Power Feeding

[Professor T]

Originally posted by skadiwolf
lol! man, i agree, they need WW totally! ticks indeed...heheehe.

awwww, how sweet of you. well, i'm 29 as of this past saturday, but i definitely appreciate the cute & intelligent remarks. (grin)

oh, actually, the )o( is a triple moon/goddess symbol, i'm pagan. man, you thought i'd made a typo...tsk!

Err... I didn't exactly think it was a typo...but I would have not guessed triple moon/goddess symbol. I thought it looked somewhat perverted....

Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY skadiwolf !

 

[Ephesians]

I thought it was a belly button. lol. Just to note, I thought you looked a good 18 years old.

But back on topic. I fed my usambara so much she just drags around like a fat cow. I felt horrible. Since then they have a controlled diet...lol. Feed them until their abdomens are slightly larger than the size of their carapace or the same size. I hated seeing her drag around like that. It can't by any means be good for them when they are huge butts like that. Especially if they fall that's like letting a water balloon filled to the max drop onto concrete. No bueno.

 

[Mister Internet]

I think people keep forgetting that these are inverts and not children.

The whole concept of "hungry" has absolutely no relevance at all where inverts are concerned. They come across food, they eat it. Food is never so plentiful in nature that they have to worry about overeating... it's a natural balance. In captivity, when we observe them "eating everything we give them", it is simply their natural response. They are not continuing to eat because they're "hungry" ... it is simply in their nature to eat when they find food, simply because it may only happen once or twice a month in the wild. My centipedes will eat everything I throw at them as well, until they get so fat they look like they're going to pop. I realized a long time ago that this was not good for the pede, and I now feed them moderately once or twice a week, and they are more than fine.

I'm not a tarantula guy, but the same concepts apply... they are simple creatures that are instinctually driven. They will eat everything you throw at them simply because that's what their primitive brains are telling them to do. Is it OUR responsibility as their keepers, now, in captivity, to make sure WE mimic nature for them... and I guarantee you Mother Nature does NOT drop two dozen crickets a week on their heads.

peace out...

 

[skadiwolf]

well, first off, thanks guys. hahahha, 18...waaaaaahahaha. i still got carded a few times at r-rated movies when i was like 22. (smirk)

i often get carded at bars, etc. it's always very flattering.

well, let me ask you guys something...

can you powerfeed slings and then stop when they are larger? now, i don't know the ethics of this action or not...but it seems like they are so fragile and the risks of them dying, etc. are so great that it would be safer (at least for the humans) to get them larger a bit faster so their risks would minimize.

this is just a thought. anyway, opinions?

 

[Lopez]

Originally posted by skadiwolf
can you powerfeed slings and then stop when they are larger? now, i don't know the ethics of this action or not...but it seems like they are so fragile and the risks of them dying, etc. are so great that it would be safer (at least for the humans) to get them larger a bit faster so their risks would minimize.

this is just a thought. anyway, opinions?

Well that's what I do - but I never feed them to the "Oh my god it's a tick not a tarantula" stage.
When they mature I gradually slow the food down.

 

[skadiwolf]

okay, excellent. i ordered some slings without truly realizing what i was doing. :/ when i saw 1/2" i honestly think my brain was thinking in body size terms. then...when i realized HOW tiny they'd be i was like, 'oh dear...'

i don't want to risk losing a sling as some others unfortunately have. i can imagine caring for a creature and then losing it and i truly don't want that to happen.

i am deeply commited to the care of all the animals i own and so i thought this might be an option to 'whisk' them towards safer existance.

i appreciate your thoughts. (smile) thanks.

honestly, i was a little worried someone would chew me out, but it was an honest question.