Advice needed for a complete beginner!

[sarah Smith]

Given your concerns you could try feeding locsusts insteed these come in smaller amounts per tub and wont make any noise at all so might be better off to start with for your boyfriend.

[Ray Gabriel]

Hi,

Many spiders are carrion feeders. Trouble is within the same species some spiders will feed on carrion ever time, others now and a gain, some once and others will not touch carrion no matter how much you squeek and drag it around the tank.

They have individual tastes!

All i can sugest is you try your spider to see what it does.

I have photographs (a future BTS Journal article) showing Hysterocraties sp spiderlings group feeding on Carrion, and i think i have one with a spiderling feeding from the carrion in its mothers mouth.

Ray

[Adam Smith]

Are carrion beetles easy and cheap to obtain? Or is it a case its better to have a breeding colony of such food items. On a slight off beat track to this do any of you gut load you crickets prior to feeding them to Ts the way herpetologists do with the reptiles? Whats your preferencial feeding if you do. Funnily enough i bought a pack of tiny crickets from a very good garden centre here in Devon with a great exotic pet section and very knowledgable staff, the girl caught me off guard when she asked me do I calcium dust the crickets (bearing in mind I bought the crickets along side a scorpling emperor) and said yes.!. Hang on I thought Ts and Scorps dont need dusting as they dont need the supplement but I was still surprised that I had been asked a question that wasnt expecting but its a good thing they have staff that know what to do.

[Ray Gabriel]

Carrion beetles (Carabidae) i would not recomend for feeding spiders. The common UK ground beetle Carabis violacius has jaws which can cut through human skin> these beetles are very aggressive and i would not like to see what they could do to a spid if the got angry. (mealworms and superworms are almost as nasty.)

If you are looking for alternative forms of food, Tipulids (crane flys) whichare around now are good, otherwise cockroaches which you can buy starter packs for rearing at most shows now or see if Richard Gallon has any left.

You are correct you dont need to dust invert food for spids.

BUT if people insist on using mealworms and superworms for feeding spids then they should be gut loaded around 1hr before feeding to the spid.

Ray