Best and worst feeder

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
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Dec 29, 2002
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I agree that it is very unlikely, but you never know what conditions or regions of the world people live in, so it is best to be aware that very warm and humid conditions could become a problem.

Better to be overly paranoid than to say its not possible and not be vigilant don't you agree.
I'm an Urban Entomologist, this is a subject i have expertise in. i assure you that B. lateralis will never be an indoor residential building pest species the same way that B. germanica or S. longipalpa are. Zero reason to be paranoid.
 

Introvertebrate

Arachnoprince
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I sometimes think that those pest species would make easier feeders. They don't require any special conditions. No supplemental heat. You just have to be conscientious about escapes. We should already be good at that, since we don't want our venomous critters on the loose either.
 

curtisgiganteus

ArachnoViking, Conqueror of Poikilos and Therion
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I sometimes think that those pest species would make easier feeders. They don't require any special conditions. No supplemental heat. You just have to be conscientious about escapes. We should already be good at that, since we don't want our venomous critters on the loose either.
You would have to breed them out several generations but it seems like a decent idea. You aren’t the first I’ve hear that from and I’m quickly being sold on it
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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I sometimes think that those pest species would make easier feeders. They don't require any special conditions. No supplemental heat. You just have to be conscientious about escapes. We should already be good at that, since we don't want our venomous critters on the loose either.
I tried to raise some outdoor species once I caught in North Carolina on a vacation. But they died when I put them outside behind the garage in a bin (from fear of infestation,, were too fragile a species I should had kept inside .
sadly they were all climbers otherwise I’d still have some .
How long do orange head roaches take to build a colony from 40-50 I got those .. I paid for 100 got half that. Although a species that doesn’t need a heat mat is appealing!!! :D
these big roaches grow too slow.
 

Kada

Arachnobaron
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Any reasons the American cockroach cant be used? In terms of the predator? Breeding, not catching wild ones.

They are a pest that is everywhere here, so infestation is a non issue.

I like dubia for their relatively easy to prevent escapes with. For my climate, I would be worried if any of the common feeder roaches got out as they arent naturalized here yet. Would like to perhaps breed some native species instead and then just not need to worry about escapes altogether.

For me, worst are crickets. by far. but they are easy to scale up fast.
 

Introvertebrate

Arachnoprince
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Back in New Jersey, the kitchen was my Blattella germanica bin. I don't know why crickets get such a bad rap. From the second generation on, they're very healthy.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Back in New Jersey, the kitchen was my Blattella germanica bin. I don't know why crickets get such a bad rap. From the second generation on, they're very healthy.
What do you mean an infestation of a kitchen lol ?
Crickets are hard to keep alive .. I sure could not do it . Although I did breed a few years back didn’t get past one gen . Pet stores around here. Don’t have adult crickets. And 100 crickets x 10 cents = $10? That’s expensive I quit buying crickets . I only buy super worms now or roaches.
 

Kada

Arachnobaron
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Back in New Jersey, the kitchen was my Blattella germanica bin. I don't know why crickets get such a bad rap. From the second generation on, they're very healthy.
I find crickets easy, convenient and fast. I just dont like them cause they chew and if there is an egg sac, molting spider etc, they can chew on it. something I havent seen dubia ever do. some species are insanely meat hungry as well. Otherwise I find them an incredibly convenient food source.
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
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The feeder I prefer to use and rear myself, is the Lobster Roach. The feeder that is most fun to watch tarantulas capture, are crickets (any kind).

The worst feeder IME are butterworms. The Ts capture them, but many end up discarding them uneaten, or take days to consume them. Another feeder I didn't care for that was pre-B. dubia popular, was Discoid Roaches. They could play dead for DAYS! They just didn't seem to elicit a strong feeding response. Also, once they burrowed into the substrate, they seemed to rather starve to death rather than ever emerge to the surface again.
 

Isaax Critterz

Arachnoknight
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May 4, 2022
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Best feeders for any tarantula:
Mealworms
Crickets ( controversal imo )
Waxworms
Hornworms
Red-runners
Roaches ( as long as they don't give birth on you're T )
Fruit-flys ( for slings)

Worst feeders for any tarantula:
Rodents ( VERY controversal )
People ( a "great" OBT snack)
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2019
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Cant get one with locusts,they are constantly dying,and never last, brown crickets are better but not really big enough for my goliath species , x/l blacks are better, but best of all are Madagascar hissers, and for the smaller species red runners, I'm in The DIS(United Kingdom) in a country called Wales , and the climate isnt always conducive to wandering around searching for indigenous bugs for a cheap skate food source.😂,the Madagascars are a large colony I have perpetually breeding if kept at around 28-30C temps ,the smaller spiders are fed from bought redrunners and crickets supplementing the supply of Madagascar nymphs and juveniles.😊
 

LucN

Arachnobaron
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Jan 22, 2009
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The best are crickets, as their constant roaming about is sure to get the spiders' attention, but boy are they a pain to fish out if the T is fasting or in premolt.

The worst for me are superworms, they burrow way too quick and nearly all my Ts will not touch the beetles if they manage to escape and live long enough to pupate. At least those (beetles) are easy to fish out.
 

kingshockey

Arachnoangel
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Sep 4, 2017
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980
best feeders to me are meal /super worms meal worms to me are perfect to grow out slings. a cup of 25 lives long enough to get my slings large enough to take crickets . super worms are easy just chop off the heads they last for months dont stink.
worst for me is a tie between crickets and horn worms the crickets start croaking soon as you get them home. into their death row holding cell they stink badly.the horn worms grow faster than than you can feed them off theyso just not really worth buying to me unless i had a breadie or a savannah monitor. in the end though its all personal preference
 
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