# kicking hairs at mouse



## Anna (May 9, 2011)

hey guys- i just got a theraphosa a few days ago that had recently molted, a confirmed male. the guy told me it would probably be hungry, so i gave it a mouse and he has decided to turn around in his burrow and kick his butt hairs at it when it walks by. how long do they normally take to decide to eat something?


----------



## grayzone (May 9, 2011)

id give ANY t at least a week ... look at the fangs and  wait untill they are BLACK (not just dark red) and its safe to make offerings. MICE however, are somethin ya dont want to offer too much... ( the occasional is fine in my opinion).     it is not unheard of for males to absolutely quit eating after maturity also... lets hope in your case your male decides he WANTS to eat... I, personally, would find him a lady or trade him off as hes on borrowed time


----------



## Anna (May 9, 2011)

a week for him to eat it? he molted well over a week ago if that's what you mean... What would you recommend I feed him, I hear roaches are good? 

He also just hangs out in his burrow a lot and doesn't give me much ability to see his fangs, but thanks for the tip I'll keep it in mind


----------



## Scoolman (May 9, 2011)

My T stirmi took a month before she was ready to eat after her molt. You should also give him a good week or two to settle into his new home before bombarding him with prey, especially prey that can fight back. 
If your male is mature, and a T stirmi, Precious is looking for a date.


----------



## LV-426 (May 9, 2011)

in my T stirmi's case, after it molted i waited till it started to hang out outside of its hide before i fed it. that took about a week or two


----------



## Warren Bautista (May 9, 2011)

Don't feed any of your spiders any type of vertebrate.

Crickets will do.

I wouldn't feed large spiders until at least 10 days - 2 weeks after a molt.

Give it time to acclimate to its new housing.






Jrod said:


> i have a mecher mail g. polcra


lawl


----------



## grayzone (May 9, 2011)

yes anna i meant AT LEAST a week after a molt.... maybe a week and a half, and YES roaches are an EXCELLENT food source. high in protein and low in fat.  i also found if you squish them a lil when grabbin them they wont stick to the tongs and you have less a chance of a rogue roach runnin round the house :barf:    thats my worse nightmare****knock on wood**


----------



## caaraa (May 9, 2011)

he molted well over a week ago if that's what you mean


----------



## Mojo Jojo (May 9, 2011)

One day you will be haunted by the sound of the squealing mouse.


----------



## xhexdx (May 9, 2011)

Don't feed it a mouse, feed it crickets or roaches.



Scoolman said:


> Very new, and young member to the forum. If any of you looked up the profile you would have known that. We should try to be more open and welcoming to the new tarantula hobbyists.


Where in the profile are you seeing that he's young?  All I see is that you're his only friend, and that he joined today.

Regardless of newness to the forum, he's obviously able to tell his male is mature - he should also know how to properly spell the scientific name.

Did you know the minimum age to join the site is 13?  If he's younger than that, he's also breaking this site's rules just by being here.


----------



## Anna (May 9, 2011)

Thank you everyone! The pet store I went to didn't roaches but otherwise I would have gotten one. He's been really active and marching around the last few days and when I just checked on him a minute ago he was all geared up like he was about to strike. I guess I'll take it out of there in... a little while if he doesn't eat it? 

I didn't know mice were bad I will stick to crickets and roaches from now on. I checked with the store I got him from and he molted several weeks ago in mid-April. 

Just for future reference, if i were to go with crickets, how many would I be looking to feed this spider? He's like 6 inches across....


----------



## xhexdx (May 9, 2011)

Feed him 5 or so every week or two.  Assuming they're full-grown adult female crickets.


----------



## Silberrücken (May 10, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> Assuming they're full-grown adult female crickets.


I'm just curious....

Why only female crickets?

Not trying to start anything, xhexdx... I really AM wondering why.   :?

S.

---------- Post added at 03:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 AM ----------

My new sig! 



Scoolman said:


> We should try to be more open and welcoming to the new tarantula hobbyists.


----------



## redrumpslump (May 10, 2011)

I'm just guessing Joe said female crickets because they get a bit larger then males. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.

Matt


----------



## LV-426 (May 10, 2011)

i like to feed my larger Ts females due to the larger size so maybe thats why xhexdx made that comment. on the topic, since its illegal to own roaches as pets and feeders in FL,how many  crickets do you need weekly or otherwise to substain a T. stirmi? I have an alternative (not mice) that i was thinking about, but not sure on using them.


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (May 10, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> i like to feed my larger Ts females due to the larger size so maybe thats why xhexdx made that comment. on the topic, since its illegal to own roaches as pets and feeders in FL,how many  crickets do you need weekly or otherwise to substain a T. stirmi? I have an alternative (not mice) that i was thinking about, but not sure on using them.


