# Can you over-feed a tarantula?



## SRirish (Oct 9, 2007)

My G.rosia (Lucy) has always had a good appetite.

at one time she accepted a cricket 1 day before she molted!(i knew she was going through premolt by her change in mood so i did not feed her that day. I believe a friend of mine fed it to her when i was busy)

well this year a couple months after she molted she was especially hungry(she went after the first 2 defenceless crickets so fast) Well that day i fed her 6 crickets. Now she is being fed 3 crickets a day and she happily eats each one.

she has had this big appetite for a couple month's now and so i am asking you, more experienced T keepers and breeders this question. Am i over-feeding my T?

 She is not gravid (gravid means pregnant is what im guessing)

and i cant think of any reason of why she likes to eat so much other than her being pregnant (witch she is not)

is there any exlanation you have for this?

or am i just making her a pig?

-thanks ahead of time!

Reactions: Face Palm 1


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## problemchildx (Oct 9, 2007)

From my experience, generally Ts won't gorge themselves on purpose when they aren't hungry... Like humans can do..

But in the wild they eat a much as they can, waiting for the fast period where they will go without eating because of the scarceness of prey.  

Can someone else back this up?

Also, I am not sure why she eats so much I think you have had her long enough so that you know she hasn't been mating..


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## fartkowski (Oct 9, 2007)

In my opinion 3 crickets a day is way too much.
One or two a week is fine.
Alot of T's will eat as much as you give them, especially after a molt.
At some point in time I wouldn't be surprised if your rosie goes several months without eating.
How big is she?


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## P. Novak (Oct 9, 2007)

Well over eating is a completely different thing in Ts than it is in humans. Technically a T can over eat because like problemchild said in the wild they eat when they can. They have no idea they are being kept as pets, so their instinct is to eat when they can. It is our duty to replicate their natural behaviours like it would be in the wild, so most hobbyist space the feeding times. I mean it's not wrong to feed your T as much as it will eat, but it does increase the chance of it getting hurt when it falls.


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## problemchildx (Oct 9, 2007)

P. Novak said:


> Well over eating is a completely different thing in Ts than it is in humans. Technically a T can over eat because like problemchild said in the wild they eat when they can. They have no idea they are being kept as pets, so their instinct is to eat when they can. It is our duty to replicate their natural behaviours like it would be in the wild, so most hobbyist space the feeding times. I mean it's not wrong to feed your T as much as it will eat, but it does increase the chance of it getting hurt when it falls.


Good point, and am I correct in saying overfeeding will generally cause a shorter life span?


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## P. Novak (Oct 9, 2007)

problemchildx said:


> Good point, and am I correct in saying overfeeding will generally cause a shorter life span?


In the long run yes, since over feeding is power feeding, and power feeding shortens the time between molts which means the T will grow to maturity much faster. With the long living Ts it won't be very noticable though. I myself powerfeed some of my young ones till they get adult colors, then from their it's a cricket or 2 a week.

Reactions: Informative 2 | Clarification Please 1


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## Mushroom Spore (Oct 9, 2007)

problemchildx said:


> But in the wild they eat a much as they can, waiting for the fast period where they will go without eating because of the scarceness of prey.
> 
> Can someone else back this up?


Yes. Tarantulas are binge eaters, and...aw, crud, I can't type all this out again, it's like the sixth one in the last week.  OP, if you do a search for "powerfeeding" you should get plenty of info.


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## problemchildx (Oct 9, 2007)

LOL shroom..

I never did seek this info, it's just being slowly drilled into my head each day, making me unsure if I am always correct or not.

Search FTW


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## SRirish (Oct 9, 2007)

fartkowski said:


> In my opinion 3 crickets a day is way too much.
> One or two a week is fine.
> Alot of T's will eat as much as you give them, especially after a molt.
> At some point in time I wouldn't be surprised if your rosie goes several months without eating.
> How big is she?


She is about 4"

ps:sorry for my late reply's


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## problemchildx (Oct 9, 2007)

wow 3 crickets a day for a 4" spider..

sounds like the comparable average amount of an obese American toddler's daily consumption.

  but yeah 2-3 crickets at MOST twice a week.

