About tarantula diet

[BrazilianBlack97]

So im planing on getting a brachypelma smithi, but i still have some doubts about feeding it

i know the best diet for it would be a variation of crickets and roaches and some times a superworm or mealworm, but in brazil no one sell roaches since its a nasty sewer bug and considered a plague, and i would never feed a "wild" roach to my tarantula for obvious reasons, crickets i might be able to get from the wild and breed them no problem

so my doubt is, i got a barrel of live shrimps that i use for fish bait, can i feed my tarantula shrimps stead of roaches? if yes what would be best way to do it, let it dry a while before feeding it or just dry it on a paper and feed right away?

So she would eat basicaly crickets shrimps and superworms, is it healty? can she have problems for eating shrimps?

obs: i know it probably would make the tank smell bad, or it would contribute to create mold, but i could fix this issues no problem.

 

[Ents189]

I found an old thread on this. https://arachnoboards.com/threads/feeding-full-shrimps.225816/

I'll let someone who has a better understanding of tarantula diet comment further, but I personally wouldn't feed shrimp as a staple diet to my inverts.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I'd be concerned about salt content if they're not freshwater shrimp - I'm not sure most tarantulas will have the physiological ability to handle that much salt in their diet on a regular basis.

 

[Colorado Ts]

It is definitely non-standard...you would be breaking new ground with this type of a feeding regimen. Take notes and keep us informed.

 

[jrh3]

If you can get crickets, mealworms and super worms, why even bother with shrimp. You can feed crickets alone and be fine.

 

[BrazilianBlack97]

I found an old thread on this. https://arachnoboards.com/threads/feeding-full-shrimps.225816/

I'll let someone who has a better understanding of tarantula diet comment further, but I personally wouldn't feed shrimp as a staple diet to my inverts.

Thanks this post has some major info

I'd be concerned about salt content if they're not freshwater shrimp - I'm not sure most tarantulas will have the physiological ability to handle that much salt in their diet on a regular basis.

They are river/pound shrimps so no salt

If you can get crickets, mealworms and super worms, why even bother with shrimp. You can feed crickets alone and be fine.

i still have to catch the crickets and try to reproduce them, but shrimps i have plenty, also i have guppi and they reproduce like water rabbits

It is definitely non-standard...you would be breaking new ground with this type of a feeding regimen. Take notes and keep us informed.

some guy says he does it but he didnt post results or how exactly he prepares the shrimp, so guess i will try it and take notes

 

[jrh3]

Are there no pet stores in your area with feeders?

 

[Smotzer]

I’m pretty sure I just read an old post on here about this same exact thing

 

[boina]

Shrimps, and even guppys, are fine, especially if you are talking about fresh water shrimp. Tarantulas are not very specific in their nutritional requirements (they aren't Koalas) and some tarantula species are actually known to dive and catch water animals (Hysterocrates sp., iirc). If the shrimps are well fed and healthy they'll make good food. Shrimps are omnivores, so free living shrimp should have had a varied diet and not have any nutritional deficiencies. Don't let them dry, feed them as fresh as possible. Guppys will probably be a mess to feed, but if you want to deal with that I see no reason why not at least occasionally feed a guppy.

 

[viper69]

Superworrms mealworms both are excellent and will make your T grow faster than only crickets