cannibalistic...surprised you got babies from them with the adults still there.

But I agree, they would be an excellent T food. I'm surprised no one has tried. I need to catch some myself.

 

[digiwalker]

I've found they are highly cannibalistic...surprised you got babies from them with the adults still there.

But I agree, they would be an excellent T food. I'm surprised no one has tried. I need to catch some myself.

I think the fact that I provided lots of hiding spots prevented cannibilism. And I kept the sand damp, but not wet. Another thing, they like cool and damp, so no additional heat is necessary.

 

[billopelma]

what do you do to get a super worm colony going? Mine always died but I kept them with the meal worms.

The key is that the worms must be separated before they will pupate.
This has the added benefit that the worms live for a very long time without pupating if kept together, never tried to keep track but I would guess some of mine have lasted well over a year.

This is how I do it but you can also use film pots, drams or whatever

When one matures into a beetle I toss in a new worm so there are always some at different stages of development. This pic was taken when I first started them so most are at about the same point. I'm on my fourth full generation, haven't had to buy meal or super worms in a couple years.
Some people don't like giving them to T's but I feel that this is largely due to the bad rap they have associated with reptiles, which may or may not have any relevance to T's.

There is an old but still relevant writeup in the articles section, here;

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=15216


Bill

 

[MelGibson]

although I avoid giving them animal protein such as meat, cheese, and so on. Don't know why but it feels wierd giving them such.

If you dont feed them protien theyll start eating each others wings and then theyll start eating the nymphs, they crave protien and its manditory for thier diet, i just feed them dog food they love it and it wont rot

 

[pinkfoot]

That is some great info. I have been wanting to get a colony of B dubia for quite some time to add variety to my T's diet. However, I just cannot find them here by me.

My China!

Just chat to your pal in Jo'Burg....

Be glad to supply you.

 

[Travis K]

BILOPELMA

Thanks for the info on the superworms I have not seen that thread so it was a great read. I might have to try and start a superworm colony for fun some time this summer?

 

[Marijan2]

Sorry for bumping this thread but this is good read

I feed all my T's with dubia and they are as far the best feeder i used, my all T's eat them regularily and had no problems whatsover

For the people that keep same roaches for several years: did you noticed any defect in them due to inbreeding? I am not sure if i should occasionally trade half of them with another people who keep roaches to minimalise it.

 

[TpleaseForMe]

great setup dude love it. looks almost same as mine just keep up the feeding or the females will kill the males

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I feed dubia's but the arboreal sometimes will not eat them.