In fact, I would only give a rosea 1 or two a week, then maybe go a week with none, then give 5 the next week. It's good to spice up the dinner menu too.

Reactions: Dislike 1


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## SRirish (Oct 9, 2007)

thanks!! now i dont have to have all those crickets be eaten so soon

Reactions: Disagree 1


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## P. Novak (Oct 9, 2007)

SRirish said:


> thanks!! now i dont have to have all those crickets be eaten so soon


I have a solution, get more Ts so you can feed them off anyway.

Reactions: Like 2


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## SRirish (Oct 9, 2007)

P. Novak said:


> I have a solution, get more Ts so you can feed them off anyway.


that works too!

im actually waiting to get a L.parahybana


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## bio teacher (Oct 9, 2007)

Everybody's responses are right on. I just wanted to point out that the correct species name is rosea and not rosia. I know scientific names are confusing, but as a biology teacher, I have a need to make sure that we are using correct scientific names. Especially with all of the confusing common names out there. I hope that I didn't offend you


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## chandlermonster (Oct 9, 2007)

are you really a biology teacher, or is that a joke?


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## vvx (Oct 9, 2007)

I think one aspect of the power feeding debate is whether it only shortens the life span during which the spider is powerfed or if it affects the spider after you return to a normal feeding schedule.

Not many people I think show off their 1/2" slings, in fact adult females might cost 10x as much as a sling, so if you get the adult female quicker and it doesn't have any negative forward looking effects can it be that bad? Especially if you're the sort of person who's more likely to buy an adult female rather than a sling in the first place.


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## Mushroom Spore (Oct 10, 2007)

vvx said:


> I think one aspect of the power feeding debate is whether it only shortens the life span during which the spider is powerfed or if it affects the spider after you return to a normal feeding schedule.


Think of it this way: you have a two-hour movie on tape. But the first twenty minutes are really boring! So you fast forward twenty minutes to get to the good stuff. It's still a two-hour movie, but because you sped it up, it's over in an hour and forty minutes.

That's kind of a weak metaphor, but it's close.


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## problemchildx (Oct 10, 2007)

Mushroom Spore said:


> That's kind of a weak metaphor, but it's close.


Good enough for me. 

Personally I like feeding slings the way they would in the wild.
Also, they just have so much more character (don't even mention it you guys) and activity when they are younger. I am a somewhat impatient person, but it's like having children. I really don't think you would willfully choose to fast forward through their childhood.


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## Flying (Oct 10, 2007)

problemchildx said:


> Good enough for me.
> 
> Personally I like feeding slings the way they would in the wild.
> Also, they just have so much more character (don't even mention it you guys) and activity when they are younger. I am a somewhat impatient person, but it's like having children. I really don't think you would willfully choose to fast forward through their childhood.


I don't think it's an issue of overfeeding though. I just check if they're hungry by throwing a cricket in. If the sling dashes from one end to the other end just to get the cricket then I think it's hungry.

When the sling doesn't grab the bait at once then I remove it. I check this every day and so far they only eat when hungry. If the sling runs away from the cricket rather than eating it then it's quite obvious to me that the cricket should go.


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## problemchildx (Oct 10, 2007)

Not really, actually. T's will eat usually every time you feed them. Slings, on the other hand may know when to stop, but I haven't seen one of my spiders refuse prey yet. (Hoping for that first molt!! :wall:   )

Typically, like my good and drunk Irish buddy, T's don't know when to stop! They eat as much as possible in anticipation of the awaited fast. BTW this is not meant to be a cruel stereotype, it is in fact my good Irish buddy. In fact he's somewhere around these forums 

Anyway as for powerfeeding slings, I see no harm at all. Who likes to wait?! Just a preference of mine to watch them slowly grow up while I slowly grow older.

Example of bad overfeeding:

Fred: "Wow, that's quite a big G. Rosea you have! Is she gravid?"
Dan: "Nah dawg, she just has a good appetite!"
Fred: "Uhhh how many crickets a week?"
Dan: "Usually 3 a day"
Fred: *glances at the 5" legspan, and points out to Dan that the abdomen should never be 5 times as large as the cephalothorax*
Dan: "Is she gonna die?"
Fred: "No in fact, I suspect you could go without feeding for at least a month or two."

