# Discussion on Feeding after Rehouse



## EulersK (May 23, 2016)

I'm looking forward to this discussion! 

So here's the deal. I've always followed the caveat that one should not feed a tarantula directly after rehousing. Opinions vary, but the general consensus seems to be waiting about a week after a rehoused before feeding. Well, after my last expo, I decided that it was a great time to run an experiment. 

I walked away with 8 spiders, and I fed 7 of them mere hours after the rehouse (one was clearly in early premolt). The results? Every single one of them ate without hesitation. Several weren't even what you'd call skinny. So, not only did they eat, but I also found that they all settled in much quicker than what has been typical for me in the past. The C. fimbriatus already made web tubes by morning, the A. seemanni started burrowing, the P. striata webbed everything, and so on. The only exception to that statement is my H. gigas, who has yet to begin burrowing for some reason.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on this? Certainly no harm can come from a T eating directly after a rehouse, so at the end of the day this point might be moot. However, it's an interesting tidbit of husbandry. How long do you wait before feeding? Why? What do you say to the anecdotal experiment I ran?

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## louise f (May 23, 2016)

I think it is nonsense that you have to wait with feeding after rehouse. The first thing i do when getting new spiders is feeding them the very same day, works just fine.
Never had issues with that.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 7


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## Flexzone (May 23, 2016)

I've never really got why some people choose to wait ex. a week after a rehouse to feed, If it doesn't eat it doesn't eat simple as that and if it so chooses to then great. Specimen's that I acquire of any size I try and feed the same day and haven't had a problem since.


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## chanda (May 23, 2016)

The only time I wait to feed is during obvious premolt and immediately after a molt. 

I sometimes bring my tarantulas with me for classroom demonstrations. While I don't rehouse them, I do take out large items (like hides and water dishes) that could shift during transport - and, of course, I move the entire cage. When I am teaching summer school, they are going to be in the new location for a couple of weeks, but sometimes I just bring them for 1-day demonstrations. The kids get a big kick out of watching them take down a roach or a cricket, so I'll offer food the same day that I've transported them and never had a problem. 

I have also fed newly acquired spiders the same day that I brought them home and put them in their new enclosures. Sometimes they eat right away. Other times they prefer to wait until after dark. Either way, the cricket is rarely still there in the morning.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Poec54 (May 23, 2016)

In most cases, a hungry spider is going to eat.  I've maintained the tarantulas for a dealer/importer and a pet store: taking them out of a dirty cup & into a clean 16 oz deli cup with a fresh wet cottonball, along with a few crickets, and almost all would grab the crickets in seconds.  That's a lot of disruption, and it didn't phase most of them. 

A high strung or defensive species may take a few days to settle in, maybe even a week or two in some cases, but the norm is that they'll eat during the first 24 hours.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## EulersK (May 23, 2016)

Well, since we're all agreeing here, I'm going to go ahead and play devil's advocate.

There's definitely something to say about a spider settling in before feeding it. @Poec54 brought up a good point about a high strung or defensive species. While the spider might be fine to eat, it's the keeper that may want to refrain from feeding. A spider has no idea where its safe place is yet, so opening the enclosure to do something as disruptive as feeding is asking for a spider to bolt out of the cage. That's even more true given how much it has been poked and prodded within the last 24 hours.

This might work in the opposite way, though. As @chanda pointed out, his/her spiders ate after being transported and having their hide ripped away from them. That happening likely creates a (relatively) aggressive/defensive spider, resulting in a great feeding response.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Venom1080 (May 23, 2016)

i find that slings are more likely to eat after a rehouse. my adults usually take a few days to a week to start feeding again.


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## chanda (May 23, 2016)

EulersK said:


> Well, since we're all agreeing here, I'm going to go ahead and play devil's advocate.
> 
> There's definitely something to say about a spider settling in before feeding it. @Poec54 brought up a good point about a high strung or defensive species. While the spider might be fine to eat, it's the keeper that may want to refrain from feeding. A spider has no idea where its safe place is yet, so opening the enclosure to do something as disruptive as feeding is asking for a spider to bolt out of the cage. That's even more true given how much it has been poked and prodded within the last 24 hours.
> 
> This might work in the opposite way, though. As @chanda pointed out, his/her spiders ate after being transported and having their hide ripped away from them. That happening likely creates a (relatively) aggressive/defensive spider, resulting in a great feeding response.