Trust me, kittens aren't good feeders. :}


----------



## Fran (May 10, 2011)

Female crickets tend to be full of eggs. Bigger, better, dont chirp and meatier


----------



## xhexdx (May 10, 2011)

For all the reasons given, that's why I said females.


----------



## LV-426 (May 10, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> Trust me, kittens aren't good feeders. :}


no not kittens, im thinking WC imported G. rosea i can get real cheap as an occasional food source. its just a thought.


----------



## paassatt (May 10, 2011)

I've gotten off of crickets as of late and moved to dubias as feeders. I too used to only feed female crickets, but I grew tired of bending or snipping the ovipositor before dropping them into the enclosure. Those rascals would start trying to lay eggs as soon as they felt substrate under their feet.

The prohibition on owning roaches in Florida seems a little ridiculous, in my opinion. Now, this opinion is coming from someone who's only been to Florida once on a Disney World vacation as a kid, so maybe the ban is really a necessity? Anyway, I didn't mean to go off on too much of a tangent...


----------



## LV-426 (May 10, 2011)

lived there all my life, i have seen the rise of invasive species from the start


----------



## redrumpslump (May 10, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> no not kittens, im thinking WC imported G. rosea i can get real cheap as an occasional food source. its just a thought.


This may have been a joke, but if not i hope you seriously consider all the problems with it. The biggest being IMO the potential for injury to your pet tarantula. Plus i see it as a waste of a good tarantula even if it is a rosea.

Matt


----------



## xhexdx (May 10, 2011)

redrumpslump said:


> This may have been a joke, but if not i hope you seriously consider all the problems with it. The biggest being IMO the potential for injury to your pet tarantula. Plus i see it as a waste of a good tarantula even if it is a rosea.
> 
> Matt


Ditto       .


----------



## Unravel (May 10, 2011)

yea i don't see a single even remotely positive side to feeding your stirmi rosies


----------



## tarantulagirl10 (May 10, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> no not kittens, im thinking WC imported G. rosea i can get real cheap as an occasional food source. its just a thought.


 Hopefully that was a joke.


----------



## Kendage (May 10, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> no not kittens, im thinking WC imported G. rosea i can get real cheap as an occasional food source. its just a thought.


You're not serious are you? Not only is it a risk to your tarantula, god knows any pesticides and/or mites they could have on them... :?


----------



## LV-426 (May 10, 2011)

im not joking, better than a mouse IMO


----------



## redrumpslump (May 10, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> im not joking, better than a mouse IMO


Not better then dubias or other roaches. Not worth risking a fang to the abdomen or the possiblity of a wc rosea carrying mites or parasites.

Matt


----------



## LV-426 (May 10, 2011)

well since its prohibited to have or ship roaches in FL the state i live in, what is a good option then. im just flirting with the idea of feeding it another T. I may do it, maybe not. and if my T get hurt/dies, well just get another one.


----------



## redrumpslump (May 10, 2011)

Good idea.


----------



## synyster (May 10, 2011)

Guess i'll try feeding my husky a poodle tonight and see how that goes...

:wall:


----------



## Fran (May 10, 2011)

Anything  is a better idea than that

Go to a pet store, get a brown anole. Get worms online, crickets....Cut your thumb... but dont do what you have presented to us.


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (May 10, 2011)

Fran said:


> Anything  is a better idea than that
> 
> *Go to a pet store, get a brown anole. *Get worms online, crickets....Cut your thumb... but dont do what you have presented to us.


Whoa... Fran suggesting feeding a T a vertebrate. 

As for feeding Ts to other Ts, that is ridiculous. For that, and the fact you said you would "just get another one" if it dies from it, that shows carelessness.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## grayzone (May 10, 2011)

while i strongly agree with the cons of feedin a t to another t is it really that wrong? i mean, in the wild theyd eat eachother if given chance... plus people/breeders let slings be canniblized ALL THE TIME and for profitable reasons at that... also they do it to save money on food and to down size a collection THEY CANT MANAGE so , that said,  i DO DISAGREE but not just shame on him     i can say i wont be downsizing MY collection just to save on 2 bux worth of feeders


----------



## synyster (May 10, 2011)

grayzone said:


> while i strongly agree with the cons of feedin a t to another t is it really that wrong? i mean, in the wild theyd eat eachother if given chance... plus people/breeders let slings be canniblized ALL THE TIME and for profitable reasons at that... also they do it to save money on food and to down size a collection THEY CANT MANAGE so , that said,  i DO DISAGREE but not just shame on him     i can say i wont be downsizing MY collection just to save on 2 bux worth of feeders


I don't think the issue is about saving on feeders but mostly about downsizing to a manageable number of slings. Imagine housing 1500 baby LP's! For some (most) this is too time consuming so letting them cannibalize is a good way of getting a count that is more appropriate to manage. Also, after cannibalization, you get the strongest slings of them all which IMO, raises the success rate of surviving slings. Now this is my two cents on that idea.

