Too many flies?

5dice

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 10, 2016
Messages
14
I ended up dropping a few too many flightless fruit flies into my 3/8" slings enclosure. He happily eats. Took one right off the bat. Wanted two or three but have about 10. Should I just leave them be? Catching them I think endangers the T.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
412
Perhaps get the sling out and into a vial if you must. Or just leave them they'll most likely be consumed.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
Use waxworms and calciworms instead. Full of protein and nutrriens They wil grow pronto :D
 
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Spidermolt

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 29, 2015
Messages
203
Fruit flies aren't predatory so they wont nibble at the T. so as long as your tarantula isn't in premolt then I wouldn't worry about it.
 

Bugmom

Arachnolord
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
646
The FFFs will likely just climb out if you leave the lid off for a few minutes. If they don't, meh. They'll get ate or die. However, they might mold after they die off, so watch for that.

For tiny slings, I tend to cut up mealworms or crush the heads of pinhead roaches and just let the slings scavenge. But by "tiny" I mean 1/8." Anything larger gets live pinhead roaches. I only do cut up mealworms if I'm out of small enough live feeders.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
ahah I do same when I use the phone aja.

I thought maybe you had knowledge of them being harmful maybe or some reason like that and I wanted to know. I always use them for my smaller slings and amputees as seem to fix them right up quick :D
 

Teal

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
4,096
I have accidentally dropped a bootload of fruit flies into a sling enclosure... it isn't worrisome :)
 

5dice

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 10, 2016
Messages
14
Seemed to do no harm. Today they are all gone?! And T seems fat and happy.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
1 fly is 1 fly too many when it comes to Ts IMO.
+1

I don't understand why people would deal with these little pain in the butt, nutritionally deficient fruit flies in the first place. Literally, everything else is easier and better.
 

Trenor

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jan 28, 2016
Messages
1,896
+1

I don't understand why people would deal with these little pain in the butt, nutritionally deficient fruit flies in the first place. Literally, everything else is easier and better.
I think it has a lot to do with people not knowing any better. When I first got some slings I bought some from an online vendor because I was told that's what slings eat. Later once I learned pre killed prey was a thing I didn't even finish the ones I had left.
 

Estein

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
153
1 fly is 1 fly too many when it comes to Ts IMO.
I was going to say the exact same thing. Like @Trenor , I also bought fruit flies for my first sling because that's just what I had been told (those internet references just looked so darn credible). When I stopped using them, I hadn't even learned yet that they weren't very nutritious--I was just sick of dealing with the things.

OP, I throw in a mealworm with a crushed head or a piece of a mealworm. Mealworms are so easy to keep and clean up after--I love those guys, and so do my Ts. :)
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I never saw the point of feeding a T flies esp as they spend most of their time in the air. Clearly not a major prey item relative to other critters IMO.
 
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