Actually, it doesn't necessarily make the spiders more aggressive/defensive. I just plan ahead by not feeding them for a few days or a week before a scheduled demonstration so they'll be ready to eat. The only one that I've noticed taking exception to being transported is the T. stirmi. She stridulates when I pick up the cage to move it - but once the cage is back on solid ground (or table) again, she settles in pretty quickly.


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## Quicksilver (May 23, 2016)

Ran a similar experiment with two A. purpurea and two C. Cyanopubenscens Rehoused on the same day and fed one and not the other. I usually wait a few days before feeding after rehousing. Both t's that were fed had significant more webbing than the ones not fed. The two not fed didn't start really webbing until I dropped some food in a couple of days later.


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## gypsy cola (May 23, 2016)

It really depends for me.

The biggest factor is whether or not I actually have any feeders on hand.

I don't do it for slings because I don't want to clean mold for a drumstick but, if I were to advise someone else I would tell them to do whatever they want.

Adults, depends on my mood. I can be a merciful god...

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## darkness975 (May 23, 2016)

I feed mine within a couple of hours of transporting them to places where I do occasional demonstrations for kids and such.

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## Vanessa (May 23, 2016)

I have no problem feeding them if they are the easy going type.  I recently rehoused two juvenile female C. cyaneopubescens and they were bolting all over the bathtub and gave me a hell of a time.  Once they were in the new enclosures, I wasn't fooling with them anymore.  I didn't need them bolting all over again when I had such a tough time getting them in there to begin with.  I let them settle down for a couple of days and, when I saw that they started webbing around a bit, I fed them.  They were as calm as could be.  I really don't think that would have been the case directly after rehousing them.
So, I think it is up to the individual person and individual spider.  I don't see how feeding or not right after a rehouse affects the spider too much, but it could affect you.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Andy00 (May 23, 2016)

I got a versicolor sling and a vagans sling. The versicolor ate a cricket an hour after rehousing and took 3 days to make a web and settle in. I tried to feed the vagans but it was stressed and didn't move. I left a crushed mealworm for it but it never got it, instead it made a big burrow just a few hours after housing and then a day later I fed it and it ate.


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## Blackout14 (May 23, 2016)

I always feed the same day as a rehouse.  I think this myth carried over from the reptile world...you don't want to feed a snake immediatly after a rehouse or some lizards cause if they aren't settled and comfortable they can regurgitate the meal wich not only smells horrible can cause added stress.  A lot of things carry over from that world like heat lamps are needed and heat mats and the like unfurtunatly.  With ts in my experience including the 2 more I just picked up came home rehoused and we're eating roaches within 10 minutes no issues

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## viper69 (May 23, 2016)

Every sling I received in shipping ate the very day I fed it. Every sling I picked up at a show, ate that day as well. Those are all rehouses.

I feed the very day they arrive.

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## Sergic (May 23, 2016)

I actually rehoused my P. irminia the last time while it was eating a cricket. I'm not sure if it helped or my irminia is just a mellow spider, but I was able to gently nudge it into its new enclosure and it walked in slowly with no attempts at teleporting.  When it got into the new enclosure, it finished eating the cricket and started constructing a tube web and dirt curtain that night.


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## Travis21v4 (May 24, 2016)

EulersK said:


> I'm looking forward to this discussion!
> 
> So here's the deal. I've always followed the caveat that one should not feed a tarantula directly after rehousing. Opinions vary, but the general consensus seems to be waiting about a week after a rehoused before feeding. Well, after my last expo, I decided that it was a great time to run an experiment.
> 
> ...