Otherwise, in this thread we are discussing feeding a mature T to a bigger (also mature) T. This will most likely become a death fight leading to the consumation of the fallen T. But will the other T have damage? Most likely yes. And also there is the concerns about the health of the consumed T and what parasites can be transferred to the other one. It is just a plain bad idea and has, IMO, no place in the hobby.

There is also the matter of no concern by saying "If it dies, I don't care. I'll just get another one!".........


----------



## grayzone (May 10, 2011)

noted.. i agree completely... i was just stating that as an interesting thought.... to the OP...   completely ignore all this banter as it seems the intent of this post has gotten off subject.  my advice is ( if ya cant aquire roaches ) feed it large crickets and do so in appropriate numbers... i also hear BEEF HEARTS is a good source of nourishment for a large t?   opinions anybody?


----------



## synyster (May 10, 2011)

grayzone said:


> noted.. i agree completely... i was just stating that as an interesting thought.... to the OP...   completely ignore all this banter as it seems the intent of this post has gotten off subject.  my advice is ( if ya cant aquire roaches ) feed it large crickets and do so in appropriate numbers... i also hear BEEF HEARTS is a good source of nourishment for a large t?   opinions anybody?


True: the way you pronounced it makes it an interesting thought. I'm hoping though that it just stays a thought

True: this post has gotten completely off subject!

And beef hearts? Never heard about that! It would be interesting if someone could come up about it...
I feed my T's (even my mature T.blondi and mature L.parahybana) crickets and superworms due to the fact that roaches aren't available in Canada. So far so good with those feeders! (even though my T.blondi is going through a rough time...)


----------



## gromgrom (May 10, 2011)

Wow... the stupidity of people... :wall:

How is an adult G. rosea even close to as cheap as superworms/roaches/crickets/anoles, or hell, ignoring roaches?


----------



## grayzone (May 10, 2011)

i hear that grom.... even here in WA state, a rosie costs around 20 bux for a juvie to adult from the same pet stores you'd buy feeders..... doesn't sound like good math to me.... if whoever posted that likes to throw away money ill give em my address and they can send me some


----------



## jebbewocky (May 10, 2011)

Only specific species of roach are illegal to own in FL, and ALL species require an import permit when crossing ANY state lines.  
Dude, just buy crickets, or breed superworms.


----------



## Anna (May 10, 2011)

*Just an update*

Just an update, Aragog killed his mouse and is eating it, he doesn't seem to have been harmed in the killing of it. I won't feed him one again, I really appreciate all the knowledge I got from you all over this! 
I will I think, stick with crickets and roaches, most of the stores here sell feeder roaches, the one I happened to go to didn't though


----------



## advan (May 10, 2011)

Quick question. Why didn't you take the mouse out after everyone advised against it? :?


----------



## Mojo Jojo (May 11, 2011)

Thanks for posting the pic.  I can tell you've got class...:barf:


----------



## synyster (May 11, 2011)

Big Dragonfly said:


> Thanks for posting the pic.  I can tell you've got class...:barf:


+1. 

And it wasn't even a pinky... No wonder so many people have problem's with Theraphosa's. Stick to inverts and be thankful that the mouse didn't rip your T's abdomen during the struggle :wall:


----------



## grayzone (May 11, 2011)

anna i dont know how experienced or knowledgeable u are with ts but aside from outter damage mice can do to your t, the calcium in their bones is very harmful to an invertebrate ( tarantulas)    those problems VERY OFTEN lead to somethin called wet molts ( use search function, i wont get into that) and stirmis and blondis are already NOTORIOUS for their molting issues...  you really think all these people were advising against it for nothin?   the occasional mouse COULD be fine but whose to say what the limit is?  all it could take (ESPECIALLY for a mature male) is one to destroy its already fragile body.    i think that shows pure irresponsibility... sure im guilty too, but i wasnt informed the hazards , and go against the warnings.   for your ts sake hes on borrowed time anyway...  he wont have to put up with an irresponsible owner much longer....  AND FOR .. EVERYBODY WHO DISAGREES WITH WHAT I SAY.... SHE OBVIOUSLY DONT CARE BOUT HER T ENOUGH TO BE RESPONSIBLE SO I CONSIDER THIS TOUGH LOVE    THAT MAY BE HARSH BUT ITS THE TRUTH.....YA JUST CANT FIX STUPID:?:wall::?:wall:


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (May 11, 2011)

Agreeing with everyone else here. You were warned about feeding it mice yet you still left it in there. 

