Feeding...how much? how often? Expert feedback, please!!!!

AntlerAlchemist

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No, that's not the way things work with ts.....the natural progression is to molt and be skinny...at their skinniest point...from there they fatten and a t will be at its fattest just prior to molting....you shouldn't be aiming at keeping any t at a certain size...let the t determine that for the most part....now with adults there definitely comes a point where no more food is required and at that point you can just await a molt....but be aware that a t should be rather plump prior to molting.



Mealworms will last 6 months or more in the fridge...they go dormant...its not a big deal to keep them in the fridge.

Its also important to note that super worms must be kept at room temps or they die, they're tropical....wax worms also don't fare well in the fridge and should also be kept at room temps or just slightly lower.



Yeah, a humid cage will kill a GBB...they require it to be dry. Only slings under 1" should be offered a damp area...and just an area.
Ah so much to learn! So I should just set a schedule of feeding. Like maybe one superworm per week. And maybe she will refuse if she really doesn't want it?
 

cold blood

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Ah so much to learn! So I should just set a schedule of feeding. Like maybe one superworm per week. And maybe she will refuse if she really doesn't want it?
Another thing to consider is that once a t starts to get plump you can 1. feed smaller prey and 2. gradually increase the time between feedings.

For Example I might have an adult Nhandu that molts....upon feeding I might feed a larger roach once a week. The next month I may feed one roach every 10 days...eventually as it gets really plump, I may just offer a single cricket or mealworm every 3-4 weeks. So even within this one ts feeding cycle the schedule will change dramatically.
 

cold blood

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@AntlerAlchemist

The transformation from when you got it to now is incredible...that thing looked like walking death when you found it...looks so good now.....a testament to just how tough life in the wild really is, as well as how easy captive life is.
 

AntlerAlchemist

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@AntlerAlchemist

The transformation from when you got it to now is incredible...that thing looked like walking death when you found it...looks so good now.....a testament to just how tough life in the wild really is, as well as how easy captive life is.
True! I believe she had just molted. There was an exuviae outside the burrow. It was also early spring so she was just coming out of a long winter!
 

AntlerAlchemist

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I should add that a lot of the wild Ts I've been seeing in the burrow while hiking are still looking quite thin at this point in the year. I like to peak in on a few that I have found with a flashlight in the evening :D
 

cold blood

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True! I believe she had just molted. There was an exuviae outside the burrow. It was also early spring so she was just coming out of a long winter!
It was more than just freshly molted...it was shriveled....a sign of a spider on death's door. Freshly molted it was skinny sure, but probably looked great, I mean it may have molted in fall......I was not referring to the size of the abdomen...I was referring to the shape it was in.
 

AntlerAlchemist

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It was more than just freshly molted...it was shriveled....a sign of a spider on death's door. Freshly molted it was skinny sure, but probably looked great, I mean it may have molted in fall......I was not referring to the size of the abdomen...I was referring to the shape it was in.
Ha ha yes she did look bad.. she was covered in dirt (my fault) :-/ It took her a lot of grooming to clean up. But she sure looks purty now. I can't wait until she molts again so I can offically sex her using a molt, and maybe she'll get a fuzzier butt too :D
 

viper69

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I've been reading lots of websites and watching lots of videos and now I'm completely confused. Some people say feed once per week for any species. Others say feed every 2-3 days, some say every 3-5 days. And some say it's different for each species. Also, how much? one feeder, two, three? Some people let them continue to eat until they're full, others say you should never do that. I'm just trying to be a responsible owner and care for all my babies the best I can. How do you experienced keepers handle feeding?
I didn't read the other responses as I don't have time.

There's a paper out there that scientifically examined how much food a particular species needed to gain mass. However you don't technically need to read it for your Ts to thrive.

Feeding a T depends on so many variables. I posted about this about 14 days ago, and I'm sure CB covered them.

In short, most people feed their Ts based on what is convenient for them, hence the variability (not counting species they own, nor the temps the Ts are kept at). MANY people say "they can go w/out food for a long time, I can't drive to the store more than once a week..."

For all my Ts, I feed fine as often as they will eat. This is particularly true for slings, whose job is to grow and evade predators. I pay CLOSE ATTENTION to their abdomen size. It's an indicator of hydration and often hunger. Fat Ts will eat and drink, and I've seen it.

Some species grow faster, some don't. I have a species that in my care at least has a VERY fast metabolism, even at 5" in DLS. It eats 3-5 crickets every 2 days when hungry, sometimes more!
 
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