Also I am now reminded of one of SCABIES field trips for finding wild tarantulas. Cacoseraph noted that as soon as the T was in captivity, it ate the roach with many compliments. In the wild, I'm sure they go very very long without food.

A little food for thought.

PS I am really bored can anyone tell?


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## bio teacher (Oct 10, 2007)

Really a high school biology teacher


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## badluckwind (Apr 17, 2011)

*3 crickets a day?*

Has no one asked yet what age the crickets are that are being fed to the T? If very small crickets are being fed it shouldn't be a problem. I feed my mature G. Rosea 4 week old crickets (large). I feed her about three twice a week, but less than that is fine too.


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## Renegad3 (Aug 2, 2018)

I am new to the hobby but my story was that I have a huge fear of spiders and one day I started watching tarantula enthusiasts online like the dark den tarantula dan and deadly tarantula girl as well as monster bug wars and just became very interested in conquering my fears and possibly getting one as a pet... I got my first ones out 3 months later when I felt I learned so much I could handle one on my own so on 6-25 of 2018 I got my first curly hair tarantula... I also aquired a rose hair another curly hair a Costa Rican zebra and pink toe all in the month of July and just got a Mexican blonde on August 1st... so in just over a month I went from 1 to 6 and all though I still get a little nervous my fear has really became more of a mental thing I’m slowly overcoming by seeing my tarantulas associate me with caring for them... so I don’t think it’s a matter of over eating I think some tarantulas eat more then others... so my rosea she has only ate 3 baby crickets since I had her for about 4 weeks now I offer them weekly and every few days but she only eats it when she wants... my curly hair tarantulas would on the other hand eat 2 crickets and a super worm a day their great eaters... what I noticed is if you feed them daily then they hit a period where they fastfor 2 or 3 weeks at a time once they eat a lot for a couple weeks straight. So I’m sure if I fed them more according to the book which I’m doing more now then they will hardly ever fast except pre molt... but still they knew when they were full and stopped eating for a couple weeks... I agree going by the book is more ideal because you don’t want to be tricked into thinking their in premolt but really their just full from good eating.. my zebra t has only ate 2 crickets in 3 weeks I offer it every couple days but it still only eats when she wants... my pink toe has ate 2 crickets a day for about 5 days now so I’m going to give her a 3 or 4 day break from them so she stays good eating and my newly aquired Mexican blonde has ate 2 super worms and 6 crickets in 2 days so now I’m going to skip 3 or 4 days so it eats regularly for me. So I do think a t knows when it’s had enough.. I also think if they are heavy eaters they will eat heavy for a couple weeks then fast for a couple weeks so to spread it out may help so you never have a dull moment when feeding... but I do agree they could get hurt by a fall or whatever I’m just saying I don’t think it’s a big deal at all if you like seeing them eat heavy and fast for a couple weeks then ok or if you like regular feeding then I would skip some days in between but I’m pretty sure all of mine r very healthy and move around I even see when they get in hunting mode so yah just my opinion


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## The Grym Reaper (Aug 3, 2018)

@Renegad3 Just a heads up but nobody has replied to this 11 year old thread in over 7 years and only one user has been active on the forum since 2015

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 1


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## Renegad3 (Aug 3, 2018)

Thanks for the heads up


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## EDED (Aug 3, 2018)

ive noticed from others over the years
some species will eat until they die, no death curl, just dead,  umm there should be an old post on P. lugardi overfed and dead
also lessens their life span, same rules apply, more food higher temp faster metabolism and your numbers are set.  

talk to a few old veterans who has seen and kept WC ts and CB for many years.  WC ts get always bigger.  the person I have spoken to thinks its the slow growth and maturity in the wild due to limited calories that make them bigger in size.   He does not think it has to do with a tank size like it would affect in other types of animals. (bigger tank bigger t..no)


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## Misty Day (Aug 3, 2018)

Wasn't there a guy on here that fed his _N.incei_ adult female so much that her abdomen ruptured while still in her burrow? Can't for the life of me remember the user.

Personally I "overfeed" all my slings as many other people do, then once they hit 3 or so inches I stop. I can't stand slow growth rates, I got a _B.emilia_ female from 1/2 to 4 inches in a 20 month period by doing this.


