Feed guide line

[ExoticLover]

Hi guys, can I know can I feed my tarantula twice a week??

 

[Kitara]

Depends on the tarantula. What kind is it? How big is it? How big are the meals?

I feed my tiniest ones (less than an inch) twice a week. They get pinhead B. lateralis or they get prekilled mealworms. My larger ones I feed once a week. My MM T. albo gets fed about twice a month.

 

[ExoticLover]

My is goofy sapphire, size of her ard 5inc. I last feed was 3 days ago. On 1 cricket and 1 super worm.

 

[xjamesx66]

I tend to just base my feeding on abdomen size rather than at specific time intervals for the most part. Species, moult cycle, temps etc. all influence a T's metabolism which ultimately determines how often they need a feed.

 

[Venom1080]

Feeding schedules are slowly becoming a pet peeve of mine. There are select situations they can work, but for the average keeper like myself they are nothing but a waste of time.

Feed based on the abdomen size and size of the specimen. Young spiders should be fed much more heavily than adults. And abdomen size can be maintained between 3-4 times the size of the carapace. They also put much more of that into growth with each molt. A very well fed adult spider will have an abdomen about 1.5 times the carapace.

Many people following feeding schedules end up with grossly obese animals.

 

[ExoticLover]

So how do i know weather is my Gooty T is fully feed?? So basically if i wanna to feed my T, how do i need to know to be hungry?

 

[Theneil]

Simplest way i can think to put it is this.

Feed your tarantulas enough that the abdomen is never shrinking in size (except after a molt) Whether you choose to plump them quickly or slowly is generally a non issue. Also, we get ised tk seeing pictures almost exclusively of these super plump adult females. There a tarantula is perfectly healthy even if it does not have a gargantuous abdomen.

 

[Venom1080]

So how do i know weather is my Gooty T is fully feed?? So basically if i wanna to feed my T, how do i need to know to be hungry?

Tarantulas are opportunistic feeders. They dont exactly get "hungry". They eat till you stop giving food.

Its up to you, the keeper, to manage the feeding. And its best ime to keep the abdomen size in the parameters i mention.

 

[Colorado Ts]

Trying to get slings out of that delicate stage, yeah, I'll maintain them at 79 degrees and feed them twice a week. Once they hit 2” to 2.5” I put them in an adult enclosure. On the shelf they go, normal room temperature and once a week feeding schedule.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Depends on species, its stage in growth, and the size of the meals you feed.

A fast growing species like A. geniculata can be kept on a schedule like below and never end up obese.

Sling - every 3 days
Grown on sling - every 5 days
Small juvenile - every 7 days
Large juvenile - every 10 days
Subadult/adult - every 14 days

If it's a slower growing species or you feed larger meals then you're going to need to feed much less often.

 

[SonsofArachne]

All mine, slings to adults, get feed once a week - unless I notice the adults are getting fat, then I cut back for them. And slings will often get a extra feeder. And If I happen to be sick (which is rare) just the slings get fed or nobody gets fed, depending on how sick I am. When I suffer, everybody suffers

 

[mjzheng]

When I suffer, everybody suffers

I bet they show their annoyance by continuing the usual scheduled doing not much of anything

 

[Vanisher]

I have not many tarantulas nowdays, but when i had i used feeding schedule just because i found it easier. But i think feeding irregulair is the best. Sometimes once a week and sometimes once a month and everything in between. Then it is depending on what speicies you have and how large theybare. My adult female G porteri i feed once a month, while slings i usakly feed twice a week