I do the same thing. I feed as soon as i get them home and into their enclosure. Havent had a issue and they seem to settle in twice as fast or almost instantly. I got a darlingi from the same exact expo as you. Rehoused and then fed, woke
Up to a completely webbed up enclosure. Did the same to everyone else, concepcion ate and than had a drink. I dont see a problem with not waiting, but i have seen a positive with feeding instantly after a rehouse.


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## Sky`Scorcher (May 24, 2016)

I've fed mine hours after rehousing. Especially those that have been in transit. If they don't eat, I attempt feeding again in a few hours. If they're really teeny tiny, same thing. I just spray water droplets on the sides before I put them in their new homes.

I've found that if you just leave them be in a dark corner, they're gonna have ample time to get comfy and be in the 'I'm hungry I wanna eat' mode   That's how I see it. I don't feed them immediately after rehousing because then they're in the 'ew don't touch me I don't know what's going on' mode. 

But after reading the replies, I'm gonna try feeding the newcomers the instant they get rehoused. I don't wanna try it on my current ones because I don't wanna wreck their homes nor are they actually due for a rehouse.


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## BossRoss (May 24, 2016)

A lot of fair and experienced comments here.

I think the general rule of thumb of waiting to feed after a rehouse is to ensure to give the T ample time to settle in and set up a good hide. Some people might just throw in half a dozen or so crickets into a small deli cup after rehousing their new sling and wake up in the morning to find nothing but crickets in a deli cup...

As often as possible I will feed a newly rehoused T in the evening of the day I rehoused. Taking life cycle, molt cycle and how the T reacted to the rehouse(@EulersK & @Poec54 made points about defensive/skittish Ts) into account.


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## GG80 (May 24, 2016)

When I know a rehouse is on the cards I'll wait for the T to molt first. Then I wait a few days, even up to a week depending on size before food is offered. I will then offer two meals in a few days to make sure the T is well fed before the rehouse. Maybe it's just coincidence but I have always found a rehouse to be smoother if the T is not hungry. So for me, a rehouse takes place a day or two after a feed so I have never had the need to feed directly after it.
However, I do still continue the normal feeding schedule after a rehouse, ie. 3-4 days for slings, 4-5 days for juvies and 5-7 days for sub-adults and adults.


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## johnny quango (May 24, 2016)

I feed mine the same day as I do with new tarantulas and maybe this is just me and mine but I find they tend to settle quicker.
We all know that no 2 spiders behave in exactly the ways so why would anyone expect them to feed in the same way? Some will eat some won't, same goes for each and every keeper on here just because 1 member says I never feed the same day does that make them right? Or is the member that says feed on the same day right? We are as individual as our collections and our methods will differ from each other and if the methods you use work why change


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## Poec54 (May 24, 2016)

If a spider has a small abdomen, even a high strung species, I hate to make it wait for a settle-in period.  It's driven to find food and water and isn't likely to pass either up because the situation isn't ideal.  In the wild, storms can cause major disruptions and even dislocate tarantulas (things like branches falling or trees going over), also earthquakes.  Those events likewise impact tarantulas prey, and a spider may suddenly find that commotion has resulted in an easily available meal.  Do they pass it up, or take advantage of it?

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## Formerphobe (May 24, 2016)

BossRoss said:


> A lot of fair and experienced comments here.
> 
> I think the general rule of thumb of waiting to feed after a rehouse is to ensure to give the T ample time to settle in and set up a good hide. Some people might just throw in half a dozen or so crickets into a small deli cup after rehousing their new sling and wake up in the morning to find nothing but crickets in a deli cup...
> 
> As often as possible I will feed a newly rehoused T in the evening of the day I rehoused. Taking life cycle, molt cycle and how the T reacted to the rehouse(@EulersK & @Poec54 made points about defensive/skittish Ts) into account.


I don't think it is a "rule of thumb". I think it is someone's made up "rule" and a lot of people decided to run with it.

Personally, I never throw multiple feeders into an enclosure unless there are multiple spiders in it. (M balfouri) 
I generally practice One Per Customer. The exception to that would be if all I have are small feeders and a larger, thinner specimen. Even then, they get one, if they take that, I'll offer a second.

