live feeders

[ArachnoFreak666]

I live in florida, so there is no way for me to get dubia roaches. I also feel like crickets lack in nutrients, and discoid roaches start digging way too fast and in turn avoid ever being eaten by my female M. balfouri i recently bought. so i was wondering if there is any pros/cons to some of the live feeders i have in mind:
-superworms
-horned worm
-waxworms
-butterworms
-pheonix worms

have any of you guys used any of these before or currently do, and would you recommend any over the other?

 

[BoyFromLA]

I believe there is still lots of debate over how calcium diet effects on tarantula’s molting process.

And out of all lists Phoenix worm is the highest of all.

 

[JoshDM020]

Crushing heads prevents anything from burrowing, while still allowing it to wiggle enough to trigger feeding response. Even feeding worms of any kind, you'll want to crush the heads to prevent them from coming back and harming your spider while its molting.

 

[ArachnoFreak666]

I believe there is still lots of debate over how calcium diet effects on tarantula’s molting process.

And out of all lists Phoenix worm is the highest of all.

View attachment 256912

okay, so go with things lower in calcium then?

 

[ArachnoFreak666]

i believe i actually remember hearing something about that topic before.... probably just going to stick with crickets then, they just smell awful and honestly get disgusted by them, more so then roaches. worth asking i guess lmao

 

[Mike Klessens]

If you do want to make the leap to roaches https://capecodroaches.com/t/florida-legal-roaches might be worth checking out.

 

[Mila]

i like super worms because theyre basically already liquid (even more so than crickets) and if one escapes the T for whatever reason its not going to eat your T

 

[JoshDM020]

i like super worms because theyre basically already liquid (even more so than crickets) and if one escapes the T for whatever reason its not going to eat your T

It will if your t molts. Unless you crush the head. We had a rash of threads about a month or two ago about "escaped" meal worms and superworms both eating spiders.
Even roaches are capable of eating a molting spider.

 

[Trenor]

I believe there is still lots of debate over how calcium diet effects on tarantula’s molting process.
And out of all lists Phoenix worm is the highest of all.
View attachment 256912

okay, so go with things lower in calcium then?

There is nothing to show that higher calcium foods cause any issues with molting. I know a number of keepers who feed only crickets (and have for many of years) and have had no tarantula molting problems. I feed only dubias which are also high in calcium and I've had no molting issues (stuck or wet molts).

There is also speculation that fatty foods cause Ts to molt faster but I've not seen anything to show that either. I think the amount of food along with temps are bigger factors than fat content.

I think a lot of that speculation comes from the reptile hobby where you have animals like Bearded Dragons that have very specific dietary needs. If those needs are not met, they develop severe health problems like Metabolic Bone Disease and other issues. I've never heard of anything remotely like that for tarantulas regarding any of the standard feeders.

 

[cold blood]

1. The calcuim thing is a myth...nothing more.

2. Crickets are a hobby staple, they provide more than sufficient nutrients....being less fatty, theyre basically the healthy choice, so to speak....not that others arent healthy....just that crickets arent loaded with fat...like a hornworm or wax worm. (all the worms are good feeders, too).

3. Dubia burrow in the exact same manner as discoids....just crush heads before feeding so they cant burrow.

4. A superworm, and the beetles they become (same for meal worms), are voracious with over size mandibles easily capable of destroying your t with the quickness....again, always crush heads.

superworm beetles eating a freshly molted GBB

• cold blood
• Jan 30, 2017
• callow chromatopelma chromatopelma cyaneopubescens cyaneopubescens feeding gbb greenbottle blue tarantula post-molt

 

[ArachnoFreak666]

1. The calcuim thing is a myth...nothing more.

2. Crickets are a hobby staple, they provide more than sufficient nutrients....being less fatty, theyre basically the healthy choice, so to speak....not that others arent healthy....just that crickets arent loaded with fat...like a hornworm or wax worm. (all the worms are good feeders, too).

3. Dubia burrow in the exact same manner as discoids....just crush heads before feeding so they cant burrow.

4. A superworm, and the beetles they become (same for meal worms), are voracious with over size mandibles easily capable of destroying your t with the quickness....again, always crush heads.

superworm beetles eating a freshly molted GBB

• cold blood
• Jan 30, 2017
• callow chromatopelma chromatopelma cyaneopubescens cyaneopubescens feeding gbb greenbottle blue tarantula post-molt

well i would deffinitly crush the heads on superworms, because i have seen them try to bite at my finger before when i picked them up. but as far as roaches go, i will always try to remove the roach from the enclosure if the female doesnt seem interested in it right away. also i have heard from several people that dubia roaches are less prone to burrowing right away like discoid roaches do.... to bad im in FL tho

 

[cold blood]

i have heard from several people that dubia roaches are less prone to burrowing right away like discoid roaches do

Mature male dubia (the ones with wings) don't burrow, other than that, they will burrow the instant they get the chance...just like a discoid.

 

[14pokies]

I live in florida, so there is no way for me to get dubia roaches. I also feel like crickets lack in nutrients, and discoid roaches start digging way too fast and in turn avoid ever being eaten by my female M. balfouri i recently bought. so i was wondering if there is any pros/cons to some of the live feeders i have in mind:
-superworms
-horned worm
-waxworms
-butterworms
-pheonix worms

have any of you guys used any of these before or currently do, and would you recommend any over the other?

Used discoid roaches for years when I lived in florida with no problems.. Crush the head and toss them in.

I use horn worms for about half of my collection. Mainly after a molt to fatten them up fast or when getting a female fat for breeding. Sometimes I just use them as a treat.. Depends on how much extra cash I have to waste that week. While they don't break the bank in small numbers, they aren't cheap. I pay $15.00 for 10 worms..

Super worms are great as long as you crush there head. Never realky had a problem with them..