FEEDING MOTHS TO TARANTULAS

[TheMindBlow]

Hi. So I am wondering if I can feed my tarantula with moths? I got a package of waxmorms but they turned into moths. I am wondering if they are a good food for my T. I manged to find some info about it but mostly about moths that are wild caught. I wouldn't feed them with anything wild caught. I heard some of the moths can be toxic. So I am not too sure and want to get more opinions on that. Thanks

 

[cold blood]

IME you will not get a better feeding response than you will from a prey item with beating wings. Its too bad moths aren't as readily available as crickets or as easy to cultivate in mass as roaches, because they do make great feeders.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Have you ever thrown a moth into a spiders web?
With captive T's it's a better hunt than with crickets.
For future reference wax worms can be stored in the refrigerator, but not super cold. I buy 50 at a time and take out 8 to 10 at a time to let them pupate into moths. Probably a little more nutritious than the wax worm larvae that are high in fat. Still I like the feed the larvae to a newly molted T as it's first meal after hardening up.

 

[TheMindBlow]

Have you ever thrown a moth into a spiders web?
With captive T's it's a better hunt than with crickets.
For future reference wax worms can be stored in the refrigerator, but not super cold. I buy 50 at a time and take out 8 to 10 at a time to let them pupate into moths. Probably a little more nutritious than the wax worm larvae that are high in fat. Still I like the feed the larvae to a newly molted T as it's first meal after hardening up.

I didn't give them any yet but I will try.

 

[basin79]

Hi. So I am wondering if I can feed my tarantula with moths? I got a package of waxmorms but they turned into moths. I am wondering if they are a good food for my T. I manged to find some info about it but mostly about moths that are wild caught. I wouldn't feed them with anything wild caught. I heard some of the moths can be toxic. So I am not too sure and want to get more opinions on that. Thanks

I usually feed wax moths to Zeus my Tokay gecko but do feed them to my tarantulas and spiders too. And as if by magic fed my A.gen a load today.

View attachment IMG_5080.MP4

 

[Phobic1]

Have you ever thrown a moth into a spiders web?
With captive T's it's a better hunt than with crickets.
For future reference wax worms can be stored in the refrigerator, but not super cold. I buy 50 at a time and take out 8 to 10 at a time to let them pupate into moths. Probably a little more nutritious than the wax worm larvae that are high in fat. Still I like the feed the larvae to a newly molted T as it's first meal after hardening up.

Very, very interesting. I like this idea a lot. I find mealworms nutritious for Ts but they can play dead and disappear into the substrate sometimes w a confused or nervous T.

 

[basin79]

Very, very interesting. I like this idea a lot. I find mealworms nutritious for Ts but they can play dead and disappear into the substrate sometimes w a confused or nervous T.

Squash their heads flat. Will still move (although that doesn't matter as a tarantula will scoop them up if they come into contact with them regardless) and there's ZERO risk of them burrowing.

 

[Doodlebird]

Moths are not great for webbing spiders as the scales on their wings will flake off keeping them from sticking to the web well, but that wouldn't be an issue for your T. I imagine it would also be some good activity to try and catch one

 

[justanotherTkeeper]

IME you will not get a better feeding response than you will from a prey item with beating wings. Its too bad moths aren't as readily available as crickets or as easy to cultivate in mass as roaches, because they do make great feeders.

Just curious, can the wings be clipped off prior to feeding so there are no beating wings?

 

[Scorpiobsession]

Just curious, can the wings be clipped off prior to feeding so there are no beating wings?

Why would you want to do that? I guess they could be but there isn't an advantage to doing it. They increase prey drive and give the T something to chase (if it's not caught in a web first).

 

[basin79]

Just curious, can the wings be clipped off prior to feeding so there are no beating wings?

Why? Just pop them in the fridge for a few mins if you're bothered about them potentially escaping. Zero need to cut their wings off. A few got away when I fed my A.gen some today. No issue. If the house spiders don't get them they'll just live out their lives and die.

 

[justanotherTkeeper]

You know, when I read;

IME you will not get a better feeding response than you will from a prey item with beating wings

I read it as the beating wings were a problem. I guess I misread, whoops

 

[viper69]

Just curious, can the wings be clipped off prior to feeding so there are no beating wings?

Yeah, if you are strong enough to rip them off.

 

[cold blood]

there's ZERO risk of them burrowing.

there is actually little risk from a burrowed wax worm...when they burrow they cacoon up (harmless), then emerge as (again, harmless) moths.

Just curious, can the wings be clipped off prior to feeding so there are no beating wings?

when I feed moths, i clip one wing in half.....this causes them to beat even harder, but keeps them in the strike zone for the t.

 

[Doodlebird]

Good advice! If I feed anything that flies I normally clip both wings in half, but this effectively does the same thing.

 

[basin79]

there is actually little risk from a burrowed wax worm...when they burrow they cacoon up (harmless), then emerge as (again, harmless) moths.

But I was replying to a comment about mealworms not waxworms.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

there is actually little risk from a burrowed wax worm...when they burrow they cacoon up (harmless), then emerge as (again, harmless) moths.

I believe he was referring to mealworms, wax worms are one of the few feeders that are completely harmless at all life stages seeing as they only eat wax/honey AFAIK (also, by the time you get them from the pet shop they're usually at the point where they will no longer eat and are gearing up to pupate).

 

[LucN]

Seeing how Basin's genic went nuts for them, I would definitely try them out, if they were available at my LPS. Unfortunately, we are limited to crickets, meal and super worms over here.