# Leave Crickets in with your T?



## sAdam

i've heard that you should remove uneaten food after 24 hours.

just wondering the logic behind this.  the crickets can't harm the tarantula can they?  won't the spider just eat them when it's ready?

or do the crickets just gross up your enclosure?

sorry for the noob questions but i am what i am :wall:


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## 7mary3

Actually, the crix can kill your T if it's in a molt. They're quite nasty lil buggers when they feel they can get away with it.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 3


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## AudreyElizabeth

Yep, crickets will eat just about anything, including your freshly molted tarantula.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Sad 1


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## sAdam

so, if checked eveyday to be sure the T. isn't doing the molting thing, its ok? or still no?

i just have the one spidder and she'd be pretty obvious if she decided to chill out on her back for a bit


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## AudreyElizabeth

I wouldn't. I used that for an example because that is the time when a tarantula is the most vulnerable. it just isn't a good idea. Only feed as much as your tarantula will eat. 
How large and what species is it?


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## kripp_keeper

I'm fairly new to T's, but I've been "bitten" by my crickets when I grab them. It doesn't hurt me, but I wouldn't trust them comes to anything other then my gecko.



I have also seen them kill and eat other crickets at times.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## FireGuyX

Never feed large crickets to your tarantula, only feed it large tickets until their close to 2" inches, if you have nothing but large crickets kill the cricket first than feed it to your T.  You put a cricket in your tarantula cage, leave it their for 24 hours, if it's still alive that means your tarantula is in either pre-molt or not hungry.  If your tarantula has very bluish abdomen, you definitely do not feed it anything.  After your tarantula molts you usually wait around 5 days before you can feed it again.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mad Hatter

kripp_keeper said:


> I have also seen them kill and eat other crickets at times.


Yeah, crickets are gnarly little creatures - I hate them. I have witnessed them murder one another as well. A couple of crickets ganged up on one and chewed its head clean off. After that, I decided not to leave those hideous things in the container with the T unless the T ate it right away. 

You can leave it in there for a while and keep an eye on them and you will know fairly soon whether or not your T wants to eat or not. If it doesn't - remove the crickets.

Another option: you could _also_ smash their heads, or cut the heads off and toss them in. I do that for my small slings.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## AudreyElizabeth

^ +1 I can't stand crickets.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## sAdam

AudreyElizabeth said:


> I wouldn't. I used that for an example because that is the time when a tarantula is the most vulnerable. it just isn't a good idea. Only feed as much as your tarantula will eat.
> How large and what species is it?


about a 3" Avic.

thanks, i will take all ur guys' advice.  
the last crick she took she didn't make a bolus, she left it mangled but still recognizeable.
is that a sign of not being hungry?


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## bryanon

you really should take the cricket out if it's not eaten the next day. It means that your T is in pre-molt or not hungry. You should learn the signs of pre-molt and keep track of molts on a calendar.  

A friend of mine told me that a cricket killed his T by biting it, they are truly nasty critters. If you leave them in the cage then not only do you risk your T getting bitten, they are extremely stressful to the T as well. Imagine if you were trying to sleep and animals kept running through your bedroom, messing up your stuff...

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## gvfarns

Dude, crickets can be dangerous for a molting T, but for a T that's healthy they don't pose any particular risk.

HOWEVER, they stress the T out and annoy the heck out of it.  The T climbs up the wall or something and that makes me feel sad.  Don't do it.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Lucille

bryanon said:


> . Imagine if you were trying to sleep and animals kept running through your bedroom, messing up your stuff...


I spose you are not yet a parent

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Royal_T's

sAdam said:


> so, if checked eveyday to be sure the T. isn't doing the molting thing, its ok? or still no?
> 
> i just have the one spidder and she'd be pretty obvious if she decided to chill out on her back for a bit


It's better not to leave them in there...  they can harm your T not only physically but they can also stress your T as well.


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## bryanon

Lucille said:


> I spose you are not yet a parent


LOL....I actually am.. and that thought went thru my head too


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## Mattyb

I leave maybe 1 or 2 crickets in with my Ts. had no problems.


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## lilmoonrabbit

sAdam said:


> the last crick she took she didn't make a bolus, she left it mangled but still recognizeable.
> is that a sign of not being hungry?


