Feeding a single tarantula

[Syngyne]

With my G.aureostriata arriving tomorrow, I find my thoughts turning to our future together. That is, a week or so later after the excitement and stress of a new home has worn off she will probably be pounding on the side of the cage yelling "WHERE'S MAH CRICKET?!"

Now, I don't plan on getting another tarantula any time soon, so little Tonkers is going to be the only mouth I have to feed. I'm assuming I'll only have to be popping vittles in once or twice a week. So, here come the questions: is it worth trying to breed my own bugs to feed my tarantula, or should I just make weekly trips to the pet store? How many bugs should I be keeping on hand to feed her?

 

[ShadowBlade]

No, it would only be a waste really to breed your own. IMO

What size is she? That'll help how much to feed.

-Sean

But if you plan on getting some more T's, (you will.. you will ) Then starting a little colony of mealworms wouldn't hurt.

 

[gunslinger]

If you are going to stick with just one T for now, I would just go out and buy feeders as needed, no need to attempt breeding at home. Breeding a feeder colony at home would require more upkeep then the single T itself.

However beware, T's are like pringles........ its hard to stop at just one

 

[mikeymo]

i would, and i DO, make the trips to the pet store.

Let me tell you, i HATE crickets. When left alone for an extended period of time they stink and they will get out. I don't like having them in my house at all, but since i have no choice, i'd rather just have a few at a time (but that's just a matter of personal preference).

In regards to how many you'll need to keep, that depends on the size of your T. If it's a sling, it won't take very many feedings for it to go into pre-molt and stop eating. If it's a larger T you could probably feed it 2-4 medium a week. Keep in mind some will die, some will get eaten by other crickets and the odd one will just dissapear. so if you're feeing 4 crickets a week, i'd say buy a dozen or so.

just my 2 cents

 

[Syngyne]

She's only 3" right now.

As for Pringles, there is a decided lack of space in this tube in which to store more.

 

[mikeymo]

She's only 3" right now.

As for Pringles, there is a decided lack of space in this tube in which to store more.

at that size and given what i know about the species (mine eats like a machine) i'd say it's probably a good idea to keep a dozen or so medium crickets at a time and feed it maybe 4 in a week. You could also get away with 2 larger ones a week.

But feeding is really a matter of preference. if you feed them more, they grow faster. Some people like that, some don't. I'm sure more expereinced owners could speak more to this point...

 

[jr47]

when i had just one i kept a kritter keeper and usually bought a dozen at a time. they will last at least a couple weeks depending on the size of your t. a pop cap or 2 full of cricket quencher and some food for the crickets and your good. the cricket quencher is much easier than trying to keep water for them and helps keep the smell down.
take my word, if you buy one it wont be long you'll be wanting more. they seem to be very addictive.

 

[monitormonster]

Back in the dark ages when I only had 1 T, I would go to the pet store once every week or two and get 3 or 4 crickets. I then threw em in a really small KK with a piece of bread or some other kind of food so they would stay alive for a little while. This way, you usually have food on hand for your T, and youre not running to the pet store several times a week

 

[tacomadiver]

As for Pringles, there is a decided lack of space in this tube in which to store more.

But look at how many Pringles fit into a tube!! It's amazing how people will find/make more space to add to the collection.

 

[monitormonster]

But look at how many Pringles fit into a tube!! It's amazing how people will find/make more space to add to the collection.

True that-

You will find space for as many T's as ya want~~~

Just get a long coffee table and line em up!

 

[FryLock]

If it's a single tarantula it might eat TV dinners or call out for takeaway.

 

[Tescos]

Hi
I find the best way to feed single tarantulas is by feeding them individually.
Cheers
Chris

 

[Syngyne]

If it's a single tarantula it might eat TV dinners or call out for takeaway.

I hope not. That would get expensive!

 

[Drachenjager]

any stray cats in the neighborhood?

 

[ballpython2]

With my G.aureostriata arriving tomorrow, I find my thoughts turning to our future together. That is, a week or so later after the excitement and stress of a new home has worn off she will probably be pounding on the side of the cage yelling "WHERE'S MAH CRICKET?!"

