Overfeeding

JohnGwapo

Arachnopeon
Active Member
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Feb 5, 2020
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42
Is overfeeding a T dangerous? I have a MF albo and her abdomen is slightly larger than her carapace... and i thought she was full but then i gave her s superworm and she ate it... will his abdomen explode?
 

Buffalo Ts

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
220
Is overfeeding a T dangerous? I have a MF albo and her abdomen is slightly larger than her carapace... and i thought she was full but then i gave her s superworm and she ate it... will his abdomen explode?
Abdomen will not explode. Overfeeding a T isn't dangerous. However, a plump abdomen would be more likely to rupture during a fall. If your enclosure is set up properly, this shouldn't be an issue.

A slightly bigger abdomen vs carapace isn't indicative of overfeeding. As a T grows, it's abdomen will get larger, until it molts. The abdomen will get larger than the carapace and it nears it's next molt.

If a T isn't hungry, it will refuse food at some point. It depends on the species, and even the individual.

Just keep offering it food every week.
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
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Oct 13, 2017
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1,878
Overfeeding an adult tarantula isn't going to kill her right away... and no, her abdomen won't explode...

BUT it could rupture more easily in case of a fall as @BadDann already said. Also, she might get abrasions from dragging an overfed abdomen.

As already stated in your other thread your T looks plump and healthy, just don't feed her too much. I wouldn't feed her every week, maybe twice a month or even less. Tarantulas are opportunistic feeders, they will eat everything until they're full and then fast for months until they moult. Although I doubt your T is an adult yet, she's big enough to skip a few meals. She won't starve! If you stretch their feedings over a longer period of time they probably won't fast as long as they will if you feed them as much as they'd take until they're full. ;)

Also, did you change her enclosure as I suggested?
 

JohnGwapo

Arachnopeon
Active Member
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Overfeeding an adult tarantula isn't going to kill her right away... and no, her abdomen won't explode...

BUT it could rupture more easily in case of a fall as @BadDann already said. Also, she might get abrasions from dragging an overfed abdomen.

As already stated in your other thread your T looks plump and healthy, just don't feed her too much. I wouldn't feed her every week, maybe twice a month or even less. Tarantulas are opportunistic feeders, they will eat everything until they're full and then fast for months until they moult. Although I doubt your T is an adult yet, she's big enough to skip a few meals. She won't starve! If you stretch their feedings over a longer period of time they probably won't fast as long as they will if you feed them as much as they'd take until they're full. ;)

Also, did you change her enclosure as I suggested?
So once a month is okay?


Also I didnt change her enclosure yet... I'm still a student and I dont have enought money to buy a new enclosure...
 

Buffalo Ts

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
220
Overfeeding an adult tarantula isn't going to kill her right away... and no, her abdomen won't explode...

BUT it could rupture more easily in case of a fall as @BadDann already said. Also, she might get abrasions from dragging an overfed abdomen.

As already stated in your other thread your T looks plump and healthy, just don't feed her too much. I wouldn't feed her every week, maybe twice a month or even less. Tarantulas are opportunistic feeders, they will eat everything until they're full and then fast for months until they moult. Although I doubt your T is an adult yet, she's big enough to skip a few meals. She won't starve! If you stretch their feedings over a longer period of time they probably won't fast as long as they will if you feed them as much as they'd take until they're full. ;)


"She won't starve! If you stretch their feedings over a longer period of time they probably won't fast as long as they will if you feed them as much as they'd take until they're full. ;)"

☝
Overfeeding an adult tarantula isn't going to kill her right away... and no, her abdomen won't explode...

BUT it could rupture more easily in case of a fall as @BadDann already said. Also, she might get abrasions from dragging an overfed abdomen.

As already stated in your other thread your T looks plump and healthy, just don't feed her too much. I wouldn't feed her every week, maybe twice a month or even less. Tarantulas are opportunistic feeders, they will eat everything until they're full and then fast for months until they moult. Although I doubt your T is an adult yet, she's big enough to skip a few meals. She won't starve! If you stretch their feedings over a longer period of time they probably won't fast as long as they will if you feed them as much as they'd take until they're full. ;)

Also, did you change her enclosure as I suggested?
Most people will "skip" a feeding if the tarantula looks fat.

She won't starve! If you stretch their feedings over a longer period of time they probably won't fast as long as they will if you feed them as much as they'd take until they're full. ;)

☝ Couldn't have said it better myself. With my first T ( 1inch sling) I fed it lots. It just entered a lengthy pre molt. There is an "ideal" way to spread out feedings. It just takes a little trial and error. Thankfully, T's are super adaptable!
 

Thekla

Arachnoprince
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Oct 13, 2017
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1,878
So once a month is okay?


Also I didnt change her enclosure yet... I'm still a student and I dont have enought money to buy a new enclosure...
I would start with twice a month and reduce the feedings when her abdomen gets too big (more than about 1,5X her carapace).

And I'm really sorry, but I don't get it... even a student should've got enough money to get a nice appropriately sized tub from the hardware store. ;) You don't need anything fancy. Just a plastic container with about 3x her leg span, a cheap bag of topsoil to fill up the container to a safe level, a cork bark/half a flower pot as a hide and a condiment cup or any other suitable plastic cup as a water dish. I mean no offence, but if you can't afford this little money, you should ask yourself if a pet (even if it needs almost nothing) is the right thing for you. :)
 

JohnGwapo

Arachnopeon
Active Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2020
Messages
42
I would start with twice a month and reduce the feedings when her abdomen gets too big (more than about 1,5X her carapace).

And I'm really sorry, but I don't get it... even a student should've got enough money to get a nice appropriately sized tub from the hardware store. ;) You don't need anything fancy. Just a plastic container with about 3x her leg span, a cheap bag of topsoil to fill up the container to a safe level, a cork bark/half a flower pot as a hide and a condiment cup or any other suitable plastic cup as a water dish. I mean no offence, but if you can't afford this little money, you should ask yourself if a pet (even if it needs almost nothing) is the right thing for you. :)
I'm from the Philippines and life here isn't that easy and in my town where I live right now we dont have a pet shop here let alone a hardware store or even a market... I would love to let the little guy have a nice enclosure to live but now I cant... Not now but soon she will have her permanent enclosure
 

Buffalo Ts

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 20, 2019
Messages
220
So once a month is okay?


Also I didnt change her enclosure yet... I'm still a student and I dont have enought money to buy a new enclosure...
[/QUOT

Pretty enclosures can get expensive, but just a sterilite container or something similar is cheap.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
will his abdomen explode?
Of course, just like humans.

This species gains a lot of mass, esp females. If you feed too much and it falls, your Ts name is SPLAT. Their abdomen will drag on the sub, setae come off.

If really large you can see stress marks on the exoskeleton.
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
It won't spontaneously explode but overfeeding increases the chances of the tarantula suffering a ruptured abdomen either as the result of a fall from height (this can be negated with a proper setup though), or as the result of drag injuries (this happens when the tarantula gets so fat that it is unable to lift its abdomen when it walks).

For adults you want to aim to keep the abdomen slightly bigger than the carapace (I aim for around 1.5x carapace size).

So once a month is okay?
Once every 4-6 weeks is plenty.
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 29, 2002
Messages
715
T. albopilosum is particularly prone to becoming "overweight" as they rarely (if ever) refuse food. For spiderlings and juveniles this isn't really an issue, however with sub-adults and adult females, care should be taken to prevent them from getting "overweight" and therefore more prone to injury.
 
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