My little champ

Caitlin

Arachnopeon
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Dec 28, 2015
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1
Euathlus sp red./Homoeomma sp. fire. sling with no fear against the mealworm that's way bigger than herself.

Before anyone freaks out saying she can be seriously hurt by the mealworm, I already smashed its head so it can't bite. The only reason I'm feeding her a mealworm is because she was hungry and I currently don't have any flightless fruit flies.

For a size comparison, next to her is a bottle cap from a water bottle.

 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
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The only reason I'm feeding her a mealworm is because she was hungry and I currently don't have any flightless fruit flies.
Mealworms are better feeders than fruit flies anyway, as they are more substantial. (If you have a mealworm colony, there are usually some tiny larvae you can feed to slings. If not, you can dice a larger mealworm.)
 

Caitlin

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Dec 28, 2015
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Why didn't you just cut it in half?
I would have, but honestly I was a little curious to see what she would do. I've seen her pounce on food before so I wanted to see if she'd go for the mealworm, if she didn't I was going to take it out and cut it into chunks. Obviously she's not going to be able to eat it all, so I'm going to have to take the rest out.
 

Caitlin

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Dec 28, 2015
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When she finally bit it, all I could think in my head was her saying, "Mom I got it!"

I'm such a proud tarantula Momma.
 

ThisMeansWAR

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Jan 26, 2017
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Haha, that's adorable! I was smiling the whole time. I love how undeterred she is even though she takes some punches, and how she goes for the head. With that size on her the venom probably only made the worm slightly high in it's death throes :playful:
 

Andrea82

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Rare footage of E.sp.Red actually feeding...
Maybe if i show mine the video she'll get the picture as well..:D
 

Rittdk01

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Oct 4, 2016
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They sell small meal worms for this size sling. Or, crunch the head more to take the fight out of the worm.
 

Caitlin

Arachnopeon
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Dec 28, 2015
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They sell small meal worms for this size sling. Or, crunch the head more to take the fight out of the worm.
I'd have to specially order them online, which is a little annoying because I only have one T her size.
 

Caitlin

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Dec 28, 2015
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Rare footage of E.sp.Red actually feeding...
Maybe if i show mine the video she'll get the picture as well..:D
Hahaha yeah, I was fully prepared for mine to not have an appetite at all, but she proved me wrong.
 

cold blood

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I'd have to specially order them online, which is a little annoying because I only have one T her size.
Yeah, but because they keep in the fridge for like 6 months....having them is probably an ideal situation and you would probably have to order twice a year....and you would probably be buying the smallest possible amount.

Normal sized mealworms will work fine, just feed 1/3 of it.....I raise my terrestrial slings on mealworm pieces.
 

cold blood

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I'm just curious - why only the terrestrials? Too much goo in the webs for the arboreals so you use pinheads there instead?
Arboreals are just quicker and better hunters when small...and many like avics seem to key in more on prey movement.
 

Caitlin

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Dec 28, 2015
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Yeah, but because they keep in the fridge for like 6 months....having them is probably an ideal situation and you would probably have to order twice a year....and you would probably be buying the smallest possible amount.

Normal sized mealworms will work fine, just feed 1/3 of it.....I raise my terrestrial slings on mealworm pieces.
Spending 10 dollars on a small vile of fruit flies that only last at max two weeks is ridiculous. Especially when she can only eat around three each feeding. I feed my other tarantulas the meal worms so it's just easier to have them that size. I'd chop them up but she won't eat anything that she hasn't killed herself.
 

cold blood

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1. fruit flies are a poor food source nutritionally.

2. it will take pre killed...they pretty much all do.
 

ThisMeansWAR

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I have been stressing around trying to get pinheads but I realized that cut up mealworms work perfectly. My only complaint is that uneaten pieces that get stuck in webs mess up the same webs whenever I remove them. And my avocado seem not to dig them...

Edit: haha, "avic"! Damn you autocorrect!
 

cold blood

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avics and adult rosies are about all i have seen that are reluctant to take pre kill.
 

ThisMeansWAR

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Good to hear. My A. variegata hasn't eaten for weeks, might have to do with this fact. Or premolt.
 

Caitlin

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Dec 28, 2015
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1. fruit flies are a poor food source nutritionally.

2. it will take pre killed...they pretty much all do.
I completely agree that fruit flies aren't the best, but for awhile it was the only thing small enough that she would eat.
 
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