Feeding question from a new keeper

[Emily76]

I tried using the search function but it was not helpful. Sorry for starting a new thread if this is in error.

I am new to Ts and I'm confused about how often I should feed. Google searches seem to recommend a schedule, but I feel like this may be an error. I have some small slings as well as juveniles and one T albo that I think may be an adult. It has been over a week since I fed each of them, but their abdomens all look very good, even a bit plump. Should I still feed? I don't want to overfeed, nor do I want them to be hungry of course!

Any help is much appreciated!!

 

[HOITrance]

Personally I run a schedule. However, if my T is looking rather large on feeding day I do hold off.

i typically feed my slings twice a week until 1” or so then go to once a week. My juvies every two weeks and my big ones a big meal every 3-4 weeks. I just pay attention to abdomen size and some behaviors (I see my pokies out more when they are hunting for food so will usually feed them then). Reason I feed my tiny slings like this is to get them out of that delicate stage as soon as they can.

if any refuse food, I try again in my next schedule unless they are showing signs of premolt. Then I just monitor abdomen size. I have a few oddballs that don’t like to eat as frequently.

a schedule isn’t an end all be all. It’s just how I do things. The main thing is to monitor abdomen size and go from there.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I feed based off abdomen size, if a t is plump enough it’s fine until next molt . I’ve only had adults eat again after refusing food say in few months later . Slings generally molt . Here’s a link to beginners guide if you don’t already have it already.

Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Emily76]

Personally I run a schedule. However, if my T is looking rather large on feeding day I do hold off.

i typically feed my slings twice a week until 1” or so then go to once a week. My juvies every two weeks and my big ones a big meal every 3-4 weeks. I just pay attention to abdomen size and some behaviors (I see my pokies out more when they are hunting for food so will usually feed them then). Reason I feed my tiny slings like this is to get them out of that delicate stage as soon as they can.

if any refuse food, I try again in my next schedule unless they are showing signs of premolt. Then I just monitor abdomen size. I have a few oddballs that don’t like to eat as frequently.

a schedule isn’t an end all be all. It’s just how I do things. The main thing is to monitor abdomen size and go from there.

Okay, this is very helpful, thank you so much!

I feed based off abdomen size, if a t is plump enough it’s fine until next molt . I’ve only had adults eat again after refusing food say in few months later . Slings generally molt . Here’s a link to beginners guide if you don’t already have it already.

Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

Thank you! I am sorry I missed this. I will study it now. Thank you again!

 

[cold blood]

I feel like I am going in depth to explain this on a weekly basis....so instead of typing it out yet again, I did a simple search "feeding schedules" and put my user name "cold blood" in the search....so here is the copy and paste of just the 2 of the most recent answers concerning this question.........

-----

"No t needs or requires a feeding schedule...for example, 10 people could give you 10 different "schedules" and every single one of them could raise the same healthy t.

A good rule of thumb is that just after a molt, ts will be at their thinnest, and will want to eat more, as they plump, they require less food, less often...and fat ts generally speaking, just don't need to be fed. Also the smaller the feeders, the more often it will need food, and the bigger the prey, the less often it will need to eat. So in a nutshell, how often you feed depends on where it is in the molt cycle, and how large the prey is. With slings most meals, like the one its pictures eating, are in fact huge meals that can fill a sling in just one or two feedings.

Keep in mind, the more you feed, the quicker it will plump and therefore, the longer it will eventually fast before molting.....you could feed every couple days, or every couple weeks and the t will live and grow either way. Feeding schedules shouldnt be a primary focus"

-----

"Now to the feeding schedule...you dont need a feeding schedule at all. This is evident if you understand how ts grow. When they molt, they will always be at their thinnest and therefore be their hungriest....but as they plump, their need for food will diminish and when fat, their food needs are very low....zero for a really fat one...most will refuse food at some point...a genic however, may not. So you can feed more after a molt, and less as it plumps.

Now to another factor...the size of your prey.....if you are feeding small prey items, you can feed the t more often, however if you are feeding very large, or many smaller or medium sized prey items, you will want to feed a whole lot less often. See, you could feed a small mealworm just about every day, or you could feed a very large roach twice a month, and you would be giving a heavier feeding schedule with the latter feeding option.....so there is that to consider. But absolutely do not get hung up on strict feeding schedules.

Now to the prey....a t will take darn near anything they can overpower, and therefore your feeder options can include a myriad of things...meal worms, wax worms, super worms, earthworms, roaches, locusts, crickets...heck, I have fed small fish or chunks of chicken in a pinch.....the reality is that you should feed whatever prey option is most readily available to you"

 

[viper69]

No

I feed mine based on behaviors and abdomen size

 

[darkness975]

I feed based off abdomen size, if a t is plump enough it’s fine until next molt . I’ve only had adults eat again after refusing food say in few months later . Slings generally molt . Here’s a link to beginners guide if you don’t already have it already.

Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

This

 

[Emily76]

I feel like I am going in depth to explain this on a weekly basis....so instead of typing it out yet again, I did a simple search "feeding schedules" and put my user name "cold blood" in the search....so here is the copy and paste of just the 2 of the most recent answers concerning this question.........

-----

"No t needs or requires a feeding schedule...for example, 10 people could give you 10 different "schedules" and every single one of them could raise the same healthy t.

A good rule of thumb is that just after a molt, ts will be at their thinnest, and will want to eat more, as they plump, they require less food, less often...and fat ts generally speaking, just don't need to be fed. Also the smaller the feeders, the more often it will need food, and the bigger the prey, the less often it will need to eat. So in a nutshell, how often you feed depends on where it is in the molt cycle, and how large the prey is. With slings most meals, like the one its pictures eating, are in fact huge meals that can fill a sling in just one or two feedings.

