Venom potency is a bit disappointing.

[Craven]

I don't know if this only applies to slings but i have one A. Geniculata, around 2" DLS now. I have always fed it mealworms its size and noticed that the mealworm still keeps on struggling under its fangs, trying its best to bite my T for maybe a maximum duration of 15 mins - i always feel uneasy during this part but I don't like feeding pre-killed prey to my T also.

I always thought T venom works fast to immobilize the prey, at least that's what nat geo led me to believe throughout the years. Now i just think the venom is only for liquefying prey and they just die solely from the fluid loss or crushed body parts. I would really like to watch the prey weaken ASAP. Should i get old worlds for that or will the potency increase with age for my sling?

 

[thedragonslapper]

Crush the worms' heads next time you feed. They'll be alive but they won't be able to bite back.

 

[Craven]

Crush the worms' heads next time you feed. They'll be alive but they won't be able to bite back.

A very overused method tbh. Not saying it's not gonna work but i always find it disgusting and there's no fun if the prey's already weak. I'm planning on getting roaches/dubias next time since they look more fragile.

 

[thedragonslapper]

"No fun?" My priority in feeding my T is making sure they get their nourishment, not watching a miniature gladiator fight lol. I don't like risking injury to my T when it can be easily prevented.

Oh and I suggest looking into breeding Turkestan roaches/red runners (Blatta/Shelfordella lateralis). The adults don't get much larger than mature crickets and their rapid movements usually elicit a good response from a hungry T. Their kinda fast which makes them a bit challenging to handle but at least they don't jump like crickets. Dubias breed more slowly and have a habit of "freezing" if anything touches them. You'd have to employe the head crushing method again if you want your T to take them but you've already said you don't like doing that. So I suggest Turks.

 

[Hardus nameous]

Maybe the tarantula doesn't feel like wasting the venom or perhaps the venom is geared towards another prey?
I've noticed the same thing feeding dubias to my adults; the roaches sometimes twitch for quite a while. This isn't always the case though and I have no idea how much venom was injected.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I always thought T venom works fast to immobilize the prey, at least that's what nat geo led me to believe throughout the years.

It does but a lot of kills are through the trauma caused by dry bites, not really any point in wasting venom that you might need to use against an actual threat on something you can just stab/crush to death.

Now i just think the venom is only for liquefying prey

Nope, they do that by regurgitating digestive fluids onto the prey and then mashing it up in their chelicerae.

I would really like to watch the prey weaken ASAP. Should i get old worlds for that

My OWs take just as long as my NWs (if not longer) to kill stuff.

I'm planning on getting roaches/dubias next time since they look more fragile.

Roaches are even harder to kill than beetle larvae, a dubia with a crushed head can walk around for up to a week before finally dying of dehydration.

 

[Craven]

"No fun?" My priority in feeding my T is making sure they get their nourishment, not watching a miniature gladiator fight lol. I don't like risking injury to my T when it can be easily prevented.

Mine is safety, nourishment and making sure it gets to retain and make use of its abilities as a predator. I'm partly into this because watching them hunt is interesting. We all have different priorities.

It does but a lot of kills are through the trauma caused by dry bites, not really any point in wasting venom that you might need to use against an actual threat on something you can just stab/crush to death.

Makes sense. So the worm's bites don't really bother it at all then. Otherwise, it could just let loose some venom to end it quicker.

Nope, they do that by regurgitating digestive fluids onto the prey and then mashing it up in their chelicerae.

Interesting.

Roaches are even harder to kill than beetle larvae, a dubia with a crushed head can walk around for up to a week before finally dying of dehydration.

Actually, i was referring more towards the roaches' offensives. I figured their bites are lesser than that of mealworms but because of the 1st answer, i think it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[l4nsky]

Mine is safety, nourishment and making sure it gets to retain and make use of its abilities as a predator. I'm partly into this because watching them hunt is interesting. We all have different priorities.

I can partially agree with this view point. One of the big reasons I keep tarantulas is my interest in predatory animals and the ways in which they hunt. I don't find any sadistic pleasure in the struggling and killing part, I'm just an impartial nature observer at that point. I actually enjoy looking at my red runner colony as much as I like looking at my tarantulas.

