What is on the menu?

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

Hi there, just a general Q or 2 about food/feeding.

I have noticed that some of [you] refer to offering your Ts pieces of meat as food, is this common practice? Should I/can I try it with my little Chile rose?

Also, my little Chile has devoured everything I have offered her since she moved in on the 10th Jan, which I think totals 6 crickets (although the first 3 were weanie!) and I am planning to feed her tonight, I know she is still growing and therefore will eat more regularly than a fully-mature T, but is there a risk of over feeding? I am working currently on the assumption that if she is not hungrary, she won't bother.

Also, a Q not related to food at all, Ruby tends to sleep on the side of her tank with a back leg supporting her abdomen - is this a normal sleeping/resting position? I only ask because she does this on the side of the tank with the heat pad (there are 2 as I have a cold house, but I only leave one on at night) and it doesn't look comfy so I am hoping she is not adopting this position just because she is desperatley cold!

apart from that all is well, many thansk to those of you who reassured me that she would get used to the 'clanging and banging' in our house and not hudle up in a ball each time my husband (LoL) got ready for work, she has certainly acclimatised and now doesn't even get up to say goodbye as we head off for the day....(she is usually up and about when we get in though, else I might start to take offence !)

[James Box]

Hi Tracy...from what i understand, tarantula's in the wild don't know how often food will come, or how much...so they eat whenever something's available, in general. in captivity, this can lead to obesity, as a keeper may just assume that the T is still hungry and keep feeding.
i personally feed a couple crickets about once weekly, but i don't kick myself if i miss a few days with the adults. if the T's abdomens are a bit fatter than the carapace, and they can still lift them off the ground, it's probably in ok shape...
as for where it ends up standing...well she's probably comfortable in the same temperature you are, but if the house is a bit cold, she may huddle close to the heatmats for now. i don't think that's too bad a thing, the cold weather isn't going to last too much longer.
i'm still learning too, but that's just what i've managed to glean

[Tracy Sherwood-Farnfield]

Thanks for that. I am now adopting a twice weekly pattern for feeding on average, which I think should be fine.

She certainly seems comfy so I'll not worry about her vertical sleeping, and hopefully as you say the weather will warm up a bit soon, so I won't need the heat mats much anyway. (lets hope so, it has been a bit drafty on the train stations for my morning commute as of late!)