Unless an incoming animal is in obvious premolt, I've always fed immediately.  98% of the time they eat immediately. With the 2% that doesn't, I pull the feeder within a few hours.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Sarkhan42 (May 24, 2016)

I've never had an issue feeding the day of a rehouse, but I can absolutely see waiting for more high strung species to settle in before messing with them. What I tend to do for many of those is feed them the morning of the rehouse, and then do the rehousing in the afternoon/night. If I'm picking them up brand new, I do wait for many of the flightier species as many a time the vendor has fed them recently, and they don't need immediate feeding, especially buying at expos, as they like to show off fat and healthy looking Ts in most cases.


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## TicklyT (May 24, 2016)

well this thread is perfect for me as I recently just got a b.albopilosum sling this morning and I will offer it a cricket this evening and update you.

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## EulersK (May 24, 2016)

Formerphobe said:


> I don't think it is a "rule of thumb". I think it is someone's made up "rule" and a lot of people decided to run with it.
> 
> Personally, I never throw multiple feeders into an enclosure unless there are multiple spiders in it. (M balfouri)
> I generally practice One Per Customer. The exception to that would be if all I have are small feeders and a larger, thinner specimen. Even then, they get one, if they take that, I'll offer a second.
> ...


Slightly off topic, but I like the point you made - one per customer. We see new hobbyists throwing in several crickets at the same time, and I've seen large spiders with typically aggressive feeding responses freak out at that. They feel overwhelmed, and they then refuse to eat at all for that session. Now, as a hobbyist, you have to catch several jumping crickets while avoiding a potentially defensive spider that you have cornered. Not a good time.


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## Chris LXXIX (May 24, 2016)

I don't think there's a general rule. Everything depends by a lot of factors. Had T's like _C.cyaneopubescens_, that ate not even after two hours from "unpacking & travel", others, like the hardcore OB ones, that ate after a week (my choice... without a new burrow i'd prefer to give those time).

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## Blackout14 (May 24, 2016)

Yea I guese it does depend as well. I have 2 b Emilia slings that I've had for 3 weeks and still haven't eaten burrowed all the way down and closed off one just molted I'm expecting the other soon.  Vrs my g pulchra came home when into a cage and wolfed down a large cricket seconds later lol


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## Red Eunice (May 24, 2016)

Interesting question, quite a variety of answers were given. Immediately, a day, 2 days and 5-7 days, plus the added pre molt/post molt factor along with it being OW/NW species. All I would consider as correct answers. 
 I rehouse in the early AM, they seem to be a bit more co-operative after a night of activity. Tossing in prey later in the evening, by morning the majority have eaten. For newly acquired Ts, OW and NW, I give them 24 hours to explore their new home, then offer prey. Thats my answer to the question.


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## TicklyT (May 24, 2016)

Well I offered the B.albopilosum a cricket and she refused but it I think it is because she is in premolt just as I looked at her closely I noticed the dark abdomen. I have fed my B.Bohmei though they day it arrived and it took down a small roach for me. So it's really up to how well the T settles in and the owner in my opinion.


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## Poec54 (May 24, 2016)

Formerphobe said:


> Personally, I never throw multiple feeders into an enclosure unless there are multiple spiders in it.
> I generally practice One Per Customer.


 
Don't you have large spiders?  I give most of my adult T's 4 to 6 adult crickets at a time, which they quickly scoop up, and 10 or 12 for big stirmi.  If I fed my spiders one cricket at a time, I'd have to quit my job.

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## EulersK (May 24, 2016)

Poec54 said:


> Don't you have large spiders?  I give most of my adult T's 4 to 6 adult crickets at a time, which they quickly scoop up, and 10 or 12 for big stirmi.  If I fed my spiders one cricket at a time, I'd have to quit my job.


With your number of spiders, it's beyond me as to why you don't maintain a roach colony...