Yeah, sometimes they will kill the cricket because it is stressing them out and they want the cricket to go away, not because they are hungry.

I had that happen to me last time I fed. I had a little difficulty with her new enclosure, so I fed her 2 crix one day. Both crix disappeared into a hole in a piece of wood. I figured they were goners for good and the poor spider would never get to eat. So, the next day I went out and got a couple more. She ate one, but just killed the second one and just left it there. Later, when I was cleaning out the cage, I noticed more boluses... and realized that the crix from the day before probably crawled back out of the hole that night, and she ate them. By the time I was giving her "round 2", she was probably already full, so she just killed the other one to get it out of her way.

Sorry for the long-winded story, but I figured it would be a good example of why it might happen.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Satellite Rob

I never leave crickets in with my T's for more tha a few hours.If thay don't 
eat them I remove them.I also never feed a T that in premolt because your 
only asking for trouble.I sometimes will leave male crickets in with T's over 
night.But never females.Because I don't want baby crickets jumping all over 
the place in a couple of weeks.I like using crickets as a main food source.I 
also like to vary diet with roaches,silkworms,grubs and pinkies.Once you get 
use to the noise thay make.Thay make a good food source.

Reactions: Clarification Please 1


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## Steve Calceatum

Nasty little buggers!!!!! I usually take them out if they're not eaten. I prefer feeding roaches, as they're alot cleaner, and easier to deal with.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Stan Schultz

sAdam said:


> i've heard that you should remove uneaten food after 24 hours. ... just wondering the logic behind this. ...


Ultimately, the question is almost meaningless. If you can't get the uneaten food out of the cage within 24 hours no lightening will strike you, your teeth and hair won't fall out (at least for doing this), and the tarantula will still respect you in the morning! 



sAdam said:


> ... the crickets can't harm the tarantula can they? ...


Yes, it's theoretically possible for a cricket to try to eat a tarantula as food, but tarantulas - under most circumstances - are easily capable of place-kicking the offending cricket into the next week, or outright killing and eating it instead. So there's little to worry about here.

You'll see frequent mention of crickets killing tarantulas while the tarantulas are molting. First, crickets aren't smart enough to launch an attack. All they're doing is trying to eat something, and the tarantula is edible,  handy, and won't get out of the way. This isn't a concerted attack, it's more like opportunistic grazing.

Second, tarantulas are vulnerable like that only while they're actually on their backs molting. That's normally a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours out of an entire year (for larger juveniles and adults). What are the chances of that happening? Somewhere between very slim and none at all. Besides, you'll have plenty of advance warning that the tarantula is preparing to molt so you can remove the crickets.



sAdam said:


> ... won't the spider just eat them when it's ready? ...


Probably yes, as long as the crickets are still alive. We used to have a huge _Brachypelma emilia_ (Mexican redleg tarantula) named "Duchess." As a matter of course we'd throw in a half dozen or more adult crickets with her and walk away from the cage. The crickets would survive for several days with her. She apparently was too busy meditating to pay any attention to them. Then, one night, she'd get a sudden attack of the munchies, or completely lose all patience with them. We'd come in the next day to find no crickets, but a large, gooey food bolus in the corner.

The question really is "How much time do you have to waste, fussing and fretting over a spider?" Where do you draw the line? Because we normally had ±1,000 tarantulas to tend to, we didn't have time to give each cage a thorough, once-a-day inspection. Fill the water dish, throw in the crickets, make sure the cover was secure, move on to the next cage. Time's a wastin'!

If, on the other hand, you notice that the crickets are still there after 3 or 4 days, it would be a good idea to get them out of that cage and either feed them to something else, or put them back in their cage so they can eat and drink.



sAdam said:


> ... or do the crickets just gross up your enclosure? ...


Are you an Oscar Madison or a Felix Unger type? (See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063374/.)

Not really "gross up your enclosure," although if they're left so long that they die, they will cause a bad smell and eventually attract mites or flies. And, the sight of dead cricket carcasses isn't all that entertaining.



sAdam said:


> ... sorry for the noob questions but i am what i am :wall:


Not at all! We love newbie questions! Newbie questions are always a lot easier to deal with than newbie mistakes.

While we're at it, read http://www.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/stansrant.html.

