What do I use as feeders for just 1 tarantula?

[NukaMedia Exotics]

Can you further explain why a varied diet is needed? I feed solely dubia roaches, so if a varied diet truly is a necessity (as opposed to a personal preference) it would certainly be helpful.

Not truly necessary just better for the tarantula as opposed to one food source.

 

[octaJon]

Can you further explain why a varied diet is needed? I feed solely dubia roaches, so if a varied diet truly is a necessity (as opposed to a personal preference) it would certainly be helpful.

I agree with others that it's not absolutely necessary but I do feed my Ts a varied diet. If you google "reptile feeders nutritional values", there are many charts showing the differences in terms of calories, protein, fat, calcium, vitamins, etc. I feel a more varied diet could only be helpful, which is why I choose to do it.

 

[cold blood]

I agree with others that it's not absolutely necessary but I do feed my Ts a varied diet. If you google "reptile feeders nutritional values", there are many charts showing the differences in terms of calories, protein, fat, calcium, vitamins, etc. I feel a more varied diet could only be helpful, which is why I choose to do it.

yeah, but that's for reptiles...not exactly applicable to tarantulas.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Makes me wonder if there are any insects one would consider a poor staple diet. Excluding toxic ones, of course.

hey @boina What's out there about the nutritional requirements of arachnids? As CB just pointed out, it has traditionally been more of a concern for reptiles. For example, waxworms are usually advised against as a staple for reptiles, being too high in fat. Would that be an issue for a tarantula? Not that waxworms would be a particularly practical feeder. I hear it can be entertaining to watch a tarantula take down a waxie moth, though.

 

[Dannica]

Makes me wonder if there are any insects one would consider a poor staple diet. Excluding toxic ones, of course.

hey @boina What's out there about the nutritional requirements of arachnids? As CB just pointed out, it has traditionally been more of a concern for reptiles. For example, waxworms are usually advised against as a staple for reptiles, being too high in fat. Would that be an issue for a tarantula? Not that waxworms would be a particularly practical feeder. I hear it can be entertaining to watch a tarantula take down a waxie moth, though.

I have heard concerns expressed when it comes to feeding slings solely fruit flies, though i don’t have anything concrete to back up that claim.

 

[octaJon]

I would venture to guess that along with the differences in moisture, protein, fat, vitamins, calcium, etc., there is likely a variation in the quanitites of different amino acids present in the feeders. I believe a healthy, well-rounded varied diet is always beneficial, regardless of the eater. That is not to say success cannot be had using only one type of feeder for tarantulas as there are plenty of cases to support this.

 

[boina]

Makes me wonder if there are any insects one would consider a poor staple diet. Excluding toxic ones, of course.

hey @boina What's out there about the nutritional requirements of arachnids? As CB just pointed out, it has traditionally been more of a concern for reptiles. For example, waxworms are usually advised against as a staple for reptiles, being too high in fat. Would that be an issue for a tarantula? Not that waxworms would be a particularly practical feeder. I hear it can be entertaining to watch a tarantula take down a waxie moth, though.

Ok, I decided to look up scientific studies of spider nutrition and I actually found this.

The article explains that different insects have differing nutritional values. Some, like fruit flies, lack essential nutrients and a spider that is exclusively fed with those will not even reach adulthood but die before from malnutrition. Other insects have higher nutritional value. The article also states that under certain circumstances a spider may do better with a varied diet to balance out her nutritional needs.