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## Formerphobe (May 24, 2016)

Poec54 said:


> Don't you have large spiders?  I give most of my adult T's 4 to 6 adult crickets at a time, which they quickly scoop up, and 10 or 12 for big stirmi.  If I fed my spiders one cricket at a time, I'd have to quit my job.


I do have a roach colony. Most of my spiders won't eat roaches, just cohab with them. Depending on the individual spider, the equivalent of one or two crickets once every one to twelve weeks is plenty to keep them from getting too fat. Even at that, I've been accused of over feeding due to the bodacious behinds on some of them.  Those that will take dubia or hissers get fed less frequently than the once a month feedings that most of my adults average. I also keep superworms and lateralis, which some prefer and others refuse.

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## Chris LXXIX (May 24, 2016)

That roaches myth, when anytime, every hungry Spid (no matter) will hunt and take down a cricket it's beyond me. A lot of T's are choosy with roaches, saw no one, hungry, choosy with a crick ;-)

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## EulersK (May 24, 2016)

Chris LXXIX said:


> That roaches myth, when anytime, every hungry Spid (no matter) will hunt and take down a cricket it's beyond me. A lot of T's are choosy with roaches, saw no one, hungry, choosy with a crick ;-)


An animal won't starve itself. Offer only roaches for long enough, and they'll cave in eventually  My A. avicularia refused roaches until it went almost two months without food... it got the picture, and now it happily takes them down.

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## Chris LXXIX (May 24, 2016)

EulersK said:


> An animal won't starve itself. Offer only roaches for long enough, and they'll cave in eventually  My A. avicularia refused roaches until it went almost two months without food... it got the picture, and now it happily takes them down.


Oh, i love roaches, especially _B.dubia_, don't get me wrong my man. But more, i love the native, WC, roaches i spot when i turn "on" the light (btw light in Italian sounds like AIDS) on some dark, closed rooms of my house... it's like to have, in your house, in 2016 "The Beatles" at Liverpool. But at the end of the day, i've noticed in all of those wasted years, a lot of T's choosy about roaches, while never, never, never one with annoying, smelly, singing plague crickets.

Oh oh u_u oh well...

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## Formerphobe (May 24, 2016)

EulersK said:


> An animal won't starve itself. Offer only roaches for long enough, and they'll cave in eventually  My A. avicularia refused roaches until it went almost two months without food... it got the picture, and now it happily takes them down.


I have a geriatric Aphonopelma eutylenum and G porteri that only get fed four times a year. And don't always eat the cricket that is offered. The porteri cohabbed with a dubia until it died of old age. I fed that damn roach more frequently than I did his roommate. Some of them will hold out until the prey of choice happens along. 
Bad as the crickets smell, the roaches are worse, IMO.


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## EulersK (May 24, 2016)

Formerphobe said:


> I have a geriatric Aphonopelma eutylenum and G porteri that only get fed four times a year. And don't always eat the cricket that is offered. The porteri cohabbed with a dubia until it died of old age. I fed that damn roach more frequently than I did his roommate. Some of them will hold out until the prey of choice happens along.
> Bad as the crickets smell, the roaches are worse, IMO.


Your dubias smell? Really? They absolutely stink up the room when they die, but what animal doesn't? When they're alive and well, they have almost no odor at all for me. I can stick my head in their colony and hardly pick up a scent other than the pig feed they're eating.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Poec54 (May 24, 2016)

EulersK said:


> With your number of spiders, it's beyond me as to why you don't maintain a roach colony...



I'm in Florida, there are things regulated or banned here.  Besides, roaches don't reproduce in the numbers that crickets do.  I go thru several thousand adult crickets a month, plus small crickets.  I don't have the space to devote to cranking out that many roaches, or even crickets.


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## EulersK (May 24, 2016)

Ah, I forgot about you being in Florida. Yeah, very true. Breed palmetto bugs, then! An added benefit would be saving money on car insurance - just ride those to work.


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## MrSmith86 (Jun 18, 2016)

this thread is getting a little old but, i wait till they are hungry to rehouse, and feed immediately after. All positive result


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