And I didn't see anywhere that you stated it being a mature male, but from the pic, the pedipalps do look MM to me. If so, why did you buy a mature male? 

They only live maybe up to a year after their ultimate molt.


----------



## Mojo Jojo (May 11, 2011)

grayzone said:


> anna i dont know how experienced or knowledgeable u are with ts but aside from outter damage mice can do to your t, the calcium in their bones is very harmful to an invertebrate ( tarantulas)    those problems VERY OFTEN lead to somethin called wet molts ( use search function, i wont get into that) and stirmis and blondis are already NOTORIOUS for their molting issues...  you really think all these people were advising against it for nothin?   the occasional mouse COULD be fine but whose to say what the limit is?  all it could take (ESPECIALLY for a mature male) is one to destroy its already fragile body.    i think that shows pure irresponsibility... sure im guilty too, but i wasnt informed the hazards , and go against the warnings.   for your ts sake hes on borrowed time anyway...  he wont have to put up with an irresponsible owner much longer....  AND FOR .. EVERYBODY WHO DISAGREES WITH WHAT I SAY.... SHE OBVIOUSLY DONT CARE BOUT HER T ENOUGH TO BE RESPONSIBLE SO I CONSIDER THIS TOUGH LOVE    THAT MAY BE HARSH BUT ITS THE TRUTH.....YA JUST CANT FIX STUPID:?:wall::?:wall:


This post annoys me even more than seeing the pink parts of the dead mouse....


----------



## grayzone (May 11, 2011)

i re read and feel bad that i lost my temper, i just hate to have tried given advice, along with alot of other people just to be ignored.  IM SORRY ANNA if i offended you. its your t, do what ya will with it.    shame on ME for bein a jerk.  i will just no longer go through post after post tryin to explain the dangers.


----------



## synyster (May 11, 2011)

I hate to bring this up greyzone but...



grayzone said:


> MICE however, are somethin ya dont want to offer too much... ( *the occasional is fine in my opinion*).


This was the first response to this post. Now I know you lost your temper (so did I) but saying that the OP didn't take advice is kinda paradoxal when you read the first resonse...

I personally think this should become case closed as the male seem's to be mature and probably dosen't have long left. As to the OP, once she re-connects and reads this thread, I think she will have learned the lesson. If not, I don't think there's much more that can be said or done!


----------



## grayzone (May 11, 2011)

what i was referring to was my parahybana.... NOT a mm stirmi whose prone to wet / bad molts as it is... i also stated i did that BEFORE i knew the dangers... not AFTER everybody blatantly warned me.....    either way my apologies to anna, and thats that... ive pm'd her a sincere apology as well


----------



## synyster (May 11, 2011)

grayzone said:


> what i was referring to was my parahybana.... NOT a mm stirmi whose prone to wet / bad molts as it is... i also stated i did that BEFORE i knew the dangers... not AFTER everybody blatantly warned me.....    either way my apologies to anna, and thats that... ive pm'd her a sincere apology as well


Probably a good move with the PM 

As for Theraphosa, yes they are well known for having molting issues but no T is immune from that possibilty. Just because LP's are a hardy species, that dosen't mean that they aren't subject to wet molts. I will admit I have fed vertebrates too in my past as we have all had our own experiences with our own spiders. And I guess this subject could be discussed for a long time due to the fact that no scientific research that I know of states that the calcium contained in the bones of vertebrae is harmful to arachnids. It's mostly just statements that experienced keeper's have concluded to after observing the differences between diets/molting periods. I mostly just pointed out in the last post that the way you said it, led the OP think that one mouse was ok. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't as i'll let scientists pronounce one day on that but in the meantime, anyone who *absolutely feels the need* to feed mice, IMO, should be advised to at least get a pinky 

Btw, I had been off of the net for the past ten years or so and have not heard of any scientific report on calcium in invertebrae diets. If anyone know's other than this, please advise me


----------



## Pociemon (May 11, 2011)

> Btw, I had been off of the net for the past ten years or so and have not heard of any scientific report on calcium in invertebrae diets. If anyone know's other than this, please advise me


There is none. It is just guess work. Many people i know use a mouse to fatten up a female for breeding purpose, the just give it a pinky, not an adult. Typiccally just after a moult. Then they switch to the normal diet. 
But normally there is no reason to offer them muse.


----------



## Falk (May 11, 2011)

There is no evidence that it is the calcium in vertebras that is causing molting problems, it could be the fat or other "ingredients" Many use frogs and small lizards as part of their birdspiders diet without any problems. One problem alone is that many hobbyists feed their _Theraphosa_ to much and it gets harder for it to molt due to their size, they get exhausted and dies.

Sadly you wont get much joy from your male if you dont find a female for him, he will just wander around in his tank and die probably within a year.


