Question on best place for T feeders....

doodledog

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
37
Am getting my first new T, a 2" B Albo female soon. Am trying to decide the best option for healthy, clean feeders. Opinions please on where the best place to get the feeders from....are local petstores an option to start off with? I don't want to feed her anything that may contain little "nasties", meaning parasites. I am leaning toward reputable online dealers from AB, but will a pet store be ok to use in a pinch?
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
For only one tarantula, I really wouldn't suggest buying online. Prices online are dirt cheap if and only if you buy in bulk - otherwise, it's multitudes more expensive than going to a pet shop.

I've never seen a pet shop that didn't sell crickets and/or mealworms. Tarantulas will happily take either. If for some freak reason your pet shop doesn't sell them, then go to a fishing bait shop and buy mealworms or waxworms there. Exact same thing.
 

Trenor

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
1,896
For only one tarantula, I really wouldn't suggest buying online. Prices online are dirt cheap if and only if you buy in bulk - otherwise, it's multitudes more expensive than going to a pet shop.

I've never seen a pet shop that didn't sell crickets and/or mealworms. Tarantulas will happily take either. If for some freak reason your pet shop doesn't sell them, then go to a fishing bait shop and buy mealworms or waxworms there. Exact same thing.
+1 to that.

For one or two Ts I'd not consider buying online. Pick up a few when you need them and call it good.
 

doodledog

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
37
Thank you for your input...I have 4 lizards at home now, and I usually go online for them (but they can be eating machines on a daily basis), mealies, crickets and superworms are always in abundance here....though i know i will need to go smaller for my new girl and she is an entirely new, delicate ballgame for me that i'm not used to, don't want her to contract any parasites, or other nasty stuff from her feeders....
 

Trenor

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
1,896
though i know i will need to go smaller for my new girl and she is an entirely new, delicate ballgame for me that i'm not used to, don't want her to contract any parasites, or other nasty stuff from her feeders....
Just cut up one of the larger feeders and offer that. Sling will scavenge easily so there is no need to get special food just for them.

All of my Ts eat dubia roaches since I had a colony of them already for my BD.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
Buy a small starter colony of S. lateralis for all your pets. Erratic, hyper, and full of protein, they breed incredibly easily and can laskt you forever if you keep them right. Probably could buy them online, they are great feeders if you want your own colony for your lizards AND T's.
 

Trenor

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
1,896
Depending on the lizards you have, unless you are buying a lot of feeders, I'd still just buy locally. It's a lot easier IMO for a smaller amount of animals to go that route.

When you hit 50+ Ts and the lizards are getting thin cause all the feeders are going to the Ts then start breeding your own. :D

People tend to over complicate pet owning by going into parts they don't need to. Fred is still my easiest pet to keep. He is a Ball Python that I have to go get a feeder for once every 3-4 weeks. I could breed my own rats but for one snake that would be crazy.
 

N1ghtFire

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jun 17, 2016
Messages
172
I bought 500 B. lats online for like $30 for my two geckos and small collection of Ts, so far I love them and my geckos are eating about 20 of them a day/ every other day. If you have lizards to feed i could definatly suggest them, and 500 would last you a few months at least and you can set some aside to mature and start a small colony. ^.^
I bought mine from http://store.kfcfeeders.com/ but i think they are out of stock atm, you could email them though or search around and find another seller.
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
People tend to over complicate pet owning by going into parts they don't need to. Fred is still my easiest pet to keep. He is a Ball Python that I have to go get a feeder for once every 3-4 weeks. I could breed my own rats but for one snake that would be crazy.
Is Fred an adult snake? You should feed him more often then that, 10-14 days is plenty. Guessing your snake doesn't take frozen thawed rats cause you wouldn't need to pick them up one at a time. I feed mine weekly and she is growing fast. Less feeding will just result in a smaller python. Although they will survive no problem it's not the ideal feeding schedule for the animal.

Breeding feeders is something that can get out of hand real fast. It's never been an issue for me, but I've got 3 Bearded dragons and 4 leopard geckos that eat all the excess feeders. If you decide to breed some try and have some buyers ready in case you get over run ;)
 

doodledog

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
37
I bought 500 B. lats online for like $30 for my two geckos and small collection of Ts, so far I love them and my geckos are eating about 20 of them a day/ every other day. If you have lizards to feed i could definatly suggest them, and 500 would last you a few months at least and you can set some aside to mature and start a small colony. ^.^
I bought mine from http://store.kfcfeeders.com/ but i think they are out of stock atm, you could email them though or search around and find another seller.
Thanx for the 411....may consider this, because my beardie and geckos are starting to really get picky...they go through cycles, like one day they refuse mealies/superworms...next it's crickets etc etc...
 

Lokee85

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 8, 2017
Messages
195
I buy crickets from Josh 's Frogs. I recently got 250 for less than $15 including shipping, compared to my LPS where I paid almost $10 for 6 dozen.
 

