Can I over feed my sling ?????

losct2381

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I have a 2 inch t- blondi and she has eaten 9 good size crickets in three day she looks like opera is that bad or should I keep feeding hrr till she refuses
 

Jacobchinarian

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It will stop eating when it's full. My t blondi eats like crazy. However if you want it to grow up quicker but die quicker feed it more. If you want it to grow slow and live longer feed it less.
 

losct2381

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Thanks it just came out of a molt and I'm amazed how much it's eating. I have other slings but I've never seen this. Was just wondering it kinda alarmed me I had to go get crickets again today. how fast do the blodies grow by the way
 

Anastasia

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Thanks it just came out of a molt and I'm amazed how much it's eating. I have other slings but I've never seen this. Was just wondering it kinda alarmed me I had to go get crickets again today. how fast do the blodies grow by the way
well, I wouldn feed it every day, tarantulas in wild are opportunistic eaters
so some will eat more then needed, so I would take a brake for couple weeks and offer more later
 

LV-426

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It will stop eating when it's full. My t blondi eats like crazy. However if you want it to grow up quicker but die quicker feed it more. If you want it to grow slow and live longer feed it less.
is that a fact or just opinion?
 

Hobo

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is that a fact or just opinion?
It is a fact.
Take a male for example. Powerfeed it, and it will mature (and die) sooner than one that you feed rarely. Breeders use this to help get the timing right with their pairs.

Stan also confirms it both in his book and in a post here that I can't find right now.
 

KoriTamashii

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Really, you'd do okay just feeding it once a week. There's no need to feed it daily.


You won't overfeed it, there's just no sense in buying boatloads of crickets and feeding it every day. :)
 

Arachnobored

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Fact...

but.....if it's a female and lives in excess of 20 years, chances are you won't notice the difference...{D
 

Anastasia

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It is a fact.
Take a male for example. Powerfeed it, and it will mature (and die) sooner than one that you feed rarely. Breeders use this to help get the timing right with their pairs.

Stan also confirms it both in his book and in a post here that I can't find right now.
Hmm, Mature male example is not the best
here is what I discovered
I had bunch of males (in this case Poecilotheria Genus)to experiment with and I found if I powerfeed male he grows quick big and robust after maturity.
One of my bigger one last 19 months after he matured
but the group I didnt feed, just barely, just enough for them exist
they mature almost year later and didnt last most even 5 months
in the end the male that been power fed lived couple months longer then his brother that been fed in different schedule
and my oldest male is 26 months old he still eating (no webs tho)
Euathlus sp
 

Hobo

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Hmm, Mature male example is not the best
here is what I discovered
I had bunch of males (in this case Poecilotheria Genus)to experiment with and I found if I powerfeed male he grows quick big and robust after maturity.
One of my bigger one last 19 months after he matured
but the group I didnt feed, just barely, just enough for them exist
they mature almost year later and didnt last most even 5 months
in the end the male that been power fed lived couple months longer then his brother that been fed in different schedule
and my oldest male is 26 months old he still eating (no webs tho)
Euathlus sp
I guess I stand corrected (at least with regards to males!).
That's very interesting!
I have a question though. After they matured, were they all fed the same, or still differently from each other?
 

Poxicator

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There's papers and studies to suggest that power-feeding not only reduces their lifespan but also decreases their fertility. That's good enough for me even if others find individual instances that differ from that.
Over feeding can bloat the abdomen leading to abrasions underneath, that creates issues that aren't easily rectified.
 

Suidakkra

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I have read in this forum, as well as others, that people tend to powerfeed their smallest slings (1/6th-1/4") to get them to a more "sustainable" size, then kick back to a normal feeding schedule.

Is that still considered "life shortening" ? Especially for T's that are known to live for 20+ years?

So many conflicting theories on this subject. :(
 

Poxicator

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There are so many conflicting theories because everyone has their own opinions and perhaps their own experiences, but if you ask people who have kept Ts for 20+ years you'll probably get a more accurate explanation.
Short term power feeding isnt considered an issue, and many long term keepers will do so to get their slings out of the fragile stages.
 

Shimotsukin

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I have read in this forum, as well as others, that people tend to powerfeed their smallest slings (1/6th-1/4") to get them to a more "sustainable" size, then kick back to a normal feeding schedule.

Is that still considered "life shortening" ? Especially for T's that are known to live for 20+ years?

So many conflicting theories on this subject. :(
Since the intended purpose of powerfeeding is to making them grow faster, of course their life span shortens, since they well...grow faster. Like for example if you feed a tarantula every week as apposed to feeding it every two weeks. The tarantula fed more often will molt and grow faster, thus shortening its life span...or well that's how my take on it is. :?
 

hassman789

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Also feeding it alot makes it more prone to rupturing an abdomen. I would imagine the risk would be less for a sling because their light weight and can fall a little more without being hurt. But as it gets bigger a bigger abdomen can be a more unsafe. And if it rubs somthing sharp with a big butt it could also rupture. It's not for sure it will get hurt with a big butt but it increases the chances, so I've heared.
 

Introvertebrate

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I have read in this forum, as well as others, that people tend to powerfeed their smallest slings (1/6th-1/4") to get them to a more "sustainable" size, then kick back to a normal feeding schedule.

Is that still considered "life shortening" ? Especially for T's that are known to live for 20+ years?

So many conflicting theories on this subject. :(
I can see the benefits of powerfeeding very small slings. When they're very young, you're most likely to incur significant losses. Once they're a little bigger, you can slow down the feeding. It might reduce their lifespans in the long run, but at least more of your slings lived through that critical, high-loss period of their lives.

Tom
 

Suidakkra

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I can see the benefits of powerfeeding very small slings. When they're very young, you're most likely to incur significant losses. Once they're a little bigger, you can slow down the feeding. It might reduce their lifespans in the long run, but at least more of your slings lived through that critical, high-loss period of their lives.

Tom
Thanks, Tom

That's what I meant by it being conflicting. When you read through many of the sites that deal with breeders, each breeder typically states some type of powerfeeding (Every 2 to 3 days) until the sling reaches the "safe" stage, like A.avics for instance. Then after that point they place the larger sling on a normal feeding schedule. They claim that their slings grow to maturity and live long normal lives.

And then you have the breeders who claim that powerfeeding shortens the lifespan, yet where is the conclusive evidence? Did they actually take a sling from 1st Instar to Ultimate molt on several occasions to make a factual estimate on lifespan?

If this is out there, on paper, from an educated source, I would love to read it.

Me personally, I feed my slings weekly and so far havn't lost a sling. "knocks on wood". As long as their rumps are slightly plump, and they are hydrated. I see no reason to overfeed.
 
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