----------



## redrumpslump (May 11, 2011)

grayzone said:


> what i was referring to was my parahybana.... NOT a mm stirmi whose prone to wet / bad molts as it is... i also stated i did that BEFORE i knew the dangers... not AFTER everybody blatantly warned me.....    either way my apologies to anna, and thats that... ive pm'd her a sincere apology as well


If it's a MM it won't have another molt coming. So this post doesn't make since at all.

Matt


----------



## Mez (May 11, 2011)

Guys, dont work yourselves up, its obvious this person dosnt want our help, dosnt care about what they are keeping, just doing it because its cool, apparently. As it may be a MM, you feeding if a large food item will possibly make him want to molt again (someone posted this can't happen, well it can, just usually ends up in death) which will kill him off soon enough anyway. Pathetic.

---------- Post added at 10:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 AM ----------




Falk said:


> There is no evidence that it is the calcium in vertebras that is causing molting problems, it could be the fat or other "ingredients" Many use frogs and small lizards as part of their birdspiders diet without any problems. One problem alone is that many hobbyists feed their _Theraphosa_ to much and it gets harder for it to molt due to their size, they get exhausted and dies.
> 
> Sadly you wont get much joy from your male if you dont find a female for him, he will just wander around in his tank and die probably within a year.


Frogs and lizards are both vertabrates, and there is also no proof it DOESN'T harm them, fact is thete is more risk of injury when feeding a live vertabrate than a cricket it roach, so the risk is higher, that's not a statement, but a fact.


----------



## redrumpslump (May 11, 2011)

Actually I disagree. I don't see the problem with feeding a large 8"+ an anole. Also what you said isn't exactly fact. Say someone feeds a tarantula a hissed or dubia and it breaks a fang? I think you are getting all worked up over nothing. Obvisouly yes IMO mice are a very bad choice as feeders but it the OPs decision. 

Matt


----------



## Mez (May 11, 2011)

redrumpslump said:


> Actually I disagree. I don't see the problem with feeding a large 8"+ an anole. Also what you said isn't exactly fact. Say someone feeds a tarantula a hissed or dubia and it breaks a fang? I think you are getting all worked up over nothing. Obvisouly yes IMO mice are a very bad choice as feeders but it the OPs decision.
> 
> Matt


Um...
A damaged fang can be recovered from in two molts or so, a bite into the abdomen would be goodnight.
It's the OPs decision fair enough, but why ask for advice and go against 90% of it?


----------



## Falk (May 11, 2011)

Mez said:


> Guys, dont work yourselves up, its obvious this person dosnt want our help, dosnt care about what they are keeping, just doing it because its cool, apparently. As it may be a MM, you feeding if a large food item will possibly make him want to molt again (someone posted this can't happen, well it can, just usually ends up in death) which will kill him off soon enough anyway. Pathetic.
> 
> ---------- Post added at 10:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 AM ----------
> 
> ...


I agree with you.
Im just saying that it doesnt nessessarly have to be the calcium that kills, could be wrong proteins, wrong fat etc


----------



## Mez (May 11, 2011)

Falk, to be honest, that's how i look at it too. An overload of _something_ that they can't process, but we just don't know what.


----------



## LV-426 (May 11, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> Whoa... Fran suggesting feeding a T a vertebrate.
> 
> As for feeding Ts to other Ts, that is ridiculous. For that, and the fact you said you would "just get another one" if it dies from it, that shows carelessness.


who says I dont care? the problem is people here get emotionally attached to something to really doesnt care about feelings. im not a person who is gonna cry on these boards my T died, or why it died. if i decied to feed my stirmi a G rosea and it gets hurt or dies its my responsibility. if your dog dies cause you ran it over by acciedent are you gonna never get a dog again because you were careless? im just not afraid to push the envelope, people here have no vision, are afraid of being an outcast


----------



## Mez (May 11, 2011)

Why would you want to be careless? If you're keeping something, why wouldn't you do your best to find out where the animal comes from, the temperatures, diet, natural habitat etc...these are all things i do, and a lot if keepers do. I don't know anyone that keeps animals that approach their husbandry without care,thinking 'its just an X' or whatever. Pretty odd that.


----------



## Falk (May 11, 2011)

Mez said:


> Falk, to be honest, that's how i look at it too. An overload of _something_ that they can't process, but we just don't know what.


Yes, that is exactly what i mean.


