Feeding Arboreal T's

rob

Got Inverts?
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
343
Quick question...How do you feed the arboreal T's? I have a Rosehair and just drop the crickets in. I'm thinking of getting a pinktoe. Do I just drop the crickets in and the T will go down to the substrate and get the cricket or is there some other way to feed arboreals? Thanks.

Rob
 

mebebraz

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 27, 2002
Messages
551
mine tubed up towards the top of her enclosure and all I do is drop in two crickets once a week and she always ends up getting them, usually at night.
 

Valael

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
756
Your best bet is to put something like fake vines, cork bark, or something for the crickets to climb up (and an area for the tarantula to hide in/climb on) -- Crickets don't seem to follow any rules in terms of arboreal and terrestrial in my experience -- They run up and down the stuff, run around on the ground, and pretty much go anywhere they please (I see them on my walls quite often :p)



I've noticed that in kritter keepers, with all of the air coming in through the top, they tend to gather around the top of the enclosure -- Atleast that's what they do in my pinktoe's cage -- making it easy for him/her to grab it.


I usually dangle the cricket in front of it first, it's usually easier and they usually end up taking it.
 

Ultimate Instar

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 20, 2002
Messages
457
When I first got my A. versicolor, I dropped in some crickets but the sling didn't seem very interested so I started handing them over with a small pair of forceps. I've never tried using my bare fingers but it would make an _interesting_ experiment on tarantula sensory stimulation. On other occasions for other arboreal Ts, I crush up the cricket head and stick it on the webbing; that way, I know that the cricket cannot hurt the T and if the cricket is still there after 24 hours, it is easy to pick up and discard. Crickets do not depend upon their heads very much, so crushing them up doesn't kill them immediately and they will still wiggle around enticingly. Ummm, for the tarantula, of course......:D

Karen N.
 

Kenny

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
293
Feeding forceps

Hi

I have forcep-fed my arboels for a long time now and my smaller A.versicolor, s/he just don't leave the webtube anymore, just attack my forcep as soon s/he feel it get close to one of the web entrances:)

The other day my versicolor left the webtube even before I was close to the entrance, i.e. like 1 inch out of it and I could feel the "pulling" action in the forcep when s/he took the cricket.

Next time I'll have my camera there to try and take photos when it happens, it is a kinda of a "show"..:D
No digicam yet though, but it's coming.

Kenny
 

Weapon-X

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
774
re

i have thought about feeding with forceps would be pretty neat, never tried it yet though, another idea is to feed em roachs that can climb glass or grasshoppers(only if the t is big enough though) i have heard horror storys before about grasshoppers so be careful, last summer my regalis must have eaten at least 100 of them got quite fat too, but right now i feed crickets with vines and wood for them to walk right into their doom!
 
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