Goodbye, Crickets!!

Shanigirl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
19
Well, I finally got up enough nerve to start two small colonies of Dubia & Lateralis roaches. I already raise mealworms but find that some of my T's won't eat them. This is exciting! Just wanted to hear some feedback or pointers as far as any experiences you have had. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year's! {D
 

Nature81

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 20, 2010
Messages
21
I've been feeding roaches (lobsters) for a couple of weeks now and they are very popular! They also seem to fill the t's up quicker and smell less to keep. Apparently they are more nutritious than other live foods but I may be wrong :)
 

TalonAWD

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,139
With Dubias, a good tip to using them as feeders is smash their heads so they won't burrow away forever. They can actually stay hidden until death. When you crush their head (from baby to adult Female) they will move around but will not burrow. They will attract attention to themselves enough for the T to attack. With adult male dubias, no need to crush head. They don't usually burrow.

For the most part, crickets have the ultimate feeding response from tarantulas when you compare the feeding response to dubias (from my experience).
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
319
I wish I could raise them in florida and my girlfriend would let me.I've read that they are great feeders for a tarantula and easy to maintain. post pics please!
 

crawltech

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Aug 27, 2009
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I wish we could keep roaches in canada.....i really hate crix!....i usually feed my T`s meal worms
 

Introvertebrate

Arachnoprince
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Dec 18, 2010
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1,199
Congrats Shanigirl. Not to hijack your thread, but many of the lateralis care sheets I've seen call for at least an 18 gallon Rubbermaid or Sterilite storage container. Is that size intended to supply an entire collection of Ts? What if you're just starting with one T and you don't anticipate getting more any time soon. (Famous last words?)

Is an 18 gallon lateralis culture suitable for one T, or will you end up with a large surplus of unused roaches?

Tom
 

Shanigirl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
19
With Dubias, a good tip to using them as feeders is smash their heads so they won't burrow away forever. They can actually stay hidden until death. When you crush their head (from baby to adult Female) they will move around but will not burrow. They will attract attention to themselves enough for the T to attack. With adult male dubias, no need to crush head. They don't usually burrow.

For the most part, crickets have the ultimate feeding response from tarantulas when you compare the feeding response to dubias (from my experience).
Talon AWD, thanks for the info about crushing their heads. That actually answers a question I had. I first bought some dubias to feed my tarantulas (and see if they would be well received) and one seemed interested then ignored it. The next morning (about 6 hours later) I went to check on the T and did not see the roach anywhere. This was a male roach. So, knowing that they burrow I dug up my T's tank trying to find it (and give it to another T to eat) but could not. Was not sure if the T could have eaten the whole thing (it was pretty big) in that amount of timespan? My T is about 5-6". So, maybe she did eat it since you are saying males don't usually burrow? Thanks for any insight you can give! :eek:)

---------- Post added at 05:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------

Congrats Shanigirl. Not to hijack your thread, but many of the lateralis care sheets I've seen call for at least an 18 gallon Rubbermaid or Sterilite storage container. Is that size intended to supply an entire collection of Ts? What if you're just starting with one T and you don't anticipate getting more any time soon. (Famous last words?)

Is an 18 gallon lateralis culture suitable for one T, or will you end up with a large surplus of unused roaches?

Tom
You can hijack away! Something you might ask could help me and others. I have the small amount in 10 gallon tanks (ones I pick up here and there at flea markets). I hope someone will post and clear that up for you. Good luck to everyone who decides to raise these feeders. I got over my sqeamishness really fast after dealing with horrible crickets for the past year. :)
 

ErinKelley

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 1, 2006
Messages
290
I wish I could be rid of crickets!

I have both lateralis and dubia colonies myself. But geez I have a couple T's that are diehard cricket fans! Guess I'll try crushing the roach's head next time.
 

TalonAWD

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 28, 2007
Messages
1,139
/\/\ My GBB female "Destiny" was like that. she would never eat Dubias. So I had to starve her for 3 months. She ate it then. After a couple she got to "Know" what it was and now can eat them. But you throw a cricket in and its like instant reaction. Now crickets are treats{D almost like candy.
 
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