why has my T gone mad during eatting?

[Lisa Grose]

Hi, I dont understand my t's reaction to some food and can any one shed light on this for me please.
I put a couple of adult locusts in for my large spider because she hadn't eaten in a while so knowing that she would be really hungry I got her some big food, but this is the first time I have tried her with locusts. At first there was no problem and she caught and ate one easy enough but the problem started after she had finished it. She was agitated and running riot round her tank that quick that she was miss stepping and looked quite as though she had been down the pub. She was messing with her fangs (and rubbing her mouth area) and going frantic at something even started climbing the sides of the tank and dashing here and there and she is usually such a slow thing, it was sad to see her. This went on for half an hour and then she settled, so thinking nothing of it but keeping an eye on her she seemed ok after this for a week but then it happened all over again when she caught the other one but this time it happened whilst she was in the middle of eatting it and so she dropped it. She calmed down quicker but didn't want the food again. Dora is a 7 inch lasiodora striatus and normally very slow moving spider. Does any one have any similar occurances.

[Nicola Dolby]

Haven't had a similar experience myself, but I'd give her crickets from now on. Although locusts are bigger there isn't much more than a cricket in them, they are all exoskeleton. 3 or 4 crickets would have been more nutritious!

[lynn mawdesley]

Yea i agree with Nicola...not alot of meat on them locusts lol

[Lisa Grose]

I am not feeding her these again. I think I will stick with the crickets and mealworms as she really likes them. I just thought I would try the locusts. To be honest I dont like messing with them. I am more scared of these than the spiders.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Lisa, locusts carry a lot of bacteria and need their gut cleaning for a few days with lots of green stuff before feeding them to T's to be on the safe side. Personally, we don't use them, they are expensive and you are better off with crickets, roaches, wax worms etc., better food value.

[Matthew Baines]

Yea i agree with Nicola...not alot of meat on them locusts lol

Yes but from personal experience they actually taste of chicken!!!!

[Mrs Linda Street]

Mathew, you're just egging me on. lol

[Matthew Baines]

Do it. I have tried everything that we feed to our animals just so i know what it tastes like. The best way to make sure you have sterile food stuffs for your spiders is to do what we do and breed your own.

[Mrs Linda Street]

We agree with that Matthew, we also feed dubia roaches and mice to our T's but they're off my menu lol.

[Matthew Baines]

I would give mouse a go as long as i knew it was sterile , also roaches wouldn't be a problem

[Lisa Grose]

Thanks Linda. I didn't know this. What a disgusting job to do. feed locusts to feed them to a spider. The eater becomes the eaten. Thanks for your comments all. I'm not getting these again.

[Lisa Grose]

Matthew that is just gross. Not taking the mickey out my name now. It is pronounced the same. lol

[Matthew Baines]

How is it?
To some indigenous tribes insects are a good source of protein in there diet . As for mice well they cant taste much different from a corn fed chicken because that is what a mouse is basically fed upon. And i firmly stand by the saying what doesn't kill you makes you stronger hence why i have a cast iron stomach!

[Colin D Wilson]

Just to add to what Linda has said....it's best to keep the Locusts at a reasonably high temperature (80+) so their digestive system works effeciently and they dispose of the unhealthy bacteria when you gut load them with good clean food stuffs.
Temps lower than this cause the digestive system to work inefficiently and a lot of these harmful bacteria will still be harboured in their gut..."possibly" being passed on to the spider.

[Lisa Grose]

I guess I would have to eat anything if I needed to survive Matthew but it woulcn't be by choice. You must have strong taste buds never mind the stomach. lol. I wonder what they would taste like with mayonaise on?