Having said that, I still crush the heads of mealworms, superworms, and dubia. This isn't because of mercy, a wish to avoid seeing the natural predator-prey relationship, or that I believe the tarantula will be unable to overpower its prey and get injured. It's completely because of the risk these prey items pose to a molting tarantula and their propensity to burrow to escape the tarantula. One of these uneaten feeders can easily hide in any enclosure with substrate and pose a severe threat later down the road.

 

[Craven]

Maybe the tarantula doesn't feel like wasting the venom or perhaps the venom is geared towards another prey?
I've noticed the same thing feeding dubias to my adults; the roaches sometimes twitch for quite a while. This isn't always the case though and I have no idea how much venom was injected.

Sometimes i see clear water droplets on the acrylic after a fight. Idk if that's venom or if it's mealworm juice splatter but I'm pretty sure mealworm blood isn't clear.

One of these uneaten feeders can easily hide in any enclosure with substrate and pose a severe threat later down the road.

Very true but that's probably never gonna happen on my watch though. I only have 1 T so i can direct all my attention to it. Plus, i always make sure the prey gets in its fangs before leaving it alone, after watching it for a few more minutes, ofc.

 

[l4nsky]

Very true but that's probably never gonna happen on my watch though. I only have 1 T so i can direct all my attention to it. Plus, i always make sure the prey gets in its fangs before leaving it alone, after watching it for a few more minutes, ofc.

We all started out with just one. You won't have just one for long, trust me on that lol. Best to get in the habit now or switch over to a feeder that doesn't burrow (my recommendation is lateralis roaches). As your collection grows and you acquire more secretive species, you won't be able to observe all of them hunt and/or directly feed them all. Just my two cents.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Very true but that's probably never gonna happen on my watch though. I only have 1 T so i can direct all my attention to it. Plus, i always make sure the prey gets in its fangs before leaving it alone, after watching it for a few more minutes, ofc.

You'd be surprised at how quickly roaches and superworms can burrow. Within seconds! Why risk it? Or just feed crickets and remove them if uneaten after a day or so.

 

[viper69]

A very overused method tbh. Not saying it's not gonna work but i always find it disgusting and there's no fun if the prey's already weak. I'm planning on getting roaches/dubias next time since they look more fragile.

Fun? You have the wrong mentality for pet ownership.

You do what is best for the T not your personal joy.

Crush head or move on to something else

 

[ApexApinkPanda]

I hate to break it to you but the Arachnophobia movie wasn't real...

 

[Craven]

Fun? You have the wrong mentality for pet ownership.

You do what is best for the T not your personal joy.

Crush head or move on to something else

-What do you think the mentality should be? To discard all thoughts of ever acquiring even the slightest bit of "fun" from your pet? Hate to break it to you but most people don't get a dog just so they can be miserable by taking care of it, expecting nothing in return.

-What is best for the T is that it must be able to maintain its instincts for survival. We're keeping them in a box for crying out loud. They're already deprived of nature, must we deprive them of their predatory skills as well? You wanna spoonfeed your Ts half-dead worms because you're afraid they might get a boo-boo, be my guest.

-And that's why I'm moving to roaches.

No offense but I've noticed you take this hobby a bit too seriously. A bit too overprotective for the Ts, it's like you're one of those people on the internet that call their pets "babies".

 

[MrGhostMantis]

-What do you think the mentality should be? To discard all thoughts of ever acquiring even the slightest bit of "fun" from your pet? Hate to break it to you but most people don't get a dog just so they can be miserable by taking care of it, expecting nothing in return.

-What is best for the T is that it must be able to maintain its instincts for survival. We're keeping them in a box for crying out loud. They're already deprived of nature, must we deprive them of their predatory skills as well? You wanna spoonfeed your Ts half-dead worms because you're afraid they might get a boo-boo, be my guest.

-And that's why I'm moving to roaches.

No offense but I've noticed you take this hobby a bit too seriously. A bit too overprotective for the Ts, it's like you're one of those people on the internet that call their pets "babies".

A “boo boo” in an invertebrate can be its end. You may be in the wrong hobby if you want entertainment from a pet buddy. People on here take the hobby very seriously so I recommend we don’t carry this on any further. (If this escalates I recommend someone pings a mod)

 

[sasker]

that it must be able to maintain its instincts for survival.

They're already deprived of nature, must we deprive them of their predatory skills as well?

You honestly think they lose their ability to kill and feed if you don't feed it something that can't fight back?

