Let's discuss feeders

draiko

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 23, 2016
Messages
65
Im doing some research on what feeders im going to grow and at the moment Im starting a mealworm colony. It costs me $5 for two small tubs and i dont use a 5th before they all turn to beetles. So Ive decides to grow them myself as i can then get more Ts without actually worrying about what I am going to feed them.

Which feeders do you use? How much do you pay for them? What do you feed to them? How do you prevent mold from getting into YOUR feeders?

Thank you to everyone participating! Hopefully everyone can learn from this thread or get insight into new feeders they want to try or grown themselves.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
Which feeders do you use? How much do you pay for them? What do you feed to them? How do you prevent mold from getting into YOUR feeders?
I currently have crickets (mostly for my elderly Avicularia avicularia, who is a picky eater) and mealworms. I am thinking of trying dubia roaches when I can buy some locally without paying for shipping.

The crickets are about 12 cents each from the pet store, and if I find something else Ms. Picky Eater will eat, I won't get any more crickets, because they stink in any significant quantity (even on vermiculite) and aren't very hardy. The crickets get dry oatmeal and water crystals.

I bought a container of 50-100 mealworms a year or two ago, and they are now self-sustaining. They have raw oatmeal as bedding/food, and I give them fresh carrots for moisture.

The only time I had a mold problem was when I first got the mealworms and put a lid on their container. This allowed too much moisture to build up in the container. Removing the lid solved the problem. It helps to give harder fruits and veggies. (I tried pineapple once. It got gross fast.)
 

draiko

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 23, 2016
Messages
65
Wow. Thanks for the extensive reply! I will store mine without a lid and see if it works for me aswell!
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
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Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
I will store mine without a lid and see if it works for me aswell!
Just make sure the sides are smooth and at least a couple of inches above the bedding to prevent escapes. (They aren't good climbers as larvae or adults, but the mealworms can "stand" lengthwise, and if they can reach the top, they can hoist themselves up and out.)

By the way, the forum rules state that you should list your tarantulas in your profile instead of your signature.
 

Kayis

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Messages
37
Currently doing dubias....Think I paid like $60 for a pack of females/males off eBay at the time. They have absolutely exploded as a colony and I now use them to feed my T's and herps. I have had absolutely no issues with mold. Only time I bother them is to feed some off or supplement their diet with some greens or fruit.
 

draiko

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 23, 2016
Messages
65
Those posts are all pre-2010. I thought it would be better to make a new one and have people ask any questions they have.
 

Red Eunice

Arachnodemon
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
666
Those posts are all pre-2010. I thought it would be better to make a new one and have people ask any questions they have.
Pre-2010 or not, the keeping/breeding of feeders is still valid, many use the same techniques or slight variations thereof.
I bred "dubia" in the mid 90s, then around 2004-5 bred "lateralis", they reproduce at a faster rate. Plus, the young DO NOT burrow like dubia will. When feeding daily, 30-50 specimens, its too time consuming to crush each individual head. Throw in an appropriate sized "lat", then go to the next enclosure.
I start ALL slings w/h crickets and lateralis, once juvenile sized, they will take adult dubia. I feed only adult dubia, one equals 3 large lateralis, again, shorter time spent feeding.
With that being said, I've both dubia and lateralis colonies that are self sustaining. Lateralis have 1" topsoil, kept slightly moist (humidity reasons) and to lay ootheca on. Fed raw vegetables, piece of fruit and cricket chow in a heated 18"X18"X36" salvaged reptile tank. Loads of egg crate material thats changed monthly. Dubia colony is in a 20 gallon aquarium, kept the same as lateralis, minus the soil.
Crickets I purchase monthly at the reptile show, min. 2K as much 5K, at $15 per 1K. Kept in large storage bins, w/h screen tops, by size. (small, medium and adult size crickets). Fed cricket chow, carrots, potatoe, water dish and layered egg crate for hiding.
Occasionally I feed morio worms to the larger Ts as a treat. Cut up mealworms for tiny slings, again occasionally.
 

Andrea82

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
Those posts are all pre-2010. I thought it would be better to make a new one and have people ask any questions they have.
There have been hundreds of threads on feeders, and feeders area part of the hobby that actually doesn't change much. Dubia still eat oats and carrot, and need to be kept warm. Crickets still smell bad and chirp. Mealies still need their heads crushed before feeding, as do superworms. ;)
 

Andrea82

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
I like the link and it's a good reference. However if we only referred to that, what fun would that be?
Got a good point there.
But the sticky's are there already, and aren't used for reference as much as they deserve to. So every now and then i throw a sticky in the convo :)
 

clive 82

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
204
Im doing some research on what feeders im going to grow and at the moment Im starting a mealworm colony. It costs me $5 for two small tubs and i dont use a 5th before they all turn to beetles. So Ive decides to grow them myself as i can then get more Ts without actually worrying about what I am going to feed them.

Which feeders do you use? How much do you pay for them? What do you feed to them? How do you prevent mold from getting into YOUR feeders?

Thank you to everyone participating! Hopefully everyone can learn from this thread or get insight into new feeders they want to try or grown themselves.
I prefer locusts to crickets. IME they are much hardier, therefore easier to keep, last longer & don't smell.
 

clive 82

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
204
Im doing some research on what feeders im going to grow and at the moment Im starting a mealworm colony. It costs me $5 for two small tubs and i dont use a 5th before they all turn to beetles. So Ive decides to grow them myself as i can then get more Ts without actually worrying about what I am going to feed them.

Which feeders do you use? How much do you pay for them? What do you feed to them? How do you prevent mold from getting into YOUR feeders?

Thank you to everyone participating! Hopefully everyone can learn from this thread or get insight into new feeders they want to try or grown themselves.
I prefer locusts to crickets. IME they are much hardier, therefore easier to keep, last longer & don't smell.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
I prefer locusts to crickets. IME they are much hardier, therefore easier to keep, last longer & don't smell.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but don't they have wicked mandibles? When I was a kid living in Miami, we'd get locusts every year. I know for a fact they could bite, because one took a small chunk of skin off of my pinky when I was playing with it :sorry:
 

HybridReplicate

Spectrostatic
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
107
B. lateralis. Don't climb smooth surfaces, don't burrow, don't stink, don't bite, don't make noise, don't play dead, ratio of innards to exoskeleton is good. I don't keep them warm enough to breed so I just occasionally top off the small colony. Keep 'em in a KK, leave cat food in constantly and always have slices of orange that I change every couple days. Get all their water from oranges, I don't worry about humidity.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
i breed mealworms for all my slings and juvis. i but 50 supers for 5 bucks once a month or so for the larger terrestrials and the scorpions. i also buy 200 1/2"-3/4" crickets for 8 bucks from the same place.
crickets are the best overall but die easily.
 
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