talk me off the ledge. 500 pinhead crickets for $25?

[Sharno]

Hey all,

So I have been dying to get my tiniest slings to start munching regularly, feeding them cricket bits, legs, smashed crix with no heads, dubai parts now. I am sure they are hanging in there as I have had no deaths but really just want them to move on to live prey for my own sanity and piece of mind. They have not shown interest in FFF and I have hated the mess with those.

I found out that Amazon sells pinhead crickets for $25 - 500 ct. I am so tempted. But buying 500 pinheads when I only need -- what - 30? 40? Before they(the crickets) grow out of the stage? I mean I guess I could grow them a little and feed them to my other Ts but that's still over kill. Not sure how fast the crickets grow and if it would be cricket pandemonium.

Is that pure insanity? Anyone ever bought 500 pinheads? Is that like buying restaurant food in bulk? I guess I could go give the rest of the crix to the LPS after I stuff the slings.

 

[spiderengineer]

Hey all,

So I have been dying to get my tiniest slings to start munching regularly, feeding them cricket bits, legs, smashed crix with no heads, dubai parts now. I am sure they are hanging in there as I have had no deaths but really just want them to move on to live prey for my own sanity and piece of mind. They have not shown interest in FFF and I have hated the mess with those.

I found out that Amazon sells pinhead crickets for $25 - 500 ct. I am so tempted. But buying 500 pinheads when I only need -- what - 30? 40? Before they(the crickets) grow out of the stage? I mean I guess I could grow them a little and feed them to my other Ts but that's still over kill. Not sure how fast the crickets grow and if it would be cricket pandemonium.

Is that pure insanity? Anyone ever bought 500 pinheads? Is that like buying restaurant food in bulk? I guess I could go give the rest of the crix to the LPS after I stuff the slings.

do you have a petco they sell pin heads in the quantities your looking for or at least mine does. I am sure you can find a pet store around you that has pin heads

 

[Sharno]

Thanks, I will check! I always assumed if my friendly exotic lps only sold them in smalls/meds/lgs that the Petcos probably wouldn't have them, but I will check!

Edit to add: Just checked with two Petcos local to me, no pinheads, just smalls. Damn!

 

[spiderengineer]

Thanks, I will check! I always assumed if my friendly exotic lps only sold them in smalls/meds/lgs that the Petcos probably wouldn't have them, but I will check!

Edit to add: Just checked with two Petcos local to me, no pinheads, just smalls. Damn!

my petco sells them indvidual or they have these things called cricket carry out or might have been call cricket carry out located with the meal worms and super worms and they come in like 36 a box.

---------- Post added 02-28-2013 at 10:43 PM ----------

Edit to add: Just checked with two Petcos local to me, no pinheads, just smalls. Damn!

those are what they call pinheads

---------- Post added 02-28-2013 at 10:47 PM ----------

should have clarify their smalls are pinheads

 

[Sharno]

The times I have looked into it, smalls are slightly bigger than pinheads. I have to get out my ruler, or visit the petco and see what they are selling as smalls. When I had slings several years ago and was buying pinheads they were smaller than what I have seen sold as "smalls" at the exotic pet store, that I do know.

Edit to add: This is what I am referring to when I say pinheads - "the size of an ant" http://www.ghann.com/store/store_product_detail.cfm?Product_ID=1

 

[spiderengineer]

I never had a problem with their smalls and I have had some tiny spiders. just buy like 3 smalls and try them out

 

[hamhock 74]

Snip the small sized crickets from Petco, 500 pinheads sounds like a great deal but it'll be a major headache trying to prevent escapees, clean up, or catch them without squishing any. Plus crickets in general die fast and for no apparent reason anyhow.

 

[Hobo]

Here's an easier solution, if you really don't want to be a cricket butcher:

First, hang in there for a couple more weeks, it's gonna take a while. Find yourself a plastic shoebox or something, and have some moist sub in there. Keep it someplace warm. Then, before feeding your adult female crickets, stick 'em in the tub for a night.
In a few weeks, you'll have pinheads. Lots of pinheads.

 

[captmarga]

If you have bigger spiders to feed too, then just yank the jumping legs off the other crickets. Toss them to the slings, feed the rest of the crix to the big spiders.

Most petstores won't carry pins, which are fresh-hatched, or even 7-10 days. Smalls are 3-week or so old. I get mine from a local breeder, which is easier for me - less waste, and the crickets are healthier.

marga

 

[SuzukiSwift]

I'm wondering why you're thinking your tiniest slings are 'hanging in there and haven't had any deaths yet' just because you don't feed them live prey? Because they're fine eating already dead prey, they don't need live

 

[MagicalLobster]

My guess is that even within a weeks time those pinheads will be noticeably bigger than when you bought them (Pinheads in my care seem to become big or dead pretty quick). At Petsmart I've gotten small crickets and the slings seem to do fine. For very very small slings (1/4" and smaller), you could even get flightless fruitflies. I just got a colony of D. Hydei from Jamie's Tarantulas for around $5 and while they are the devil (seriously, I hate them), they're certainly small enough for slings and a colony can sustain itself for a while.

 

[Sharno]

I'm wondering why you're thinking your tiniest slings are 'hanging in there and haven't had any deaths yet' just because you don't feed them live prey? Because they're fine eating already dead prey, they don't need live

Hi Suzuki,

I'm just being paranoid, I'm sure. It's only because I have honestly never seen one of these slings (I think I have about 30 total very, very small slings of different types now) visibly "eat" any cricket leg, dead cricket, or even FFF, and it's been a few weeks now. I remove a lot of moldy carcasses and see a lot of FFF sitting at the top of lids undisturbed. At first I thought I just wasn't paying attention and it's like watching grass grow anyway - but I just don't see them eating anything. When I was in the hobby before, many many years ago, the only other time I had a very small sling, it ate pinheads like crazy. So I was just thinking it was worth a shot.

