Removing eaten prey

[Seemannnni]

Hey guys! My GBB sling has appeared to cease destruction of a prekilled worm that I tossed in yesterday. From what it appears, she started at work last night consuming it - only really eating half to around 2/3 of the whole worm. She stopped a few hours ago, leaving the remains for my collection. The question is as follows; do tarantulas return to prey that has been partially consumed, especially after eating all day, or will they remain full and just leave it to rot until I get it? Part of me, lazily speaking, wants to leave it until tomorrow for her to finish off - however, I'm aware that leaving prey inside (especially dead) can cause issues. Any insight? I assume just take it out now, but I'd like to know in your experience.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

You have to play the role of that presumptuous waiter.
If they were hungry enough to finish it they would have.

 

[Samuelh3942]

As I am not really a tarantula expert, only take my advice as a grain of salt.
I have a G.Pulchripes sling and I feed it prekilled prey, and after a while (8-10 hours) or once it has been eaten, I remove it.
Hope this helps!

 

[Seemannnni]

As I am not really a tarantula expert, only take my advice as a grain of salt.
I have a G.Pulchripes sling and I feed it prekilled prey, and after a while (8-10 hours) or once it has been eaten, I remove it.
Hope this helps!

Gotcha. It's been over a day now, but when it hit the 24 hour mark it was chomping away (or slurping, in that matter).

You have to play the role of that presumptuous waiter.
If they were hungry enough to finish it they would have.

They should really learn that we have boxes for them to take home...

 

[Samuelh3942]

Gotcha. It's been over a day now, but when it hit the 24 hour mark it was chomping away (or slurping, in that matter).

I guess different species eat different to others if that’s a thing? haha anyway I would wait until it moves the left overs away from the burrow if it is still eating after a day.

 

[Seemannnni]

I guess different species eat different to others if that’s a thing? haha anyway I would wait until it moves the left overs away from the burrow if it is still eating after a day.

Yeah, I'll wait for tomorrow - if it's there by noon its going in the trash. I'm really testing nature keeping it there for this long, anyways.

 

[Samuelh3942]

Yeah, I'll wait for tomorrow - if it's there by noon its going in the trash. I'm really testing nature keeping it there for this long, anyways.

Yeah good call. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving prey into the enclosure for 2 days then don’t.

 

[jaw6053]

Yeah, I'll wait for tomorrow - if it's there by noon its going in the trash. I'm really testing nature keeping it there for this long, anyways.

Since it's a GBB your sub should be dry, so it should be ok to leave it. But if you were to leave that on damp sub, you have a good chance of getting mites after 24 hours.

 

[wesker12]

Cause tarantulas pretty much mostly externally digest prey, they can liquidate virtually everything inside (including most pathogens), I've had some eat a huge meal (say 3.5 inch blaberus gigantea, world's largest cave roach) over the course of 3 days!

 

[DomGom TheFather]

They should really learn that we have boxes for them to take home...

Na.
They know it's all you can eat.
As keepers we end up being like an Italian grandma.
We offer food even when we know they're fat and obviously not that hungry.

 

[fatalgecko]

Give it 24 hours from when you fed it. Then remove any uneaten prey items.

 

[Seemannnni]

Na.
They know it's all you can eat.
As keepers we end up being like an Italian grandma.
We offer food even when we know they're fat and obviously not that hungry.

Are you hungry?
No, thank you.
I made you some cookies and pasta, here you go!

Since it's a GBB your sub should be dry, so it should be ok to leave it. But if you were to leave that on damp sub, you have a good chance of getting mites after 24 hours.

Yeah it's pretty arid in there.

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

I'd wait until the next day. No need to be so quick to remove it.

 

[Seemannnni]

Update: Worm carcass still remains , time to literally uproot everything now given its a web labyrinth.

 

[fatalgecko]

Don't worry It will rebuild

 

[Colorado Ts]

Hey guys! My GBB sling has appeared to cease destruction of a prekilled worm that I tossed in yesterday. From what it appears, she started at work last night consuming it - only really eating half to around 2/3 of the whole worm. She stopped a few hours ago, leaving the remains for my collection. The question is as follows; do tarantulas return to prey that has been partially consumed, especially after eating all day, or will they remain full and just leave it to rot until I get it? Part of me, lazily speaking, wants to leave it until tomorrow for her to finish off - however, I'm aware that leaving prey inside (especially dead) can cause issues. Any insight? I assume just take it out now, but I'd like to know in your experience.

Sorry late to the party...

I've fed overly large sized prey items on several occasions to see what happens.

The prey item was selected because it was too large for the selected spider to consume in one sitting, I fed a huge B.dubia roach, or overly large roach in relation to the spider; to several Aphonopelma hentzi, an Aphonopelma seemanni, and a Phormictopus sp southern hispaniola.

In all cases, the spider was unable to completely consume the prey item in one sitting. It was noted that once the spider ceased feeding on the prey item, it was abandoned. The spider was never observed returning to the prey item, and the positioning of the prey did not change for several days, after being abandoned, indicating that the spider had not returned, unobserved, to feed.

After 5 days, the prey item was removed from the enclosure, and the spiders were removed from the regular feeding schedule, and were not offered food again for several weeks.

 

[Seemannnni]

Sorry late to the party...

I've fed overly large sized prey items on several occasions to see what happens.

The prey item was selected because it was too large for the selected spider to consume in one sitting, I fed a huge B.dubia roach, or overly large roach in relation to the spider; to several Aphonopelma hentzi, an Aphonopelma seemanni, and a Phormictopus sp southern hispaniola.

In all cases, the spider was unable to completely consume the prey item in one sitting. It was noted that once the spider ceased feeding on the prey item, it was abandoned. The spider was never observed returning to the prey item, and the positioning of the prey did not change for several days, after being abandoned, indicating that the spider had not returned, unobserved, to feed.

After 5 days, the prey item was removed from the enclosure, and the spiders were removed from the regular feeding schedule, and were not offered food again for several weeks.

All good! Yeah, I'd imagine they won't eat for a while. My GBB's abdomen is huuuge now.

 

[viper69]

do tarantulas return to prey that has been partially consumed

Yes