Feeding schedules

[spidermother]

Hello! I’ve posted once before but this time a different question! So, with my Mexican fire knee I used to feed her once a week in the summer and once every 2 during the winter (in my head it’s like I’m trying to make it like how in the wild in the winter bugs are harder to get? Idk I might be stupid) but I’ve recently been feeding her as much as I feed my juvenile curly hair, so once a week. I looked in her tank recently and there are 2 dead crickets so I might hold off on feeding her this week. She’s also been under her rock a lot but I’ve recently been moving stuff and my room can get loud and I figured it startled her (check on her tho she’s alive). Is every other week a good schedule or should I keep it at once a week? My curly hair (who I posted about in the past) is nearing maybe 1.5 inches in length so as he’s growing I feed him more obvi and he eats every cricket I give him, should I up his feeding schedule maybe? Asking the pros rn.
thank you!!!

 

[A guy]

Hello! I’ve posted once before but this time a different question! So, with my Mexican fire knee I used to feed her once a week in the summer and once every 2 during the winter (in my head it’s like I’m trying to make it like how in the wild in the winter bugs are harder to get? Idk I might be stupid) but I’ve recently been feeding her as much as I feed my juvenile curly hair, so once a week. I looked in her tank recently and there are 2 dead crickets so I might hold off on feeding her this week. She’s also been under her rock a lot but I’ve recently been moving stuff and my room can get loud and I figured it startled her (check on her tho she’s alive). Is every other week a good schedule or should I keep it at once a week? My curly hair (who I posted about in the past) is nearing maybe 1.5 inches in length so as he’s growing I feed him more obvi and he eats every cricket I give him, should I up his feeding schedule maybe? Asking the pros rn.
thank you!!!

They don't need a schedule. In contrast, it's for the keeper, who might need a schedule for convenience purposes.

In general, once a week is fine. When the abdomen gets bigger and bigger, feed less. Easy as that.

 

[Matt Man]

Once a week is fine, she could be premolt and Aphonopelma, Brachypelma, Grammastola and other slow growers are known to fast. Just remove the dead

 

[Mustafa67]

Hello! I’ve posted once before but this time a different question! So, with my Mexican fire knee I used to feed her once a week in the summer and once every 2 during the winter (in my head it’s like I’m trying to make it like how in the wild in the winter bugs are harder to get? Idk I might be stupid) but I’ve recently been feeding her as much as I feed my juvenile curly hair, so once a week. I looked in her tank recently and there are 2 dead crickets so I might hold off on feeding her this week. She’s also been under her rock a lot but I’ve recently been moving stuff and my room can get loud and I figured it startled her (check on her tho she’s alive). Is every other week a good schedule or should I keep it at once a week? My curly hair (who I posted about in the past) is nearing maybe 1.5 inches in length so as he’s growing I feed him more obvi and he eats every cricket I give him, should I up his feeding schedule maybe? Asking the pros rn.
thank you!!!

Don’t need feeding schedules, judge if its hungry by looking at its abdomen size

Remove uneaten prey after 24 hours

 

[Brewser]

Feed Em don't Over-Feed Em

On the Hunt, not Obese.

Keep Water Bowl Full As Well.

 

[Gevo]

How big is your Brachypelma/Mexican fire knee? Larger spiders don't need to be fed as frequently and are more likely to fast for longer periods of time.

It's best to feed based on abdomen size and signs that a tarantula is hungry, but I understand that schedules can be helpful when you're unsure or when you have a small collection and only buy small quantities of feeders (I'm in that latter boat). What works for one tarantula doesn't necessarily work for another, though, and that's based partly on size and partly on species, molt cycle, and individual need.

If the last two crickets have died/been killed without being eaten, that's a sign to hold off. Keep feeding the T. albopilosus/curly hair as normal, but wait a few weeks before seeing if the Brachypelma is ready to eat. Don't worry about exactly how long to wait. If the abdomen is plump, it can go a long, long time without starving. A healthy abdomen size is anywhere from 1-1.5 times the width of the carapace. Wider than that means the tarantula is very well fed and can stand to miss several meals or that a molt may be coming.

You can try offering something every few weeks, but remove uneaten prey if the tarantula is clearly not interested or if it's not eaten within 24 hours. I can tell when one of my tarantulas is uninterested in food when they jump back from a cricket and turn their body away from it or when they put their legs over their head to avoid it. If they do that, I remove the cricket right away and don't wait 24 hours. If they just don't lunge for it right away, I leave the cricket for a while to give them a chance to decide if they want it.

In the meantime, watch for signs of premolt--an abdomen that gets very plump and shiny like a grape (shiny hiney!), an abdomen that gets much darker over a period of one or a few days, the tarantula becoming sluggish or barricading itself away, etc. There are lots of threads here that discuss the signs that a molt is coming. If yours starts displaying any of those signs, don't leave live feeders in there at all.

 

[Mike41793]

Not gunna repeat everyone else above, they covered everything well

Only thing I'll add is if the schedule is because you're picking up live feeders locally once a week for a smaller collection but spiders are wasting them, for the winter you could consider just feeding mealworms. You can get a cup of them and keep them in the fridge so they don't grow into the beetles. Could offer the mealworm to the larger Ts first and if it's not grabbing it just pull it out , smash the head and cut it up for slings. Less wasted food and less trips to the store during the winter when spiders may not be as hungry and active if it's cooler

 

[Matt Man]

Not gunna repeat everyone else above, they covered everything well

Only thing I'll add is if the schedule is because you're picking up live feeders locally once a week for a smaller collection but spiders are wasting them, for the winter you could consider just feeding mealworms. You can get a cup of them and keep them in the fridge so they don't grow into the beetles. Could offer the mealworm to the larger Ts first and if it's not grabbing it just pull it out , smash the head and cut it up for slings. Less wasted food and less trips to the store during the winter when spiders may not be as hungry and active if it's cooler

a=greed. Smash the head before offering to the T, still wriggles and induces a bite, if the T doesn't want it then chop and sling feed like @Mike41793 says

 

[viper69]

So, with my Mexican fire knee I used to feed her once a week in the summer and once every 2 during the winter (in my head it’s like I’m trying to make it like how in the wild in the winter bugs are harder to get?

What makes you think insects are less frequent in their local environment, have you read some data on this?

Without knowing its size estimates can’t be provided

 

[kingshockey]

Hello! I’ve posted once before but this time a different question! So, with my Mexican fire knee I used to feed her once a week in the summer and once every 2 during the winter (in my head it’s like I’m trying to make it like how in the wild in the winter bugs are harder to get? Idk I might be stupid) but I’ve recently been feeding her as much as I feed my juvenile curly hair, so once a week. I looked in her tank recently and there are 2 dead crickets so I might hold off on feeding her this week. She’s also been under her rock a lot but I’ve recently been moving stuff and my room can get loud and I figured it startled her (check on her tho she’s alive). Is every other week a good schedule or should I keep it at once a week? My curly hair (who I posted about in the past) is nearing maybe 1.5 inches in length so as he’s growing I feed him more obvi and he eats every cricket I give him, should I up his feeding schedule maybe? Asking the pros rn.
thank you!!!

i just feed all mine once a month now when i fed weekly i ended up with a bunch of fat girls. thing to remember is they will all continue eating until they are full enough to go into premolt. then you will end up with a fasting t that refuses food for weeks or months a long boring wait until it molts again.