Should i attempt feeding my tarantula if i cant see him in the cage?

[Gendernotfound1994]

I haven't seen my spider in a couple of days and I've been kind of nervous to put food in the cage because idk what he's doing. Like if he's molting or not. Should I attempt feeding? I don't wanna hurt him. Also the crickets died, can I feed them anyway?

 

[Maxthesquid]

I haven't seen my spider in a couple of days and I've been kind of nervous to put food in the cage because idk what he's doing. Like if he's molting or not. Should I attempt feeding? I don't wanna hurt him. Also the crickets died, can I feed them anyway?

If it’s prekilled there won’t be a problem. Assuming the burrow is sealed, live prey is a risk because they can find their way insides and possible injure a molting/molted T. In the end I wouldn’t stress about food for awhile, it could be sealed for weeks or even months. Just make sure the water dish is full.

 

[The Spider House]

So I am assuming this is the very same spiderling that was in your other thread? The enclosure and hide looked very open and so if you can't see him, probably made his own burrow. Obviously assuming nothing like lid left off or holes too big etc and so not escaped.

I would still offer live food if you can (remove next day if not eaten) as the movement will hopefully entice your spider out. He is less likely to come out if no stimulus. I have very occasionally fed pre killed but that's for really tiny slings or some that need a helping hand to recover, say after a moult.

I always use the T rex theory when it comes to pre killed vs live.

Picture the scene, the first Jurassic Park movie when a goat is chained up to try and get TRex to come out. The classic line "T Rex doesn't want to be fed, she wants to hunt" equally applies to Ts

Also when feeding live I usually offer food that's appropriate sized (i.e. same size to the size of the abdomen). As spider gets bigger, so does prey.

Hope all that helps.

 

[Smotzer]

You can most certainly try offering live prey, I would not feed the prey if it had already died before feeding it, usually if you offer non-living prey you will dispatch/kill it just prior to feeding which we call pre-killed I wouldn’t offer pre-dead. But perhaps that’s just me.

 

[The Spider House]

You can most certainly try offering live prey, I would not feed the prey if it had already died before feeding it, usually if you offer non-living prey you will dispatch/kill it just prior to feeding which we call pre-killed I wouldn’t offer pre-dead. But perhaps that’s just me.

I agree 100% if it died there is a reason and so why risk it? If we killed it coz we had to, that's fine.

 

[Smotzer]

I agree 100% if it died there is a reason and so why risk it? If we killed it coz we had to, that's fine.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[The Spider House]

My thoughts exactly!

They say great minds think alike. They also say 2 fools seldom differ.

 

[Smotzer]

They also say 2 fools seldom differ.

I have actually never heard this particular variation of the idiom/saying before but I like it!

 

[viper69]

I haven't seen my spider in a couple of days and I've been kind of nervous to put food in the cage because idk what he's doing. Like if he's molting or not. Should I attempt feeding? I don't wanna hurt him. Also the crickets died, can I feed them anyway?

You really should read up on T husbandry here at AB, your Ts life depends on your interest level

 

[Gendernotfound1994]

You really should read up on T husbandry here at AB, your Ts life depends on your interest level

Not sure what I said to make you think I'm not interested?


I already have done a lot of research, but that doesn't mean i know everything. Why would I be here asking questions if I wasn't interested?

 

[viper69]

Not sure what I said to make you think I'm not interested?


I already have done a lot of research, but that doesn't mean i know everything. Why would I be here asking questions if I wasn't interested?

The type of question you asked is a very, very common one asked, and the answer can be found here on AB. I would think you would have found the answer by searching the forum. The great thing about AB is that when you search for an answer and learn much more than you initially bargained for. I know that was true for me when I first started out, and to this day still happens at times.

 

[curtisgiganteus]

The T you posted pics of earlier is in premolt. If it’s sealed away don’t offer any food. I’m guessing it’s Aphonopelma, Brachypelma, or Titlocotl. All can go weeks or months without food for no reason and be fine. The last thing you want to do is toss a feeder in there that is just gonna eat the soft freshly molted spider.

 

[Dementeddoll]

If you can’t find your t….I don’t see how you can’t given it really had one big hide you can use a flashlight to look into it. Or you can see little pin point if it dug itself up. That enclosure looked a bit too big from the vent holes. Might have escaped. Rule of thumb when considering to house a spiderling is it’s carapace shouldn’t be smaller than the vent holes. If it is then more than likely it’ll escape if it already hasn’t. Also considering it’s a terrestrial species the space you have from top of soil to top of enclosure it’s too big. So if it climbs the walls and falls you risk injury to it. Especially when they’re fat and in premolt. I’d either rehouse into something smaller and save that enclosure for the future when it’s a bit bigger. Which g rosea is a slow grower and you probably won’t need that enclosure for a good year or so.

 

[Gendernotfound1994]

The T you posted pics of earlier is in premolt. If it’s sealed away don’t offer any food. I’m guessing it’s Aphonopelma, Brachypelma, or Titlocotl. All can go weeks or months without food for no reason and be fine. The last thing you want to do is toss a feeder in there that is just gonna eat the soft freshly molted spider.

Thank you, I left him be. He has been out and about the last couple days, I think he has molted. He was hiding away for about 5 days.

 

[Maxthesquid]

Thank you, I left him be. He has been out and about the last couple days, I think he has molted. He was hiding away for about 5 days.

If this is true then I’m jealous because mine hid for 7 entire months until it’s molt at 1/2”

were talking grammostola here correct?

 

[Gendernotfound1994]

If this is true then I’m jealous because mine hid for 7 entire months until it’s molt at 1/2”

were talking grammostola here correct?

Graamostola rosea. I compared the pictures from a couple weeks ago to the pictures I took today and i think he did molt

 

[Maxthesquid]

Graamostola rosea. I compared the pictures from a couple weeks ago to the pictures I took today and i think he did molt

nice, now enjoy therest of the year as he probably won’t molt during it lol.

 

[Gendernotfound1994]

nice, now enjoy therest of the year as he probably won’t molt during it lol.

I'm good with that

If you can’t find your t….I don’t see how you can’t given it really had one big hide you can use a flashlight to look into it. Or you can see little pin point if it dug itself up. That enclosure looked a bit too big from the vent holes. Might have escaped. Rule of thumb when considering to house a spiderling is it’s carapace shouldn’t be smaller than the vent holes. If it is then more than likely it’ll escape if it already hasn’t. Also considering it’s a terrestrial species the space you have from top of soil to top of enclosure it’s too big. So if it climbs the walls and falls you risk injury to it. Especially when they’re fat and in premolt. I’d either rehouse into something smaller and save that enclosure for the future when it’s a bit bigger. Which g rosea is a slow grower and you probably won’t need that enclosure for a good year or so.

I did order small 2oz deli cups after I heard this from a few people