zophobas feeding

[TheTsupreme]

Hello
I was considering buyin zophobas instead of my crickets cuz they are much cheaper at my petstore, so i wondered if these guys triggers the spider as much as the cricket? and is tnere a thumb rule or so to not leave it in there? read a thread on another board that a guy lost his sling just beacuse he left the zophobas there .

So what do you guys think?

 

[the_mask86]

hey there. am using zophobos for my Ts currently.

they're a good alternative feeder for crickets, and so far have been using them without any ill effects.

regarding leaving them in, they can cause substantial damage even to sub-adult Ts, so i wouldn't recommend that.

you could try what i've been doing, flattening the head part before throwing it in, that would stun it for a while.

also, usually i'd try dropping it as near as possible to the fang of the T, usually they won't miss it.

(had a couple that dug underground for my boehmei, but hours later my T will get to it, ripping the substrate along with it!)

 

[Gaston]

Hello,

the zophobas have less nutritions than crickets, and have more fat.
If your Tarantula are molting, none food's prey must be on the enclosure.

The best diet is the variety...

good luck!!!

 

[Roski]

read a thread on another board that a guy lost his sling just beacuse he left the zophobas there .

Did he mention how this had happened?

Otherwise, hello . I'm using zophobas currently, as a break from the usual crickets. They are lower in calcium than crickets, and their chitinous exo may be troublesome for smaller slings (unless their fangs can spread apart far enough to dig into the soft parts where the segments on the worm meet). I make sure to drop them near my Ts so they are taken right away, as I've read that they can burrow and pupate, which is troublesome because the Ts will not eat the beetles. If there is a concern for one of the larvae nipping your T, you can crush the head, and this should also prevent burrowing. I don't do this, but so far I have had no problems, just IME.

 

[Hobo]

I feed these in my regular rotation. A couple of my Ts don't take em unless I tong feed them, but one will just pounce on it as soon as it hits the ground near her. Just get a few and see how they react to it and go from there.

Also, I've always read that a varied diet is best (and hey, it makes sense too!) so you'd probably do well to have a good rotation of different feeders going if you can.
Also, Superworms/mealworms are generally considered "nutritionally deficient" by themselves for herps... so it might be the same way for Tarantulas as well.

 

[Germ]

If you have problems with burrowing you might try this ...

I feed Discoid Roaches as my staple 'T' food. The problem with that is, roaches are burrowers. Immediately after I put them in, they are in the substrate & gone. So I put in a plastic BugTub bottom tall enough that the roaches can't climb out to burrow, would work the same for worms, if they can climb the sides, at least the 'T' may have time to find it before it gets out and burrows.

Just a thought, works for me & my Ts for roaches.


Germain

 

[funguy@heart]

I feed mine Horn worms. They are caterpillars. Fat, juicey and quick growers. Grow from 1.5 to 4 inches in a short time. Except for my Cobalt and avics. they run in their tunnels when I open their lid so I drop food at their entrance. They don't dig so when they walk my t's come back out quick to eat. I'm trying to get some Rhino beetles, their grubs would be an awesome food for my big guys.

 

[TheTsupreme]

Thanks everybody! i will buy a few and see how it works out.

and for 'Roski' He said that the worm/larvae had burrowed and after a couple of days got out of the substrate and chewed on the slings abdomen so he started leaking.

 

[Roski]

Thanks everybody! i will buy a few and see how it works out.

Good luck

and for 'Roski' He said that the worm/larvae had burrowed and after a couple of days got out of the substrate and chewed on the slings abdomen so he started leaking.

Thank you! I considered this possibility, but dismissed it as it didn't make sense to me that the larvae would exhibit this kind of behavior :?. I was under the impression that their mouthparts are adapted for feeding on plant matter, and not to be predacious... Well, one more reason for head crushing

 

[TheTsupreme]

Thank you! I considered this possibility, but dismissed it as it didn't make sense to me that the larvae would exhibit this kind of behavior :?. I was under the impression that their mouthparts are adapted for feeding on plant matter, and not to be predacious... Well, one more reason for head crushing

Yea, well better safe then sorry ! Crush that little thing :evil:

 

[Roski]

I suppose it can be rationalized as adding injury to... well... injury.

I have officially lost the right to justify being a girl over head-crushing anyway. Earlier this week I cut up my first zophoba (it was way too big for some of my smaller slings). The results were... colorful.

 

[Moltar]

Yeah those things have some pretty mean looking choppers. I used to feed them semi-regularly before I got my roach colonies going. I was worried that one could damage a T just trying to defend itself from being eaten. I have no doubt they could munch on a tasty, soft, juicy recently molted T.

Also they sometimes will burrow down long enough to get their crysalis on and then out comes a bright red beetle! It's cool watching the beetles harden to a basic black but odds are your tarantula won't want to eat it. Apparently they have a chemical defense that makes them taste pretty nasty.

 

[TheTsupreme]

Really? wasnt it just a bunch of White/yellow juice? when my crickets are scaring the T, i Crush that head without hesitating Mohahah wonderful sounds comes along with it

 

[spiderfield]

I've had issues with Zoophobas burrowing and the T not being able to find them...nothing in the way of harming my Ts, fortunately. But i'd forget they were in the soil and some weeks later it'd emerge as an adult. At that stage my Ts relish them as well.

 

[Roski]

Yes, the adult darkling beetle aren't too palatable, but my Ts sure love the odorless larvae. I know crickets will eat anything, but the nippy fact about Zophoba larvae is news to me.

RE color... it was black and green and molds within a day if not entirely eaten!

Edit: On second thought, that makes perfect sense. Self-defense... mandibles... right. Back to the coffee pot. And moisture from a molted T would easily attract the bites as well :wall: I just didn't see any possibility for a plant-feeding larvae to come out of hiding to chomp a perdator in the butt.

 

[Moltar]

Like most communal insects, I think zoophobas will cannibalize each other for moisture, maybe just for food in general (as will crickets and roaches). I wouldn't be surprised if a zoophoba that was stuck in the substrate of a T tank with no sustenance were to eat up the plump juicy abdomen of a vulnerable spider. I mean, if they'll eat each other...

 

[Ms.X]

When I first began using zoophobas as feeders, someone on another board advised me to remove the mandibles with teezers. I tried this, and it wasn't very fun, but after seeing them chew their way out of a plasic container, I was a bit hesitant to allow them near my collection with those jaws intact. I too chop them into smaller pieces for my little ones, and they've been a hit thus far.

 

[Hobo]

I routinely feed my zoophobas freshly dead or dying crickets from my cricket tub.

Anyway, once, after putting a dying (but still very much moblile) cricket in there, I heard a faint flicking noise in the little plastic container after setting it aside. I look back and see that one of the larva had it's six legs around a struggling cricket, and was eating it alive from the head down.

These guys are nasty. I've seen them eat each other. They'll usually just start nibbling, and if the other larva/cricket tries to get away, they'll try to hang on with all their might if they are hungry enough. Unlike mealworms, I've also noticed they also like to go topside often and walk around climbing things, especially if their substrate is inedible... like typical T enclosures.

This is definitely not somethign you want crawling around in yout Ts tank. I almost always tong feed these guys, or when I don't, I keep it ready and pull it out right away when it starts to burrow.

 

[ZergFront]

I'm not too surprised they can cause a small T damage. I have large pieces of wood carved out of one of our tables because my mom put the box they were packaged in on the table. Needless to say, the package wasn't good enough to hold back the zophobas.

I'll get pics of the damage when I have a camera.

 

[TheTsupreme]

.

I'll get pics of the damage when I have a camera.

Do so please !