Lasiodora parahybana

[Tarantulabas1993]

Hello,

I've heard and read online that owners feed their larger tarantulas mice? I've always fed mine crickets and or roaches but was just curious. Are mice safe to feed to tarantulas? I've also heard of hoppers or super small mice that dont pose too much of a threat. Just afraid of scratching and biting though.....can anyone help me? My Lasiodora parahybana is 6 inches.

 

[menavodi]

Larger tarantulas eat mice, depends on their size. But they are fine with crickets or other insects...

 

[Tarantulabas1993]

So it's safe? What size mouse would you recommend? She is 6 inches and she has super large fangs lol

 

[menavodi]

It should be. A small mouse is fine. I personally would feed insects...

 

[menavodi]

If you feed a mouse that is too large, the spider stops eating after a while and the rest of the mouse starts smelling pretty bad...

 

[Tarantulabas1993]

Crickets it is then lol I don't want stuff smelling

 

[Lawrence b]

I feed mine Roaches and Morio worm , buts mostly adult hissers .

 

[SpiderMike]

More recently there's also been growing discussion about the likelihood that T's eating mice gives them a much larger dose of calcium than they really should get (as they only very occasionally take mice in their natural environment) and that too much of this could (not 100% proven) interfere with the molting process and raise the risk of getting stuck mid way through.

 

[Soulman]

Hello,

I've heard and read online that owners feed their larger tarantulas mice? I've always fed mine crickets and or roaches but was just curious. Are mice safe to feed to tarantulas? I've also heard of hoppers or super small mice that dont pose too much of a threat. Just afraid of scratching and biting though.....can anyone help me? My Lasiodora parahybana is 6 inches.

Are you thinking of feeding dead mice,if not why take the risk,I suppose the bigger the spider the bigger the mice,and a nice can do a lot of damage to a spider.it's a same with snakes.feed dead.And dead mice smell bad.so with the heat ect lovely.

 

[Arachnoclown]

So it's safe? What size mouse would you recommend? She is 6 inches and she has super large fangs lol

A dead one...prekill it or purchase a prekilled frozen mouse from a reptile shop. One bad bite from that mouse and your spider can bleed out. Ive personally seen it. Small house Lizards are probably a better meal. Honestly Lasiodoras dont get big enough to have problems eating insects. I've got some huge Lps and they love all types of insects and worms. Hissing ****roaches are their favorites...its like eating 20 crickets.

 

[Arachnoclown]

More recently there's also been growing discussion about the likelihood that T's eating mice gives them a much larger dose of calcium than they really should get (as they only very occasionally take mice in their natural environment) and that too much of this could (not 100% proven) interfere with the molting process and raise the risk of getting stuck mid way through.

Total myth and a bad hobby rumor.

MYTHS: MICE CALCIUM AND MOLTING

 

[JayManges]

Always thought feeding mice to your T was nothing more than a youtube stunt.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Always thought feeding mice to your T was nothing more than a youtube stunt.

Nope...my 11" Theraphosa stirmi wont eat small insects. The smallest thing I can feed her is a 4" hissing ****roach. She takes two of those for one meal.

 

[Arachnoclown]

See how she dwarfs this adult mouse....
To feed her crickets is like someone tossing M&Ms on your floor and you need to pick them up with boxing gloves to eat 20-30 of them. That's pretty cruel if you ask me.

 

[JayManges]

See how she dwarfs this adult mouse....
To feed her crickets is like someone tossing M&Ms on your floor and you need to pick them up with boxing gloves to eat 20-30 of them. That's pretty cruel if you ask me.View attachment 44802

Is that a live or pre-killed mouse?

 

[Arachnoclown]

Is that a live or pre-killed mouse?

Prekilled

 

[Jess S]

In the wild large tarantulas are opportunistic and will eat whatever they can catch, including small rodents, lizards, snakes etc They don't call them birdeaters for nothing, that name famously came about from I believe an Avic being spotted eating a small bird.

A lot of keepers as Arachnoclown shows above, periodically will feed a small rodent or lizard. I've also heard of keepers feeding small cubes of raw beef a couple of times a year to supplement their normal diet. I imagine they'd wiggle it about a bit to stimulate the feeding response lol.

When my LP gets big in the future I can't see me feeding mice though. I haven't got anything against it, I just personally get creeped out seeing an invertebrate munching on a vertebrate! Lol

 

[octanejunkie]

I've heard locust are a good, large insect to feed larger Ts.

 

[Jess S]

I've heard locust are a good, large insect to feed larger Ts.

I think they are but I'm sure I remember being told that they aren't nutritious enough to be the staple /sole diet. Check it out though cos I may be wrong about that! Lol

 

[octanejunkie]

I think they are but I'm sure I remember being told that they aren't nutritious enough to be the staple /sole diet. Check it out though cos I may be wrong about that! Lol

No idea. I'm sure you could gut load them.
Perhaps hissing ****roaches?