This might be a stupid Question but........

CWEBB04z

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 27, 2007
Messages
10
I have a question you might find a little stupid (Or Not)

I am wondering why does my Tarantula (maybe not just mine) After they catch the Cricket (Or Prey) they put down a layer of Web below them, put the cricket down on it, then pick it up again?
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
8,656
No question is a stupid question. I cant answer why per say they do that but its called a feeding mat. Most Ts do that, its almost as if they are setting the table anchoring the food so they know were it is and can feed at will.
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
Messages
2,151
This is just a theory but I look at it as the tarantula catching food and often catching more than one item of food at a time. By webbing all over the bundle of food, whether it be one cricket or five, the webbing holds it all together better. Webbing it makes a nice big package that can't get away and they can eat at their leisure. Just my opinion.
 

Cirith Ungol

Ministry of Fluffy Bunnies
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
3,886
A documentary I watched said that T webs are antiseptic. Maybe that has to do with the reason why also. I just thought I mention that I know no more about it though.
 

jr47

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
595
the first rosea i had years ago would make a mat and if you kept giving her crickets she would kill them and then drop them. then she would web over the cricket just a little.
only time she done it was if she was full and i just kept giving her more. any other time she would just eat it. i left her little bundle once to see what she would do. it layed for about a week and she rolled it up and carried it to the corner of the cage.
 

P. Novak

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
6,218
I think it's used to keep their burrow clean, in the wild they don't have us to clean everything for them, so they lay down the mat, eat above it, sometimes even rap the cricket or prey item into it, then when they are done with it; they excavate the web out of their burrow.
 
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