Rodents vs. Insects

[GL3NE]

A fat spider is a happy spider.

I recently switched to mice instead of crickets (Because my tarantula collection is thinning and the spiders are all large) and I have seen a great difference in size and behavior since then. The spiders grow faster and get used to taking down oversized food!
Of course, some spiders are more aggressive eaters then others!

One day I got a fuzzy rat, but then realized that my corn snake wasn't big enough to eat it. So I figured; "What the hell, the B. Vagans will be able to take it" and take it, IT DID! The venom took longer to take effect then it did on a mouse. And recently, it killed an adult mouse (after sticking the mouse in the freezer for a bit to stun it) and is eating it as I type this.

Has anybody tested the nutrients of Rodents vs. Insects for tarantulas?

-- Glen :}

(attachment: Picture of the B.Vagans eating the killed rat)

 

[WayneT]

Nice shot! I've never actually tested the nutrients, but I will say that I vary the diets. For my T. blondi's that regularly eat rodents, I do break it up with superworms and even earthworms (nightcrawlers), and maybe a large roach. For my others, pinkies are given to vary their diets. Don't know if you've seen the pics, but only recently has my A. seemanni taken larger mice, hoppers.

 

[SeanJo]

I'm new to Ts, but among my other pets is a horned toad, which also ate crickets when he was small. I switched him, though, after reading that in the wild, small animals make up a big part of their diet for the source of calcium in their bones. I started feeding him live vertebrates (smaller frogs and anoles were the food), and he grew almost exponentially. I've had him for about 2 months, and he grew from the size of a quarter to the width of my closed fist, or from 1" to 4"-5". Now he is too big to even look at insects. So, knowing that T's have different needs than toads, it would probably be best to switch up their diet from mainly crickets/roaches. I would throw some verts in there every few feedings for their guts and bones, which to a T are probably like eating birthday cake. When my OBT's get big enough, I'll raise 1 on vert/insect diet and 1 all insect and keep a log. This would make a nice experiment.. though I already have my hypothesis on which will be more beneficial..

 

[Professor T]

I wouldn't feed Ts a main diet of rodents. While an occasional mouse or rat pup is fine for those Ts that will accept them, that kind of diet isn't the normal diet in nature.

The bigger T species might ocassionally take a rodent, frog, bird, or snake in the wild, but its not their steady diet. You might find your Ts going through extensive fasting periods on a 100% rodent diet.

I would mix up the diet with roaches, crickets, and superworms. While not as cool to watch as a T eating a rodent, its probably more healthy.

It would be interesting to see if anyone on this board has ever fed a T only rodents, and what the long term effects were, if any.

 

[WayneT]

I wouldn't feed Ts a main diet of rodents. While an occasional mouse or rat pup is fine for those Ts that will accept them, that kind of diet isn't the normal diet in nature.

It would be interesting to see if anyone on this board has ever fed a T only rodents, and what the long term effects were, if any.

I agree! In fact, I was heading in that direction with my T. blondi's when several people advised me against the practice, which I am thankful for. And with me, while it's always quite a show to watch the demise of a rodent, it was/is time consuming to feed my two large ladies the superworms and other items to fill them up...but alas, this is a passion for me, so I make the time!