# How do you feel about feeding pinkies (baby mice) to Ts ?



## LucN (Mar 31, 2012)

This is probably a question often asked...

personally, I cannot see myself doing such a thing.

Call me a wimp if you will... whenever I see a video on youtube of someone feeding a pinkie to a T, I have to switch to something else. Just hearing its squeaks of pain is enough to get me angry and sad. I don't see the point of feeding vertebrates to Ts... given they have a much more evolved "pain receptor" than insects.

Whenever I see a pinkie mouse, I think of a newborn puppy. I recall reading somebody took the "pleasure" of feeding one to an anaconda. As far as I am concerned, it feels wrong. Ugh.

Crickets, on the other hand... I feel no mercy against. They stink, make noise and eat anything in their path.

Thoughts, folks ?


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## catfishrod69 (Mar 31, 2012)

Those people on youtube feeding mice to their tarantulas are idiots that are doing it for show. Its a "cool" thing to video. So that way they get the attention they crave.

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## Amoeba (Mar 31, 2012)

If you want to feed a F/T pinkie to your T that's your deal and I'm fine with that. 

I'm not a fan of making silly videos about it or feeding live. 

I can't afford to feed mice nor do I want to.


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## Storm76 (Mar 31, 2012)

Aside from the fact that it's producing a MESS in the tank that the keeper eventually has to clean up..yuk! - it's actually not very healthy as far as I am aware of. I think something regarding too much calcium or the like?


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## Amoeba (Mar 31, 2012)

Storm76 said:


> Aside from the fact that it's producing a MESS in the tank that the keeper eventually has to clean up..yuk! - it's actually not very healthy as far as I am aware of. I think something regarding too much calcium or the like?


The calcium thing has not been proven in scientific study as far as I know.


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## superfunTtime (Mar 31, 2012)

Amoeba said:


> The calcium thing has not been proven in scientific study as far as I know.


You are correct. This subject gets brought up all the time. Some people claimed that their larger Ts had molting problems after feeding on mice. There has not been any real research done to answer the question of whether or not it is healthy for tarantulas to eat vertebrates (though some of the larger species have been observered and even filmed feeding on vertebrates in the wild). I feed my tarantulas a rotation of crickets, superworms and dubia roaches (all food items gutloaded) and they seem to be pretty happy.

As far as the cruelty of feeding mice to tarantulas, I personally would not want to do it. However, animals eat each other all the time in the wild, often in an incredibly vicious and painful fashion. I still don't feel like that is license for me to cause needless suffering to the food items I feed to my pets. I guess that is up for each person to decide for themselves. I would advise that you don't need to feed mice to your tarantulas to keep them healthy, so if you hate doing it as well then just don't. Most pet stores have a good variety of feeder bugs you can gutload and give to your tarantulas. Just stick with those.


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## Storm76 (Mar 31, 2012)

I know, but I remember reading about it and thought I'd at least throw it out so you guys can write something on that matter.


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## grayzone (Mar 31, 2012)

ive fed pinkies to my larger ts a handful of times. Never had ANY problems... never had any mess either.  i AM careful as to make sure that the pinkie doesn't void its bowels or something, as THAT is surely a breeding ground for lil nasties...   I am against feeding any type of mouse other than a pinkie though, as once they're past the pinkie stage they get the paws/claws and teeth... dont want the prey becoming the predator.. I am also against making vids on the subject... it just glorifies it for all the wrong reasons.....  I see no harm in feeding large prey like once a molt cycle (again, for LARGER ts) or for breeding purposes


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## Storm76 (Mar 31, 2012)

Well, I'll stick to Crickets, Locusts, Superworms and Dubias...I don't see the need to feed a T pinkeys, but that's maybe personal preference plus, like Steven said, size dependant.

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## lizardminion (Mar 31, 2012)

LucN said:


> They stink, make noise and eat anything in their path.