Keep in mind, the more you feed, the quicker it will plump and therefore, the longer it will eventually fast before molting.....you could feed every couple days, or every couple weeks and the t will live and grow either way. Feeding schedules shouldnt be a primary focus"

-----

"Now to the feeding schedule...you dont need a feeding schedule at all. This is evident if you understand how ts grow. When they molt, they will always be at their thinnest and therefore be their hungriest....but as they plump, their need for food will diminish and when fat, their food needs are very low....zero for a really fat one...most will refuse food at some point...a genic however, may not. So you can feed more after a molt, and less as it plumps.

Now to another factor...the size of your prey.....if you are feeding small prey items, you can feed the t more often, however if you are feeding very large, or many smaller or medium sized prey items, you will want to feed a whole lot less often. See, you could feed a small mealworm just about every day, or you could feed a very large roach twice a month, and you would be giving a heavier feeding schedule with the latter feeding option.....so there is that to consider. But absolutely do not get hung up on strict feeding schedules.

Now to the prey....a t will take darn near anything they can overpower, and therefore your feeder options can include a myriad of things...meal worms, wax worms, super worms, earthworms, roaches, locusts, crickets...heck, I have fed small fish or chunks of chicken in a pinch.....the reality is that you should feed whatever prey option is most readily available to you"

This is exactly what I needed. I have bookmarked it. Sorry that you had to go through it again but I really appreciate it! Thank you so much!

 

[caddude]

As @cold blood said, no schedule for me. I have been a tarantula keeper for about two years, and do not try to schedule feeding. Instead, I look for behavior clues. When the tarantula is spread out flat on their web, I have generally found that they are actively waiting for prey to land on the web. That being said, I will watch abdomen size to determine if more or less food is needed. I have also found that my tarantulas will more actively take prey when it is dark. They can sometimes be spooked if approached during the day, yet will actively take food on the same day in the evening.

 

[Emily76]

As @cold blood said, no schedule for me. I have been a tarantula keeper for about two years, and do not try to schedule feeding. Instead, I look for behavior clues. When the tarantula is spread out flat on their web, I have generally found that they are actively waiting for prey to land on the web. That being said, I will watch abdomen size to determine if more or less food is needed. I have also found that my tarantulas will more actively take prey when it is dark. They can sometimes be spooked if approached during the day, yet will actively take food on the same day in the evening.

I feel like all of mine have good abdomen size, but most are still small and some are slings so even if they look "full" should I still feed them? Some online stuff says to feed a sling multiple times a week! I have been feeding mine 1/4 inch dubias, so maybe this is a bigger meal than is common?

 

[caddude]

@Emily76 As somewhat of a beginner at this, I have read many articles here on the topic. A common theme I have found is that overfeeding can be unhealthy for them. Slings and smaller animals will typically eat more frequently without the potential for becoming obese, but as they get larger, it can become a health issue. When young, they tend to eat more often, smaller meals, from what I have read, gradually lessening as the grow out of slingdom. A good reference on YouTube is Toms Big Spiders, and the beastie room. They are more scientific about tarantula care than most.

 

[Niss]

I'll add my $0.02 as while I wouldn't consider myself a beginner any longer, that initial time as a new keeper is fresh enough in my mind that I do appreciate exactly why you're asking the question, and what you're looking for as an answer. If spiders have taught me anything, it's that spider's gonna spider. Don't obsess over them too much - you don't know how to be a spider better than they do and you have to learn to shrug your shoulders sometimes and just enjoy the ride.

For feeding, if they're slings I always just use pre-killed mealworm pieces, small crickets or larger drumsticks. With slings, If they're hungry, they'll eat, if they're not they generally won't and you take the uneaten prey out the next day. As many people have said here, feeding a couple of times a week is fine for slings. Once they're larger you'll have to move to live prey, but what has been suggested here many times is exactly right - abdomen small? feed more; abdomen large? feed less. Not interested in food for significant time? Probably pre-moult.

The really worrying thing for a new keeper will be when one goes spare and does something you just can't understand. One of mine, when about 1 or 1.5", closed up her hide as if she was pre-moult. Then stayed in that hole for over a year. I mean, wtf man...1 year in a hole without food or water? How does it live? I have no idea. I just maintained the enclosure like normal and waited. And waited. She did finally emerge, went right back to eating, hardly even uses her hide any more and moults regularly like nothing happened. *shrug*.

In your post you said that their abdomen's "look fine" and feel you shouldn't feed them...so don't feed them. Or try if you want - Tarantulas are relatively robust where food is concerned though and you don't need to worry about them going hungry if their abdomen looks ok. When larger than slings they can go for silly amounts of time without food so if you were actually "starving one" you'd be at it a long time. If you go on holidays, the spiders will be happy to be rid of you for 7 days, trust me. They're the ultimate pet.

Spiders will teach you a lot

~N

 

[Stu Macher]

I tried using the search function but it was not helpful. Sorry for starting a new thread if this is in error.

I am new to Ts and I'm confused about how often I should feed. Google searches seem to recommend a schedule, but I feel like this may be an error. I have some small slings as well as juveniles and one T albo that I think may be an adult. It has been over a week since I fed each of them, but their abdomens all look very good, even a bit plump. Should I still feed? I don't want to overfeed, nor do I want them to be hungry of course!

Any help is much appreciated!!

I feed mine until their abdomen is a good size. I keep my T's a little more plump than others. Hornworms are great for this