Now you need to figure out whether *YOUR TARANTULA* is an Oscar Madison or a Felix Unger type!

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Robert Jordan

*Common Sense.*

This is why I keep my spiders on an exclusive diet of Twinkies, frozen burritos, and Pop Tarts. In order to coax them into their new diet, try putting them under a black light and keep incense lit at all times. A little Black Sabbath can't hurt either. Get with the program people.


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## micheldied

crickets can BITE.


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## sean-820

if a t isnt eatign it , theres a good chance its gonna molt if it normally eats. If the t goes into premolt remove all crickets...


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## Mattyb

sean-820 said:


> if a t isnt eatign it , theres a good chance its gonna molt if it normally eats. If the t goes into premolt remove all crickets...


Not unless you are over feeding, they could just be "full", but if you are on a feeding schedule, and it hasn't eaten for a week or two then there is a good chance it could be in premolt which in that case you would indeed want to remove the crickets.


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## Justamarshmallow

Both of my slings before they were 2" were terrified of crickets and would run up the sides if I dropped them in whole. I had to rip the legs off and then they would 'hunt' them. Funny thing is, when my male red-knee got older if he wasn't hungry he would pounce on the crickets and kill them and then carry them over to the corner and stack them there.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Toxoderidae

Justamarshmallow said:


> Both of my slings before they were 2" were terrified of crickets and would run up the sides if I dropped them in whole. I had to rip the legs off and then they would 'hunt' them. Funny thing is, when my male red-knee got older if he wasn't hungry he would pounce on the crickets and kill them and then carry them over to the corner and stack them there.


deaad thread, deead thread, READ THE DATE AND DONT REPLY TO DEAD THREADS AS IF THE OP WILL RESPOND! *Intense keyboard smashing*

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Trenor

Toxoderidae said:


> deaad thread, deead thread, READ THE DATE AND DONT REPLY TO DEAD THREADS AS IF THE OP WILL RESPOND! *Intense keyboard smashing*


They didn't reply to the OP. They added to an old thread. Clam down man. No need to get so worked up over something so insignificant.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## BobBarley

Trenor said:


> They didn't reply to the OP. They added to an old thread. Clam down man. No need to get so worked up over something so insignificant.


Agreed, @Toxoderidae , you're gonna break your keyboard, deep breaths man.  Deep breaths.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Crone Returns

Toxoderidae said:


> deaad thread, deead thread, READ THE DATE AND DONT REPLY TO DEAD THREADS AS IF THE OP WILL RESPOND! *Intense keyboard smashing*


Tox!  Try decaf!

Reactions: Thanks 1 | Agree 1


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## Jones0911

sAdam said:


> i've heard that you should remove uneaten food after 24 hours.
> 
> just wondering the logic behind this.  the crickets can't harm the tarantula can they?  won't the spider just eat them when it's ready?
> 
> or do the crickets just gross up your enclosure?
> 
> sorry for the noob questions but i am what i am :wall:



Yes they can harm a molting fragile T.

And stress the ones that can't climb /prefer not to just to get away from them


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## TreeSpider

sAdam said:


> i've heard that you should remove uneaten food after 24 hours.
> 
> just wondering the logic behind this.  the crickets can't harm the tarantula can they?  won't the spider just eat them when it's ready?
> 
> or do the crickets just gross up your enclosure?
> 
> sorry for the noob questions but i am what i am :wall:


I always supervise my T's when they eat, unless it's a T that I know prefers to hunt. Any T that is close to a molt or refuses food gets that cricket removed immediately!


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## Jeff23

I guess this thread shuts down my interest in buying any crickets.  I will get meal worms and roaches only.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Trenor

Jeff Allen said:


> I guess this thread shuts down my interest in buying any crickets.  I will get meal worms and roaches only.


I hope it doesn't because crickets work great as feeders. I pretty much only feed Dubia roaches because I grow them for other pets but a lot of people use crickets and it works great for them.


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## Jeff23

Trenor said:


> I hope it doesn't because crickets work great as feeders. I pretty much only feed Dubia roaches because I grow them for other pets but a lot of people use crickets and it works great for them.


