Feeding tarantulas mice

[Trenor]

I don't feed any of my Ts mice (they are too small) and I don't really think I will when they are bigger. I prefer the feeding regimen I currently have.

As far as using mice/rats for feeders I don't have a problem with it ether way. I know its not a T, but I have a ball python that is pretty old and was fed live mice since he was bought from the pet store. (They didn't have the frozen back then.) Fred will not switch to frozen and we have tried several time to do so. It is a bit irritating to go get him food at the pet store and have people comment on the ethics of live feeders. It is a life cycle and they eat like everything else in nature.

Anyway I know that last part isn't T related but I thought it might help with the feeder discussion.

 

[Haksilence]

I don't feed any of my Ts mice (they are too small) and I don't really think I will when they are bigger. I prefer the feeding regimen I currently have.

As far as using mice/rats for feeders I don't have a problem with it ether way. I know its not a T, but I have a ball python that is pretty old and was fed live mice since he was bought from the pet store. (They didn't have the frozen back then.) Fred will not switch to frozen and we have tried several time to do so. It is a bit irritating to go get him food at the pet store and have people comment on the ethics of live feeders. It is a life cycle and they eat like everything else in nature.

Anyway I know that last part isn't T related but I thought it might help with the feeder discussion.

Yeah I never had a problem with the ethicality of mice feeders, it is the circle of life after all, but as others have mentioned with tarantulas there is a lot extra going on.

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Well here is my point of view:

Let's just say you have a couple of large females Acanthoscurria geniculata or sp. "Brocklehursti" you acquire a couple of mature males of both species for mating/breeding purposes. Before pairing your females with the males would you feed your females only roaches and crickets or would you feed them a larger yummier prey like a pup rat, mice or even a lizard?

I know what I would do to fatten those hungry females that are notorious of killing the males. I would feed them as much as possible larger prey before pairing them with any of my females.

 

[Haksilence]

Well here is my point of view:

Let's just say you have a large females Acanthoscurria geniculata or sp. "Brocklehursti" you acquire a couple of mature males for mating/breeding purposes. Before pairing your females with the males would you feed your females only roaches and crickets or would you feed them a larger yummier prey like a pup rat, mice or even a lizard?

I know what I would do to fatten those hungry females that are notorious of killing the males. I would feed them as much as possible larger prey before pairing them.

Yeah that definitely makes sense.

An a tangent what's with the A. SP "brocklehursti"
I thought brocklehursti was already defined? Did something change?

 

[matypants]

This is a question I have asked myself. I had a corn snake, Elaphe guttata guttata, for 12 years that required mice as food. In that case I fed freshly thawed frozen mice. For a T there are a number of different options they will readily take. So outside of the fact that it *can* be done, are there reasons mice *need* to be fed to tarantulas?

 

[Haksilence]

This is a question I have asked myself. I had a corn snake, Elaphe guttata guttata, for 12 years that required mice as food. In that case I fed freshly thawed frozen mice. For a T there are a number of different options they will readily take. So outside of the fact that it *can* be done, are there reasons mice *need* to be fed to tarantulas?

Basically Jose covered it as there are few things better to stuff a big female like a plump mouse.

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Yeah that definitely makes sense.

An a tangent what's with the A. SP "brocklehursti"
I thought brocklehursti was already defined? Did something change?

So we thought, the name no longer applies to our hobby "Brocklehursti". We have to consider it as Acanthoscurria sp. "Brocklehursti".

 

[matypants]

It can be an attractive option in some situations, but not a requirement. That's what I was wondering. Since it's just an option, there will be different views and feelings on it. In the case of animals that require mammals for food, ethical considerations are superseded by food requirements. In the case of tarantulas, mammals are not required so emotional and ethical views will vary. Personally, I'm not going to feed mine mammals since it isn't a required food.

 

[Haksilence]

So we thought, the name no longer applies to our hobby "Brocklehursti". We have to consider it as Acanthoscurria sp. "Brocklehursti".

Oh wow. When did that change? Do they think it's a morph of genic?

 

[Haksilence]

It can be an attractive option in some situations, but not a requirement. That's what I was wondering. Since it's just an option, there will be different views and feelings on it. In the case of animals that require mammals for food, ethical considerations are superseded by food requirements. In the case of tarantulas, mammals are not required so emotional and ethical views will vary. Personally, I'm not going to feed mine mammals since it isn't a required food.

