Housing and Feeding Baby Tarantulas (2nd/3rd instar)

[ErinM31]

I don't know for you guys but my roaches eat literally everything, from dog food, cat food, rat chow, and every possible fruit and vegetable. They will also eat nuts, seeds, bread leftovers etc etc. Only thing i found them not eating is cheese. I just give them dog food(cheaper than cat food) as staple, fruits/veggies, what's leftover of lunch. I also toss in F/T rats/mice when my snakes don't eat them (i wouldn't recommend that unless you have big enough colony to eat it fast)

Oh wow! What species of cockroach do you have? Most of my cockroaches seem to become choosy or at least bored with foods they previously devoured. Maybe I just need to offer more variety.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Oh, well, roaches eats basically everything, for that matter. Just that I will never gave mines that Cat stuff I don't trust nor to them what my $$$ Cats eat. Joking? Throwing "gold to pigs"?

Well clean freah vegetables and fruit never killed no one -- I'm a die hard "vegan" when it comes to my roaches

 

[ErinM31]

Oh, well, roaches eats basically everything, for that matter. Just that I will never gave mines that Cat stuff I don't trust nor to them what my $$$ Cats eat. Joking? Throwing "gold to pigs"?

Well clean freah vegetables and fruit never killed no one -- I'm a die hard "vegan" when it comes to my roaches

I feed my cats the best of the best but sometimes not even that meets kitty standards, you know. Something had might as well eat it then, even if the palate is less refined.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I feed my cats the best of the best but sometimes not even that meets kitty standards, you know. Something had might as well eat it then, even if the palate is less refined.

They also (Cats) eat what I prepare for me, like purè or "Rice Milan Style" (lol, sounds so bizarre to spell in English for me).

I have a huge male Cat with a lovely huge head (btw he's a sort of female Cats rapist) and that fat "purr machine" loves that stuff. The others are a bit choosy unlike him, but they will eat raw flesh no matter.

 

[cold blood]

I buy grain free dog food because I feel that it's better for my dogs. That's really the only reason I give that to my roaches. They love it.

Yeah, for the dog....the roaches get the cheap dog food I buy at the dollar store as their "substrate".

 

[ErinM31]

They also (Cats) eat what I prepare for me, like purè or "Rice Milan Style" (lol, sounds so bizarre to spell in English for me).

I have a huge male Cat with a lovely huge head (btw he's a sort of female Cats rapist) and that fat "purr machine" loves that stuff. The others are a bit choosy unlike him, but they will eat raw flesh no matter.

That's great that you cook for your cats! I'd considered doing that myself but the truth is, I pretty much never cook for myself -- cereal, frozen meals and take-out because the kitchen is small and I am lazy.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

as their "substrate".

I offer this to crickets and roaches as substrate... combined with vegetables work :-s

http://reptyfood.com/it/cibo-per-in...ine-e-minerali-per-insetti-4011905763804.html

 

[cold blood]

That's great that you cook for your cats! I'd considered doing that myself but the truth is, I pretty much never cook for myself -- cereal, frozen meals and take-out because the kitchen is small and I am lazy.

Both of my last 2 dogs were raised on chicken or venison and rice (along with kibble). My dogs drool when I cook rice

 

[ErinM31]

Yeah, for the dog....the roaches get the cheap dog food I buy at the dollar store as their "substrate".

Do you not worry how that could impact your tarantulas? I mean, what if there's some preservative or other additive that isn't so great for arthropods but the roaches don't live long enough for it to be a problem for them but if the tarantula eats roaches fed this food over years it could potentially build up in their system -- even as mercury gets concentrated in fish as you go up the food chain.

Maybe there's no need to worry? But this thread has made me think that perhaps I should be more sparing with the fish kibble that contains I don't exactly know what and emphasize more natural food in the diets of my cockroaches.

 

[ErinM31]

Well clean freah vegetables and fruit never killed no one -- I'm a die hard "vegan" when it comes to my roaches

Very true, but do the roaches not also need protein? I do believe that some of my millipedes will nibble on one another if I don't provide them with occasional protein and I expected that roaches might do the same or wouldn't grow as well without it.

 

[cold blood]

No, there's nothing like mercury in cheap dog food. Its not poison, lol, its just lower quality. I don't worry about it because I basically use it like filler, with some fruit or vegie in there most of the time. MAYBE if I was only feeding the kibble I would use a little better stuff...but I bet it would be just fine.

 

[cold blood]

Very true, but do the roaches not also need protein? I do believe that some of my millipedes will nibble on one another if I don't provide them with occasional protein and I expected that roaches might do the same or wouldn't grow as well without it.