And so do mice.
I don't feel anything wrong about it. This is why they are bred, after all.
However, it isn't healthy for Ts or inverts as they have more calcium than other bugs do. Though they aren't as bad as full grown mice, who contain way more calcium. I guess it is okay to feed pinkies to inverts as a treat to fatten them up. But it shouldn't be a staple diet.


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## hotflakes2 (Mar 31, 2012)

Well its part of the food chain. Ts eat pinkies in the wild so as we eat pigs and chickens. 

I might try feeding a pinky to my T once it gets bigger.

For the video, some people wants to see how vicious the cycle of life is. Its like watching a Lion/Tiger eat a Gazelle.

Cheers!
H


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## Amoeba (Mar 31, 2012)

hotflakes2 said:


> Well its part of the food chain. Ts eat pinkies in the wild


Anyone have pics of this because all I've seen is Avics munching on dead birds


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## Storm76 (Mar 31, 2012)

Amoeba said:


> Anyone have pics of this because all I've seen is Avics munching on dead birds


LOL good one!


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## CleanSweep (Mar 31, 2012)

lizardminion said:


> And so do mice.
> I don't feel anything wrong about it. This is why they are bred, after all.
> However, it isn't healthy for Ts or inverts as they have more calcium than other bugs do. Though they aren't as bad as full grown mice, who contain way more calcium. I guess it is okay to feed pinkies to inverts as a treat to fatten them up. But it shouldn't be a staple diet.


Again, where is this proof that calcium has anything to do with the health problems with T's?  I have seen goliaths eat mice and even a snake in documentaries. They are oppurtunistic ambush predators that will eat what ever is small enough for them to handle with out regards to the prey item having calcium in its system or not. The main and only issues anyone needs to worry about when feeding a T a mouse is the fact they are going to have to deal with a nasty mess when its done eating and, the posibility the mouse will injure the T.

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## Ultum4Spiderz (Mar 31, 2012)

CleanSweep said:


> Again, where is this proof that calcium has anything to do with the health problems with T's?  I have seen goliaths eat mice and even a snake in documentaries. They are oppurtunistic ambush predators that will eat what ever is small enough for them to handle with out regards to the prey item having calcium in its system or not. The main and only issues anyone needs to worry about when feeding a T a mouse is the fact they are going to have to deal with a nasty mess when its done eating and, the posibility the mouse will injure the T.


Theres a video on youtube were its called "goliath eats snake"
Its actualy a Lasiodora Parhaybana,,, they also get IMMENSE!


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## GregorSamsa (Mar 31, 2012)

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...rtebrates-to-invertebrates%85choose-your-side!


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## Amoeba (Apr 1, 2012)

Ultum4Spiderz said:


> Theres a video on youtube were its called "goliath eats snake"
> Its actualy a Lasiodora Parhaybana,,, they also get IMMENSE!


I'd like to see any proof that, that isn't just as staged as youtube videos.


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## Chris_Skeleton (Apr 1, 2012)

superfunTtime said:


> (...even filmed feeding on vertebrates in the wild).


One word: Staged.


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Apr 1, 2012)

:laugh:





Chris_Skeleton said:


> One word: Staged.


its definitly staged,,., they show the wrong spider!!! LP instead of T. Blondi
Its actualy a Staged documentary on animal planet... =/  YOu are correct guys

Poor snake died cuz someone wanted to make a good film
Maybe occasional pinkie is ok, but no reason to feed live white mice.. unless your feeding for the same reason Rob C did. 
2-3 female dubias= better then mouse ... my suggestion feed roaches

WARning: Fuzzy mice can kill a tarantula with there sharp teeth & will fight back if they know how to fight
             Some very large Ts can safely kill them but it is a un-nessisary risk, IMO not worth it
I know this has been said by other keepers many times, but its worth repeating


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## burmish101 (Apr 1, 2012)

Maybe the molting problem can be caused by the t's gaining too much weight/density in their abdomen to cause issues squeezing out of their molt? Some pics i've seen individuals tend to overfeed their large spiders rediculously.

