Feeding your tarantula a lot..?

SnakeManJohn

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I read from a few places that if you feed your tarantulas more, the faster they grow because they usually never decline food, but it shortens their life. Is this true? I wouldn't be looked down on for experimenting would I?
 

ShadowBlade

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No, you wouldn't be looked down on. Its called powerfeeding. I use it to speed up males to maturity, or to speed up females if sibling males are ahead.

Yes, it most likely lowers their lifespan to a degree, because of the increased metabolism. But especially in the case of males, it doesn't really matter in the end.

-Sean
 

KaineSoulblade

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I read from a few places that if you feed your tarantulas more, the faster they grow because they usually never decline food, but it shortens their life. Is this true? I wouldn't be looked down on for experimenting would I?
I have heard this from people. I have never seen any formal documentation on it. "Power feeding." I could see how it might shorten the life of a male who gets to a final molt and has a limited time to live. However there are no set molting ammounts to females so I fail to see how it could affect them.

I have also heard of T's eating until they rupture. I have never had or seen a T eat itself to death. They refuse food once they become 'too full', atleast in my experience.
 

P. Novak

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Yup the more you feed, which is called powerfeeding, the shorter the lifespan. It isn't all dramatic though, it won't take off that much of their lifespan. Most people powerfeed their slings so they grow faster into their juvie and adult stages, so no you wouldn't be lookded down upon. I powerfeed all the time.
 

P. Novak

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However there are no set molting ammounts to females so I fail to see how it could affect them.
Is this proven, because I use to think that as well, but I was told differently by several people. I'll try to find the thread.
 

SnakeManJohn

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Alright..good..I guess it's fine with me :) Now..what about giving my tarantulas steroids?..kidding {D
 

Sheazy

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Alright..good..I guess it's fine with me :) Now..what about giving my tarantulas steroids?..kidding {D
Haha, yeah feed em some growth hormone too! I wanna see a T the size of a dog...lol. Joking of course...but it would be cool to see a giant T....


Back on the original topic...what classifies "Power Feeding" vs. umm...not power feeding...lol. How do you know when you have crossed from one to the other, or what do you consider power feeding?
 

MEXICOYA415

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What would be a good schedule for powerfeeding? In other words how much and how often?
 

Mushroom Spore

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However there are no set molting ammounts to females so I fail to see how it could affect them.
Females die of old age just the same as males, it only takes longer. As far as I know, every tarantula species' age is measured in molts and not the time passed, since it isn't time that determines their growth at all.
 

P. Novak

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What would be a good schedule for powerfeeding? In other words how much and how often?
Well thats all on you. You can feed them a cricket everyday, 2 everyday, 2 every other day.

What's your regular feeding scheduale?
 

JMoran1097

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they'll all grow relative to how much you feed them. for instance, if you feed them larger prey then they need, chances are they will bulk up and molt quicker. i honestly don't trust powerfeeding only because it's such a hassle to deal with getting a T to accept food and i don't want a burst abdomen by mistake.
 

P. Novak

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they'll all grow relative to how much you feed them. for instance, if you feed them larger prey then they need, chances are they will bulk up and molt quicker. i honestly don't trust powerfeeding only because it's such a hassle to deal with getting a T to accept food and i don't want a burst abdomen by mistake.
I've never heard of a T burst from eating too much. I've heard of a powerfed T fall and bust it's abdomen, but you shouldn't have it high enough for it to fall and hurt itself anyway.
 

ballpython2

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What would be a good schedule for powerfeeding? In other words how much and how often?
i power feed all my Ts or most of them because some of the adult versions of the Ts have i have cost too much money as i power feed them to hurry up and get them as adults....powerfeeding is makin sure your T's always have food in their enclosure as their disposal so they can eat when they want. you can also powerfeed Ts after they hardened up 100% after a molt by giving them (if they are adults) 10 crickets at once. and if they are babies 5 crickets at once twice a week. this is what i do and my N vulpinus is about to go into pre - molt yet again even though he only came out out post most like 2 -3 weeks ago.
 

SnakeManJohn

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I've never heard of a T burst from eating too much. I've heard of a powerfed T fall and bust it's abdomen, but you shouldn't have it high enough for it to fall and hurt itself anyway.
I agree :) Tomorrow I will be getting more pinheads and I will start a feeding schedule for 3 tarantulas. 2 tarantulas will be fed by powerfeeding and 1 of the tarantulas will be fed regularly. I'll obviously document it seeing as how many people have questions on how fast they grow, how much to feed them, and how long until they molt compared to a non powerfed one. Sounds good?
 

Merfolk

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I give one crix about the size of the abdomen every other day. If it's a mouse, it's at least two weeks fasting.

When you feed a lot, the animal loose interest in food earlier and goes on long premolts. That could be a downside for some.
 

AfterTheAsylum

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I power feed religiously. I will say this. My males have lived longer than average after maturity. A T. blondi male of mine molted over two years after his maturing molt, and lived even after that. My males (in maturity) are also much larger with power feeding, than when not. They are more aggressive with mating, get larger, time between sperm webs is shorter (don't know why), and again, they live longer.

I've also noticed that power feeding females decreased male eating, but they also will have more eggs upon making a sack.

Another benefit - molting problems. If you power fed a T that came out of a molt with two broken/malformed fangs, they will be good until next molt on food. My Ts pretty much come out of a molt looking the same as they did going in. Honestly, I have never seen any of my power fed T. blondis molt any more frequent than the one's that aren't power fed. One example would be when I had a bunch of slings from the same sack. They all had molt patterns that were within one month of one another. I power fed about half of them (timed breeding for the near future), so I can have a certain amount of males mature in different times, to span at least a year. They all still kept the same molt pattern though. Even now, my power fed T. blondis are molting every 13 or 14 months which is pretty average (about 12 months) for their molting. Maybe it is just my Ts though...
 

ahas

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So if I' m feeding my spiderlings every other day fruitflies. Would that be considered as powerfeeding?? :confused:

Fred
 

pink'n'curly

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i feed both my slings every day, i read that you feed them daily till they refuse a food item, then you give them a break for a few days, then try again. so far they have both just kept on eating...is this a good way to feed?
 
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