Trouble finding prey?

[nocturnalpulsem]

For those of you with naturalistic or intricate terrarium designs, do you find that your critters have problems finding prey? I have some ideas for a design, but I want to make sure it's not going to be counter productive. Also, my T and scorps will not feed from tongs, so I'd appreciate input from others who also have picky eaters :biggrin:

 

[SamuraiSid]

Herding? Drop the cricket and use your tongs to herd it in the desired direction.

 

[rockhopper]

They will find food if hungry. IMO the way most people feed them by shoving food in their faces over and over until they eat is both unatural and unessecary. Mine get a prey item dropped into their enclosure. Whether they find it and eat it is up to them.

 

[Nikki1984]

I have not noticed any of mine having trouble finding prey. If it is a roach I will drop it near the T. Crickets get tossed in one at a time and if not snatched immediately I check back in the morning. With some of my less voracious small slings I'll pre-kill or give them a cricket drum stick. Regardless all of my T's have rather large naturalistic set ups and they all seem to thrive. I make sure to provide a nice small dark den area for them and they have their area that they come out to 'sit' and wait when they are hungry.

 

[Lenxx]

I have one rather large set-up with lots of plants, moss and roots/stone, more like actuall forestry (for my Avic. Amazonica (Manaus), and one smaller natural with moss and roots/bark, but with less plants(Avic. Guyana). My third contains only one big root and one small plant (Brachypelma albiceps, so she likes it dry)

The first enclosure, i have used to tong-feed the tarantulla, or drop the prey into its tube-web. She has yet to reject any food fed with tongs, and i dont want to risk the prey to hide and die/make puppae (if mealworms/superwoms and so on) or munch on my plants (some orchids and other plants id rather keep...) or my cleaning-critters.
My second, naturalistic setup, i tend to either drop the prey into her web, herd it in her direction or pre-kill and leave it for her to find. She is only a juvie, and i do not wanna risk a hungry cricket to munch on her if she goes into premolt without me noticing. Thats why i never let live prey stay in with her without my supervision. Theres also smoe small cleaners living in with her as well, and i suppose the cricket would happily minch on them if it could.
My last one, the Brachy, i drop prey straight into her enclosure, and leave it there as long as shes not in premolt. She will find it, and hunt it down, and theres not too many places for the prey to hide either. There used to be a few cleaningcritters in with her as well, but due to the low humidity, there only a few hiding deep in her burrow. And if the cricket enters the burrow... its history anyway.