Grrrrr... waxworms...

[greensleeves]

I was so excited because the petstore had waxworms, so I decided I would try a few as a treat for Bungee and Aggie.

They weren't quite as gross as mealworms so I had no problems messing with them to get them into the enclosure.

First one to get one was Aggie... she didn't really find it all that interesting, but a cricket ran out of nowhere and ate it for her.

Then I put one in with Bungee and it started trying to eat the plastic leaves and then began gnawing on his web - the little jerk! He carefully avoided it - so much for provoking a nice hunting response.

So how long can I leave Mr. Waxworm in with Bungee - they're non-carnivorous, aren't they? So I don't have to worry about it chewing on him?

Greensleeves

 

[Nixy]

Waxworms, from my reading, are grain/honey eaters. But can do some major knawing if they have too. As long as they have room for Bungee to avoid him I don't see Bungee being the victom of any worm attacks....
He might get inderested soon, sometimes it takes a while for a new worm to be aproached and tested for eating.

Ours were reluctant at first but now eat a variaty of pray items. Just don't offer anythihng else for a while and they'll come around.

 

[Nameless]

I had trouble with mealworms when I first started feeding them to my two Ts, but thats a thing of the pass.

At first I was worried that the worms would burrow or chew at my Ts but its nothing to worry about. I no longer pinch their heads or anything before feeding. The reason was that one night I was sneaking a peek into my T's hides and it looked like it was eating, so I got a flashlight and saw it had a mealworm and was eating it. I guess it was the first one I threw in there like a week ago. So I did it again and threw another in, it burrowed and that night sure enough my T was in its hide eating the worm.

All this in a 10 gal tank, so I guess the T knew where to look. I just go by the rule, never throw in one that is more then the sizes of your T's legspan. This way the worm can try to take a bite at your T but it will never get to. And it fun to watch the your T lift its legs and probe the worm to see if it still alive!

But I don't know about waxworms if they are trying to chew your plants! =D

 

[Joy]

Originally posted by Nameless
At first I was worried that the worms would burrow or chew at my Ts but its nothing to worry about. I no longer pinch their heads or anything before feeding. The reason was that one night I was sneaking a peek into my T's hides and it looked like it was eating, so I got a flashlight and saw it had a mealworm and was eating it. I guess it was the first one I threw in there like a week ago. So I did it again and threw another in, it burrowed and that night sure enough my T was in its hide eating the worm.

There is probably no cause for worry if your spider is nowhere near molting. But if there is any possibility of a molt within the next couple of months, I'd err on the side of safety and either make sure the tarantula grabs the worm immediately or remove/crush the worms' heads. There are too many horror stories about mealworms and superworms killing molting tarantulas to take any risk IMO.

Waxworms, on the other hand, I've always heard to be perfectly safe with tarantulas and have never had any experience that showed otherwise.

Joy

 

[Bloodletting]

waxworms

I have had luck placing mealworms in a small dish. Perhaps this will work for waxworms also. I didn't like the idea of letting them burrow and eventually turning to beatles. I also couldn't keep track of how much my t's were eating. I suppose that is't a great deal but I keep track of everything.

I also didn't like the idea of possible dead worms in my tanks for the simple reason of mites and such.

Some may eventually crawl out but most seem to glide (that's how meals seem to move to me) along the bottom and stay put....

Waxworms are the larvae of the wax moth correct? If so, they eat bees wax and they also eat the bee larvae.

Scott

 

[Nameless]

Yeah dish trick never worked for me too, chopped up or alive.

From them not wanting the mealworms to digging them up. Somewhere in between I have tested just pinching their heads to feeding with tools.

Pinching head worked but the Ts would take awhile to get to the worm, unless the worm makes alot of movement. No need to worry about it with mold or mites, I take it out if its not eaten the next morning.

Cut in half they still can burrow, the tail part ends up not moving and the head part goes into the substrate. Which is really hard to find this soon to be dead half a worm. Unless the worm is too big for your T, don't chop it, and if you do, pinch its head also.

The key I think with worms is movement. I have watch my T actully track the mealworm while it was burrowed. (don't laugh because, yes, I have nothing better to do with my time, was like an hour of daydreaming and staring at the tank) .

Right now I can throw a active (room temp) mealworm in front of my Ts and it will jump on it and make a mess of the worm, white stuff oozing and all. I think it's they now know its food/prey. My Ts is b. sp btw, and who says they are boring. =D

 

[TheDon]

All of my little T's loved the waxworms I gave them, they would immediately pounce on them when they hit the dirt but would back off right after they touched it. Then after a few seconds of prodding them they would snatch them up. They are really good for food because they dont move very fast and they are nice and plump usually, but they are too small for my big t's.

peace

TheDon