----------



## Kendage (May 11, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> who says I dont care? the problem is people here get emotionally attached to something to really doesnt care about feelings. im not a person who is gonna cry on these boards my T died, or why it died. if i decied to feed my stirmi a G rosea and it gets hurt or dies its my responsibility. if your dog dies cause you ran it over by acciedent are you gonna never get a dog again because you were careless? im just not afraid to push the envelope, people here have no vision, are afraid of being an outcast


Because that's just plain stupidity and irresponsibility, if you run over your dog on accident then it's an accident, if you feed your dog a whole chocolate bunny say every week or 2, it'll affect him. Why don't you try that with your dog? Push the envelope some more? You won't, why? Because it's dumb. Same thing with the feeding a T a T situation, you're being impractical and irresponsible. If you really don't see what you're doing wrong then you have to realize you might as well be running over your dog with your car to see if it'd break his leg.

Sure, they don't have feelings, or anything, but the problem is you're taking them in to take proper care of them, not experiment with them, you might as well feed it snakes, and various lizards, or start bets.. It's stupid.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## synyster (May 11, 2011)

Falk said:


> There is no evidence that it is the calcium in vertebras that is causing molting problems, it could be the fat or other "ingredients" Many use frogs and small lizards as part of their birdspiders diet without any problems. One problem alone is that many hobbyists feed their _Theraphosa_ to much and it gets harder for it to molt due to their size, they get exhausted and dies.
> 
> Sadly you wont get much joy from your male if you dont find a female for him, he will just wander around in his tank and die probably within a year.


Thanks for the info. As I was pretty sure already, no scientific report has been written on feeding inverts, vertebrae. Of course, the fact I stated calcium was because this has been the primary reason that people thought would result in bad molts. Of course there could be plenty of other reasons and there is also the possibility of it not being harmful at all. But for sure i'll agree with all of you that it isin't worth the risk when there are plenty of other food sources to choose from. As for Theraphosa, this is a genus that get's big. And I have observed that it knows when to stop eating. So maybe it's not that people feed them too much, but they feed them prey items that are too big. I guess this could also be a theory...


----------



## redrumpslump (May 11, 2011)

Alot of people believe that its not harmful. Could be the case. Heres is where i draw the line. If i ever was to feed a mouse to a t, which is very unlikely i will, i wouldnt feed an adult mouse. I can somewhat understand a pinky or fuzzy to try and fatten up a female for breeding. As long as it is a large tarantula. I wouldnt recommend feeding a 4" spider a pinky.


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (May 11, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> who says I dont care? the problem is people here get emotionally attached to something to really doesnt care about feelings. im not a person who is gonna cry on these boards my T died, or why it died. if i decied to feed my stirmi a G rosea and it gets hurt or dies its my responsibility. if your dog dies cause you ran it over by acciedent are you gonna never get a dog again because you were careless? im just not afraid to push the envelope, people here have no vision, are afraid of being an outcast


So you're gonna buy a G. rosea and accidentally feed it to your T. stirmi?


----------



## paassatt (May 11, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> people here have no vision, are afraid of being an outcast


I'm sure I speak for a lot of people when I say just because I won't feed any of my tarantulas another tarantula (or anything else that may do it harm, for that matter) doesn't mean I lack vision, or am afraid of being an outcast. I won't do it because it smacks the idea of _caring_ for your spider right in the face. Do what you want; your spider, your rules. But not using another tarantula as a feeder item has nothing to do with vision or lack thereof.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Spidershane1 (May 11, 2011)

On the mouse issue an bad molts, I don't think the two are related. I have fed mice on occasion over the years to various species(to force molts) and have never had any ill effects. I also went to a pet shop once that had an adult blondi who was fed nothing but mice for over 6 years and was perfectly healthy. I of course told them to switch to roaches though, which they did. And on the contrary, I have seen many people have molting issues with T's that have never been fed mice. I think the only real issue is the mouse injuring your T while being subdued, so as long as you stick to pinkies or fuzzies then there should be no issue.

And to the guy who thinks he's being all rebellious by not caring about his T....well, you're just an idiot.


----------



## groovyspider (May 11, 2011)

WOW........ the whole thread almost :wall: minus a few good keepers willing to lend out a helping hand against ignorace pat your self on the back you guys deserve it


----------



## kylestl (May 11, 2011)

advan said:


> Quick question. Why didn't you take the mouse out after everyone advised against it? :?


Well, she wouldn't have got to take those awesome pics man (sarcasm) Everyone told you no but yet you do it anyway and show it to us.