Now, I don't plan on getting another tarantula any time soon, so little Tonkers is going to be the only mouth I have to feed. I'm assuming I'll only have to be popping vittles in once or twice a week. So, here come the questions: is it worth trying to breed my own bugs to feed my tarantula, or should I just make weekly trips to the pet store? How many bugs should I be keeping on hand to feed her?

what size is she going to be..

these guys are not aggresive eaters however on the same token they eat a little more than rose hairs do....so if i was you... I would just take a trip to the store the pet store and if your tarantula is gonna be about 2" or bigger feed it adult crickets if its smaller than two inches i would buy small crickets.'

if you get adult crickets just buy 2 -3 if you get small crickets id have 5 or more because i think smaller T's eat more..

also if you end up buying adult crickets and your T doesnt eat them you can put them inside something and let them breed.....then just from there...

i have 14 T's i just buy 190 crickets all adults and i just let them breed and make babies . some of these will die before they can be fed off but i dont care cause 190 crickets only cost me like 5 dollars...and i keep all these crickets in a 55 gallon tank.

when i put adult crickets in certain Tarantula tanks if they dont eat em i throw them back in the cricket tank so they can breed more...all i have left now in my cricket tank is a lot of pinhead / small crickets. but i havent been to petco in like 2 months because of all this excess T food.

 

[IdahoBiteyThing]

Yumm, roaches

So, I can't freakin' STAND the smell of crickets. I just bought some B. dubia roaches this week, and I'm already in LOVE with them. They don't smell at ALL, and they're almost too cute to feed, but. . . They are much easier to keep alive and maintain than crix, mature slowly, don't eat each other, and don't chirp all night either. So, you might consider some roaches. Even if you're not keeping them as a breeding colony, they're so much less whiffy/stinky/skanky/gross than crickets that I'd pay twice as much as I did for them. I got a 100 mixed sizes, put them in a nice rubbermaid container with egg cartons and cork tiles, same crystals and food you'd use for crix, along w/ some fruit (which disappears wayyy fast), and I'm set for food for months, and did I mention, NO SMELL!

 

[Amanda]

what size is she going to be..

these guys are not aggresive eaters however on the same token they eat a little more than rose hairs do....so if i was you... I would just take a trip to the store the pet store and if your tarantula is gonna be about 2" or bigger feed it adult crickets if its smaller than two inches i would buy small crickets.'

if you get adult crickets just buy 2 -3 if you get small crickets id have 5 or more because i think smaller T's eat more..

also if you end up buying adult crickets and your T doesnt eat them you can put them inside something and let them breed.....then just from there...

i have 14 T's i just buy 190 crickets all adults and i just let them breed and make babies . some of these will die before they can be fed off but i dont care cause 190 crickets only cost me like 5 dollars...and i keep all these crickets in a 55 gallon tank.

when i put adult crickets in certain Tarantula tanks if they dont eat em i throw them back in the cricket tank so they can breed more...all i have left now in my cricket tank is a lot of pinhead / small crickets. but i havent been to petco in like 2 months because of all this excess T food.

Doesn't your cricket tank turn into a stinking gnat-attracting cesspool?

 

[ballpython2]

Doesn't your cricket tank turn into a stinking gnat-attracting cesspool?

not at all.... i throw away moldy food asap and take out all dead crickets as soon as i find them. so noo issues to speak of.

 

[Syngyne]

Here is the oft-asked question: how soon do I feed her?

I know it's usually recommended to wait a week or so for her to get acclimated to her new house and calm down, and I've been pretty much leaving her alone since I got her yesterday morning. I haven't tried to handle her, and any time I open the enclosure to take a picture I try to do it as gently and slowly as possible. I'm just wondering, how does one tell if a tarantula is already hungry?

I ask because tonight I saw her digging out her hide a bit more, so I thought it would make for a good picture. She was perched at the entrance to her hide, but when I opened the cage top she turned around and retreated. I thought I'd go ahead and get a shot of her little fuzzy butt anyway. When I took a picture, the camera made its little clicky-stutter noise, and she came out of her hide pretty quick. I decided to leave her alone after that, so I gently slid the enclosure lid back on. As I did this, she moved pretty quickly to the side of the cage, apparently following the vibration from the lid as I slid it back.

Did she think the noise was from possible food? Or just something she wanted to scare off? Is she getting hungry, or just angry? Am I stressing her unnecessarily? Up to now I've never seen her move that fast, she's been pretty mellow and slow this whole time.

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Amanda]

It sounds like she's settling in just fine if she's already customizing her hide. I'd go ahead and feed her, but that's me.