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## superfunTtime (Apr 1, 2012)

Ultum4Spiderz said:


> :laugh:
> its definitly staged,,.,Its actualy a Staged documentary on animal planet...


How do you know?


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## Jared781 (Apr 1, 2012)

I havn't and wont, it can be harmful to my T(s)...Snakes eat mice..... and Ts arent called "Bird Eaters" for nothing! Jk Jk


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## Thistles (Apr 1, 2012)

I saw a vid on youtube of some guy feeding an adult russian hamster to a T. I was very concerned about the T! It was significantly smaller than the hamster if you only looked at its body. The legspan made them appear almost the same size. I think the hamster would have won if it hadn't had the misfortune of taking a fang to each eye.

The keeper who posted the vid was plainly an idiot seeking attention.

I personally will never feed a mouse to my Ts. They are much more expensive than invertebrate feeders, pose an unnecessary risk to the spiders and I don't have any desire to impress anyone with my big tough tarantulas.


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## Spinster (Apr 1, 2012)

I would never feed a mouse, live or dead, to my T's, because there are plenty of invertebrates they can eat and do well with. I also have a python who NEEDS to eat rodents, but I feed frozen/thawed rats to him. Live rodents fight back and can maim or kill even a large snake. The only time I fed live pinkies was when my python was a hatchling. I couldn't get frozen ones at the time. 

Re impressing people with big tough pets - if they are only impressed by what the pet can eat and not the pet itself, then their opinions are worthless anyway.


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## Formerphobe (Apr 1, 2012)

IMO: messy and unnecessary.
Most tarantulas are opportunistic feeders.  If they happen across a dead or dying vertebrate, they might eat it.  Most won't go out and hunt one down.  Since pinkies are usually confined to their nests, I imagine it would be rare for a pinkie to appear near a T burrow, or arboreal tube web.  The occasional/rare bird, lizard, snake or adult rodent would be more likely.


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## Chris_Skeleton (Apr 1, 2012)

superfunTtime said:


> How do you know?


Tell me, what are the odds of a B. smithi coming across a leopard gecko in the wild?


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## Formerphobe (Apr 1, 2012)

> Tell me, what are the odds of a B. smithi coming across a leopard gecko in the wild


?
I'm gonna take a wild stab at this and say, slim to none...
Though, there are lizards in a B. smithi's native environment that it could potentially come across...


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## Nebulosa (Apr 1, 2012)

I feed mine puppies and panda pinkies.


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## SamuraiSid (Apr 1, 2012)

CleanSweep said:


> Again, where is this proof that calcium has anything to do with the health problems with T's?  I have seen goliaths eat mice and even a snake in documentaries. They are oppurtunistic ambush predators that will eat what ever is small enough for them to handle with out regards to the prey item having calcium in its system or not. The main and only issues anyone needs to worry about when feeding a T a mouse is the fact they are going to have to deal with a nasty mess when its done eating and, the posibility the mouse will injure the T.


LOL. To each their own, but I lbame disney for this thread


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## dragonlily (Apr 1, 2012)

I too think its very poor taste to feed a T a pinky/mouse purely for the purporse of internet entertainment... but its like people who get piranas, snakes and other "shock value" pets purely to make themselves look cool/though. I personally dont think I'll ever feed me T's verts mostly because I give them a varried diet as it is. (though where I live, roaches are illegal... trying to find an alternative atm) I have no problems feeding one animal to another, my snake eats rodents (I actually like most rodents, I kept rats as a child). But I feel that just because something is destined for food doesnt mean you shouldnt respect it or treat with kindness. Afterall I eat meat, I have no right to deprevive an animal I chose to take into my care of its rightfull meal. Also just because you find something cute, doesnt mean it has more right to live than the one you find offensive. In the end, your pet, your choice, your responsibility.