LV-426 said:


> who says I dont care? the problem is people here get emotionally attached to something to really doesnt care about feelings. im not a person who is gonna cry on these boards my T died, or why it died. if i decied to feed my stirmi a G rosea and it gets hurt or dies its my responsibility. if your dog dies cause you ran it over by acciedent are you gonna never get a dog again because you were careless? im just not afraid to push the envelope, people here have no vision, are afraid of being an outcast


I am not emotionally attached to my t's but I like all animals. Yes I like watching them do what they do but not "attached" and yes I feed crix and roaches but they are CB and I am not supporting the destruction of the wild population. You obviously don't care about the well being of your spiders. You aren't feeding it another T because you feel it is missing something in its diet. You are feeding it another t so you can go "Wow dude, that was sweet man" Some people just never cease to amaze me. Probably not the best idea coming to a tarantula forum saying you would feed another t to a t for no particular reason. I sure as heck wouldn't sell to you.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Jacobchinarian (May 11, 2011)

Before  i say what i have to say I want to announce to avoid confusion I have never and most likely will never feed vertebrate even though it may be alright. Having said that I have read several places that the ld50 scale cannot be accurately measured because injecting a rodent with tarantula venom is like injecting a human with histamines and cyanide even if the tarantula venom is insignificant to humans (like the theraphosa). This indicates that certain species of tarantula produce venom that may be targeted tword mice. Even if tarantula venom is made for tarantulas I still wouldnt recommend it for captivity since their are far less risky methods for feeding tarantulas.


----------



## ZergFront (May 11, 2011)

redrumpslump said:


> I'm just guessing Joe said female crickets because they get a bit larger then males. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.
> 
> Matt


 ..and maybe all those protein rich eggs inside them? Yummy. X-D

---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ----------




Chris_Skeleton said:


> Whoa... Fran suggesting feeding a T a vertebrate.
> 
> As for feeding Ts to other Ts, that is ridiculous. For that, and the fact you said you would "just get another one" if it dies from it, that shows carelessness.


 I think I see pigs flying over a frozen Hell. ;P


----------



## Embers To Ashes (May 11, 2011)

Hypothetical situation:

My great dane is hungry. Im tired of feeding it dog food because it is boring to watch. The bag says the food is made with chicken, so I think I will go next door and buy one of my neighbors chickons. She loves them, even though people always tell her it is "just a chickon." When I got home with my danes new food, it ripped it apart. The chickon was able to claw at my dogs eyes. He is now blinded forever. Since he is blind, I can no longer feed him chickons because he cannot hunt. I decided to get a new great dane just so I can feed it my neighbors chickons. I continued to do this intill all of my neighbors pets where gone, because once I haad seen my share of chickons, I got board and moved onto cats, then puppys. Now all of my dogs are blind and my neighbor stays up all night crying her eyes out because she sold me something that was soposed to be loved as a pet and I fed it to all of my dogs.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Hobo (May 11, 2011)

^Hahaha, _what_?!


----------



## synyster (May 11, 2011)

Embers To Ashes said:


> Hypothetical situation:
> 
> My great dane is hungry. Im tired of feeding it dog food because it is boring to watch. The bag says the food is made with chicken, so I think I will go next door and buy one of my neighbors chickons. She loves them, even though people always tell her it is "just a chickon." When I got home with my danes new food, it ripped it apart. The chickon was able to claw at my dogs eyes. He is now blinded forever. Since he is blind, I can no longer feed him chickons because he cannot hunt. I decided to get a new great dane just so I can feed it my neighbors chickons. I continued to do this intill all of my neighbors pets where gone, because once I haad seen my share of chickons, I got board and moved onto cats, then puppys. Now all of my dogs are blind and my neighbor stays up all night crying her eyes out because she sold me something that was soposed to be loved as a pet and I fed it to all of my dogs.


Somebody must be _flying high_ to come up with that haha! 

Quite entertaining to read though...


----------



## Embers To Ashes (May 12, 2011)

well the chickons where the rosies and the dane was the pet tarantula. Use your imagination. lol. its been a long day.


----------



## Mez (May 12, 2011)

It's "Chicken". There is no O in the word chicken, apart from the 'oooooh sheeeeet' noise the chicken makes before seeing the great dane.


----------



## Embers To Ashes (May 12, 2011)

Mez said:


> It's "Chicken". There is no O in the word chicken, apart from the 'oooooh sheeeeet' noise the chicken makes before seeing the great dane.


I JUST said this in another thread. I am dislexic. Your lucky you where even able to read it.


----------



## webbedone (May 13, 2011)

lets say it togather: >CHICKEN< 

boy am i glad i avoided this thread when it first poped up


----------



## Jezabel (May 13, 2011)

WOW!!! All I have to say is this was definitely entertaining. Kudos :clap: to those of you pouncing on the guy feeding his T another T . . . <edit>?? 

:? I had no idea what "mecher" was until now. LOL!!! (Sorry, a lil blonde at times) LOL! (;

:worship: Ember - LOVED your analogy! I was with you there. (; I think that guy needs to go hang out with Michael Vick. :wall: hehehe. Just sayin . . . 

    * J * E * Z * A * B * E * L *
    i have a mecher feemail g. polcra . . . what??!?


