A couple of LP questions

[Ed Zeppelin]

1) I have an unsexed LP that's c. 4". How would she/he/it be classified? Juvie? Sub-adult? Something else? Not sure.

2) Same spider: I've been feeding it twice weekly a mix of crickets and doobie roaches (only one per serving). Is that too much? Too little? Just right? Any advice on that would be helpful.

Bonus question: I've been reading up on what percentage of Ts are born male as opposed to female. Some say as much as a 4 or 5:1 ratio of males over females, some say less. Any ideas on that? Thanx for taking the time to read thru this.

 

[MassExodus]

1) I have an unsexed LP that's c. 4". How would she/he/it be classified? Juvie? Sub-adult? Something else? Not sure.

2) Same spider: I've been feeding it twice weekly a mix of crickets and doobie roaches (only one per serving). Is that too much? Too little? Just right? Any advice on that would be helpful.

Bonus question: I've been reading up on what percentage of Ts are born male as opposed to female. Some say as much as a 4 or 5:1 ratio of males over females, some say less. Any ideas on that? Thanx for taking the time to read thru this.

1: Depends on your opinion. I personally dont understand the vague difference between juvenile and sub adult..maybe young adult? Its a term. Semantics. When does a large juvie become a young subadult? Maybe ask the tarantula gods on AB..pmsl...anywho..
2: With spiders its simple. Feed them when they eat..you'll learn each of your own tarantula's habits. Unless your collection gets too big. I let mine get plump, but not obese, because there's enough posts, research, personal experience, etc to make me believe that obesity in tarantulas is dangerous around molting time. My opinion..after losing a prized Pampho in a molt.
3: No idea, sorry..though I wonder if, like with some reptiles, temp plays a part..after all, it does for developement..

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

1: Depends on your opinion. I personally dont understand the vague difference between juvenile and sub adult..maybe young adult? Its a term. Semantics. When does a large juvie become a young subadult? Maybe ask the tarantula gods on AB..pmsl...anywho..
2: With spiders its simple. Feed them when they eat..you'll learn each of your own tarantula's habits. Unless your collection gets too big. I let mine get plump, but not obese, because there's enough posts, research, personal experience, etc to make me believe that obesity in tarantulas is dangerous around molting time. My opinion..after losing a prized Pampho in a molt.
3: No idea, sorry..though I wonder if, like with some reptiles, temp plays a part..after all, it does for development..

Gotcha. Re the feeding, I haven't had this T but about three months max so I'm trying to get a feel of how much to feed it. I get that they are big eaters, and this one would prolly eat more often, but I just don't wanna overfeed the thing. I guess twice per week is a happy medium unless someone out there has a different opinion.

 

[MassExodus]

Gotcha. Re the feeding, I haven't had this T but about three months max so I'm trying to get a feel of how much to feed it. I get that they are big eaters, and this one would prolly eat more often, but I just don't wanna overfeed the thing. I guess twice per week is a happy medium unless someone out there has a different opinion.

What I'm saying bro is: you, and only you, will determine all this. You've shown yourself to be open and intelligent, observant of your animals. Don't sweat it man, use your judgment, you'll do fine. I'm going through the same **** with my monitor lizard..its stressful..

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

What I'm saying bro is: you, and only you, will determine all this. You've shown yourself to be open and intelligent, observant of your animals. Don't sweat it man, use your judgment, you'll do fine. I'm going through the same **** with my monitor lizard..its stressful..

Thanx. I just wanna do the right thing and not mess up. I know this guy who weighs north of 400 and he'll eat just about anything you put in front of him. I don't wanna do that to this LP. I put a lot of faith in T Forum and really appreciate the help. BTW, is your Monitor a big one or small? I understand they come in different sizes depending on species. Can you share a pic?

 

[Arachnoclown]

I'd call it a sub adult...its bigger then most dwarf species. Your feeding sounds good. I feed mine every two weeks at that size but I also have hundreds of Ts to feed. Bonus Question... I end up with more males then females...must be somewhat true.

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

I'd call it a sub adult...its bigger then most dwarf species. Your feeding sounds good. I feed mine every two weeks at that size but I also have hundreds of Ts to feed. Bonus Question... I end up with more males then females...must be somewhat true.

Gotcha. For now I'll just stick with 2X per week. If it ever ends up the size of a salad plate I guess I'll adjust the food intake accordingly, whatever that would be. The big temptation now is to feed it more often bcuz it's just so much fun to watch it go after a treat.

 

[Arachnoclown]

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

View attachment 32348

Exactamundo. That's precisely what I wanna avoid...having my LP end up looking like that.

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

What I'm saying bro is: you, and only you, will determine all this. You've shown yourself to be open and intelligent, observant of your animals. Don't sweat it man, use your judgment, you'll do fine. I'm going through the same **** with my monitor lizard..its stressful..

Thanx. I appreciate the kind words. I grew up with animals (cats, dogs, rabbits, gopher snake in high school, etc.) but Ts are new to me. I almost treat them (two A. avics and an LP) like my kids. I never had any children, at least none that I know of ha-ha, and I wanna do right by them. I spend a lot of time on this forum as well as reading AB and TBS (no, NOT Ted Turner!) to learn as much as I can. Hope I'm not being too much of a pest with all this.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Gotcha. For now I'll just stick with 2X per week. If it ever ends up the size of a salad plate I guess I'll adjust the food intake accordingly, whatever that would be. The big temptation is to feed it more now bcuz it's just so much fun to watch it go after a treat.

