MarkEustace
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2018
- Messages
- 3
Hello, I'm Mark, a general science and nature enthusiast who has 'owned' quite a few exotic pets over the years including various lizards inc an ig, a boa, scorpions, spiders and for a few years, a wife. Obviously the last one is not true as she owned me in every way 
I currently have two spiders - a big fat female salmon pink who is appropriately known as J-Lo and a beautiful Gooty Ornamental that has yet to declare its gender. The Gooty rarely molts and doesn't eat very much which I assume is the reason for so few molts.
My biggest concerns about keeping these lovely creatures is feeding them. I have just read a lively thread from a couple of years ago that is all about a mealworm eating a tarantula. I came across this thread because J-Lo often seems scared of the mario worms I feed her. Reading the thread alerted me to a couple of things that I did not know regarding the dangers of leaving the worm in the spider's tank if it's not eaten straight away. I will certainly ensure that doesan't happen again now that I know the danger (I have only fed crickets to my spiders in the past hence my ignorance).
One or two of the comments said that you should only feed spiders when they want to eat and I am very interested to learn of the behaviour that alerts you to the spider's state i.e. wants to eat/does not want to eat.
I always thought that you could feed spiders once or even twice a week but the comments suggested that spiders often fast for months and I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me how to spot a fasting spider.
Another issue I am curious about is to do with feeding J-Lo crickets. They always seem too small to me. She will eat them but it feels like I'm underfeeding her if I only feed her one cricket a week. Do you think I'd be ok to go back to crickets for such a big spider?
Any comments or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark.
I currently have two spiders - a big fat female salmon pink who is appropriately known as J-Lo and a beautiful Gooty Ornamental that has yet to declare its gender. The Gooty rarely molts and doesn't eat very much which I assume is the reason for so few molts.
My biggest concerns about keeping these lovely creatures is feeding them. I have just read a lively thread from a couple of years ago that is all about a mealworm eating a tarantula. I came across this thread because J-Lo often seems scared of the mario worms I feed her. Reading the thread alerted me to a couple of things that I did not know regarding the dangers of leaving the worm in the spider's tank if it's not eaten straight away. I will certainly ensure that doesan't happen again now that I know the danger (I have only fed crickets to my spiders in the past hence my ignorance).
One or two of the comments said that you should only feed spiders when they want to eat and I am very interested to learn of the behaviour that alerts you to the spider's state i.e. wants to eat/does not want to eat.
I always thought that you could feed spiders once or even twice a week but the comments suggested that spiders often fast for months and I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me how to spot a fasting spider.
Another issue I am curious about is to do with feeding J-Lo crickets. They always seem too small to me. She will eat them but it feels like I'm underfeeding her if I only feed her one cricket a week. Do you think I'd be ok to go back to crickets for such a big spider?
Any comments or advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark.
