Feeding a single tarantula

[Syngyne]

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.

I've noticed she does spend some time huddled behind a plant in one of the corners of the cage, and I've only seen her go into her hide to dig twice now. Should I still go ahead and feed her, or wait a bit?

 

[mikeymo]

drop the cricket in front of her. if she pounces and eats, well, she's ready to eat. If she doesn't show interest, take it out and try tomorrow.

 

[Amanda]

Agreed.
Congrats on the new addition, btw!

 

[Syngyne]

Thanks.

Hee, she ate. When I first put the cricket in front of her, she gave a threat display and backed off, and the cricket ran off. I put it a little farther from her, and this time the cricket blundered into her, and it was munchy time.

 

[Moltar]

My recently acquired aureostriata (Ponch) has amazed me with her super-voracious appetite. At 1-1/2" she was eating 1/4" crickets like popcorn the day after i received her. For a couple days i put to the test the statement i've heard about it being impossible to overfeed a T. After she ate 7 (yes, seven) 1/4" crickets in one day i figured i'd better slow it down before she popped her abdomen or something. Now she's on 1-2 bigger cricks 3 times a week. I'm expecting her to go into pre-molt any day now.

If yours at 3" is anything like mine at 1-1/2" she'll probably tackle her first crick the second it hits the ground. My lil girl won't let anything live more than a few seconds once it gets near her burrow. I have a cool picture of her stuffing 3 cricks into her face at once. Since i'm somewhat new to this hobby though maybe this is normal behaviour for a sling and i just don't know it.

Fun stuff!!!

 

[Syngyne]

She seems to be eating well. I went ahead and fed her again this morning, mainly to get rid of a particularly noisy cricket. That's going to be it for this week, though, I don't want her to get too fat.