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## moshpitpanda (Aug 3, 2018)

My rule has always been twice a week which I have never been able to do. My at sling has only eaten once a week if that since I got it. However, the first day I got it I fed it a worm that was probably way too big which is more than likely the result of its decreased appetite.


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## DaMoi (Oct 9, 2018)

Ok so guys, I had to get on here after some strange behaviour from my L. Klugi the past 6-8 months or so (hard to remember). Had her for a little over a year now, she was fed in a normal way, 2-4 times a week until early spring this year (roughly). Then she started refusing food.. and kept refusing food.. then she stayed in her burrow for months, didn't eat anything, webbed up her entrance and I thought "premolt here we go". But no, she never molted. Today I finally tried feeding her again because for the first time since spring I had seen her out of her hole (in the past few days). So far today she has had 3 crickets. I've heard of long fasting periods before, and was prepared for it, didn't freak out until a few months had passed. I was really worried for a long time, but now everything seems good again. 

Anyone else had experiences like this?


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## antinous (Oct 9, 2018)

DaMoi said:


> Ok so guys, I had to get on here after some strange behaviour from my L. Klugi the past 6-8 months or so (hard to remember). Had her for a little over a year now, she was fed in a normal way, 2-4 times a week until early spring this year (roughly). Then she started refusing food.. and kept refusing food.. then she stayed in her burrow for months, didn't eat anything, webbed up her entrance and I thought "premolt here we go". But no, she never molted. Today I finally tried feeding her again because for the first time since spring I had seen her out of her hole (in the past few days). So far today she has had 3 crickets. I've heard of long fasting periods before, and was prepared for it, didn't freak out until a few months had passed. I was really worried for a long time, but now everything seems good again.
> 
> Anyone else had experiences like this?


How large is it? And 2-4 times a week is a lot for any T that is not a sling. I feed my adult Ts once every other week/sometimes once a month. It probably wasn't hungry after all the food you gave it. Going on hunger fasts for a couple weeks to a couple months isn't unheard of, especially with tarantulas that are fed a large amount.


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## The Grym Reaper (Oct 9, 2018)

DaMoi said:


> she was fed in a normal way, 2-4 times a week


Way too much.

My general rule for feeding:

Slings under 1" - once every 3 days
Slings over 1" - once every 5 days
Small juveniles - once every 7 days
Larger juveniles - once every 10 days
Subadults/adults - once every 14-21 days

Prey size/total combined prey size - preferably no larger than the tarantula's abdomen.

I've only had 2 tarantulas fast for longer than 2 months on this schedule, an adult female A. chalcodes (but they're known to do that) and a 1.5" B. albiceps sling (which I'm sure is trolling me by just refusing to grow).


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## DaMoi (Oct 9, 2018)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Way too much.
> 
> My general rule for feeding:
> 
> ...


Well, in the beginning I fed her small mealworms, and have never fed her anything larger than 1/4 of her abdomen, if that. But good to know, thanks.



Phormic28 said:


> How large is it? And 2-4 times a week is a lot for any T that is not a sling. I feed my adult Ts once every other week/sometimes once a month. It probably wasn't hungry after all the food you gave it. Going on hunger fasts for a couple weeks to a couple months isn't unheard of, especially with tarantulas that are fed a large amount.


Yeah, I know a couple of months is normal, and I was kind of intentionally giving her a little extra because the previous owner said she hadn't molted in a while, and she had a great appetite. I just thought that 6-8 months was very long. She is about 3,5 inches I think, though I'm not excactly sure on whether to measure from back of abdomen to mandibles, or between the largest distance in legs when standing in a normal pose.

Having said that, I sometimes skipped a week back then, so 2-4 times a week is probably an overestimate on my part.


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## The Grym Reaper (Oct 9, 2018)

DaMoi said:


> I'm not excactly sure on whether to measure from back of abdomen to mandibles, or between the largest distance in legs when standing in a normal pose.


Diagonal leg span is the most widely used (measuring body length is mostly a mainland Europe thing), measured from the tip of the front leg on one side to the tip of the rear leg on the opposite side, doesn't have to be at full stretch as you just want a rough idea.


