Mature Male Care??

[Staley]

I was just wondering whats the best way to keep a mature male healthy. I've noticed they dont wanna eat a whole lot. I need some sure fire ways to keep them feeding and kicking for a long time.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

You know, one question mark is plenty and would get your point across. This isn't an AOL chatroom.

Anyway, no, there is no way to make a tarantula eat if they don't want to. You can keep them around longer by keeping them cooler (low 70s) and feeding rarely, I guess. But their purpose is not to eat, their purpose is to find chicks, and if they don't care about the rest that's that.

 

[Talkenlate04]

With my males I just make sure I offer food way more often then I would any other T. Keeping water dishes full is another big point to make with a MM. I catch my MM's drinking all the dang time. After pairings I offer food, in the morning, at night, when I walk by. Any meal you can get them to take is a plus.

But other then pestering them with offerings of food and water more then normal there is not much else you can do. They are set on high speed for a crash landing and there is not much we can do but get them some women.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

With my males I just make sure I offer food way more often then I would any other T. Keeping water dishes full is another big point to make with a MM. I catch my MM's drinking all the dang time. After pairings I offer food, in the morning, at night, when I walk by. Any meal you can get them to take is a plus.

Won't this just speed them towards trying a post-ultimate molt, which is guaranteed fatal, though? :?

Mind, I've never had an MM yet, knock on wood. Just working with what I've learned about regular molting.

 

[ShadowBlade]

Only low-moderate feeding, cooler temps, and plenty of water.

-Sean

 

[problemchildx]

I have heard some people feeding more to compensate for being confined to a cage and not being able to mate.. Maybe they get more out of their final months this way

 

[Talkenlate04]

Won't this just speed them towards trying a post-ultimate molt, which is guaranteed fatal, though? :?

Mind, I've never had an MM yet, knock on wood. Just working with what I've learned about regular molting.

I have never had a MM try to make another molt. And I feed mine all I can. I do this to keep up the energy level higher longer. When they do hit the stage where they will not eat anymore then they are only living on whatever reserves they have, and if you have not fed them then those reserves will deplete quickly.

Sure feeding them more might make it so they will try another molt, but like I said I have not had one try that yet.

 

[Stylopidae]

I have never had a MM try to make another molt. And I feed mine all I can. I do this to keep up the energy level higher longer. When they do hit the stage where they will not eat anymore then they are only living on whatever reserves they have, and if you have not fed them then those reserves will deplete quickly.

Sure feeding them more might make it so they will try another molt, but like I said I have not had one try that yet.

He's asking how to make the mature male live longer...not breed longer. If he follows your instructions, he's probably only going to live to the end of his breeding cycle and not much longer.

Lower temps, to keep the metabolism low and reduced feeding (I'm not sure how food decreases the lifespan of a tarantula...I just know it does).

Leave the tarantula alone as much as you can...stress will certianly shorten the lifespan.

Keep a waterdish filled at all times.

IME, tarantulas will only attempt a postultimate moult if there was a problem with their ultimate moult.

 

[Talkenlate04]

I need some sure fire ways to keep them feeding and kicking for a long time.

And how is lowering temps going to help him feed them more? :? That was the question asked, and I assume that wanting to keep them feeding, would be to keep them breeding.

 

[Stylopidae]

And how is lowering temps going to help him feed them more? :?

Read the last half of that somewhat badly worded sentance...he's looking for ways to make them live longer.

Lowering the temperatures will lower their metabolism. Lower metabolism generally equals longer lifespan.

When mature males start to go downhill, they stop eating. He wants to ensure they keep taking food for a long time...IE, they'll live a long time.

Mature males generally aren't that big of eaters, anyways. At least not in my experience.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Mature males generally aren't that big of eaters, anyways. At least not in my experience.

Agreed, but lowering the temps is not going to make the MM eat more. Reverse effect actually. So now you are talking about not feeding at all and lowering the temps to the point they do nothing. Just like inducing a coma of sorts.

I guess that would work if there are no plans to breed that male.

 

[Stylopidae]

Agreed, but lowering the temps is not going to make the MM eat more. Reverse effect actually. So now you are talking about not feeding at all and lowering the temps to the point they do nothing. Just like inducing a coma of sorts.

I guess that would work if there are no plans to breed that male.

No, that is not what I am saying at all. You've taken what I've said completely out of context. I am saying feed less than you would normally and keep the male at a temperature that is lower than the rest of your collection.

This won't make him eat more but since he'll live longer, he'll be eating longer. Read the OP's question. He's asking how to maximize the lifespan of the tarantula, not how to make it eat more.

You have to lower the temps pretty damn low to put a tarantula in a coma. My house temps as of late have been in the high 50s and my L. parahybana male is still pacing in his cage. Slower than before, but he's still active and I'd be more than willing to bet some non-vital organs he'd still breed.

If he follows your directions, the male will surely die a lot sooner than he normally would.

I don't know if taking the steps to shorten the mature male's life will keep him breeding longer...I simply don't have enough experience with mature males to know that yet. Based on the 4 males I've kept, I have serious reason to doubt it would. Most of the breeders I've talked to in private have told me this is the best method to maximize the lifespans of mature males.

 

[butch4skin]

I think that the best way to care for a MM is to be sure he gets LAID.


And has a waterdish.