It doesn't seem like they are worth the trouble.  The lowest purchase quantity I have heard mention from the Internet is a hundred. I need a lot more critters to make that work.  It may be possible that some pet store somewhere carry them in low quantities and good quality and in that case I might be willing to get some for variety.  I can easily get a small quantity of dubia or meal worms in from the Internet.


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## Chris LXXIX

Jeff Allen said:


> I guess this thread shuts down my interest in buying any crickets.  I will get meal worms and roaches only.


Mah 

I wouldn't, being you. Crickets are always the best, IMO. I offer to mines only crickets (all size) and _B.dubia_. Give crickets a try at least.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Chris LXXIX

Jeff Allen said:


> It doesn't seem like they are worth the trouble.  The lowest purchase quantity I have heard mention from the Internet is a hundred. I need a lot more critters to make that work.  It may be possible that some pet store somewhere carry them in low quantities and good quality and in that case I might be willing to get some for variety.  I can easily get a small quantity of dubia or meal worms in from the Internet.


I can order from the Internet here in Italy from breeders crickets (and other live preys) of all sizes, from the millimeter ones I use for first instars to adult ones, available in every bulk, from, example, 15 to 200+, and you, living in South Carolina, US, not? 
Christ , I'm surprised.


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## Andrea82

Chris LXXIX said:


> I can order from the Internet here in Italy from breeders crickets (and other live preys) of all sizes, from the millimeter ones I use for first instars to adult ones, available in every bulk, from, example, 15 to 200+, and you, living in South Carolina, US, not?
> Christ , I'm surprised.


Agreed, same here in the Netherlands. I've seen this come up in a lot of US posters, not being able to get a low quantity of crickets. Very weird.


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## Trenor

Jeff Allen said:


> It doesn't seem like they are worth the trouble.  The lowest purchase quantity I have heard mention from the Internet is a hundred. I need a lot more critters to make that work.  It may be possible that some pet store somewhere carry them in low quantities and good quality and in that case I might be willing to get some for variety.  I can easily get a small quantity of dubia or meal worms in from the Internet.


Your from SC, just find a bait shop or most pet stores will sale you whatever quantity you want. 

I'm fond of dubia roaches and if they are handy then I'd recommend them. I live alone so constantly having to work from home to receive live food would be a hassle for me.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Trenor

Andrea82 said:


> Agreed, same here in the Netherlands. I've seen this come up in a lot of US posters, not being able to get a low quantity of crickets. Very weird.


They are not hard to find here. Even if your small rural towns without a pet store you can find crickets in bait(fishing) shops easily. Most of them require you to buy a dozen but a lot will just sale you however many you ask for.


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## Jeff23

Chris LXXIX said:


> Mah
> 
> I wouldn't, being you. Crickets are always the best, IMO. I offer to mines only crickets (all size) and _B.dubia_. Give crickets a try at least.


If I have to buy 100 crickets for a handful of T


Trenor said:


> Your from SC, just find a bait shop or most pet stores will sale you whatever quantity you want.
> 
> I'm fond of dubia roaches and if they are handy then I'd recommend them. I live alone so constantly having to work from home to receive live food would be a hassle for me.


Good point and they likely won't be trying to sell on the Internet.  I guess that shows that I haven't gone fishing in a long time.  But I suspect those will be fore Juveniles or Adults only.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jeff23

Do all of the full size crickets have singing voices?  Or is there a silent type that keeps everything to themselves?  I could see myself serving up a feast of cricket legs for the spider's first meal.

Just kidding of course


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## Trenor

Jeff Allen said:


> But I suspect those will be fore Juveniles or Adults only.


The big ones are more common but a lot of those places raise their own. If you get in good with the owners/workers they might be willing to sale you some smaller ones.



Jeff Allen said:


> Do all of the full size crickets have singing voices?  Or is there a silent type that keeps everything to themselves?  I could see myself serving up a feast of cricket legs for the spider's first meal.
> Just kidding of course


I'm not sure as I haven't used crickets as feeders in a long time. When I did, every cricket (black, brown etc) I had was noisy. I have heard that some where less noisy the others but I don't know personally.


