My rescue tarantula won't eat anything except pinkies

[Marnus]

So a friend gave me a male Tliltocatl vagans (Mexican red rump) that's around the adult age. The T was in a very bad condition, he had a missing limb, under fed (basically starving) and severely dehydrated. I had the T in a ICU setup for about 4 days before moving him back to his new enclosure.

I waited 2 more days to try and feed him, I tried horn worms first then crickets and both occasions he didn't seem interested at all. I then tried a pinky mouse and he instantly went for it. It's been around a month and I give him a pinky mouse every week. He's getting better now and fattened up a bit. Is there any advice I could use to help him out?

 

[Smotzer]

Besides not necessity to ever feed pinkies, 1 per week is WAY too much. I am not sure if this is a troll or not, but there are a much of misinformed out of date ideas in here.

 

[Olan]

Pinkies should be fine if it never goes for anything else. Once it starts looking like a healthy weight you can reduce feeding to once every 2-6 weeks probably

 

[NMTs]

It'll eat when it's hungry - which could be a long time if you've been feeding it pinkies weekly. Don't feed it for a month or 2, then it'll take a roach or super worm when you try again.

 

[mack1855]

Is there any advice I could use to help him out?

What are you asking?.Is there any point to your post?

 

[viper69]

Stop feeding pinkies- use insects

 

[CJJon]

Pinkies? Sigh. Stop that. Feed bugs. Take a moth or so off feeding. Keep water available in a dish. If you can post some clear pics of the setup we can give specific advice. Tarantulas won’t starve for being picky eaters.

 

[Tarantuland]

Besides not necessity to ever feed pinkies, 1 per week is WAY too much. I am not sure if this is a troll or not, but there are a much of misinformed out of date ideas in here.

Why is this too much? Tarantulas typically don’t eat when not hungry.

The ICU isn’t necessary.

I recommend dubia. You can also try superworms, red runners, hisser nymphs, waxworms, locusts or moths depending on what you have access to. If you can get the hornworm to turn into a moth, my spiders go crazy for those.

I don’t think feeding a pinky is necessary but I don’t really see the problem other than the bolus might stink so just remove it

 

[Smotzer]

Why is this too much? Tarantulas typically don’t eat when not hungry.

What do you mean? It’s self explanatory. An adult doesn’t need to eat 1 per week.

 

[Tarantuland]

What do you mean? It’s self explanatory. An adult doesn’t need to eat 1 per week.

If it’s not hungry it won’t eat

 

[Reezelbeezelbug]

If it’s not hungry it won’t eat

That's not how opportunistic eaters work

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

If you don't know when you're next meal will come along, you'll eat as much as you can when it presents itself.

 

[Smotzer]

If it’s not hungry it won’t eat

That’s not how it works, they’re not humans. They’re opportunistic sit and wait predators.

 

[Tarantuland]

Tarantulas are known to refuse food when they are full. Once the spider fills out, OP should slow down on feeding. I have dubias bigger than pinkies. If OP said one adult dubia or large cricket a week, would you have the same response?

 

[Smotzer]

Tarantulas are known to refuse food when they are full. Once the spider fills out, OP should slow down on feeding. I have dubias bigger than pinkies. If OP said one adult dubia or large cricket a week, would you have the same response?

But they also may not refuse food when in reality they do not actually need it. And yes if the OP said they fed one adult dubia per week I would say the exact same thing. 1 meal per week is more than any adult really needs in order to feed over the entire molt cycle. 1/wk on a rigid schedule is a great way to end up with an overly fat tarantula that has an unnecessarily long pre-molt fasting period.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I have a genic with twice the junk in the trunk as his carapace size and I guarantee you, he would keep eating if I kept feeding...with gusto even.
(No I am not feeding him again until after he molts, much to his chagrin, and it's already been 2 months.)

 

[Marnus]

Pinkies? Sigh. Stop that. Feed bugs. Take a moth or so off feeding. Keep water available in a dish. If you can post some clear pics of the setup we can give specific advice. Tarantulas won’t starve for being picky eaters.

Okay thank you, its just that he was really starved and I didn't have any hope of him making it

Besides not necessity to ever feed pinkies, 1 per week is WAY too much. I am not sure if this is a troll or not, but there are a much of misinformed out of date ideas in here.

Yeah I know it's to much but back then I did that to only fatten him up a bit, he was really malnourished

Do you have any advice on what I can give him instead? I tried gut loaded crickets and roaches but he's not interested in them, I don't want to leave the bugs in the enclosure because I fear they'll harm him

Do you have any advice on what I can give him instead? I tried gut loaded crickets and roaches but he's not interested in them, I don't want to leave the bugs in the enclosure because I fear they'll harm him

Pinkies should be fine if it never goes for anything else. Once it starts looking like a healthy weight you can reduce feeding to once every 2-6 weeks probably

I've reduced the amount to one pinky every 3 weeks now, he looks healthier now atleast

It'll eat when it's hungry - which could be a long time if you've been feeding it pinkies weekly. Don't feed it for a month or 2, then it'll take a roach or super worm when you try again.

Thank you so much, I'll definitely try this. Would you maybe suggest horn worms? Because I think they'll work because they're slower and won't dig?

What are you asking?.Is there any point to your post?

I'm just asking for advice because I love my tarantulas, and I believe everyone here loves them. I don't want him to die or be harmed just because I didn't have the right information, that's why I asked for advice.

And I know for a fact that you where once in my position seeking help from a community where you'd think they'd be happy to help you.

So if you have any advice I'd still take it and be great full for it.

Stop feeding pinkies- use insects

Any advice on what type of insect? I tried roaches and crickets but they are to fast and my T doesn't seem to go for them

Why is this too much? Tarantulas typically don’t eat when not hungry.

The ICU isn’t necessary.

I recommend dubia. You can also try superworms, red runners, hisser nymphs, waxworms, locusts or moths depending on what you have access to. If you can get the hornworm to turn into a moth, my spiders go crazy for those.

I don’t think feeding a pinky is necessary but I don’t really see the problem other than the bolus might stink so just remove it

Thank you very much, I really appreciate it and I wish there was a better way to show it than this... But yes the boluses do stink but I take them out first thing when he's finished eating. I also have a clean-up crew in the enclosure so they do help
I can't thank you enough for this. Thank you

 

[slocoj91]

You say 'around adult age' - age, in terms of what we typically mean by the word ie months or years, doesn't mean much for species whose growth rate is determined by their environment. Tarantulas will grow faster with abundant resources and warm temperatures.



So then, is this a *mature* male? Palpal bulbs? Tibial hooks? I ask, because mature males are far less interested in wasting time feeding than in finding a way to secure survival of their genes. It's possible that the scent of the pinkies is enough to entice them to feed, *or* - and I'm just thinking out loud here that it's a possibility - is enough that eating and further digesting it is potentially the better survival option over leaving it to possibly draw in other predators.

 

[Smotzer]

Do you have any advice on what I can give him instead? I tried gut loaded crickets and roaches but he's not interested in them, I don't want to leave the bugs in the enclosure because I fear they'll harm him

Wait a couple weeks and then try feeding insect feeder so again. You can leave feeders in for 24hrs if it’s hungry it will hunt them. If not it may already have enough food stored up and you don’t have to worry about feeding anymore from here on out.

 

[viper69]

Any advice on what type of insect? I tried roaches and crickets but they are to fast and my T doesn't seem to go for them

Not all Ts like roaches

No cricket is too fast for a patient predator that is hungry