My slings like fishfood...

[PrimalTaunt]

Well, if my butt turned pink I wouldn't want people posting pics of it either!

Lol! Good point there.

If somebody were to try this, what mixture would you use for the group that was getting both crickets/roaches and fishfood? Switch every other feeding between the two or a different combo?

 

[Exo]

Switch every other feeding between the two

That sounds about right.

 

[xhexdx]

I have some extra OBTs, Exo. Pay shipping and they're yours.

 

[Teal]

I happen to have 19 G. rosea slings...

lol

But like with the Brachys, they probably grow too slow for this experiment. I was planning on doing an experiment with them anyways, very controlled and similar climates to see how closely they all grow... this fish food theory has me intrigued!

 

[forrestpengra]

The only thing that would be cooler is if they ate Big Macs... That would fatten them up quick!!!

 

[Teal]

The only thing that would be cooler is if they ate Big Macs... That would fatten them up quick!!!

Hasn't worked for me, personally, so far

lol

 

[Exo]

I have some extra OBTs, Exo. Pay shipping and they're yours.

No thanks, I have my hands full with a LP that acts like one, the last thing I need is a T that has the venom to back up the attitude.

 

[PrimalTaunt]

Sorry to raise this thread from the dead but I just got to thinking about this thread at work today (we were pretty slow so I had some time on my hands to mull things over in my mind since the company I work for doesn't like people using cell phones/surfing of the internet/anything not directly work related... so I just sat and thought when not working).

It still really boggles me that they'd even take wet flakes rolled into a ball. It doesn't seem like it would register as food when there are so many cases of Ts not taking things like roaches and other things that obviously could be prey for them. (Or at least seem as though it would be obvious... who's to say how the T decides what is food and not. I'm certainly in no spot to).

I really hope that some people who have slings to spare try this out for themselves so we can see if it was a fluke or if it's actually viable. (Or if you don't want to I'd be happy to pay for shipping once the Wisconsin weather heats up ).

Just had to get that out.

 

[ZergFront]

Well, if my butt turned pink I wouldn't want people posting pics of it either!

Yet they have no problem with us taking pictures and posting them of their "manhood"/"lady parts."

The only thing that would be cooler is if they ate Big Macs... That would fatten them up quick!!!

"Supersize Me." The Arachnid Edition.

On the note of them taking these flake balls, they do have a strong smell. I suppose it would smell like food to a tarantula. Fish flakes almost smell like bugs to me with a hint of plant material.

Had weirder things happen. A caterpillar that ate a tiny piece of Hersey bar that melted and a true spider that fed on honey. An OBT experiment to start (since they reproduce so much and are cheap compared to others anyway) might prove interesting. They are tough little buggers.

Who has OBTs to give/sell to the OP?

 

[Exo]

Sorry to raise this thread from the dead but I just got to thinking about this thread at work today (we were pretty slow so I had some time on my hands to mull things over in my mind since the company I work for doesn't like people using cell phones/surfing of the internet/anything not directly work related... so I just sat and thought when not working).

It still really boggles me that they'd even take wet flakes rolled into a ball. It doesn't seem like it would register as food when there are so many cases of Ts not taking things like roaches and other things that obviously could be prey for them. (Or at least seem as though it would be obvious... who's to say how the T decides what is food and not. I'm certainly in no spot to).

I really hope that some people who have slings to spare try this out for themselves so we can see if it was a fluke or if it's actually viable. (Or if you don't want to I'd be happy to pay for shipping once the Wisconsin weather heats up ).

Just had to get that out.

I have since dicovered that they will eat frozen/thawed bloodworms too, even my 5in LP will eat them. It would appear that it doesn't have to move for them to percieve it as food.

 

[xhexdx]

Who has OBTs to give/sell to the OP?

Well, if you had actually read the entire thread }):

I have some extra OBTs, Exo. Pay shipping and they're yours.

 

[ZergFront]

Well, if you had actually read the entire thread }):

I did, don't know if you were seriously thinking of it. Plus, what bitey thing don't you have? ;P

 

[xhexdx]

Hmm...no comment.

 

[biomarine2000]

What an interesting thread. Keep us updated on the progress of the little slings.

 

[BCscorp]

Somewhere on AB is pics of a T eating a green pea.
The fish flakes is interesting!

 

[PrimalTaunt]

I have since dicovered that they will eat frozen/thawed bloodworms too, even my 5in LP will eat them.

The bloodworms or the balls of flakes? The not moving part I've known for a while because I've fed prekilled crickets to slings before and had them take them only after an hour of being there.

I'm thinking that something that's not quite so heavy of a webber would probably be better for an experiment like this just for the fact that pictoral documentation would be nice.

 

[ZergFront]

I'm thinking that something that's not quite so heavy of a webber would probably be better for an experiment like this just for the fact that pictoral documentation would be nice.

I didn't even think of that but it's a very good point.. still should be an inexpensive set of tarantulas, though..

 

[PrimalTaunt]

I didn't even think of that but it's a very good point.. still should be an inexpensive set of tarantulas, though..

L. parahybana is the one that springs to mind.

 

[Exo]

The bloodworms or the balls of flakes?

Both, actually.

 

[LisaD]

Hi, I'm pretty new to the boards, but not to Ts. I'm a biologist, and I think I've found a kid in sixth grade to do this study, with my help.

My daughter is slowly getting into Ts and is interested in a science fair project. Last year, she won school and county and placed in regionals for an experiment with her hedgehog. She set up a bike odometer on its wheel and logged how much it ran and and ate, relative to being bathed or not, every few days. She probably would have gone further, had it not been a one subject experiment, and her first time.

She's interested in doing this, as long as I help, especially with the handling. She's not comfortable handling Ts and I don't really want her messing with slings yet. I will pay the shipping if someone has available and is willing to send me some fast growing, hardy, cheap Ts, like OBTs.

I propose the following treatments, at least 4-10 slings (depending on availability) per treatment. All set up in identical enclosures:

Treatments:
1) Insects only - mainly crickets
2) Alternate insects with flake food/frozen bloodworms
3) Flake/frozen bloodworm only

Record:
1) Min/max temperature of room with slings (weekly)
2) When food offered, amount/qty and when/if accepted
3) Date of molts, size of molts
4) Mortality, if any
5) Relative size estimates

If this plan sounds good, the study would require 12-30 slings. I'd prefer to start the study after at least the first molt.

What do you think?

EDIT: To make it a fairer test, I wonder Treatment 1 should be the control, and if there should be two other treatments added, such as "cricket soup" and "cricket soup mixed with flake/bloodworms"? Treatment 2 would be more like supplementation, if live insects were offered every other feeding. In that case, with 5 treatments, that would be a minimum of 20 slings if you had 4/trt.

For a test like this, two feedings a week okay?