Tarantula food options?

[gottarantulas]

1) What do you typically feed your medium to large tarantulas? Roaches? Crickets? Mealworms/Superworms? Something else?
2) Where do you typically purchase the food items for your tarantulas? Online or local pet store (retailer)?

 

[Arachnopets]

Preemptive Admin Note:

For question number 2, please keep your answers strictly to either "online" or "local pet store (retailer)". There will be no naming of any sellers.

Thank you!

 

[Wolfram1]

1) primarily roaches, S. lateralis and others, but sometimes Zophobas morio
2) bulk buy at expos (not sure if thats a thing in the US)

 

[Smotzer]

1) mainly mix of crickets/roaches/super worms
2) either LPS or from self colony.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

1- crickets nearly exclusively (with an occasional worm of some sort)
B- local shops

 

[jbooth]

Roaches mostly(lats, dubia, nymph hissers), self produced.

 

[Inflammation]

Just started using bees for my juvenile Pinktoes.
One actually jumped at the bee as it started buzzing.

As for the concern of sting risk, I tried removing the stingers / or crushing the bee just to make it barely moving.
Nevertheless, most spiders had no problem with hunting without help.

Trying to get a contract with the beekeeper. He also sent me some bumblebees, will try those tomorrow

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Just started using bees for my juvenile Pinktoes.
One actually jumped at the bee as it started buzzing.

As for the concern of sting risk, I tried removing the stingers / or crushing the bee just to make it barely moving.
Nevertheless, most spiders had no problem with hunting without help.

Trying to get a contract with the beekeeper. He also sent me some bumblebees, will try those tomorrow

If these are honey bees then this has all kinds of wrong written all over it.

Can't you get normal feeders for your T's in Korea?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

1) What do you typically feed your medium to large tarantulas? Roaches? Crickets? Mealworms/Superworms? Something else?
2) Where do you typically purchase the food items for your tarantulas? Online or local pet store (retailer)?

1. Roaches, super worms, or mealworms.
2. Where is cheapest?

3. Just started using bees for my juvenile Pinktoes.
   One actually jumped at the bee as it started buzzing.
   
   As for the concern of sting risk, I tried removing the stingers / or crushing the bee just to make it barely moving.
   Nevertheless, most spiders had no problem with hunting without help.
   
   Trying to get a contract with the beekeeper. He also sent me some bumblebees, will try those tomorrow

   why? 🫠

 

[NMTs]

1. Dubia roaches and crickets for larger T's, pinhead crickets for tiny slings (because they're smaller than dubia nymphs and way better than fruit flies).
2. Dubias colonies at home, crickets from the LPS.

 

[Hardus nameous]

1) My medium and larger sized spiders eat large dubia roaches with the occasional hornworm.

2) Local pet stores.

 

[Inflammation]

If these are honey bees then this has all kinds of wrong written all over it.

Can't you get normal feeders for your T's in Korea?

Dunno what is wrong my friend..

In Korea, honey bees are for sale on/offline mostly for plant fertilization / medical uses.
Thus, they are not wild caught/ nor does the use of these bees destroy nature in any way.

In nature, the diet of Aviculariinae is based on flying prey.
Many of my pinktoe Ts show strong preference for bees over than mealworms or other crawling critters.
I use Drosophilia (fruit flies) for my slings too, which my Ts really enjoy.
Have tried bottle flies, but the breeding and keeping is much too hard.

Also, in Korea,
import / breeding / trading of most feeder roaches (and all foreign insects) are currently illegal.
Moreover, the supply of feeder crickets has been damaged and many T keepers are looking for other new feeder insects.
Feeder insects were limited to mainly crickets / mealworms / supermealworms, and now just the latter two.

My next target is the domestic type of hornworm or silkworm moths,
hopefully with good cost-benefit.

1. Roaches, super worms, or mealworms.
2. Where is cheapest?
3. 
   why? 🫠

Dear Ultum4Spiderz, I have written the reasons above.
If you have other questions, I would be glad to answer .

 

[Wolfram1]

Dunno what is wrong my friend..

In Korea, honey bees are for sale on/offline mostly for plant fertilization / medical uses.
Thus, they are not wild caught/ nor does the use of these bees destroy nature in any way.

In nature, the diet of Aviculariinae is based on flying prey.
Many of my pinktoe Ts show strong preference for bees over than mealworms or other crawling critters.
I use Drosophilia (fruit flies) for my slings too, which my Ts really enjoy.
Have tried bottle flies, but the breeding and keeping is much too hard.

