I'm wondering why I have to restrict feeding my T's? I've read where it's not good if they get fat...but really what is fat for a T? In nature they would they eat anything they could catch I would think. Then they would refuse them when they were full. Explain to me why this thinking is so wrong. Thanks!
Why can't I feed them more often?
- Thread starter Lynn57
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In nature they never get as much food as in captivity. Females, are never as fat (large abdomen), as they can get in captivity versus wild.
the more you fatten a tarantula, the more potential risks with fall and molting injuries.
some people still feed as much as a tarantula can eat.
i could still feed some of my tarantulas, but their abdomen is so large, it becomes a risk. Its my choice. I read and did my research. To me, its not necessary for a tarantula to be so fat it drags on the substrate. Then they get sores and other booboos.
think about it for a moment: in the wild, they are exposed to harsh conditions, including draught. Especialy the brachypelmas. These guys are notorious for fasting: months to years. I rather get a feeding response when i feed, then no responses for years.
they are built to live without food for weeks/months.
You are absolutely free to make up your own opinion on this.
the more you fatten a tarantula, the more potential risks with fall and molting injuries.
some people still feed as much as a tarantula can eat.
i could still feed some of my tarantulas, but their abdomen is so large, it becomes a risk. Its my choice. I read and did my research. To me, its not necessary for a tarantula to be so fat it drags on the substrate. Then they get sores and other booboos.
think about it for a moment: in the wild, they are exposed to harsh conditions, including draught. Especialy the brachypelmas. These guys are notorious for fasting: months to years. I rather get a feeding response when i feed, then no responses for years.
they are built to live without food for weeks/months.
You are absolutely free to make up your own opinion on this.
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It's not about restricting food, not remotely. It's about knowing when to say when...understanding when the t has had its fill....once that happens, it's the basic law of diminishing returns....you can feed, but it's not helping the t, it's not improving anything, it's no longer a need, it's just increased risk....in the wild, there are no smooth walls surrounding them that they can fall from....in captivity, there is no risk of drought or flood reducing food for the next cycle, so there's no need/benefit seen for massive excess reserves.
It's also size dependent....you simply cannot over-feed a spiderlings....everything is going towards growth and molt cycles will never be shorter.....adults however, molt on 1, 2, 3, even 5-6 year cycles....so stuff them and you just end up with a t hiding for years, potentially several, and that kind of defeats the purpose of keeping ts.
It's also not true that it's not good to be fat, as being fat is the natural part of every ts life towards the back end of a molt cycle....It's obesity, excessive fat to avoid....once a t gets really obese, it's darn near impossible to reverse it, as obese ts come through molt cycles fat, yet they still have the same post molt hunger, setting them up for a life of obesity, dragging abdomens and a constant fall risk.
It's also size dependent....you simply cannot over-feed a spiderlings....everything is going towards growth and molt cycles will never be shorter.....adults however, molt on 1, 2, 3, even 5-6 year cycles....so stuff them and you just end up with a t hiding for years, potentially several, and that kind of defeats the purpose of keeping ts.
It's also not true that it's not good to be fat, as being fat is the natural part of every ts life towards the back end of a molt cycle....It's obesity, excessive fat to avoid....once a t gets really obese, it's darn near impossible to reverse it, as obese ts come through molt cycles fat, yet they still have the same post molt hunger, setting them up for a life of obesity, dragging abdomens and a constant fall risk.
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Very subjective, until a Ts bottom is dragging, setae are pulled off etc- THAT is too much.
So?
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yep.
This is what can happen to fat Ts. And proof..
Underside abrasion help?
I rarely see this happening. I’ve changed the substrate already i noticed the spinnerets looked roughed up a bit too and discolored was some minor mold. It was on 100% Eco earth.
arachnoboards.com
Pretty much all pets need their food intake regulated. If I fed my dog as much as it would eat, I think it would explode. It's part of our job as an animal keeper to feed them the appropriate amount at the appropriate frequency.
Another reason you might not want to feed them too much in a short amount of time is that sometimes they will fill up quickly and go into premolt for a long time. It's not very exciting to have a tarantula that stays buried in a sealed burrow for a year.
Another reason you might not want to feed them too much in a short amount of time is that sometimes they will fill up quickly and go into premolt for a long time. It's not very exciting to have a tarantula that stays buried in a sealed burrow for a year.
Exactly this and it's the same with humans, and why obesity is a huge issue for us, too. We (humans and other animals) are evolved to crave calorie-rich foods which in a survival situation would be a boon to our survival. In the developed world, with these foods freely available, we eat ourselves into serious health issues.
Same thing with tarantulas: they are opportunistic ambush predators (for the most part), and grab whatever goes by because they don't have any guarantee there'll be a meal next week, next month or even this year. But with human caretakers, that's a different scenario, and it's up to us to make sure they don't also start tipping those scales.
Others have already covered WHY the obesity can be a problem--fall risk, abdomen dragging, etc.