# My tarantula is eating alot...



## Temporicide (Jul 29, 2010)

I got a rose haired tarantula about two weeks ago, so I'm kinda new with this stuff.  Well, I put four feeder crickets into her enclosure for the first time since I got her (I read somewhere that you're supposed to let it get used to it's new home before you feed it) and she ate all four of them within two hours. From what I've heard, they eat four crickets in one week, not in one sitting. Is it normal for her to eat this much? Should I put more crickets in there?

Also, when she caught her second cricket she dropped it on the ground, covered it with some web, then picked it up and continued eating it. Why did she do that?

Thanks in advance.


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## Wheezy (Jul 29, 2010)

I actually don't know as to why she would web up the cricket, and then eat it.  However, you usually don't want to put that many crickets in her enclosure at the same time, it could be stressful on her, and you wouldn't want that.  I feed just about all of my T's one cricket a week, unless I really want to try and get them to grow a little faster:].  She shouldn't eat if she's not hungry though, so maybe she hasn't eaten in a while before you bought her. As long as she ate them though, she should be fine. Keep in mind, the more you feed them, the quicker they grow, which is neat, but it also shortens their lifespan a little bit. Also, if she left any remains of the crickets, just use some pliers, or tongs to get them out, as to prevent any mites, ect. 
Goodluck!


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## Terry D (Jul 29, 2010)

Temporicide, First off, welcome aboard!

4 crickets seem plenty for a G rosea. I would wait a few days before feeding more. How big is it and does the abdomen look small?

 Never kept rosea but my G pulchras do the "happy dance" spinning slowly and somewhat ungainly while webbing a feeding mat. It's comical. 

Enjoy your pet 

Terry


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## Salamanderhead (Jul 29, 2010)

I noticed some of my tarantulas will occasionally drop a dead cricket, web it, and then proceed to eating it.  Im not really sure why they do this either. Maybe its a way of keeping all the juices and guts together when they're eating.  Kind of like a tortilla... the wrap being the web.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## smallara98 (Jul 29, 2010)

Salamanderhead said:


> I noticed some of my tarantulas will occasionally drop a dead cricket, web it, and then proceed to eating it.  Im not really sure why they do this either. Maybe its a way of keeping all the juices and guts together when they're eating.  Kind of like a tortilla... the wrap being the web.


Lol thats priceless XD


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## briarpatch10 (Jul 29, 2010)

Salamanderhead said:


> I noticed some of my tarantulas will occasionally drop a dead cricket, web it, and then proceed to eating it.  Im not really sure why they do this either. Maybe its a way of keeping all the juices and guts together when they're eating.  Kind of like a tortilla... the wrap being the web.


That is funny! ...Be happy your rosea is eating at all!!!I have had mine for a little over a month and not one bite . They are tempermental about eating I have been told.
Temporicide...welcome and get ready for the "bug" to bite soon you will have 4 or more with plans for a room full of them


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## farrisbaharom (Jul 29, 2010)

how big is the T?
i've kept a 5" G rosea before who ate once every 2 weeks and she took 2-3 3/4" per sitting.
she'd be full up for a couple of weeks on that.

...when she wasn't fasting, that is.


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## Abby (Jul 29, 2010)

Hi there!  

When I got my G. rosea she was not kept in good conditions at the pet shop.
She was dehydrated and seriously skinny.

She spent about 2 hours on her water dish when I brought her home, and ate about 8 crickets in one week.  I let her indulge since she was in such a bad condition.  

I think her instinct was telling her to eat as much as she could since she didn't know when she would have feed again.

After that I rationed her food a bit better, and she got very nice and plumpy without gorging herself too much 

Here she was when she got home:







And now:

Reactions: Like 1


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## farrisbaharom (Jul 29, 2010)

awww ... poor thing.
lucky you came along - and yes, i know buying from a bad lps just encourages them yadda yadda yadda, but since it's a done deal ... awwww

nice one mate


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## Amelia (Jul 30, 2010)

My rose hair eats like an LP! Or she wants to. Toss a cricket in there and she frantically pounces on it and shoves it into her mouth similar to how the Cookie Monster would attack a plate of cookies. Any movement in her enclosure she thinks is food. She actually stole a plastic knife out of my hands and took it to her hide when I was moving her water dish around. Came out, YOINK! with her fangs and it was gone. Now she jumps out of her hide like she wants to attack what I am using to fish something out of her enclosure with. When she realizes it is NOT food, she'll rear back into a slow motion threat pose. Hehehe, she is a lot of fun.


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## nicolevins (Jul 30, 2010)

Temporicide said:


> Also, when she caught her second cricket she dropped it on the ground, covered it with some web, then picked it up and continued eating it. Why did she do that?


What size is your T btw?  How big were the crickets? I think 4 is plenty, unless you are powerfeeding I guess you could add a few more but I personally wouldn't do that. I want my G. rosea to live as long as she can with me.  

I have heard that they drop and web it to hold it together while digesting it - so it doesn't fall apart when ingesting the cricket. Sometimes they will leave remains after they eat. Either they weren't hungry or it's not able to fit 
If I fed a 1inch cricket to my 4inch female, she would leave some remains but a half an inch or 3/4 inch, she's able to eat it all up!


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## Temporicide (Jul 31, 2010)

Hey all, thanks for all the replies and welcomes and whatnot. 

I'm still a little nervous about getting close enough to my tarantula to measure her, but she looks to be about 3 1/2 inches. And the crickets I fed her were almost an inch...


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## farrisbaharom (Aug 1, 2010)

*sounds ok to me*



Temporicide said:


> Hey all, thanks for all the replies and welcomes and whatnot.
> 
> I'm still a little nervous about getting close enough to my tarantula to measure her, but she looks to be about 3 1/2 inches. And the crickets I fed her were almost an inch...



... then that sounds fairly normal for a Grammostola - at least for mine.
if you're concerned that she's getting too large you can always skip a few feeding cycles.


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