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## DaMoi (Oct 9, 2018)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Diagonal leg span is the most widely used (measuring body length is mostly a mainland Europe thing), measured from the tip of the front leg on one side to the tip of the rear leg on the opposite side, doesn't have to be at full stretch as you just want a rough idea.


That's what I thought. Then 3,5 inches is pretty close, not gonna go and bother her right now. And yes, I live in northern Europe, so that's why I was in doubt


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## Dobe (Jan 2, 2019)

So I see this is a old thread but I would still like to know if can I injure my T. (Bracheypelma Albopilosum)by feeding it to much? I've been on a schedule of 1 1/2 a week diet of medium sized crickets.(10-12) She dustes them all off in about 2 1/2 days. She just molted about a month ago and that took her 2 months, but she's so very healthy lookin.... I gave her a larger cricket for the 1st time yesterday and she dusted it off in about 2 hrs. Sometimes she drops the remains in her water dish! Any feedback would be appreciated.


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## The Grym Reaper (Jan 2, 2019)

Dobe said:


> I would still like to know if can I injure my T (Brachypelma albopilosum) by feeding it too much?


Yes, overfeeding increases the chances of tarantulas sustaining injuries or dying from falls (this can be negated with a proper setup where the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure doesn't exceed 1.5x the tarantulas leg span), it also increases the likelihood that the tarantula will sustain drag injuries and damage its book lungs because they eventually get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off of the floor when they move



Dobe said:


> I've been on a schedule of 1 1/2 a week diet of medium sized crickets.(10-12) She dusts them all off in about 2 1/2 days.


Just to clarify... You're feeding it 10-12 crickets every week and a half? And you're leaving live feeders unattended with your tarantula?

If that's the case then you're feeding it way to much (like "3-4 months worth of food in one sitting" too much) and you should never leave live feeders in with your T unattended, if they're in there when your T moults then they will eat your tarantula because it can't defend itself.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Dobe (Jan 2, 2019)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Yes, overfeeding increases the chances of tarantulas sustaining injuries or dying from falls (this can be negated with a proper setup where the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure doesn't exceed 1.5x the tarantulas leg span), it also increases the likelihood that the tarantula will sustain drag injuries and damage its book lungs because they eventually get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off of the floor when they move
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No


The Grym Reaper said:


> Yes, overfeeding increases the chances of tarantulas sustaining injuries or dying from falls (this can be negated with a proper setup where the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure doesn't exceed 1.5x the tarantulas leg span), it also increases the likelihood that the tarantula will sustain drag injuries and damage its book lungs because they eventually get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off of the floor when they move
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the feedback The Grym Reaper, just to clarify when I do have to leave the feeders, there the medium sized crickets so there no match for my T. She's a savage! I watch her feed during this time and I know when she's in pre molt and I would never leave any feeders in her enclosure if she was to start moltening, I pay close attention to my T. I'll cut down on medium crickets and just feed her the larger ones maybe twice a week. Good lookin tho...


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## The Seraph (Jan 2, 2019)

Dobe said:


> No
> 
> Thanks for the feedback The Grym Reaper, just to clarify when I do have to leave the feeders, there the medium sized crickets so there no match for my T. She's a savage! I watch her feed during this time and I know when she's in pre molt and I would never leave any feeders in her enclosure if she was to start moltening, I pay close attention to my T. I'll cut down on medium crickets and just feed her the larger ones maybe twice a week. Good lookin tho...


Well if you must leave feeders in the cage, kill them before hand. She will still eat them and there is no potential harm. Hope this helps!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Dobe (Jan 2, 2019)

The Seraph said:


> Well if you must leave feeders in the cage, kill them before hand. She will still eat them and there is no potential harm. Hope this helps!


Ok


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## kaolincash (Jan 3, 2019)

*First of all, I advise anyone else coming to resurrect this thread to search the term "power feeding" on the forum (and elsewhere!), to see further discussion about the effects of feeding a tarantula all it can eat.

Second, please understand that this is merely one person's understanding of a complex subject, and I may be partially or even entirely wrong about the following information. Please take it with a pinch of salt and do your own research!*

With that said, here we go:

*On Overfeeding*
As has been previously discussed, your T does not know it's a pet and will eat what it can get whenever it's hungry enough, as its instincts are to assume its food source is unreliable.