Also, in Korea,
import / breeding / trading of most feeder roaches (and all foreign insects) are currently illegal.
Moreover, the supply of feeder crickets has been damaged and many T keepers are looking for other new feeder insects.
Feeder insects were limited to mainly crickets / mealworms / supermealworms, and now just the latter two.

My next target is the domestic type of hornworm or silkworm moths,
hopefully with good cost-benefit.






Dear Ultum4Spiderz, I have written the reasons above.
If you have other questions, I would be glad to answer .

2 potential problems aside from the obvious (the stinger)

• pesticides used in beekeeping against Varroa destructor mites

• and pesticides used on plantations the bees frequent

if you make sure the stinger is neutralized by prekilling, removing, or by clipping them and can rule out pesticides you should be good.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Dunno what is wrong my friend..

In Korea, honey bees are for sale on/offline mostly for plant fertilization / medical uses.
Thus, they are not wild caught/ nor does the use of these bees destroy nature in any way.

In nature, the diet of Aviculariinae is based on flying prey.
Many of my pinktoe Ts show strong preference for bees over than mealworms or other crawling critters.
I use Drosophilia (fruit flies) for my slings too, which my Ts really enjoy.
Have tried bottle flies, but the breeding and keeping is much too hard.

Also, in Korea,
import / breeding / trading of most feeder roaches (and all foreign insects) are currently illegal.
Moreover, the supply of feeder crickets has been damaged and many T keepers are looking for other new feeder insects.
Feeder insects were limited to mainly crickets / mealworms / supermealworms, and now just the latter two.

My next target is the domestic type of hornworm or silkworm moths,
hopefully with good cost-benefit.






Dear Ultum4Spiderz, I have written the reasons above.
If you have other questions, I would be glad to answer .

Knew this was coming so I provided links below. Other than those issues honeybees whether commercial or wild or beneficial in so many ways. To use them as feeders.....well is just wrong.

You legally can use mealworms and house crickets in Korea.

Prevalence of honey bee pathogens and parasites in South Korea: A five-year surveillance study from 2017 to 2021 - PMC

Honey bees play an important role in the pollination of crops and wild plants and provide important products to humans. Pathogens and parasites are the main factors that threaten beekeeping in South Korea. Therefore, a nationwide detection of 14 ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

And

Insects as Feed for Companion and Exotic Pets: A Current Trend - PubMed

The objective of this review was to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the benefits of incorporating insects as a pet food ingredient and the implications this can have in determining a market demand for insect-based pet foods. Black soldier fly larvae (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>)...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

.

 

[Inflammation]

Knew this was coming so I provided links below. Other than those issues honeybees whether commercial or wild or beneficial in so many ways. To use them as feeders.....well is just wrong.

You legally can use mealworms and house crickets in Korea.

Prevalence of honey bee pathogens and parasites in South Korea: A five-year surveillance study from 2017 to 2021 - PMC

Honey bees play an important role in the pollination of crops and wild plants and provide important products to humans. Pathogens and parasites are the main factors that threaten beekeeping in South Korea. Therefore, a nationwide detection of 14 ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

And

Insects as Feed for Companion and Exotic Pets: A Current Trend - PubMed

The objective of this review was to carry out a comprehensive investigation of the benefits of incorporating insects as a pet food ingredient and the implications this can have in determining a market demand for insect-based pet foods. Black soldier fly larvae (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>)...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

.

Thanks 'Arachnophobphile' for your info and great reference.
Couple of good points from everyone, regarding the safety of Ts and also myself.

I have received confirmation of the safety of bee feeding from a Ph.D student majoring bees, and also the beekeepers.

Will post an update and short pro/cons of bee feeding hopefully soon.

Also, house cricket feeding (as mentioned above) in Korea is an issue, possibly due to Cricket Paralysis Virus (CrPV) infection.
Many keepers, farms, officials are looking for an answer and alternative ways to provide healthy food for our pets.
Hopes up!

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Thanks 'Arachnophobphile' for your info and great reference.
Couple of good points from everyone, regarding the safety of Ts and also myself.

I have received confirmation of the safety of bee feeding from a Ph.D student majoring bees, and also the beekeepers.

Will post an update and short pro/cons of bee feeding hopefully soon.

Also, house cricket feeding (as mentioned above) in Korea is an issue, possibly due to Cricket Paralysis Virus (CrPV) infection.
Many keepers, farms, officials are looking for an answer and alternative ways to provide healthy food for our pets.
Hopes up!

I’ve witnessed Argiopes eat bees I even got stung by one they captured but do you have to cripple it so it can’t fly and remove the stinger?
Sad your crickets are tainted