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## Vanessa

The reptile place where I go to get my crickets told me that the ones that they sell are less noisy. 
They lied.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 4


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## JumpingSpiderLady

We get big black crickets in our house all the time.  They are *way* louder than feeders.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Andrea82

Banded crickets are a little less noisy than other crickets, but they still 'sing' 
Adult crickets can be fed to juvenile T's, my B.smithi juvi and my B.kahlenbergi sling have no trouble at all taking them down. My P.pulchers as well. Only my avic sling and juvi go running when faced with adults, but they don't like them anyway.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Sana

I don't understand everyone's annoyance with crickets "singing".  I actually like the sound.  It helps me sleep.  Yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo.  

While we're on the feeder discussion, does anybody feed earthworms?  I'm starting a bait box in our fridge sometime soon (6 year olds go through a lot of bait while fishing) and it crossed my mind that earthworms might make a nice fatty meal.  A search of the forums produced the information that some tarantulas will eat earthworms but I couldn't find and information on whether or not they can harm a tarantula like other types of worms.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Trenor

Sana said:


> I don't understand everyone's annoyance with crickets "singing".  I actually like the sound.  It helps me sleep.  Yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo.
> 
> While we're on the feeder discussion, does anybody feed earthworms?  I'm starting a bait box in our fridge sometime soon (6 year olds go through a lot of bait while fishing) and it crossed my mind that earthworms might make a nice fatty meal.  A search of the forums produced the information that some tarantulas will eat earthworms but I couldn't find and information on whether or not they can harm a tarantula like other types of worms.


I like the sound too when I'm sitting out on my porch in the late afternoon not all day long in my house. 

I have not personally fed earthworms to Ts but I have seen videos where people have. They seem to imply the Ts eat them pretty good. No worries about them harming the T IMO but burrowing would be a bit of an issue.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jeff23

Sana said:


> I don't understand everyone's annoyance with crickets "singing".  I actually like the sound.  It helps me sleep.  Yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo.
> 
> While we're on the feeder discussion, does anybody feed earthworms?  I'm starting a bait box in our fridge sometime soon (6 year olds go through a lot of bait while fishing) and it crossed my mind that earthworms might make a nice fatty meal.  A search of the forums produced the information that some tarantulas will eat earthworms but I couldn't find and information on whether or not they can harm a tarantula like other types of worms.


The outside ones don't bother me and they are actually quieter than the tree frogs in my area.  I haven't heard a feeder variety before.  Since I only have small T's, I think I would need the small crickets which don't have the ability to make sounds if what I read is correct.


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## Andrea82

Jeff Allen said:


> The outside ones don't bother me and they are actually quieter than the tree frogs in my area.  I haven't heard a feeder variety before.  Since I only have small T's, I think I would need the small crickets which don't have the ability to make sounds if what I read is correct.


Only adult male crickets sing. 
I don't mind the chirping either, but it drives my husband crazy 
We've had an escapee chirping behind the fridge for a week. By his reaction you'd think i let an obt loose in the house.

Reactions: Funny 2 | Love 1


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## BobBarley

Sana said:


> I don't understand everyone's annoyance with crickets "singing".  I actually like the sound.  It helps me sleep.  Yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo.
> 
> While we're on the feeder discussion, does anybody feed earthworms?  I'm starting a bait box in our fridge sometime soon (6 year olds go through a lot of bait while fishing) and it crossed my mind that earthworms might make a nice fatty meal.  A search of the forums produced the information that some tarantulas will eat earthworms but I couldn't find and information on whether or not they can harm a tarantula like other types of worms.


Yeah I like the sound of cricket chirps too!

Earthworms probably won't harm any t's as they don't have the mouthparts to do any damage (to my understanding) never tried it though so take it with a grain of salt and all that.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## TreeSpider

Jeff Allen said:


> I guess this thread shuts down my interest in buying any crickets.  I will get meal worms and roaches only.


My problem with meal worms and roaches is they like to burrow down in the substrate. That can present a host of problems later on, such as mites, etc. Crickets like to pace the container from my experience, and inevitably end up walking in to your T. Plus they are cheap.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Trenor

TreeSpider said:


> My problem with meal worms and roaches is they like to burrow down in the substrate. That can present a host of problems later on, such as mites, etc. Crickets like to pace the container from my experience, and inevitably end up walking in to your T. Plus they are cheap.


Crush the head and they still move but don't burrow. Works great with worms and roaches.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## TreeSpider

Trenor said:


> Crush the head and they still move but don't burrow. Works great with worms and roaches.


Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely do that!


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## Jeff23

TreeSpider said:


> My problem with meal worms and roaches is they like to burrow down in the substrate. That can present a host of problems later on, such as mites, etc. Crickets like to pace the container from my experience, and inevitably end up walking in to your T. Plus they are cheap.


I suspect it is more fun to watch in the case as well.  I am hoping my spiders get settled by the beginning of next week so I can test out some feeders.  It won't matter much on my real small ones since I will likely have to chop up the feeder into pieces anyway.  I like your point on keeping them out of the substrate.


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## Justamarshmallow

Trenor said:


> They didn't reply to the OP. They added to an old thread. Clam down man. No need to get so worked up over something so insignificant.


Thanks.  I'm new here. That was my very first post. It's good to see there are lots of very nice peopel here, or "Tox"'s might have run me off. I'm just here to love spiders and talk about them!


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## Trenor

Justamarshmallow said:


> Thanks.  I'm new here. That was my very first post. It's good to see there are lots of very nice peopel here, or "Tox"'s might have run me off. I'm just here to love spiders and talk about them!


I've done the same thing too when I started. It's easy to miss that the post is old.

Tox is a good guy once you get to know him.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## cold blood

Jeff Allen said:


> I guess this thread shuts down my interest in buying any crickets.  I will get meal worms and roaches only.


Mealworms and superworms can kill your t during a molt as well...as can the beetles they turn into.    If they burrow away, they can stay dormant until a food source becomes available...which will be your t...the next time it molts....so like @Trenor said, always crush their heads before feeding...they do stay alive for a while...mealworms will stay alive and fresh for days.



Trenor said:


> When I did, every cricket (black, brown etc) I had was noisy. I have heard that some where less noisy the others but I don't know personally.


Yeah, like mentioned, banded crickets are quieter, but they are also less smelly, and significantly hardier.    They _can_ chirp a lot, but its a more subdued chirp, like it sounds like they are farther away.

Crickets are a primary feeder, no, they are *the* primary feeder in the hobby, no need to avoid them or worry about them, just don't leave them running wild in the enclosures.  All ts readily eat crickets, the same can't be said for most other readily available feeders.

I've fed earthworms to several ts, they're a large meal for sure, but feistier than you might think, so I don't feed whole ones, even to large ts....my pokies seem to like them....so does the Pamph, but lets be honest, I could feed that thing a hotdog and get a great response, so I don't know if she's the best gauge.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Funny 1 | Love 1


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## Toxoderidae

cold blood said:


> Mealworms and superworms can kill your t during a molt as well...as can the beetles they turn into.    If they burrow away, they can stay dormant until a food source becomes available...which will be your t...the next time it molts....so like @Trenor said, always crush their heads before feeding...they do stay alive for a while...mealworms will stay alive and fresh for days.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, like mentioned, banded crickets are quieter, but they are also less smelly, and significantly hardier.    They _can_ chirp a lot, but its a more subdued chirp, like it sounds like they are farther away.
> 
> Crickets are a primary feeder, no, they are *the* primary feeder in the hobby, no need to avoid them or worry about them, just don't leave them running wild in the enclosures.  All ts readily eat crickets, the same can't be said for most other readily available feeders.
> 
> I've fed earthworms to several ts, they're a large meal for sure, but feistier than you might think, so I don't feed whole ones, even to large ts....my pokies seem to like them....so does the Pamph, but lets be honest, I could feed that thing a hotdog and get a great response, so I don't know if she's the best gauge.


If I ever breed some phamphs, I might test various foods and see their response. Or any NW terrestrial with an insane hunger.


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## Sana

cold blood said:


> Mealworms and superworms can kill your t during a molt as well...as can the beetles they turn into.    If they burrow away, they can stay dormant until a food source becomes available...which will be your t...the next time it molts....so like @Trenor said, always crush their heads before feeding...they do stay alive for a while...mealworms will stay alive and fresh for days.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, like mentioned, banded crickets are quieter, but they are also less smelly, and significantly hardier.    They _can_ chirp a lot, but its a more subdued chirp, like it sounds like they are farther away.
> 
> Crickets are a primary feeder, no, they are *the* primary feeder in the hobby, no need to avoid them or worry about them, just don't leave them running wild in the enclosures.  All ts readily eat crickets, the same can't be said for most other readily available feeders.
> 
> I've fed earthworms to several ts, they're a large meal for sure, but feistier than you might think, so I don't feed whole ones, even to large ts....my pokies seem to like them....so does the Pamph, but lets be honest, I could feed that thing a hotdog and get a great response, so I don't know if she's the best gauge.


