Unique eating styles

[kormath]

I'm sitting here watching reruns waiting for dinner to cook and figured I'd go feed my little Ts an extra feeding this week.

My LP had made a burrow in the corner. So to see if he'd eat or run I dropped a small dubia at the entrance.

He demolished it. Then held it over the burrow opening and bounced his body up and down. Then he'd sit and munch, change his fang position, then bounce a few more times.

I'm guessing the bouncing is to secure his grip?

Anyone noticed any other unique feeding behavior?

 

[Kymura]

My vagan happy dances with just her rear set of legs webbing about a quarter inch square behind her.

 

[Zurchiboy]

Our B smithi sling sits with the botton of its abdomen on the ground.

 

[kormath]

My vagan happy dances with just her rear set of legs webbing about a quarter inch square behind her.

Maybe that's what this was it was his first full size meal since his last molt. He was dancing in joy of a full dinner lol

 

[timc]

It's not habitual but my rufilata caught a cricket out of the air Tuesday. There was a standoff until she made a move which startled the cricket into jumping and she used those long legs (she's 3 1/4 inches, a lot of which is legs) to snatch it right out of the air. Very impressive.

 

[Arachnid dude]

All my T's I had in the past have done some sort of happy dance when eating, current ones I haven't had very long so don't know about them yet. I still remember my 7" female L.klugi dancing around circle bobbing, I just figured it was because she was eating 3 large dubias.

 

[Rmac88]

First time I fed my little B. albo (s)he did the little happy dance. I went to check on him/her about 30 minutes later and the dead cricket was on the ground, with the T standing over it. I then saw my little guy/gal bobbing its butt up and down over the cricket, so naturally I thought "maybe it is wrapping it for later...do tarantulas do that??" After about five minutes (s)he bent down, picked the cricket back up, and started chowing

Ahh I love these little cuties already

Sent from my SPH-L520 using Tapatalk

 

[Kymura]

It's adorable isn't it? My avic spins around on her enclosure wall and dots a sloppy circle of webbing then eats ^*^

 

[MassExodus]

First time I fed my little B. albo (s)he did the little happy dance. I went to check on him/her about 30 minutes later and the dead cricket was on the ground, with the T standing over it. I then saw my little guy/gal bobbing its butt up and down over the cricket, so naturally I thought "maybe it is wrapping it for later...do tarantulas do that??" After about five minutes (s)he bent down, picked the cricket back up, and started chowing

Ahh I love these little cuties already

Sent from my SPH-L520 using Tapatalk

I've seen this as well. They basically make a pita pocket out of it. I wonder if they do it to contain the gravy? So they don't make a mess.

 

[Rmac88]

I've seen this as well. They basically make a pita pocket out of it. I wonder if they do it to contain the gravy? So they don't make a mess.

Hahaha like a hot pocket?? Hooottt pockets!

Sent from my SPH-L520 using Tapatalk

 

[Phil]

So after the kill, most of mine bob up and down, spinning a little silk while they twirll round. Put the prey down for a split second, find a nice place to sit in the silk csrpet they have spun and then chow down. It really fascinates me. Must do a Beyonce dance montage and post on YouTube one day. ....lol

 

[kormath]

So after the kill, most of mine bob up and down, spinning a little silk while they twirll round. Put the prey down for a split second, find a nice place to sit in the silk csrpet they have spun and then chow down. It really fascinates me. Must do a Beyonce dance montage and post on YouTube one day. ....lol

I've seen mine do the circle webbing just after the kill, but this is the first time, and only time, i saw the LP do this little body bob thing. Last few feedings he's just nailed it and went to the burrow to eat. I'm wondering if he was trying to get a better hold on it since it was a bit large of a roach for him, and that's what the bobbing was for.

 

[Phil]

I've seen mine do the circle webbing just after the kill, but this is the first time, and only time, i saw the LP do this little body bob thing. Last few feedings he's just nailed it and went to the burrow to eat. I'm wondering if he was trying to get a better hold on it since it was a bit large of a roach for him, and that's what the bobbing was for.

Could well be. Maybe they are avoiding getting injured by the larger prey before the venom kicks in. Fascinating anyway and just adds to overall appeal of our little darlings.

 

[syzygy]

What I've read (a long time ago) is that they are creating a silk feeding mat. I pretty much only have slings at the moment, but in the past when I've had larger T's I remember that they would do the dance and then set killed prey down in this area and walk around the enclosure to catch other prey (or at least check if there were any others). If nothing was found quickly it would go back and eat. The theory was that feeding in this way did 2 things. By creating the mat it served as a warning to other T's that might come by that this meal was spoken for. Second, it gave the enzymes in their venom time to do its magic so that the meal could be more quickly consumed since holding a prey item makes it a harder for a T to defend itself.

I don't know if this is correct, but it seems plausible.

It's either that or they are just dancing while Pharrells' Happy song is playing in their brain. Probably this one.

 

[kormath]

What I've read (a long time ago) is that they are creating a silk feeding mat. I pretty much only have slings at the moment, but in the past when I've had larger T's I remember that they would do the dance and then set killed prey down in this area and walk around the enclosure to catch other prey (or at least check if there were any others). If nothing was found quickly it would go back and eat. The theory was that feeding in this way did 2 things. By creating the mat it served as a warning to other T's that might come by that this meal was spoken for. Second, it gave the enzymes in their venom time to do its magic so that the meal could be more quickly consumed since holding a prey item makes it a harder for a T to defend itself.

I don't know if this is correct, but it seems plausible.

It's either that or they are just dancing while Pharrells' Happy song is playing in their brain. Probably this one.

I'd go with the Happy song. This LP sling of mine didn't do any webbing, he didn't move his abdomen or spinnerets at all for that, and he never released the roach. He just bounced up and down a few times then would stand there dangling the roach over his burrow hole, change his fang positions a few times then bounce again and repeat. He did this for i don't know how long. I sat on my bed holding his enclosure just watching him for 15-20 minutes just glued to it in fascination. I set him down on the dresser after and checked on him now and then but didn't catch him bouncing. He was still munching on the roach 5 or 6 hours later when i went to bed, still in the corner of the enclosure over the opening to the burrow.