Feeding a tarantula a superworm

[samwhale]

Hi guys! My t is a pretty small B. vagans. Hes about 1 and a half inches. I just bought superworms today cause i have no other means of feeding him. I used to feed him grasshoppers but my supply of that ran out and now rests on the superworms. May i ask how you guys feed superworms to tarantulas? Some say that they crush the head first but im not really sure how to do that. Thanks!

 

[jcmbibb311]

Superworms are pretty big for such a little T, so what I would do is cut one in half and leave it in there for your vagans. At that size they will most likely scavenge feed, but if it doesn’t eat it after about 24 hours then you can remove it and try again at a later time.

 

[Vanisher]

Cut them in 3 or more pieces and feed the parts to the tarantula. I freeze them alive ( poor worms) and cut them in pieces with a sharp knife. Easier to cut up frozen worms. If you only have a single tarantula just quickly cut off a piece and put the rest if the worm back in the freezer. This way yiu dont waste any worms

 

[Colorado Ts]

I just squeeze the head between my fingers until it makes a pop. If you are squeamish, maybe use a small set of pliers to do the deed.

At 1.5"...you may just cut the super worm into sections and drop it into the enclosure. Super worms are bigger than mealworms.

Unless your Tarantula is a quick feeder...I'd take some sort of precautions, or you'll wind up with adult beetles running around the enclosures.

 

[jaw6053]

Pretty sure I read on here somewhere that you want to feed your T something around the size of its abdomen, slightly larger is ok. Correct me if I am wrong. Also, i have purchased superworms in many different sizes so I am not sure what size you have. The larger superworms you can just use your tongs and squish its head. Then cut 1-2 rings of it off with scissors and give to your sling.

 

[Goopyguy56]

Yeah just make sure you crush the head. My B Emilia had a best bud when the superworm she didn't eat became a beetle a few weeks later. I don't know if they can hurt the t but why take the chance

 

[ratmilk]

Cut them in 3 or more pieces and feed the parts to the tarantula. I freeze them alive ( poor worms) and cut them in pieces with a sharp knife. Easier to cut up frozen worms. If you only have a single tarantula just quickly cut off a piece and put the rest if the worm back in the freezer. This way yiu dont waste any worms

So most Ts will happily eat a truly dead meal? I'm looking to get a T and it will make life a lot easier if it's possible to keep mealworms in the freezer to stop them pupating or freeze other types of live food.

 

[CJJon]

So most Ts will happily eat a truly dead meal? I'm looking to get a T and it will make life a lot easier if it's possible to keep mealworms in the freezer to stop them pupating or freeze other types of live food.

Nope...need live feeders that you dispatch right before feeding.

 

[TwiztedNinja]

So most Ts will happily eat a truly dead meal?

Only scavenging slings

 

[CJJon]

Only scavenging slings

Even then you would not want to feed previously frozen.

 

[Kitara]

If you are squeamish, maybe use a small set of pliers to do the deed.

I'm so squeamish just reading that made my skin crawl lol.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Grab the worm by the body and then crush its head with a pair of tweezers

 

[viper69]

Hi guys! My t is a pretty small B. vagans. Hes about 1 and a half inches. I just bought superworms today cause i have no other means of feeding him. I used to feed him grasshoppers but my supply of that ran out and now rests on the superworms. May i ask how you guys feed superworms to tarantulas? Some say that they crush the head first but im not really sure how to do that. Thanks!

You don't know how to crush something?? Get a hammer

 

[Vanisher]

Even then you would not want to feed previously frozen.

I have fed frozen insects for years without problem

 

[CJJon]

I have fed frozen insects for years without problem

Just slings or adult T's too? For the average hobbyist, keeping a tub of worms alive is a trivial matter.

 

[jaw6053]

Just slings or adult T's too? For the average hobbyist, keeping a tub of worms alive is a trivial matter.

Not sure where everyone lives but I live in a very small town and I have a pet store 4 miles away where I can purchase all types of worms and in any quantity I want. So even if I only had 1 or 2 tarantula's, it would be easy to buy a couple worms and not have to freeze any. For anyone with concerns about feeders, I would check your local shops to see if they would be willing to work with you on the quantities you need to purchase as I am sure you will find someone out there who will sell you the quantity you need.

 

[Vanisher]

Just slings or adult T's too? For the average hobbyist, keeping a tub of worms alive is a trivial matter.

Both adults and slings. Years ago i had a colony of dubia roaches. After some time i noticed that i was allergic to them. I thought about selling them but i still needed feeders so i decided to freeze them. This way i did not have allergic reactions and the tarantulas had still food for the tarantulas, and the spiders had no issue eating them after they thawed. I just placed a partly thawed dubia in the burrow entrance at night and in the morning the tarantula was eating it. Same with the froze superworms i sometimes feed slings