I probably never will, but I can see some justification

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Oh wow. When did that change? Do they think it's a morph of genic?

Some say they're the same but they're not. The mature males are different, males emboli are different and the females are different. Definitely taxonomist needs to do more research on them in my opinion. It's best to still keep them seperate as seperate species.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I never owned a snake, one reason is, here in Italy you can't own anymore venomous snakes (they banned those in the last part of the '80 if i'm not wrong, i was a children) and, save for few exceptions, i don't like that much pythons etc the ones you can legally own (basically every non venomous snake, save for Anaconda i think lol)

But i would feed a live mouse to one of those without ethic issues of all sorts. It's the law of equilibrium. You can't offer a dubia or a cricket to a snake. From my point of view, then, a live mouse for a snake is like a cricket, or roaches, for T's.

But with T's IMO is different, there's a lot of alternative. IMO there's cons % and they are more than the pro

 

[matypants]

On the subject of "brocklehursti"-

These link to a white paper on Acanthoscurria sp. http://www.scielo.br/pdf/zool/v31n1/08.pdf

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?scr...1984-46702014000100008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en

Basically, from the Google search this is what I've found out-

A new species, A. belterrensis is described.
A. transamazonica is no longer a valid species but a junior synonym of A. geniculata.
A. ferina & A. brocklehursti are no longer valid species but junior synonyms of A. theraphosoides.
A. xinguensis is no longer a valid species but a junior synonym of A. juruenicola.

 

[Haksilence]

Some say they're the same but they're not. The mature males are different, males emboli are different and the females are different. Definitely taxonomist needs to do more research on them in my opinion. It's best to still keep them seperate as seperate species.

Yeah isn't there differences in the banding between the two as well? And I thought the red setea and such was different between the two

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

On the subject of "brocklehursti"-

These link to a white paper on Acanthoscurria sp. http://www.scielo.br/pdf/zool/v31n1/08.pdf

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?scr...1984-46702014000100008&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en

Basically, from the Google search this is what I've found out-

A new species, A. belterrensis is described.
A. transamazonica is no longer a valid species but a junior synonym of A. geniculata.
A. ferina & A. brocklehursti are no longer valid species but junior synonyms of A. theraphosoides.
A. xinguensis is no longer a valid species but a junior synonym of A. juruenicola.

Yeah it has been posted before. But it's good that you post it again for other new or even old members that have not seen it.

 

[matypants]

I never owned a snake, one reason is, here in Italy you can't own anymore venomous snakes (they banned those in the last part of the '80 if i'm not wrong, i was a children) and, save for few exceptions, i don't like that much pythons etc the ones you can legally own (basically every non venomous snake, save for Anaconda i think lol)

But i would feed a live mouse to one of those without ethic issues of all sorts. It's the law of equilibrium. You can't offer a dubia or a cricket to a snake. From my point of view, then, a live mouse for a snake is like a cricket, or roaches, for T's.

But with T's IMO is different, there's a lot of alternative. IMO there's cons % and they are more than the pro

Great minds think alike and all that.

 

[Exoskeleton Invertebrates]

Of course! The bandings are the biggest difference.

 

[Poec54]

The calcium is potentially hazardous to them.
Mice can actually bite them.
It's gonna stress the hell out of the tarantula.

1. Calcium is not hazardous to tarantulas, and has no impact on their molting. It's a myth that keeps getting perpetuated; please don't keep the myth going yourself. Tarantulas eat a certain amount of vertebrates in the wild.

2. It is true that mice can bite and kill tarantulas. I had a young mouse kill a young forest cobra. Mice are tough animals, especially when cornered.

3. People feed mice to tarantulas for the effect and thrill of it. Tarantulas don't require mice or any other vertebrates in their diet. It's not a humane practice.

4. Feed a large mouse to a large spider, and it won't finish it (even a Theraphosa). What you will have the next day is half of a mouse, discarded, that will be one of the most vile & putrid smells you'll encounter in your life.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

I had a young mouse kill a young forest cobra.

I lost a young puff adder to a mouse once . Don't feed Ts mice .

 

[Haksilence]

Of course! The bandings are the biggest difference.

Are those both females? Yeah they are very clearly separate. Definitely not the same species or at least same color form if it looks like that's where SP "Brocklehursti" is going