The Grym Reaper said:


> They will eventually refuse food but until that point they will happily eat anything they can overpower and get to a point where their abdomen size becomes problematic.


*On Power Feeding*
From what I can gather, "power feeding[1]", (the practice of feeding your T whenever it will accept food in order to encourage faster growth), is generally regarded as unnecessary[2] for adults, and that keepers should attempt to replicate a natural environment as best as possible.


The Grym Reaper said:


> Power-feeding is a carry over from the reptile hobby in which you raise temps to boost the animal's metabolism and then cram food down it to increase growth, if you don't raise temps then you're just overfeeding.


_My opinion, re: Power feeding:_
_—If effectual at all, dietary management seems like a relatively harmless practice when attempting to raise slings, and thus I have no inherent objection to the principle when raising a very young T, but it's a bad idea for older Ts._

Power feeding Ts to encourage them to molt more frequently carries certain inherent risks you'll have to gauge for yourself; as others have said in this thread and elsewhere, _it almost certainly increases the likelihood of abdominal ruptures from falls_, and keepers should _always_ consider potential hazards such as:

The height of the substrate
Placement/number of hard/sharp surfaces
Handling



The Grym Reaper said:


> *it also increases the likelihood that the tarantula will sustain drag injuries and damage its book lungs because they eventually get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off of the floor when they move*.





The Grym Reaper said:


> Slings can eat as much as they like as they have short moult cycles and everything goes towards growth, juvies and adults should be fed less often as they can become seriously overweight (which carries the risks I mentioned above) which can be harder to reverse due to their extended moult cycles and the fact they they don't lose as much abdominal mass through moults.


_My opinion, re: Risks:
—Not only should these practices mitigate potential hazards when your T is fat and full of food, but should also minimise occurances of injuries in general.
—Tip: Most keepers suggest a space of _*DLS+(DLS/2)*_[3]__ from the top of the enclosure to the top layer of substrate as a reasonably 'standard' height for terrestrials/fossorials, with enough substrate below the surface for burrowing as per species requirements._

*On Underfeeding/"Reverse" Power Feeding*
It is also my understanding that some keepers have been known to "reverse power feed"[4] their Ts, in an attempt to extend their lifespan by _reducing_ the frequency of molting.
I certainly can't vouch for the prevalence, nor the long-term effects of such a practice, and I would imagine that starving one's T in order to prolong its life would be unpleasant for them—so it begs the question: what kind of life is that, anyway?

_My opinion, re: "Reverse" power feeding_
_—Of course, my opinion on this is that it's a bad idea. Please don't starve your T._

*In Summary:

Overfeeding*

If your T's abdomen is oversized and it's unable to lift it properly, you're overfeeding it.
*Power Feeding*

_Theoretically_ increases frequency of molts.

_Theoretically_ useful for quickly raising slings/juvies
_If effectual_, definitely ill-advised for adults
Comes with increased risk of abdomen ruptures
*"Reverse" Power Feeding*

Seems like a great way to physically stress your T
*And please, don't hesitate to correct me on any of the above!
We're all here to learn and share information, so if any of my understanding of this topic is inaccurate, I'd love to know.

Edit: Updated post with information from The Grym Reaper; thanks for your feedback.*

[1] forum search for "power feeding"
[2] and even regarded as entirely ineffectual, by some
[3] DLS = Diagonal Leg Span
[4] external page created in 2011 and last updated in 2014 regarding temperature myths. I cannot vouch for its reliability.


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## Dobe (Jan 3, 2019)

kaolincash said:


> *First of all, I advise anyone else coming to resurrect this thread to search the term "power feeding" on the forum (and elsewhere!), to see further discussion about the effects of feeding a tarantula all it can eat.
> 
> Second, please understand that this is merely one person's understanding of a complex subject, and I may be partially or even entirely wrong about the following information. Please take it with a pinch of salt and do your own research!*
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for the insight...Much love to ya!

