feed a B. Smiti a praying mantis???

[sil350]

my little brother caught a praying mantis today in our yard. it's about 6cm long. i was just wondering if my b. smithi could feed on it. my redknee is about 4 inches from leg to leg. any thoughts? even if i can feed it i dont know that i'm gonna, just wanted to ask and see. thanks again. oh, any information on praying mantis' would be helpful. are the harmful to T's??

 

[sick4x4]

i feed mantids all of the time when available...ur t's will love it...only problem i could see if the mantid was exposed to pesticides other then that no problem...i know there are alot of people that say dont but in cali during a few months they gather in huge numbers sooo instead of spraying them i feed them to my t's

 

[MindUtopia]

Absolutely not, you should never feed wild caught prey because they can contain parasites and pesticides that can harm or kill your T. Just not worth the risk. If you want to feed mantids, find a reputable captive bred supplier and buy some.

 

[Windchaser]

I would also be concerned that you are using a predator as a prey item. It is possible that you could end up feeding the mantis instead of the tarantula.

 

[gumby]

Im with Windchaser on this one. A mantis is not the best idea they are very able to defend their life and they will fight to the death. and if you still find yourself wanting to feed a T a mantis after this advice please do not use a 4" B. smithi as a test T. you are playing games you may not win.:8o
scott

 

[sick4x4]

well mate i think that never feed wild caught is pretty drastic....i know more then a few do with no problem.......its personal preference..around where i live we have healthy populations of crix's, mantids, moths...all of with i have feed to my t's never had a problem..keeping over 70 t's and a huge amount of scorps for a few years and never having a problem speaks for itself....yes there is always a possibility that one could be a bad one...but there's also a possibility i could be hit by a drunk driver too? so should one never drive?? if you dont make it a practice of feeding wc to your animals and maybe taking some care to quarantine and maybe see if its a healthy animal or not!! ur t will love the treat....and be wise like above size does matter..with mantids only adult t's and i usually cripple it first

 

[Hedorah99]

well mate i think that never feed wild caught is pretty drastic....i know more then a few do with no problem.......its personal preference..around where i live we have healthy populations of crix's, mantids, moths...all of with i have feed to my t's never had a problem..keeping over 70 t's and a huge amount of scorps for a few years and never having a problem speaks for itself....yes there is always a possibility that one could be a bad one...but there's also a possibility i could be hit by a drunk driver too? so should one never drive?? if you dont make it a practice of feeding wc to your animals and maybe taking some care to quarantine and maybe see if its a healthy animal or not!! ur t will love the treat....

It will most likely also love the internal and possibly external parasites that you are giving it If you cannot properly feed that many animals, you shouldn't be keeping them.

 

[sick4x4]

It will most likely also love the internal and possibly external parasites that you are giving it If you cannot properly feed that many animals, you shouldn't be keeping them.

mate i can........sometimes i like to give them a treat...but come on being over paranoid ?!?!? i have never heard a case were this has happened???? maybe it does...no one i know has had it happen..sooo to each there own

 

[Hedorah99]

mate i can........sometimes i like to give them a treat...

and you are also most likely giving internal parasites to your T's

 

[NixHexDude]

I vote don't risk it. There are too many easy ways to get CB food like zoophobas, roaches, worms, etc. Why gamble with a beloved pet when you can accomplish the same diet variety safely?

 

[gumby]

I think that we all just have different thoughts on this not a big deal I can see both sides of this I do have one G rosea that I feed WC food to but its only every once in a while and mostly bettles and grasshoppers I do have to admit ive thought of feeding a mantis to her but I reall ydidnt like the possible problems that might come of that it was a very large mantis at about 4" itself.
scott

 

[jazaman]

Because I live in Scotland I don`t take these things for granted.....we dont get tarantulas or mantids or any exotic creatures...these things are exactly that to us...EXOTIC....I would never entertain the idea....My African Mantid is one of my fave pets and luv him to bits, he`s so cool..I think he`s fascinating...I`ve watched him grow from nymph to fully mature adult...you don`t know how lucky you guys are!!

 

[jazaman]

Well said Hedorah!

 

[Arachnophilist]

just a question.. why is it that the wild bugs would give the Tarantulas parasites? is it just because they are bugs that are foreign to the tarantulas native habitat? or do ALL wild tarantulas get these parasites? not being an ass im just curious!

Chris

 

[sick4x4]

i didnt know it was such a hot topic!!lol...though one can understand that there are 2 fields of thought on it...and enough scientific fact to back both sides.....like in all things there are pros and cons....yet in my opinion one shouldn't hold one as fact over the other.......each has an opinion and like butt(blank) they all stink

 

[lucanidae]

I'm wondering exactly what kinds of internal parasites a spider would obtain from eating prey.

As far as I can tell, the use of external digestion would kill most of the parasites. My first thought would be that some sort of nematode worm could evade this, and I was correct.

"Nematode parasites of spiders and harvestmen are restricted to members of the family Mermithidae" (Poinar, 121)

So this is the only nematode genera known to invade spiders, but how do they get there? Well it turns out that these worms need water to complete their life cycle as far as anyone knows.

"After emerging from the dead spider host, the worm needs to find moisture to complete its life cycle."
http://www.amonline.net.au/spiders/life/survival/health.htm

"In this type of development, the females deposit eggs in an aquatic habitat. The eggs are ingested by immature insects and the infective stage mermithid hatches, penetrates the gut wall, invades the parenteral tissues of the host and then enters dormancy. Thus when the host matures, it carries the parasite. When one of these paratenic hosts falls prey to a spider and is eaten, the nematode becomes active, enters the spider's hemocoele and resumes development." (Poinar, 126)

So it seems as though as long as you don't feed your spiders wild caught North American insects who have a life stage in water (which mantises do not) then you will be safe from what seems to be the only internal parasite that can survive the external digestion process and regularly infects spiders.

Poinar, George O., Jr. Mermithid (Nematoda) Parasites of Spiders and Harvestmen. Journal of Arachnology, 13 (pg) 121-128.

Assumptions:
Only a few things can survive external digestion (nematodes being the most likely)
You will be able to spot external parasites
You will be feeding wild caught insects only from North America

 

[sick4x4]

bravo:clap:

 

[Arachnophilist]

well you answered the hell outta my question! BRAVO indeed!:clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[MindUtopia]

mate i can........sometimes i like to give them a treat...but come on being over paranoid ?!?!? i have never heard a case were this has happened???? maybe it does...no one i know has had it happen..sooo to each there own

Actually, I can think of several threads in the past few months - one being just last week - where feeding wild caught prey led to infestations. Not to mention risking exposure to pesticides. We are constantly warning people to be careful when using paint, or bug spray, or harsh chemicals in the same house as T's, so it makes no sense to recommend feeding them prey items that could be laced with these toxins. Bottom line is, the "coolness" factor just isn't work the risk to the health of your animals. Buying from a reputable dealer or raising your own prey is the responsible thing to do.

 

[jazaman]

I guess I`m just sad living in a boring place!!!