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## grayzone (Apr 1, 2012)

guys... can we PLEASE stop these kinds of threads?? there is already a bunch like this.. they NEVER end well... if people HAVE to post their thoughts on it or debate over it CANT IT BE DONE in threads ALREADY STARTED????  it IS a valid question, its just been posted a lot... and from now on, when somebody posstarts a thread, we just add the links... no posts .. no debates..

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## Jared781 (Apr 1, 2012)

grayzone said:


> guys... can we PLEASE stop these kinds of threads?? there is already a bunch like this.. they NEVER end well... if people HAVE to post their thoughts on it or debate over it CANT IT BE DONE in threads ALREADY STARTED????  it IS a valid question, its just been posted a lot... and from now on, when somebody posstarts a thread, we just add the links... no posts .. no debates..


very true... and you're right, there are threads like this. ALL you have to do is go to my profile ---> then check the thread Iv started in the past :/
to the OP: this Q has been answered hope you attained what you were looking for... now only if one of the mods could stop by and say: "Ok OK... now run along"


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## CleanSweep (Apr 2, 2012)

Just FYI the tv show I saw a T eating a snake was "Built for the Kill" on Animal Planet.


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## Spinster (Apr 2, 2012)

This thread reminds me of those discussions that are taboo in polite company: politics and religion. Nevertheless, I'm going to weigh in because of my perspective as a reptile owner. I have an 11 year old Ball python who I raised since he was a hatchling. I got him from a breeder. The breeder was feeding live pinky mice. Ball pythons are notoriously picky eaters, sometimes they will turn away from prey because it's the wrong colour! My hatchling wouldn't eat frozen pinkies, only the live ones. So that's what I fed. I had no choice. 

Luckily when my python got bigger I was able to transition him to frozen prey. My take on this discussion is that if the species doesn't NEED to eat pinkies and will do fine on invertebrates (assuming they are available), why inflict needless suffering on a (supposedly) more evolved species? Save the pinkies for the baby Balls.


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## Ben Oliver (Apr 2, 2012)

you asked a question that either people will freak out about or be passive on. i breed mice, rats, and 5 species of roaches for my monitors, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads and T's. i don't feed my T's pinkies to often every 6 to 8 months or so. i have not seen any problems or benefits from feeding pinkies to T's. it is just easier to feed T's bugs, since i have a larger collection of T's and lizards and snakes


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## WingedWolfPsion (Apr 3, 2012)

Er...ball pythons do not eat pinkie mice.  Even extreme runts start on fuzzy mice, and normal-sized ball python hatchlings take fuzzy rats or hopper mice for a first meal.  There's never a need to feed a pinky-anything to a ball python.  Additionally, spiders kill using venom, which is pretty painful--pythons kill by constricting their prey so hard that the blood flow is stopped, result in unconsciousness within seconds, in the majority of cases.  So, it's not all that inhumane.  Just saying.


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## Tcrazy (Apr 3, 2012)

i am not an expert but its just an asumtion from what i heard that tarantulas and some other arachnids cant absorb calcium cause their bodies lack vitamin d3 because they are nocturnal.


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## lizardminion (Apr 3, 2012)

Tcrazy said:


> i am not an expert but its just an asumtion from what i heard that tarantulas and some other arachnids cant absorb calcium cause their bodies lack vitamin d3 because they are nocturnal.


I read somewhere that the digestive enzymes that spiders inject in their prey only dissolve certain tissues, such as organs, bodily fluids, and... other soft tissue. Anyway, the digested juice is slurped back up and leaves the prey dried up with its bones and certain other body parts.


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## zonbonzovi (Apr 3, 2012)

*Moderator's note*

I'm not sure why we have yet another thread on this when it's been covered ad nauseum.  The other threads, as stated previously, never end well.  I'll leave this thread open with major reservations, but please keep it civil.  I urge everyone to read those older threads before adding anything "new" to this one.  Frankly, I'd like to see some actual data and not 10 pages of feelings and intuition.  Carrion, Captain Ron...

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