Reactions: Like 2


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## Dobe (Jan 3, 2019)

Renegad3 said:


> I am new to the hobby but my story was that I have a huge fear of spiders and one day I started watching tarantula enthusiasts online like the dark den tarantula dan and deadly tarantula girl as well as monster bug wars and just became very interested in conquering my fears and possibly getting one as a pet... I got my first ones out 3 months later when I felt I learned so much I could handle one on my own so on 6-25 of 2018 I got my first curly hair tarantula... I also aquired a rose hair another curly hair a Costa Rican zebra and pink toe all in the month of July and just got a Mexican blonde on August 1st... so in just over a month I went from 1 to 6 and all though I still get a little nervous my fear has really became more of a mental thing I’m slowly overcoming by seeing my tarantulas associate me with caring for them... so I don’t think it’s a matter of over eating I think some tarantulas eat more then others... so my rosea she has only ate 3 baby crickets since I had her for about 4 weeks now I offer them weekly and every few days but she only eats it when she wants... my curly hair tarantulas would on the other hand eat 2 crickets and a super worm a day their great eaters... what I noticed is if you feed them daily then they hit a period where they fastfor 2 or 3 weeks at a time once they eat a lot for a couple weeks straight. So I’m sure if I fed them more according to the book which I’m doing more now then they will hardly ever fast except pre molt... but still they knew when they were full and stopped eating for a couple weeks... I agree going by the book is more ideal because you don’t want to be tricked into thinking their in premolt but really their just full from good eating.. my zebra t has only ate 2 crickets in 3 weeks I offer it every couple days but it still only eats when she wants... my pink toe has ate 2 crickets a day for about 5 days now so I’m going to give her a 3 or 4 day break from them so she stays good eating and my newly aquired Mexican blonde has ate 2 super worms and 6 crickets in 2 days so now I’m going to skip 3 or 4 days so it eats regularly for me. So I do think a t knows when it’s had enough.. I also think if they are heavy eaters they will eat heavy for a couple weeks then fast for a couple weeks so to spread it out may help so you never have a dull moment when feeding... but I do agree they could get hurt by a fall or whatever I’m just saying I don’t think it’s a big deal at all if you like seeing them eat heavy and fast for a couple weeks then ok or if you like regular feeding then I would skip some days in between but I’m pretty sure all of mine r very healthy and move around I even see when they get in hunting mode so yah just my opinion


Wow, it's cool that you got over your fears of T's...way ta go and welcome to the hobby!


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## The Grym Reaper (Jan 3, 2019)

kaolincash said:


> *Overfeeding*
> 
> Probably not a major concern as a T will likely just refuse food if it's not hungry.


Overfeeding increases the chances of tarantulas sustaining injuries or dying from falls (this can be negated with a proper setup where the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure doesn't exceed 1.5x the tarantulas leg span), *it also increases the likelihood that the tarantula will sustain drag injuries and damage its book lungs* *because they eventually get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off of the floor when they move*.

They will eventually refuse food but until that point they will happily eat anything they can overpower and get to a point where their abdomen size becomes problematic.



kaolincash said:


> *Power Feeding*
> 
> Increases frequency of molts (theoretically decreasing overall lifespan of the T)
> 
> ...


Power-feeding is a carry over from the reptile hobby in which you raise temps to boost the animal's metabolism and then cram food down it to increase growth, if you don't raise temps then you're just overfeeding. 

Slings can eat as much as they like as they have short moult cycles and everything goes towards growth, juvies and adults should be fed less often as they can become seriously overweight (which carries the risks I mentioned above) which can be harder to reverse due to their extended moult cycles and the fact they they don't lose as much abdominal mass through moults.

Also, any reduction in lifespan from increased growth rate will be negligible, we're talking months at most in animals that can live for decades.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## kaolincash (Jan 3, 2019)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Overfeeding increases the chances of tarantulas sustaining injuries or dying from falls (this can be negated with a proper setup where the height between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure doesn't exceed 1.5x the tarantulas leg span)


Indeed, I addressed that exact issue in my post.



The Grym Reaper said:


> *it also increases the likelihood that the tarantula will sustain drag injuries and damage its book lungs because they eventually get so fat that they can't lift their abdomens off of the floor when they move*.


That's a very good point.



The Grym Reaper said:


> They will eventually refuse food but until that point they will happily eat anything they can overpower and get to a point where their abdomen size becomes problematic.


Noted! Thanks for the info, I appreciate the feedback.
Edit: Updated my post to reflect this feedback!


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