Their ability to respond to movement, the instinct to bite prey when hungry is not something they learn from their mothers before they leave the nest. It is hardwired in their invertebrate equivalent of a brain. It is not something they learn, and it is not something they can unlearn.

A bit too overprotective for the Ts, it's like you're one of those people on the internet that call their pets "babies".

...or someone who wants to keep his tarantulas for as long as possible and as healthy as possible.

 

[Frogdaddy]

A very overused method tbh. Not saying it's not gonna work but i always find it disgusting and there's no fun if the prey's already weak. I'm planning on getting roaches/dubias next time since they look more fragile.

Sometimes i see clear water droplets on the acrylic after a fight. Idk if that's venom or if it's mealworm juice splatter but I'm pretty sure mealworm blood isn't clear.


Very true but that's probably never gonna happen on my watch though. I only have 1 T so i can direct all my attention to it. Plus, i always make sure the prey gets in its fangs before leaving it alone, after watching it for a few more minutes, ofc.

-What do you think the mentality should be? To discard all thoughts of ever acquiring even the slightest bit of "fun" from your pet? Hate to break it to you but most people don't get a dog just so they can be miserable by taking care of it, expecting nothing in return.

-What is best for the T is that it must be able to maintain its instincts for survival. We're keeping them in a box for crying out loud. They're already deprived of nature, must we deprive them of their predatory skills as well? You wanna spoonfeed your Ts half-dead worms because you're afraid they might get a boo-boo, be my guest.

-And that's why I'm moving to roaches.

No offense but I've noticed you take this hobby a bit too seriously. A bit too overprotective for the Ts, it's like you're one of those people on the internet that call their pets "babies".

Yes actually dog owners do expect something in return and it isn't being miserable taking care of a dog. What they expect and get in return is companionship, loyalty, affection. That's what a dog does. None of those qualities apply to a tarantula. They are fun in other ways that have to zero correlation to venom potency. Since we are talking T's how did you get your start? Did you watch a lot of Exotics Lair on YouTube? If I was a betting man I would be all in on the answer being yes.
Now let's talk about your uneducated almost neanderthal way of viewing as you call it"fights". I call it feeding my spiders. I'm most worried about my spider eating, not how mich carnage it could inflict on an insect. Most people here take great offense to the videos showing bugs battling each other. It sounds like you want to make those videos. Hey there is a guy just like you. His name is Mike Vick. Google him. You could be best buds.

 

[Craven]

...or someone who wants to keep his tarantulas for as long as possible and as healthy as possible.

Good on him but how is MY post affecting HIS tarantulas?

Since we are talking T's how did you get your start? Did you watch a lot of Exotics Lair on YouTube? If I was a betting man I would be all in on the answer being yes.

Well then, you suck at betting because you just lost. It was offered to me randomly and i accepted it.

It sounds like you want to make those videos

And just like your betting skills, you suck at assumptions as well. I just like watching the action. Got a problem with that?

You may be in the wrong hobby if you want entertainment from a pet buddy.

Why do you take the hobby if you say it's not for entertainment? Don't you look at them from outside their little enclosures? Do you just pity the Ts so much that you collect them all in your plastic boxes so they don't get picked on by the outside world?

 

[8 legged]

I don't know if this only applies to slings but i have one A. Geniculata, around 2" DLS now. I have always fed it mealworms its size and noticed that the mealworm still keeps on struggling under its fangs, trying its best to bite my T for maybe a maximum duration of 15 mins - i always feel uneasy during this part but I don't like feeding pre-killed prey to my T also.

I always thought T venom works fast to immobilize the prey, at least that's what nat geo led me to believe throughout the years. Now i just think the venom is only for liquefying prey and they just die solely from the fluid loss or crushed body parts. I would really like to watch the prey weaken ASAP. Should i get old worlds for that or will the potency increase with age for my sling?

Many of the movements you see are involuntary movements that are not controlled by the insect or are simply caused by the spider's suckling. The poison works!

 

[Craven]

Many of the movements you see are involuntary movements that are not controlled by the insect or are simply caused by the spider's suckling. The poison works!

Yeah. I pretty much know that already. As the fangs move, the corpse moves with it. I'm referring to the part where the mealworm leans back and tries to strike the T repeatedly for 10-15 mins while still clenched in its fangs. It almost looks like the worm is doing sit-ups so that movement is definitely on purpose. This wouldn't happen if the T would just grab the worm on the head or if the venom was much more potent and quick.