When choosing what to feed your tarantula, it is important to remember the difference between large and small prey items. Smaller prey items can be offered much more frequently than larger insects, but this is really up to the keeper’s discretion. Medium-sized insects should be fed at least two or three times per week.
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Rats
Rats and mice are excellent tarantula live food, but only if you follow a few precautions. First of all, you must ensure that the mice you use to feed your tarantula are dead and have been properly cleaned and disinfected. Otherwise, you risk transferring diseases from the mice to your tarantula. Also, remember to regularly clean any leftover food; it will eventually smell and rot.
Rats, mice, crickets, super worms, and pinkie mice are all suitable for feeding your tarantula. Larger tarantulas may be better suited to eat larger crickets. When purchasing your crickets, be sure to buy big boxes with a tight lid. If you’re not able to buy large boxes, you can use a soldering iron to make holes in the lid. You can also use a sharp object to poke small holes in the rim of the box. These holes will help keep crickets in the box.
You’ll also have to consider the size of the prey you want to feed your tarantula. Some keepers prefer to give their animals smaller prey items more frequently, while others prefer to feed them larger ones more frequently. Ultimately, you must decide which species and life stage would be best for your tarantula.
Crickets
Crickets are a great food source for tarantulas. They are readily available and easy to raise. If you have room in your refrigerator, you can keep several types of live insects. Depending on the size of your tarantula, you can offer different types of crickets to your tarantula.
While it is possible to buy small crickets for a tarantula, they will stress it out. Instead, try to find bigger crickets to feed it. Also, it’s helpful to have a large plastic storage box for your crickets. The box should be deep and have a secure lid. If you’re not comfortable keeping crickets in the plastic container, poke holes in the lid with a soldering iron or a sharp object. Once the crickets are in the box, keep it in a warm place until they’ve laid their eggs.
Tarantulas need live prey to survive, but they will also scavenge dead animals. Ideally, you should offer your pet with several crickets at once, so it can get all of them at once. If you’re feeding a younger tarantula, however, you should only feed it a single cricket at a time. When you feed your tarantula crickets, make sure the feeder is empty after 24 hours. Don’t leave live crickets in the cage, as they might drown.
Fruit
Tarantulas are carnivorous predators that feed on live prey. Their primary diet consists of insects, but they may also consume small lizards, amphibians and rodents. However, some tarantula enthusiasts have reported seeing their tarantulas munching on fruit. While this is unlikely to be a permanent solution, fruit may be a temporary source of moisture for your tarantula.
Tarantulas need to drink water regularly to stay healthy. Provide a small dish or bottle that is shallow enough to be easily accessed by your tarantula. Keep the water dish clean and free of tissues or cotton wool. It may also be useful to place pebbles in the water dish to prevent prey items from falling in. Cleaning the water dish frequently is essential for maintaining humidity levels.
When feeding tarantulas, you should always keep in mind that feeding them too often can be harmful. While some keepers choose to offer small items less frequently, others opt to feed larger insects more often. The frequency of feeding depends on the size of the feeder and the species of the prey.
Dubia roaches
Dubia roaches are the ideal tarantula live food option, as they are not only delicious, but are also great for your tarantula’s health. This is because a Dubia roach’s exoskeleton doesn’t contain any calcium, which is critical for an insectivore’s skeleton. In addition, Dubia roaches have specialized digestive systems, enabling them to extend the time between feedings.
The best way to care for your dubia roach is to provide a cool and damp environment. This will help the dubia roaches reproduce properly. The humidity level should be between 40-60%. The temperature should not be too hot, as too much heat will lead to heat stress and death.
You can purchase dubia roaches from an insect dealer, animal store, or large breeders, or you can buy dubia roaches online from Amazon. When purchasing dubia roaches, try to find a roach that has a male to female ratio of between 1:3 and 1:7. The first generation nymphs will have whatever ratio they were born with, but with time, they’ll begin to choose a more even ratio.