----------



## Jacobchinarian (May 13, 2011)

Years from now a person wanting to buy a tarantula will google feeding mice and this is what they will come accros.


----------



## redrumpslump (May 13, 2011)

Jacobchinarian said:


> Years from now a person wanting to buy a tarantula will google feeding mice and this is what they will come accros.


or the other hundred threads over the same thing.

Matt


----------



## groovyspider (May 13, 2011)

redrumpslump said:


> or the other hundred threads over the same thing.
> 
> Matt


exactly what i was thinking :wall:


----------



## synyster (May 13, 2011)

@groovy

Thats what I thought. I've done every petshop and no one has any mecher mail's available. They offered me a chikon but my mind is made up. If anyone has any mecher mail g. Polcras, im willing to make a trade for an emmecher pheemail b. Smeetee


----------



## Zoltan (May 13, 2011)

*Moderator's Note*

The posts about dyslexia have been moved to *The Watering Hole*. Please continue the discussion *there*.


----------



## Zoltan (May 13, 2011)

Mez, see here:



Arachnopets said:


> *I just joined and don't see "The Watering Hole" or I've been able to view "The Watering Hole" but unable to post.  How do I get permission to view/start posting?* - It's very simple actually, click on the "user cp" link, on the left hand side in the "miscellaneous" category you will see a link for "group memberships".  Click on that link and you will see the option to join "The Watering Hole".  Select "The Watering Hole" and click on "join group".  That's it, you're done and should have access to "The Watering Hole".


----------



## synyster (May 13, 2011)

kylestl said:


> I don't care who you are, thats funny right there! Kidding aside, why do you guys find so much humor in making fun of people........?


Personally, I respect everybody on this forum. Being entitled to your opinions, thoughts, beliefs and everything else is something I understand and encourage. Even when I don't agree with someone, I try to understand their point of view like I did already in this thread. 

But like everyone, I have limits and this one was just way too funny I almost wet myself! 1st page of this thread: We are talking about feeding mice to spiders and everyone is giving their opinion. All of a sudden, a newcomer posts his first post out of nowhere and writes " I have a mecher mail g.polcra". How not to laugh?? This phrase has become the quote for at least 4 people now haha!! I mean, it was just so out of context and chris who responds right after... Just go read the first page of the thread it's hilarious 

So if your referring to me, saying that I take pleasure out of making fun of people, your wrong. This is the only time it has happened. I'd rather always give useful information even if the post is written all crazy.

But what do you answer to Jrod's line?!?! haha!!


----------



## Chris_Skeleton (May 14, 2011)

This was the most epic fail thread ever. Started out feeding mice to tarantulas, then about "mecher mails", then feeding tarantulas to other tarantulas, and lastly to dyslexia. 

This was the most derailed thread ever. If this thread were a train, it would be an unmanned train carrying explosive material and speeding towards a town. Good thing Zoltan pulled a Denzel


----------



## synyster (May 14, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> This was the most epic fail thread ever. Started out feeding mice to tarantulas, then about "mecher mails", then feeding tarantulas to other tarantulas, and lastly to dyslexia.
> 
> This was the most derailed thread ever. If this thread were a train, it would be an unmanned train carrying explosive material and speeding towards a town. Good thing Zoltan pulled a Denzel


^^+1000! just perfectly explained^^


----------



## Jezabel (May 14, 2011)

:clap: LOL! Too Funny!!!


----------



## LV-426 (May 14, 2011)

*im not gonna do it*

after some soul searching i have decided not to feed a G. rosea to my T. stirmi. i thank all the ones who gave their opinions


----------



## Mez (May 14, 2011)

Glad you came to the correct decision.


----------



## Falk (Jun 7, 2011)

LV-426 said:


> after some soul searching i have decided not to feed a G. rosea to my T. stirmi. i thank all the ones who gave their opinions


I say dont, there is a big risk that in 10-20 years _Grammostola rosea_ will become more rare and more expensive than _T. stirmi_ since Chile har closed for all animal exports


----------



## FrostyCakee (Jun 7, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> Feed him 5 or so every week or two.  Assuming they're full-grown adult female crickets.


how do you know if they are females?


----------



## xhexdx (Jun 7, 2011)

FrostyCakee said:


> how do you know if they are females?


Ovipositor.


----------



## Spidershane1 (Jun 7, 2011)

xhexdx said:


> Ovipositor.


FrostyCakee-

And by that he means the little black tube thing sticking out of their butts. It's what the females use to deposit eggs into the ground.


----------



## LV-426 (Jun 7, 2011)

Falk said:


> I say dont, there is a big risk that in 10-20 years _Grammostola rosea_ will become more rare and more expensive than _T. stirmi_ since Chile har closed for all animal exports


i agree, i have seen it with my own eyes


----------

