am I feeding my spiders to much?

[happymeal]

Hi all.

I feed my spiders as much as they can hold! is this a good thing? Most of my Ts are very plump. Should I limit their meals? The way I see it is if they are hungry them let them eat no matter how big they get. Is this wrong, should I limit their intake?

Thanks,

Happy

 

[jwb121377]

Well I only feed my adult t's once every two weeks or so. Overfeeding may make your tarantulas more prone to abdomen injury's should they fall. I don't know of any other ill affects other than that.

 

[Buspirone]

You could shorten the tarantulas overall lifespan and if the abdomen is too large it could cause life threatening problems during a molt.

 

[RugbyDave]

I second all of this -- once they start getting older, you should probably hold back on feeding so much.. as juv's or slings its a different story....

its nutrition as a young T, but as an adult it can be dangerous.

good luck!
peace,
dave

 

[Professor T]

power feeding

A young T's abdomen can blow up like a ballon when they are at their ravenous best in the weeks following a shed. The abdomen is the weak link in the armor since that is a thin expandable part of the exoskeleton.

A fall in this swollen condition could lead to a fatal crack in the abdomen. The fall doesn't have to be a one foot drop, it could be 4 inches! That's why keepers don't allow much distance between the lid and the substrate.

In snakes there is data that suggests "power feeding" gets them to sexual maturity faster, but shortens their life expectancy. Not sure if there have been conclusive studies done with T's. If feeding them the maximum they will eat makes them grow and molt faster, it does make sense that the effect could be the same as in snakes.

From the enjoyment factor standpoint, its fun to watch them pig out! Especially since that will come to an abrupt end when they near their shed. I try to find a middle ground, when my T starts to take on the appearance of a swollen tick on a dog, I scale the crickets back a bit. I totally understand the joy of watching them waggle their abdomen when you throw in a cricket!:}

 

[vulpina]

I usually feed my T's about every week, my s'ling about 2 times a week. You can power feed to raise them to maturity faster, but you shorten their lifespan also.

Andy