Trenor

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
1,896
Is Fred an adult snake? You should feed him more often then that, 10-14 days is plenty. Guessing your snake doesn't take frozen thawed rats cause you wouldn't need to pick them up one at a time. I feed mine weekly and she is growing fast. Less feeding will just result in a smaller python. Although they will survive no problem it's not the ideal feeding schedule for the animal.
He is an 11ish year old adult ball python. He will not take frozen or even oddly acting prey(he was around long before they had frozen and no one (a number of people have tried) has got him to change).

You are correct, when they are small and limited on what size prey they can eat you do have to feed them more often. Like most animals though, the frequency you need to feed them is indirectly proportional to how much they are fed. If you feed them bigger meals you need to do so less often. I feed him med-large live rats. He eats. I wait for him to defecate which shows he has digested his meal (usually 3ish weeks) and then I feed him again the next weekend.

He is not just surviving nor have there been any problems with size. Below is last years summer shed which even dry is 58 inches (4'10") and his mid-drift is as tick as my forearm.


Good luck with your python they are a lot of fun to own. :)
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
That's a big boy, I hope mine gets to that size. I know how frustrating it can be when they only take live feeders. I had a red tail boa that ate frozen mice for a good year, then I fed her a large live rat once and she never ate frozen again. Thing grew way faster then my ball python, she was beautiful but I got a good offer from a breeder and ended up selling her :( I still think about buying another baby... for now the Ball Python is a much more manageable pet , and way cheaper to feed.
 

Jeff23

Arachnolord
Joined
Jul 27, 2016
Messages
620
While I now order online for my crickets due to my quantity of tarantulas, I still buy some crickets from Petco. I have seen where my local Petco has crickets shipped in from an online supplier on a weekly basis.

So in my opinion it is mainly important to see that your local pet store goes through some volume to insure they have fresh stock. You could also check to verify the housing for them is not extremely nasty (like it hasn't been cleaned in ages). When I bought higher quantities from Petco I always bought mine on delivery day for the new crickets (Friday's at my local store).
 

doodledog

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
37
While I now order online for my crickets due to my quantity of tarantulas, I still buy some crickets from Petco. I have seen where my local Petco has crickets shipped in from an online supplier on a weekly basis.

So in my opinion it is mainly important to see that your local pet store goes through some volume to insure they have fresh stock. You could also check to verify the housing for them is not extremely nasty (like it hasn't been cleaned in ages). When I bought higher quantities from Petco I always bought mine on delivery day for the new crickets (Friday's at my local store).
Thank you Jeff23!! That's kinda what I was looking for when it came to feeders. When I by my superworms from Petco, I always check the date on the bottom to see how fresh they are (but not all Petco's in my area do this). I also open the containers to see how lively and to check for any dead ones.
 

Red Eunice

Arachnodemon
Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
666
Thanx for the 411....may consider this, because my beardie and geckos are starting to really get picky...they go through cycles, like one day they refuse mealies/superworms...next it's crickets etc etc...
Shelfordella lateralis is probably your best bet given what you already own. They DON'T burrow, CAN'T climb smooth surfaces, breed easy and quickly @85°F and constantly move about. Don't worry about "infestation" w/h escapees, highly unlikely in a clean home. I probably have some roach and cricket escapees wondering about right now, they die without a food source. Cheap on most websites, try roachcrossing, aaronpauling, I've purchased from both, good over count.
B. dubia, unless adult, WILL burrow/hide or remain motionless. Crush the heads on immature dubia before placing in the enclosure, they will still kick about for hours and trigger "prey response".
Seeing that you're an Ohioan as well, check for reptile shows nearby, roadtrips are nice. Columbus has a monthly show, except July, every feeder imaginable, no lateralis, is sold cheap. Cin City and Cleveland are also good shows to attend. You may find yourself bringing a new addition home, "Inverts ARE addictive!". BEWARE!!
 

doodledog

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
37
Shelfordella lateralis is probably your best bet given what you already own. They DON'T burrow, CAN'T climb smooth surfaces, breed easy and quickly @85°F and constantly move about. Don't worry about "infestation" w/h escapees, highly unlikely in a clean home. I probably have some roach and cricket escapees wondering about right now, they die without a food source. Cheap on most websites, try roachcrossing, aaronpauling, I've purchased from both, good over count.
B. dubia, unless adult, WILL burrow/hide or remain motionless. Crush the heads on immature dubia before placing in the enclosure, they will still kick about for hours and trigger "prey response".
Seeing that you're an Ohioan as well, check for reptile shows nearby, roadtrips are nice. Columbus has a monthly show, except July, every feeder imaginable, no lateralis, is sold cheap. Cin City and Cleveland are also good shows to attend. You may find yourself bringing a new addition home, "Inverts ARE addictive!". BEWARE!!
I considered the reptile show here in the Cleveland area, however the show wasn't till April 30th again, I couldn't wait that long to get my first T!! I wasn't going to get just any T to satisfy my my T-"hunger" though. I"m not that impulsive. After much consideration, I was set on the B Albo. I found a reputable online dealer here, from AB, and he so happened to have what I was looking for....I think it was a sign from God...LOL.
 
Top