To remove cricket or not, that is my question.

[DustyD]

So I fed some of my tarantulas today, including a medium cricket to my G. rosea (about 3") and he was not interested. I suspect premolt. Before I could get the cricket out, it went into my T's hidey hole/cavern.
I will check on it later, but I am away overnight so not sure if I should get it out, or wait for the morning. My curved forceps could not reach it.
If you look inside, you can see the cricket hanging from the ceiling, in or around webbing.

This happened once in the past with him and he just kicked the cricket out, but that was more of a cork bark tunnel and would have been easier for me to shoo the cricket out.

 

[x_raphael_xx]

So I fed some of my tarantulas today, including a medium cricket to my G. rosea (about 3") and he was not interested. I suspect premolt. Before I could get the cricket out, it went into my T's hidey hole/cavern.
I will check on it later, but I am away overnight so not sure if I should get it out, or wait for the morning. My curved forceps could not reach it.
If you look inside, you can see the cricket hanging from the ceiling, in or around webbing.

This happened once in the past with him and he just kicked the cricket out, but that was more of a cork bark tunnel and would have been easier for me to shoo the cricket out.

If it's out of reach I would personally leave it until you can get to it. The kerfuffle of trying to dig it out may cause more stress to your T than the cricket being there.
He may grab it later, or the cricket may walk out the hole in search of food/water and you can grab it then.

 

[DustyD]

Thanks. Yeah that what I was thinking. It seems like the lesser of two evils, although I am not sure how "bothered" the tarantula is by having it in there.

 

[DustyD]

Well cricket died or was killed. Had to do some leverage lifting to get my tongs in there to remove it but T seems fine.

 

[octanejunkie]

Tarantulas in premolt will often kill and not consume annoying feeder insects, which I can very much relate to but cannot often act upon.

That being said, crickets are a$$holes. Remove them when not consumed or left for dead and ignored.

 

[Arachnoclown]

For hard to retrieve crickets toss a carrot in the enclosure, this will help keep the cricket from nibbling on your spider.

 

[DustyD]

Great advice thank you

 

[x_raphael_xx]

For hard to retrieve crickets toss a carrot in the enclosure, this will help keep the cricket from nibbling on your spider.

ooh, good advice!

 

[Blueberry Widow]

For hard to retrieve crickets toss a carrot in the enclosure, this will help keep the cricket from nibbling on your spider.

Just keep a close eye on the carrot. I find it is one of those vegetables that are more likely to encourage grain mites. Often within a couple of days out of seemingly no-where. They aren't harmful, just unpleasant in large numbers. They are the bane of my existence as I breed my own meal-worms. Perhaps it's just where I live, or the carrot supply chain. You may not have this issue. I tend to opt for lettuce/cabbage leaves to feed any hard to retrieve crickets I want to keep off Curly.

 

[MajinBuuSama]

I know that it is always better to remove uneaten prey so as not to stress the tarantulas... And I have heard is better to feed the Tarantulas with other types of insects Because crickets are very dangerous.

 

[octanejunkie]

I know that it is always better to remove uneaten prey so as not to stress the tarantulas... And I have heard is better to feed the Tarantulas with other types of insects Because crickets are very dangerous.

Dangerous is a bit of an overstatement. I've never experienced an issue with crickets as feeders,. personally. They are stupid and tend to move around and will usually get eaten vs roaches that tend to hide. I alternate feeders to keep things interesting for my Ts.

 

[DustyD]

I have been feeding my tarantulas mostly disabled superworms, as they are easy to gauge if they are eaten or not. I am now doing some crickets and dubia, just for a variety and nutrients. And it is interesting sometimes to watch the Ts capture them as they wander by. That is if the T is hungry.

 

[x_raphael_xx]

crickets are very dangerous.

The main ‘danger’ is if the T has just molted and is still soft.
I’ve occasionally left a cricket in overnight to find the T has grabbed it in the cover of darkness.

 

[MajinBuuSama]

The main ‘danger’ is if the T has just molted and is still soft.
I’ve occasionally left a cricket in overnight to find the T has grabbed it in the cover of darkness.

I once heard from a person that very often crickets contain bacteria that can kill the tarantula as well as bite during moulting or after. opinion? it seems a bit like a movie to me, But the guy who said this wasn't exactly a fool with spiders

 

[WolfSpider]

Crickets will eat anything....including each other. For a sling or a small juvie, the concern is molting, when the T is quite vulnerable. Crickets can feast on them. They will generally leave a molting adult alone. Pre molt and post molt are not issues since the T will just slap the cricket away.

Finally, a dead cricket quickly gets moldy. The fetid conditions in a sling enclosure is hazardous. I suspect I have lost at least 3 slings in this manner.

 

[MajinBuuSama]

Crickets will eat anything....including each other. For a sling or a small juvie, the concern is molting, when the T is quite vulnerable. Crickets can feast on them. They will generally leave a molting adult alone. Pre molt and post molt are not issues since the T will just slap the cricket away.

Finally, a dead cricket quickly gets moldy. The fetid conditions in a sling enclosure is hazardous. I suspect I have lost at least 3 slings in this manner.

Oh this is so sad, sorry about your slings

 

[octanejunkie]

Crickets will eat anything....including each other. For a sling or a small juvie, the concern is molting, when the T is quite vulnerable. Crickets can feast on them. They will generally leave a molting adult alone. Pre molt and post molt are not issues since the T will just slap the cricket away.

Finally, a dead cricket quickly gets moldy. The fetid conditions in a sling enclosure is hazardous. I suspect I have lost at least 3 slings in this manner.

Dead crickets in my zip code tend to just dry out. Moldy crickets are not a chronic issue in CA.

 

[Rattygirl]

Mine always takes the crickets down in a very deep tunnel. There must be a filthy graveyard by now. Suggestions?

 

[Konstantin]

Mine always takes the crickets down in a very deep tunnel. There must be a filthy graveyard by now. Suggestions?

Hi
when spider is taking its remains down its burrow there is little you can do.Its NOT good idea to constantly disturb it to clean up.If its dry substrate its not an issue as remains will dry up and thats the end of it.With moist substrate they most likely catch mould but thats not dangerous for the spider.
Usually they will periodically clean up and dump all of it out. Usually while preparing for a moult
Regards Konstantin

 

[Rattygirl]

Hi
when spider is taking its remains down its burrow there is little you can do.Its NOT good idea to constantly disturb it to clean up.If its dry substrate its not an issue as remains will dry up and thats the end of it.With moist substrate they most likely catch mould but thats not dangerous for the spider.
Usually they will periodically clean up and dump all of it out. Usually while preparing for a moult
Regards Konstantin

Very helpful to hear that. Thx!