But I'm more hearing Stan's voice in my head - we're the fragile ones. The slings are probably eating and I'm just not aware of it. I'd feel better if I caught at least one of them eating a FFF (what a pain in the butt those are) or sitting at least on TOP of a cricket body/leg before taking the carcass out!

Thanks all for listening to my rambling

 

[Marijan2]

Hi Suzuki,

I'm just being paranoid, I'm sure. It's only because I have honestly never seen one of these slings (I think I have about 30 total very, very small slings of different types now) visibly "eat" any cricket leg, dead cricket, or even FFF, and it's been a few weeks now. I remove a lot of moldy carcasses and see a lot of FFF sitting at the top of lids undisturbed. At first I thought I just wasn't paying attention and it's like watching grass grow anyway - but I just don't see them eating anything. When I was in the hobby before, many many years ago, the only other time I had a very small sling, it ate pinheads like crazy. So I was just thinking it was worth a shot.

But I'm more hearing Stan's voice in my head - we're the fragile ones. The slings are probably eating and I'm just not aware of it. I'd feel better if I caught at least one of them eating a FFF (what a pain in the butt those are) or sitting at least on TOP of a cricket body/leg before taking the carcass out!

Thanks all for listening to my rambling

well, we all other mortal people have problems with slings eating live food, not dead one :biggrin: it's weird when someone says different
all in all don't worry about it, they will eat when they are hungry, i have never heard of case when any T stops eating without serious reason(nematodes?), in your collection of that many slings it's unbelievably small chance for them all not to eat dead prey the trick that works for me for slings to take dead prey faster is to expose feeder guts in opet, like cut small dubia on half and give 1 sling first half, and another sling second half

 

[Sharno]

well, we all other mortal people have problems with slings eating live food, not dead one :biggrin: it's weird when someone says different
all in all don't worry about it, they will eat when they are hungry, i have never heard of case when any T stops eating without serious reason(nematodes?), in your collection of that many slings it's unbelievably small chance for them all not to eat dead prey the trick that works for me for slings to take dead prey faster is to expose feeder guts in opet, like cut small dubia on half and give 1 sling first half, and another sling second half

How soon after you drop the half dubai in are the slings munching on the guts? do you give it a day, a few hours, leave it overnight? Is there actual evidence that the guts have been consumed? I will give that a try next. Some of the crickets I was "smashing the heads of" and various smooshings in general were pretty gooey when I presented them to slings, and I haven't seen any interest.

Again, it could just be that I have 30ish full, well fed, fat and happy slings and none of them have needed to eat a dead cricket or FFF in the 3-4 weeks I have had them, but I wish one of the would throw me a bone and eat in front of me. I worry that one day I will wake up and half of them will be dead. If it means I waste $25 on pinheads to satisfy my experiment of live food and have 450 extra pinheads or a cricket infestation to say I at least tried I would do it, but first I will try a few more things. I do appreciate the input from everyone!!

Edit to add: Another issue at play might be my temps here: I keep my slings in my home office, which is essentially a covered patio converted into an office, with "not great" heat compared to the rest of the house. I use a space heater when I'm in here during the day, but nightime lows do drop, and it's been chilly in So Cal up until the last few days. I could haul all the babies into another part of the house that is warmer but I like them where I check in on them a few times a day. Maybe the chill is making them not as hungry. Doesn't seem to be bothering the juvies in here though.

 

[Marijan2]

How soon after you drop the half dubai in are the slings munching on the guts? do you give it a day, a few hours, leave it overnight? Is there actual evidence that the guts have been consumed? I will give that a try next. Some of the crickets I was "smashing the heads of" and various smooshings in general were pretty gooey when I presented them to slings, and I haven't seen any interest.

Again, it could just be that I have 30ish full, well fed, fat and happy slings and none of them have needed to eat a dead cricket or FFF in the 3-4 weeks I have had them, but I wish one of the would throw me a bone and eat in front of me. I worry that one day I will wake up and half of them will be dead. If it means I waste $25 on pinheads to satisfy my experiment of live food and have 450 extra pinheads or a cricket infestation to say I at least tried I would do it, but first I will try a few more things. I do appreciate the input from everyone!!

Edit to add: Another issue at play might be my temps here: I keep my slings in my home office, which is essentially a covered patio converted into an office, with "not great" heat compared to the rest of the house. I use a space heater when I'm in here during the day, but nightime lows do drop, and it's been chilly in So Cal up until the last few days. I could haul all the babies into another part of the house that is warmer but I like them where I check in on them a few times a day. Maybe the chill is making them not as hungry. Doesn't seem to be bothering the juvies in here though.

they usually take the piece within an hour, but if not i leave for 24 hours. just be sure to cut along the "spine", to have 2 equally sides, not head and abdomen type of half. well for evidence if it dissapear it's eaten, i think there's no easier evidence than that. temperatre in my room fall to 55 during the night and they all seem alright, both slings and juvie/adults

 

[Hobo]

Have really thin tweezers?
Try carefully handing each piece to the slings. Usually all that's needed for a strike is a slight brush against any of the legs. For the stubborn ones, you might have to get the piece to dance a bit to entice them.
Like this, only a bit smaller:
[Youtube]Sh6vgzZ5p5g&hd=1[/youtube]

It'll take longer, but you'll be sure if they are eating or not.

 

[Wadew]

Have you tried asking your LPS how much 500 pinheads would cost? Usually they can add them to there cricket order with no problems, and the cost is generally better then you having to pay for shipping too! I know I sell 500 for less than 25.00!


-Wade