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Tarantula Feeding and Feeder Insects
How big is too big.
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<blockquote data-quote="Nunua" data-source="post: 145170" data-attributes="member: 4947"><p>Tarantulas are opportunistic eaters, so they keep eating whenever there is a prey item because in the wild they sometimes need to wait for long times to decent size feeders to come by. For a wild tarantula, this instinct is a vital condition.</p><p></p><p>However, as you can guess, tarantula does not know it's living in captivity. It keeps following the instincts and eats whenever there is food around. At one point they get full - almost better to say, <strong>fat</strong>. When in this condition, tarantula usually stops eating because the abdomen gets big and tight. After that the only thing it can do is to wait for the new exoskeleton to grow.</p><p></p><p>Oversize abdomen is a very potential risk for a tarantula. For example, the possibility of ruptures (internal and external) increases exponentially - You can think of a water balloon. At one point the balloon gets so stretched that even the smallest impact breaks it. I think that [USER=27444]@Arachnoclown[/USER] has said he lost some slings because of an internal ruptures, most likely caused by a fat abdomen. If it wasn't his slings, then he at least knew people with such incidence.</p><p></p><p>Because of this all, we keepers need to regulate when and how much our tarantulas eat. It's important to remember, that these creatures don't need food as much and often as mammals etc. So for your question if your LP will stop eating when she's full - Most likely yes, but at that point she'd be too fat to eat. Fresh water is more important to have around all the time - There is too little food only if the abdomen starts shrinking. Therefore it's better to give well gut-loaded prey items less often to provide nutrients, than keep throwing in feeders "just to keep a rhythm". Tarantulas have no meal times in the wild either <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></p><p></p><p>And btw, no need to panic now that your T will now suddenly die because of eating too much - I don't know how big she currently is, but I assume she has a plump (or already fat) abdomen, so you can decrease the feeding times drastically. The T won't think anything bad of you <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> Also, I'm pretty sure that many of us keepers have been in a same / similar situation. It's "weird" for us humans to keep feeding a pet only every now and then, so overfeeding is a common thing to do with creatures that are not like the common house pets.</p><p></p><p>Tarantulas teach us patience on so many levels - Growing, feeding, hiding...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nunua, post: 145170, member: 4947"] Tarantulas are opportunistic eaters, so they keep eating whenever there is a prey item because in the wild they sometimes need to wait for long times to decent size feeders to come by. For a wild tarantula, this instinct is a vital condition. However, as you can guess, tarantula does not know it's living in captivity. It keeps following the instincts and eats whenever there is food around. At one point they get full - almost better to say, [B]fat[/B]. When in this condition, tarantula usually stops eating because the abdomen gets big and tight. After that the only thing it can do is to wait for the new exoskeleton to grow. Oversize abdomen is a very potential risk for a tarantula. For example, the possibility of ruptures (internal and external) increases exponentially - You can think of a water balloon. At one point the balloon gets so stretched that even the smallest impact breaks it. I think that [USER=27444]@Arachnoclown[/USER] has said he lost some slings because of an internal ruptures, most likely caused by a fat abdomen. If it wasn't his slings, then he at least knew people with such incidence. Because of this all, we keepers need to regulate when and how much our tarantulas eat. It's important to remember, that these creatures don't need food as much and often as mammals etc. So for your question if your LP will stop eating when she's full - Most likely yes, but at that point she'd be too fat to eat. Fresh water is more important to have around all the time - There is too little food only if the abdomen starts shrinking. Therefore it's better to give well gut-loaded prey items less often to provide nutrients, than keep throwing in feeders "just to keep a rhythm". Tarantulas have no meal times in the wild either :D And btw, no need to panic now that your T will now suddenly die because of eating too much - I don't know how big she currently is, but I assume she has a plump (or already fat) abdomen, so you can decrease the feeding times drastically. The T won't think anything bad of you ;) Also, I'm pretty sure that many of us keepers have been in a same / similar situation. It's "weird" for us humans to keep feeding a pet only every now and then, so overfeeding is a common thing to do with creatures that are not like the common house pets. Tarantulas teach us patience on so many levels - Growing, feeding, hiding... [/QUOTE]
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How big is too big.
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