The (kind of somewhat) typical annoying feeding question...

[Kits9846]

Hey all, I recently started into the hobby and well... 1 tarantula soon turns into several. Everything is going really well, but I have 2 feeding questions.

GBB. It wants to eat NON STOP. Do I let it eat as much as it wants (until it stops) or do I eventually stop it until the next feeding? Right now I'm feeding twice a week and "she" has a big booty so I have been stopping. It's about an inch maybe an inch and a half.

My second question is for malnourished spiders. I recently acquired a T. stirmi (and feel so overwhelmed). But when I got it home and rehoused I noticed a blackened leg and its abdomen is shockingly and saddeningly small. It wants to eat, eat, and eat some more to make up for it I assume. How often should I feed it and how much? I work with small animals/mammals that you have to take it slow and ease into building up food... is it similar with these guys? It is happily eating med/large crickets and today I got it a somewhat decent sized hornworm that it is currently enjoying.

Thanks for the help!

 

[fatalgecko]

Are you able to post clear pics of the Ts? That will give people an opportunity to see what's going on with them. Probably pictures of the enclosure as well

 

[jaw6053]

I normally feed my T's alot more after they molt and then gradually slow it down as they near their next molt. If you feed it too much you can expect longer time in between feedings and longer premolt periods, typically. There are always exceptions

 

[Smotzer]

I would as an additive suggest posting pictures of the tarantulas and enclosures.

the thing about feeding is set strict schedules don’t work. They can be a reference point but feeding off the abdomen is the best reference. Some tarantulas If allowed will eat and eat and eat and gather all the required nutrients needed for a molt fast and then stop eating for longer periods of time and can seal them selves off during this entire period making checking on them and monitoring them much more difficult.

from your description of your C. cyaneopubescens if it’s rather plump you can slow way back down on the feeding. Not sure but sounds like you may have been feeding a lot. You can also feed much smaller prey during this slow down time.

and feed your Theraphosa to start to plump up it’s abdomen again and then slow it down when it’s starting to look healthy again.

 

[Chebe6886]

if the stirmi isn’t a sling it’s likely WC which introduces a whole lot of potential problems. Hopefully it just needs some good food

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

I feed my tarantulas as much as they'll eat, some people say this can cause molting problems but I've never experienced that they won't take food if they don't want it. This applies especially for slings, if my adults are very fat I'll feed once every other week or so.

 

[Chebe6886]

I also feed mine very often. Slings get offered food every 2-4 days(I usually immediately remove it if they don’t respond) and adults atleast once a week usually more. I off set frequent feeding with smaller meals and significantly higher temps than RT around (82-84). As spiders become large juvies/adults I slowly transition them to RT.
I find that technique gives me the fastest possible molt cycles with minimum premolt fasting and very few complications.
As long as your Ts are growing you’re doing a good job IMO

 

[EpicEpic]

I switch it up. Sometimes bigger meals less often, sometimes smaller meals more often...

Use the abdomen as a gauge....make sure they're all nice and plump but not dragging around...

I'm very observant and stop offering when they look/act like they are in premolt

Very careful post molt as I'd rather 1 missed meal then 2 lost fangs and death

If it has eaten a lot lately and is nice and plump the longer ill wait until the next meal

Hate feeding schedules and thats what works for me

Rarely if ever get a turned down meal!

 

[RezonantVoid]

I go by abdomen size and enthusiasm per meal. If the spider is desperately grabbing food it obviously wants it alot and ill feed it again shortly after a day or 2. Once the abdomen is plump, i ease off feeding for a while

 

[viper69]

I go by abdomen size and enthusiasm per meal.

This is all I do as well.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

GBB. It wants to eat NON STOP. Do I let it eat as much as it wants (until it stops) or do I eventually stop it until the next feeding? Right now I'm feeding twice a week and "she" has a big booty so I have been stopping. It's about an inch maybe an inch and a half.

At that size I'd feed every 5 days until it refuses food.

My second question is for malnourished spiders. I recently acquired a T. stirmi (and feel so overwhelmed). But when I got it home and rehoused I noticed a blackened leg and its abdomen is shockingly and saddeningly small. It wants to eat, eat, and eat some more to make up for it I assume. How often should I feed it and how much? I work with small animals/mammals that you have to take it slow and ease into building up food... is it similar with these guys? It is happily eating med/large crickets and today I got it a somewhat decent sized hornworm that it is currently enjoying.

Depends on size (you didn't state in your post), I feed my 6" female stirmi an adult dubia or 3 red runners every 14 days.

I don't like winging it with feeding, that's often how people end up overfeeding and then complaining that their spiders refuse to eat for months on end or spend half a year or more sealed away in pre-moult. I think I've had maybe 4 or 5 tarantulas (out of over 100 over a 4 year period) refuse to eat for more than 3 months. For faster growing species I feed slings every 3-5 days, juvies every 7-10 days, sub/adults every 2-3 weeks, for slower growing species I basically double the amount of time between feedings, meals are around the same size as the tarantula's abdomen (preferably no larger than the abdomen).

The blackened leg may just be a partially regenerated leg that has withered but pics would be helpful as the description doesn't really tell us much, I received an X. immanis sling that had a withered partially regenerated leg, he eventually dropped the leg but too late into his moult cycle to regenerate it with his first moult, after 2 more moults it was good as new though.

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