FINALLY got my E. campestratus to vertebrate feed!

Venom

Arachnoprince
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On a salamander! There are no cricket-dealing pet-stores in my college town, so I went on a field trip to the college nature trail, which has several hillside creeks running into a largish stream. Cool, I thought..I'll get some aquatic insects for the T's. Nope--didn't find any. What I DID find, was plenty of salamanders! So I think.....hey, why not-- I have a hungry 7-inch Nhandu, and she's eaten mice before, I'll give the salamanders a try. If they don't work, I'll return them to the woods. My E. campestratus has NEVER accepted any form of vertebrate prey, so for her I catch a small swarm of black-legged katydids (Orchelimum nigripes). Does she eat them? NOPE. The Nhandu does...and ignores the salamander. Ugh. So, I plop one of the slimy fellows into the PZB tank. Why not.

She goes for it! She detected its presence, and stalked it aggressively until it backtracked toward her...and BAM!! She seriously wanted it, and I was seriously shocked. Her first vertebrate feed ever. She doesn't even eat in front of me usually--when I give her crickets, they disappear in the night and I never get to see her feed. This time --and maybe it's because she's fresh from a molt, and thin--she mauls the biggest thing she's ever eaten, right in front of me. I'm so happy! :D


http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/gallery/showimage.php?i=18058

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/gallery/showimage.php?i=18057
 
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NikiP

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Wow. Someone pass the popcorn?

So many things wrong with this post.
 

jbm150

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Dude, i know exactly what you mean! I finally got my cat off of canned food completely, eats nothing but mice, rats, and baby rabbits. So cool man, i get to watch her absolutely destroy the little rodents {D
 

Venom

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You do realize Theraphosids eat amphibians in the wild, right? As I said, I don't have convenient access to crickets ( I'd have to ship them in at 500 at a go...), and she won't eat the katydids so far. She just molted, so there is no worry of the extra calcium and minerals messing with her molt success--she won't shed again for a year+ now. She's very thin after her molt, and needs to bulk up. Vertebrate prey is the best solution for her right now. But, I'm stoked that I got her to eat something larger than a cricket! Like I said, my bruiser Nhandu will eat almost anything, but the E. camp is the picky one. I finally got her to eat bigger prey, which is what she needs right now, and I'm happy about it! Nothing wrong with that...
 

B8709

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Go buy some crickets or roaches and leave wild things alone.
 

Venom

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Go buy some crickets or roaches and leave wild things alone.
As I stated, I have no convenient cricket store. Or roach store. Or pet store of any kind for miles around. I have moved to school, and while my apartment allows pets, there are no pet supply stores like I used to have (where I DID buy crickets.) It costs a lot to ship 500 crickets to my door, and I'd rather stave off having to do that for a few months by using local wild-caught feeders.

But, there is no concern of pesticides, if that's what you mean. That would be a legitimate concern except these were caught in a nature preserve owned by my university. The school is miles from nowhere. The creeks they are located in do not drain any farmland or urban areas. They are woodland creeks on a steep hillside, and basically only drain those woodlands and the meadows above them. No parasites, no chemicals, no problem.
 
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mschemmy

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Oh boy, here we go. You didn't see this coming?:?:wall: Some things are best not to share.
 

Ictinike

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Venom is an experienced keeper and knows the debate.

As these always come to be it's more a learning session for inexperienced keepers who feed vertebrate that there are better ways or feeders but everyone knows in a pinch what can be done.

While I do not agree, much like politics and religion, as long as the keeper is informed and knows the potential risks (if there are any in reality) then whom am I to say what's right and wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's not necessary and in most cases it's someone new who was glorifying a T for killing small rodents or crap like that to show off to his buddies, but if the options are weighed and the keeper understands I have no qualm.
 

Terry D

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Sometimes you do what you have to

Venom, After reading of the circumstances, I for one am 100% supportive. Get'r'fed!

I kinda wonder a little about telling everyone, though! {D

Terry
 

Venom

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Venom is an experienced keeper and knows the debate.

As these always come to be it's more a learning session for inexperienced keepers who feed vertebrate that there are better ways or feeders but everyone knows in a pinch what can be done.

While I do not agree, much like politics and religion, as long as the keeper is informed and knows the potential risks (if there are any in reality) then whom am I to say what's right and wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's not necessary and in most cases it's someone new who was glorifying a T for killing small rodents or crap like that to show off to his buddies, but if the options are weighed and the keeper understands I have no qualm.
I think that's a reasonable position to take. I don't personally have a problem with vertebrate feeding, but I only use it on rare occasions (4x in 4 years for my Nhandu, 1x in 9 years for my E. camp), for the health of my spiders. One can definitely over-use vertebrate prey, to the detriment of the tarantula's health, but I don't.

I kinda wonder a little about telling everyone, though! {D

Terry
Yeah, maybe that part wasn't such hot logic. :rolleyes: But Ictinike said, I do know the debate, and the pros/ cons on each side. I'm not concerned with the criticism because I think this is a reasonable thing to do in my situation, all things considered. I prefer not to use wild-caught feeders, but it's what I'm reduced to for the moment, and I'm confident the habitat will be quite chemical-free. No aquatic amphibian parasite (even if there were any, and I saw none) will be transferrable to a terrestrial T, either.

I thought perhaps people would be interested in the success of a new...potentially un-thought-of form of feeder. Perhaps I assumed too much.
 
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jbm150

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Lol I was just screwing around, I thought you were too. I don't have a problem with feeding vertebrates. I would have been cautious feeding salamanders though, due to the poisons in their tails. But if she can without harm and you're comfortable with the risk of pesticides/chemicals/parasites, to each their own. I don't buy the whole vertebrates/calcium/whatever being detrimental debate anyways. Still though, be cautious
 

NikiP

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I do see your issue at the moment.

However, I think if I was in that position, I would try to go for something other then amphibians. Small lizards perhaps?

Yes, they might sometimes get an amphibian in the wild, but I would think a nonnative to the USA tarantula would be better equipped to eat an amphibian from their country. I would worry about any secretions.

Do you have a lot of spiders? Roach colonies are very easy to do if you have a lot of Ts.
 

Widowman10

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ha! nice pics 2 posts up venom! like the latros in OZ eating snakes?! now that is pretty sweet. but you are totally correct, they don't just eat crickets 100% of the time in the wild. heck, crix and grasshoppers probably don't even make up 10% of their diet!
 

codykrr

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hey venom, If your needing roaches that bad, shoot me a PM. I can spare some Lateralis. you pay shipping.
 

Crysta

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I dont understand why you cannot get some dubias shipped in and breed them up?

I've kept salamanders so I have a soft spot for them.
 

jeryst

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I know that you feel the water is safe, but would you drink it? If not, then the creatures living in it might not be safe for your T.

Unfortunately, the effects of mankinds poisons and chemicals extend far beyond where you think they may be. You cant know if the water is safe for sure without proper testing.
 

Scorpionking20

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Congrats. That's pretty fun. I'm happy your T ate.

I'm one to not feed wild caught, nor vertebrates, but so what? Do what you will with your' spiders! Seems you've taken good care of them so far! I don't understand why people on the boards feel that others should keep their Ts just like they do. Though I wouldn't feed an animal like that to my T, that doesn't you mean you can't. Nor does it mean that I should criticize you (You obviously know what what you doing)

I just wanted to throw that out before more criticism comes. Congrats though! I bet it was interesting watching her hunt.
 
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