I think size of the meal has something to do with it too. A large adult female dubia is the equivalent of what? 6-8 large crickets? Like most of the ectothermic animals I keep, I prefer to feed my tarantulas smaller meals more often rather larger meals less often. I've found zero study or scientific evidence to demonstrate that one way is better then the other, so at this point its just my preference.

Another factor is temperature. My reptile room thermostat is set to 80, and the temp creeps into the low 90s on hot summer days. I find my tarantulas grow a little faster than the expected norms and have more appetite than others kept at cooler temps.

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

I think size of the meal has something to do with it too. A large adult female dubia is the equivalent of what? 6-8 large crickets? Like most of the ectothermic animals I keep, I prefer to feed my tarantulas smaller meals more often rather larger meals less often. I've found zero study or scientific evidence to demonstrate that one way is better then the other, so at this point its just my preference.

Another factor is temperature. My reptile room thermostat is set to 80, and the temp creeps into the low 90s on hot summer days. I find my tarantulas grow a little faster than the expected norms and have more appetite than others kept at cooler temps.

Gotcha. The only doobies the LP gets are the small ones, about 1/2 inch. One big fat juicy cricket and one small doobie per week is what's on the menu. I also keep the temps around the mid to high 70s which gets into the low 80s on a hot day.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Gotcha. The only doobies the LP gets are the small ones, about 1/2 inch. One big fat juicy cricket and one small doobie per week is what's on the menu. I also keep the temps around the mid to high 70s which gets into the low 80s on a hot day.

Given your warmer temps and small sized insects, I think your frequency of feeding sounds just about right.

I feed little baby slings a pinhead lateralis every two or three days. Younger smaller tarantulas that are bigger than tiny babies but not anywhere near adult size get fed about every four days. Larger tarantulas and full adults get fed once every 7-10 days. This is what works for me, but I think there is a wide margin of error. I'll bet a person could feed half of what I do, and I think their tarantulas would be fine. I just like feeding them and watching them do their thing.

 

[Whitelightning777]

You can also feed it an earthworm once a month, but only as an occasional treat, same with hornworms.

I also have a Lasiodora, but different species which is ok because the husbandry is identical for all members of the genus.

Mine likes to chill out on frog moss which I keep slightly moist. They also photograph very well on that and will stay in plain sight.

There are no real humidity requirements but a bit of extra moisture and a large water dish are dearly appreciated.

Be real careful when pulling out the molted skins because the hairs are still very irritating & keep your hands away from your face and eyes!!

Also, although they are calm, they are NOT handleable in any way. They aren't aggressive but think anything that moves is food.... including you.

I've found that tong feeding mine is a really bad idea. She can really make you jump if you play tongs of war with her!!

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

You can also feed it an earthworm once a month, but only as an occasional treat, same with hornworms.

I also have a Lasiodora, but different species which is ok because the husbandry is identical for all members of the genus.

Mine likes to chill out on frog moss which I keep slightly moist. They also photograph very well on that and will stay in plain sight.

There are no real humidity requirements but a bit of extra moisture and a large water dish are dearly appreciated.

Be real careful when pulling out the molted skins because the hairs are still very irritating & keep your hands away from your face and eyes!!

Also, although they are calm, they are NOT handleable in any way. They aren't aggressive but think anything that moves is food.... including you.

I've found that tong feeding mine is a really bad idea. She can really make you jump if you play tongs of war with her!!

I don't handle mine at all. My LP likes to sit on top of its half-round hide, but the favorite spot is a flat rock. I also use long tweezers for molts. The other day I was splashing water into its dish and the spider rushed the dish, prolly thinking its next meal just fell in. And I don't tong feed either, I just use them to airdrop meals.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Attacking the water dish is typical behavior. I have to make sure I'm not putting in water that is to hot or to cold. Mine will sit under the water as it's being poured and try to figure with it. I've gotten used to itd & I'm thankful I can pour it through the screen.

Usually when they attack the water dish, that means it's time to feed them. If you use frog moss and water that, they'll attack that too & won't move off of the moss so you can water it. You have to pour it on the actual tarantula, or at least I do.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

View attachment 32413

Looking at your photo... Did your tarantula lay an egg???!!!

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

Attacking the water dish is typical behavior. I have to make sure I'm not putting in water that is to hot or to cold. Mine will sit under the water as it's being poured and try to figure with it. I've gotten used to itd & I'm thankful I can pour it through the screen.

Usually when they attack the water dish, that means it's time to feed them. If you use frog moss and water that, they'll attack that too & won't move off of the moss so you can water it. You have to pour it on the actual tarantula, or at least I do.


View attachment 32413

Nice looking spider. What brand is it?

 

[Whitelightning777]

Lasiodora klugi.

 

[Ed Zeppelin]

Lasiodora klugi.


View attachment 32467

I understand they get to be around the same size as an LP. Is that about right?