Oh geez, now I want to go feed my pampho hotdog bits and see if she eats them.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Venom1080

Sana said:


> I don't understand everyone's annoyance with crickets "singing".  I actually like the sound.  It helps me sleep.  Yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo.
> 
> While we're on the feeder discussion, does anybody feed earthworms?  I'm starting a bait box in our fridge sometime soon (6 year olds go through a lot of bait while fishing) and it crossed my mind that earthworms might make a nice fatty meal.  A search of the forums produced the information that some tarantulas will eat earthworms but I couldn't find and information on whether or not they can harm a tarantula like other types of worms.


ive used earthworms for years with no issue. big fatty meal is all they are. a great feeder IMO. they dont move much so the spider sometimes doesnt notice them for a while.

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## cold blood

Sana said:


> Oh geez, now I want to go feed my pampho hotdog bits and see if she eats them.


I've fed bits of chicken to slings...I've never gotten a refusal.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Sana

cold blood said:


> I've fed bits of chicken to slings...I've never gotten a refusal.


Do you suppose that the questionable makeup of a hotdog would be potentially harmful though?  If you say no I'm gonna go feed that pampho a piece of hotdog and take a picture.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## cold blood

Sana said:


> Do you suppose that the questionable makeup of a hotdog would be potentially harmful though?  If you say no I'm gonna go feed that pampho a piece of hotdog and take a picture.


I dunno, probably not...the hot dog reference wasn't a serious one though.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Sana

cold blood said:


> I dunno, probably not...the hot dog reference wasn't a serious one though.


I didn't figure it was but that is a good picture of how pamphos eat.  I'm not really convinced that it's a good plan to feed mine a hotdog but it's made me laugh at the mental picture so many times that it's nearly irresistible.  I'm not convinced enough that it wouldn't hurt her to try it though.  Tarantula health comes above the entertainment factor.  I promise not to feed hotdogs to tarantulas.


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## Hellblazer

I thought about trying to feed nightcrawlers before, but I was worried about potential pesticides since I bought them as bait & didn't know where they came from.


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## Trenor

Hellblazer said:


> I thought about trying to feed nightcrawlers before, but I was worried about potential pesticides since I bought them as bait & didn't know where they came from.


Most of the bait stores all sale farm raised worms so that most likely is not a issue. However, a regular sized nightcrawler is a hefty worm and you'd need a big T for it IMO.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Hellblazer

Trenor said:


> Most of the bait stores all sale farm raised worms so that most likely is not a issue. However, a regular sized nightcrawler is a hefty worm and you'd need a big T for it IMO.


I would use halves or smaller pieces. Sort of like cutting up a mealworm for slings except there would still be lots of movement.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Belf

is it possible for baby crickets to attack and eat a tarantula if left in the enclosure ?


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## JonnyTorch

Belf said:


> is it possible for baby crickets to attack and eat a tarantula if left in the enclosure ?


Yes. Like previously stated above, they can eat or munch on your Tarantula while it's minding it's own business, sleeping or molting, or whatever. The problem with keeping it in the cage is the cricket livespan is only 8 weeks, so by no time it will be an adult and munch your T. Certainly it would eat the cricket in 8 weeks right? No, if it's molting or hiding, it is probably about to molt, and won't eat it and doesn't want anything to do with it. If you're afraid of crickets biting holes in the sides of your Tarantula you should crush the head of the cricket before you drop it in. I prefer to not do that, and drop in whole large crickets to my 3" G. Rosea. In either case, you should remove the cricket(s) after 24 hours of it being ignored or uneaten, even if you crush the head so it doesn't bite your T. This is to avoid pests and fungus/disease. I just started feeding small mealworms to it (unsexed) and it's fun to watch them eat two or three at the same time.

Be careful of mealworms, they can turn into beetles. Always watch the prey you put in your tank. Crickets can dig too, I've lost them before it's not fun.


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