Question on Feeding A. hentzi

[Throk]

My dad caught an A.Hentzi at his place in central west Texas. She was found under some rocks next to a molt while he was clearing an area for his future house. She molted 3 days after she was caught and I'm currently keeping her in a 20 gallon long tank (all i have), with rock covering for a hide that she has since dug deeper. I have kept a adult female and male of this same species before years ago but neither ate as much has she does. My question is how much should I feed her? Cause I believe she would eat as fast I throw crickets in. I am just refering to her as a she but believe she is still juvenile (3"-3.5" leg span). Cant get a picture in normal lighting.

 

[Thekla]

I would feed her one prey item every 10-14 days. She looks quite plump and healthy, so, it could be even less than that.

Could you post a picture of the whole enclosure? A 20-gallon tank sounds awfully big. I probably would get her a nice appropriately sized plastic tub with enough substrate to burrow.

 

[kingshockey]

glad he didnt just smash the t like lots of others would have done

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Even though she's eating everything you're giving her, they have very slow metabolisms. This species can easily go for months without a meal if conditions are harsh in the wild. They're opportunistic, so they'll eat whatever presents itself since they may not catch another prey item for weeks on end. Obesity is a problem for tarantulas in captivity, so it's a good idea to limit how much they eat (even though they act like they're always starving to death!) so that their abdomen doesn't rupture from a fall or get sores from dragging on the ground. Twice per month would probably be a good feeding schedule for a juvenile of that size. Ideally, their abdomen should be about 1.5x the size of the carapace. The size of the abdomen is a good indicator of whether or not the tarantula is being fed the correct amount.

 

[Jesse607]

As mentioned already, they are adapted to eat as much as possible when food is plentiful, as they live in areas where prey may be abundant sometimes and almost non-existent other times. They may become dangerously obese before their feeding response disappears, but not always with this species in particular. Once their bodies physiologically tell them they've had enough food, they will then "fast" for weeks or months, often times until after their next molt. Spreading out feedings allows for you to observe the behavior over a longer period of time.

 

[Smotzer]

Second everything! And while you slow back on feeding if you don’t have one provide a fresh water dish for that guy.

 

[EpicEpic]

Pretty! Very very underappreciated species!

You probably need more substrate! Post a pic of the tank

-Pete

 

[cold blood]

It's important to note that after molting, all ts, even the slow growing, poorer eating species, will be very hungry and eat a lot. It likely won't molt for another year, so you have that long to plump it...and it's already much of the way there. So no hurry on the feeding as mentioned...I would also suggest twice monthly feedings.

 

[Throk]

Second everything! And while you slow back on feeding if you don’t have one provide a fresh water dish for that guy.

She has a shallow dish thats gets refilled daily

Pretty! Very very underappreciated species!

You probably need more substrate! Post a pic of the tank

-Pete

She does, tho I'm in the process of moving, once I get moved in shes getting a smaller setup with 4-6" of substrate.

She also likes to ball up thr cocofiber and roll.it around, and roams the tank now 2-3 times a night but usually says near her burrow rock den.

 

[Smotzer]

She has a shallow dish thats gets refilled daily

Great!!

 

[viper69]

She does, tho I'm in the process of moving, once I get moved in shes getting a smaller setup with 4-6" of substrate.

She also likes to ball up thr cocofiber and roll.it around, and roams the tank now 2-3 times a night but usually says near her burrow rock den.

Put a ping pong ball in there

 

[ColeopteraC]

She looks pretty plump and full, wait for her to settle in before feeding but if she doesn’t take the feeder within 24hrs remove it. Don’t worry that much if she doesn’t eat, just settling in and probably full.

Also, is that just a red light or a heat lamp?

 

[Throk]

She looks pretty plump and full, wait for her to settle in before feeding but if she doesn’t take the feeder within 24hrs remove it. Don’t worry that much if she doesn’t eat, just settling in and probably full.

Also, is that just a red light or a heat lamp?

Its labeled as a Infrared spotting bulb, currently hangs about 6" above the tank. Havent been able to locate just a plain red bulb or led light. If you know of one please let me know.

 

[Jesse607]

Its labeled as a Infrared spotting bulb, currently hangs about 6" above the tank. Havent been able to locate just a plain red bulb or led light. If you know of one please let me know.

No need to have red or any type of lamp/bulb? Why did you think you needed that specifically? They won't be hurt by whatever type of light you use to light the room with normally, or if viewed with a flashlight.

 

[Smith11]

Its labeled as a Infrared spotting bulb, currently hangs about 6" above the tank. Havent been able to locate just a plain red bulb or led light. If you know of one please let me know.

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