Reptile & Amphibian Forums

what kinds of prey do you feed your T's other than crix? has anyone tried anoles or small snakes? i fed my white-knee a rat pup and it went crazy trying to burrow under the cork hide to get to the rat. it eventually ran out of its hide and pulled it back under. it was the most amazing thing i ever seen.

Most people feed just crickets. A T will live happily and healthily on a diet of just crickets. Some opt for Roaches, which they can breed more easily on their own, but only if they have large collections of Ts. Sometimes people feed mealworms, and to a much lesser extent wax worms, of the pet store is out of crickets at the time.

Feeding vertebrates (snakes, mice, lizards) to invertebrates (tarantulas, scorpions) is a topic that usually incites much debate and heated posts. It is generally agreed that the T gains no nutritional benefit from eating a varied diet. It is also agreed, due to this, that any feeding of vertebrates is done just for show, or for the keepers own satisfaction. Therefore it is rationalized that the feeding of vertebrates is "inhumane". I try to not get into the discussions myself, and leave my personal feelings out of it. I'm just trying to relay the info.

It has been shown that diets high in calcium (such as feeding only mice to adults Ts) can be harmful to a Ts health. T. blondi who have been feed solely mice, show molting problems that result in premature death.

Now it can be rationalized that since Ts are opportunistic feeders that it is likely that they eat mice and lizards in the wild and that is true, evidence around their burrows shows that they do. But even in the wild their primary food source is invertebrates (crickets, beetles, locusts). Vertebrate prey is few and far in between even for large Ts in the wild.

The question you have to ask yourself, is why do I want to feed vertebrates to my Ts. If it gives them no value then what is the reason?
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KJ Vezino
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why wouldn't they get any nutritional value from a varied diet? They seem to do fine in the wild... I can understand shed problems with only mice, to high a calcium level.

I have not seen any evidence presented that T's fed on diets of other than crickets grow any faster, grow any larger, live any longer, or have brighter colors. Yes, they get nutrition from any live prey, but are they not getting something from crickets that they need to get elsewhere? No.
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KJ Vezino
My Gallery

American Tarantula Society
British Tarantula Society
Nebraska Tarantula Enthusiasts Club
Wiccan Tarantula Circle