I've only noticed roaches doing that if they were without enough food for too long....like when I don't notice all the kibble has run out and slack on the vegies. I don't believe roaches require protein...but I am not a roach nutritionist.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Very true, but do the roaches not also need protein? I do believe that some of my millipedes will nibble on one another if I don't provide them with occasional protein and I expected that roaches might do the same or wouldn't grow as well without it.

There's everything they need in that fodder I use on their (crickets, B.dubia) enclosure as "substrate" -- obviously not that much like real substrate

This combined with fruit, vegetables IMO is perfectly fine. I don't have a clue about millipedes because I never had one, even if those African chubby seems lovely, however :-s

 

[ErinM31]

No, there's nothing like mercury in cheap dog food. Its not poison, lol, its just lower quality. I don't worry about it because I basically use it like filler, with some fruit or vegie in there most of the time. MAYBE if I was only feeding the kibble I would use a little better stuff...but I bet it would be just fine.

Oh noooo, I didn't think anything THAT bad, just maybe some preservative that may or may not be okay for dogs long term... Idk, it could be that I overthink stuff sometimes. But good to know and for sure I can't go wrong adding a greater variety of produce!

There's everything they need in that fodder I use on their (crickets, B.dubia) enclosure as "substrate" -- obviously not that much like real substrate

This combined with fruit, vegetables IMO is perfectly fine. I don't have a clue about millipedes because I never had one, even if those African chubby seems lovely, however :-s

Ahh, missed that or probably forgot when I read your comment about your roaches going vegan. Heh, now I remember you also said they get all sorts of other scraps -- I should probably head to bed here, lol! But yeah, that sounds like it would be good.

So I'll continue giving kibble to my roaches but increase their variety of produce and maybe other foods too, but stick to the tried and true arthropod prey for my little slings.

 

[Marijan2]

Oh wow! What species of cockroach do you have? Most of my cockroaches seem to become choosy or at least bored with foods they previously devoured. Maybe I just need to offer more variety.

lats, dubias, and hissers were on this type of diet, no complaints whatsoever from any of them

 

[Walker253]

I've never given my Dubia colony dog or cat food. I read too many times when Dubia eat foods like dog and cat foodthat too much protein, they convert it into uric acid that they store. It's not healthy for them and can cause gout in reptiles. I'm not sure if there is an effect on tarantulas.
I've read that Dubia can extract protein out of sources that humans can't.
My Dubia get good quality roach chow, it's pretty cheap. They also get a lot of fruit and bottled water to drink.
People are so overly concerned about their tarantulas care, but not filling their food source with the best nutrition creates an obvious hole in their husbandry picture, imo

 

[Bugmom]

I've never given my Dubia colony dog or cat food. I read too many times when Dubia eat foods like dog and cat foodthat too much protein, they convert it into uric acid that they store. It's not healthy for them and can cause gout in reptiles. I'm not sure if there is an effect on tarantulas.

Given that tarantulas lack the anatomy required for something like gout, I can't see how it would be an issue.

My Dubia get good quality roach chow, it's pretty cheap.

We probably have different opinions on what constitutes "cheap" I just be sure to only buy organic food for the roaches. Last thing I want is them nibbling on pesticides. But I'm not buying them something extra. They're roaches; they do just fine eating the same things I eat. Well, when they'll eat it. Seriously, how can bugs be this freaking picky?!

They also get a lot of fruit and bottled water to drink.
People are so overly concerned about their tarantulas care, but not filling their food source with the best nutrition creates an obvious hole in their husbandry picture, imo

I find a lot of people overly concerned with the care of feeder roaches

 

[Walker253]

Given that tarantulas lack the anatomy required for something like gout, I can't see how it would be an issue.


We probably have different opinions on what constitutes "cheap" I just be sure to only buy organic food for the roaches. Last thing I want is them nibbling on pesticides. But I'm not buying them something extra. They're roaches; they do just fine eating the same things I eat. Well, when they'll eat it. Seriously, how can bugs be this freaking picky?!

I find a lot of people overly concerned with the care of feeder roaches

Let's split a few hairs why don't we. Not every Dubia goes into my tarantula cages. Too high of protein consumed by Dubia can cause issues down the road for some reptiles. I'll give you the lack of effect on a tarantula. It wasn't just you feeding dog food, there was mention of dollar store dog food.
Now to the cost and being "overly concerned with the care of feeder roaches". I paid 11.99 for a bag of high quality roach chow 6 months ago which should last a year. So that's a dollar a month. I buy bottled water at Costco. It's 2.99 for a case of 35. That's 8.5 cents per bottle. They use one bottle a week. So in 6 months I've spent a whopping 2.21 in water and 6.00 in food, plus the extra fruit I have left over in my house. Such a splurge...
BTW, I am also over the top with my tarantulas. They get bottled water as well. They use about a bottle and a half a week. That's about a 13 cent splurge every week. Where is my paycheck going?