I have a 3/4" Brachypelma hamorii sling that is a ravenous eater and I have been feeding it B. lateralis pinheads. Usually the pinheads make their way into the burrow and my sling eats them in there, but today it refused the food, making me think it is in pre-molt. However, the problem is that the pinhead is now just chilling in the burrow and won't leave and I do not want to destroy the burrow to retrieve it. Is there any possibility that it will hurt my sling (maybe during molting) and is it okay to leave it in there or should I try to dig it out? I don't want to stress the sling. Thank you!
B. lateralis in Brachypelma hamorii sling burrow
- Thread starter Furby290
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It’ll be fine. You can snag it when you see it out. Crush their heads in the future. Prevents accidents that could arise.
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Is there a POSSIBILITY? Yes, but there's a possibility that virtually anything can happen. I could, theoretically, win the lottery without buying a ticket, it's possible.
Probably a pretty low risk of the roach causing issues
Probably a pretty low risk of the roach causing issues
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All the above advise is good advise.You will probably see the B.lat out running around the enclosure before there is any problem.
Roaches will go looking for food/moisture pretty quickly.Your sling can hunker down for a lot longer time frame,with no issues.
Roaches will go looking for food/moisture pretty quickly.Your sling can hunker down for a lot longer time frame,with no issues.
fried rice
Arachnoknight
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It should be ok. Roaches are probably the safest feeder for tarantulas, Crickets are a the worst.
Colorado Ts
Arachnoangel
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Spiders quit eating for who knows why...the roach should be fine in the burrow, once the sling recovers its appetite, dinner will be right there.
Pinhead B.lateralis are great....aren't they?
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Whoa, it's not a mystery hah. Their satiety level has been reached. I'm always surprised how some (not you) owners come in here and the phrasing they use regarding eating is as if these 8 legged animals are eating machines, they are no more an eating machine than human animals. Let face it, there are A LOT of human animals that eat too much, far more than any of our 8 legged friends.
You have to remember these are wild animals. In the wild it's kill or be killed. As long as the prey item can be killed by your pet there shouldn't be a problem. Ive had many Ts take up a roommate, only to kill it later but not eat it.
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Colorado Ts
Arachnoangel
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For all the things that I've seen and experienced...I still scratch my head at some of their behaviors. Your depth of knowledge is far richer than mine....Whoa, it's not a mystery hah. Their satiety level has been reached. I'm always surprised how some (not you) owners come in here and the phrasing they use regarding eating is as if these 8 legged animals are eating machines, they are no more an eating machine than human animals. Let face it, there are A LOT of human animals that eat too much, far more than any of our 8 legged friends.
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Thank you for the kind compliment. We are all learners here. I've been doing it longer that's all. Before this, I was doing reptiles and amphibians (still do)You don't do something for many decades without learning something hah.
I do scratch my head too. 2 examples. I've had a H chilensis enjoying it slingyness lifestyle for far too long in my opinion. It molted after about 2 yrs of pre-molt. Well son of a gun, for the first time in its short life it went to digging for a few weeks EVERY day. Never attempted to burrow and it's been in the same container its whole life! Who knows why....
2. I have a T. cyan. for about 3 or 4 yrs. She's a very active adult, one of my most active tarantulas, she walks around a lot. All she's ever done at best is mound up some sub form the corners, sloping it basically. She's about to molt at SOME point. She fills her water bowl MORE than most. This time I didn't remove the sub. Next day I find this massive crater in her setup like a bomb went off. She decided to dig a tunnel. Well, she finished that I THOUGHT, and last evening she went to the surface, other side and dug up the rest so she has an escape (another massive crater). It's amazing how she knew exactly where to dig from above so she would excavate her into her tunnel she made earlier. She could have started a few inches too far away and missed her mark.
Most of my Ts dig in one direction, down and then keep moving forward till they reach the surface forming a U shape tunnel. Not her, she came in from the top to complete the U shape. Fascinating to me!! Why she chose this route- I don't know.
She too - in the same container. Why now...who knows. I sure don't, and never will.
The engineer in residence
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The Grym Reaper
Arachnoreaper
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Roaches also cannibalise which makes them perfectly capable of harming a tarantula, they might not be as aggressive as crickets but they're no less harmful.