Dubia's or B. lateralis

[ApexApinkPanda]

Which is better for T's. Dubia's or Lateralis and which can handle heat hot weather better?

 

[BoyFromLA]

Either.

 

[l4nsky]

If you're looking to setup a colony, lateralis are my recommendation. They don't burrow, don't climb, can feed even the tiniest slings with the nymphs, and their quick movements really trigger a tarantula's prey drive. If you have a lot of larger (6.5"+) T's to feed, then I'd recommend dubia unless you want to keep a monster colony of lateralis to constantly have extra adults to feed off.

 

[Smotzer]

Depends on what your feeding, but it’s largely preference!

 

[dman13760]

I don't think one is necessarily better than the other..... I have a small colony of lateralis and love them.

 

[Craig73]

Both are hardy. Lateral are more active once introduced in the T enclosure. Dubias freeze and burrow way quicker and harder to get a feeding response in my experience. I like to let my feeders roam and elicit a feeding response bs putting them close to the T

 

[ApexApinkPanda]

Yeah, I hate buying meal worms and crickets, I don't trust them or pets mart where I get them.

 

[ccTroi]

Which is better for T's. Dubia's or Lateralis and which can handle heat hot weather better?

i like using lats bc they provoke cool tarantula takedowns, but i like dubias more as a staple diet for my spiders. i prefer my dubia colony over my lateralis colony bc they are easier to keep and raise imo. lateralis mature males also look like an american cockroach which makes me uncomfortable when i open my colony. in high heat, i would rather keep dubias bc lats are stinkier

Yeah, I hate buying meal worms and crickets, I don't trust them or pets mart where I get them.

i love using mealworms for many reasons. i hated them when i started, but i have them at all times now. i tried doing a colony before and thought about it again. but i just buy them as needed bc i don’t want to do the necessary maintenance besides giving them water.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

I'd recommend runners over dubias.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Red runners don't burrow/play dead, and are easier to breed but they don't get very big.

Tbh, I only really use dubia for my big adult females because it's less effort to feed them one adult dubia than 3-4 red runners.

Both do fine with heat, dubia need to be kept in the high 20's - low 30's (°C, can't be arsed to convert to °F) to breed anyway, red runners need to be kept in the mid 20's at least but the hotter the better.

 

[vicareux]

I don't like lats to be honest. Sure,they dont burrow and play dead,but somehow i manage to injure them easily when grabbing with tongs and then they just sit there,dying. And when they're not injured,they somehow always manage to find a good tight hiding spot before they can be grabbed and just sit there forever,making the T give up on searching it.

My Balfouri for example runs away from lats for some reason. But will go and investigate a slight movement from a playing dead dubia and munch without an issue.

However i've found a trick with dubias.
When offering them to your spider,place them upside-down.
They should either: Try to turn around,wiggling their body and legs around,provoking the tarantula to investigate
Play dead: They just sit there on their backs. This is where the trick comes into play. Shine a laser pointer in their eyes (be careful that it doesnt reflect back into your eye if youre doing it through glass/acrylic). They hate that. They will start rubbing their face and trying to flip over and burrow. Your Tarantula should have enough time to grab it before it completes the turn and burrows.

Allow me to demonstrate:

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I don't like lats to be honest. Sure,they dont burrow and play dead,but somehow i manage to injure them easily when grabbing with tongs and then they just sit there,dying.

Can say I've ever had this happen unless I've managed to absolutely annihilate the head when grabbing them.

This is where the trick comes into play. Shine a laser pointer in their eyes (be careful that it doesnt reflect back into your eye if youre doing it through glass/acrylic). They hate that. They will start rubbing their face and trying to flip over and burrow.

A torch works as well, they absolutely detest light. Also good for getting red runners out of tight hiding spots.

 

[l4nsky]

I don't like lats to be honest. Sure,they dont burrow and play dead,but somehow i manage to injure them easily when grabbing with tongs and then they just sit there,dying.

When I feed off lats, I rarely use tongs. I'll knock a piece of eggcrate into a deep, smooth sided bowl that they can't climb and use a small cup to catch the correct size roach and feed it off. I only use tongs to more accurately feed paired females and other T's I want to make sure get fed, like sick or injured specimens (Note, I never feed directly off the tongs. I just use them to make sure the prey is dropped close to the tarantula to give them the best chance of immediate success).

 

[vicareux]

When I feed off lats, I rarely use tongs. I'll knock a piece of eggcrate into a deep, smooth sided bowl that they can't climb and use a small cup to catch the correct size roach and feed it off. I only use tongs to more accurately feed paired females and other T's I want to make sure get fed, like sick or injured specimens (Note, I never feed directly off the tongs. I just use them to make sure the prey is dropped close to the tarantula to give them the best chance of immediate success).

This is a good idea. No idea why am i always bothering chasing them with tongs. I shall try this next time i consider buying lats. But so far my dubia colony is breeding faster than it's being fed off and they work perfectly

 

[l4nsky]

This is a good idea. No idea why am i always bothering chasing them with tongs. I shall try this next time i consider buying lats. But so far my dubia colony is breeding faster than it's being fed off and they work perfectly

Works for dubia too, especially the smaller nymphs that are more easily damaged by tongs .

 

[dman13760]

And when they're not injured,they somehow always manage to find a good tight hiding spot before they can be grabbed and just sit there forever,making the T give up on searching it.

Yes!!! This behavior drives me nuts...... they are ridiculously good at hiding

 

[RoachCoach]

So many variables. Dubia will quickly die off if you mean hot dry weather. If you mean hot and humid then both will thrive. B. Lateralis will survive virtually anything you throw at them. Dubia are great for gut loading heavy then either feeding to a good response insect or you can crush their head and they won't burrow or be a pest. I don't mean the literal head. You have to crush their head and about 1/3 of their body to destroy their main neuro system. You can't pluck out someone's eye and then expect them to be blind.