How long should i wait b4 feeding new trantula?

[Daniel Richardson]

Hey guys n gals,how long should i wait b4 i feed my mexican red knee,i only got it today.

[Peter Lacey]

Hi Dan and welcome to the forum
Most ppl wait a few days before feeding and will only feed 1 cricket per session, 2 per week. If it looks relaxed in its new surroundings, you could add one after a few hours but this might prove too much if the T is a little perturbed by the moving.

[James Box]

i often welcome a new T with a cricket...found most of the time they are thirsty or hungry after the trip, and giving them food stimulus can "distract" them from the other stresses they've been through...most of them dive right in and grab the food eagerly.
just my experience, others may have had bad things happen as a result, but i haven't personally.

[Thomas Pitchford]

Yup, that's the wonderful thing about forums and for that matter tarantulas too - both of the above answers are correct! It really does just depend. My biggest girl (lasiadoroa parahybana) ate the moment we got her home, but the avicularia went for a few weeks before eating after we rehoused her - to be fair to her it took a great amount of time to get her out of her container and I do think she was more than a bit bovvered.

If you have a clean water dropper or some other way to drop just a few drops right next to your T and see if it jumps in that direction - if so, it might be time for din-dins.

[Yvonne Woolley]

like James I have found that most of my newbies seem to only too ready for a drink and a cricket, I suppose it depends on where you get them from and when ,some have travelled long distances in varying conditions although my hubby and I never cease to be amazed at the resilience of the Ts as the ones that we have rehoused or purchased never seem to be put of thier food at all.

[Lisa Grose]

Daniel,
I would wait a while for your T to settle in before you feed her. Just think how you would feel after making a long journey and not being able to see.
It might only take a day for her to settle as it took my baby red knee. I just love the way they check out their new surroundings when you first put them in. What size your new T. Does she look nice? I cant wait for mine to get bigger as her colours are very distinctive now. And at the rate that she eats it wont take her long either. I put a 1 inch cricket in yesterday to see how she would cope with it. Goodness she tackled it to the ground quicker than I can type 'Jack'. She really is a joy to watch. Enjoy your new pet.

[lynn mawdesley]

We all do things different at the end of the day

Me personally i choose to give my T's what i call 'a settling in cricket' whenever i get a new arrival and i can honestly say each and every one have been eager to have a good old feed, especially with WC sp as i often find that they are a tad on the skinny side and very much welcome it.

Obviously if the T was in premoult and kept running away and seemed stressed then remove the food item although alot will just kill it then leave it.

IMO there is no right or wrong answer to the question its just entirely upto the hobbiest

Lynn

[Lisa Grose]

Yes, I agree with Lyn. You know what you want to do at the end of the day and all T's are different whether they are the same species or not. A bit like when you have kids. Even twins are different in their own preferences.

[lynn mawdesley]

Yes, I agree with Lyn. You know what you want to do at the end of the day and all T's are different whether they are the same species or not. A bit like when you have kids. Even twins are different in their own preferences.

Haha ur not wrong there Lisa evryone of my 4 kids are different

[James Box]

yep at the end of the day waiting a bit for stress levels to go down for the spider isn't going to kill it...unless it came in a bad state and desperately needed nutrition or water.
one thing i did think of though, when i offered my new Grammostola sp North pair and Euathlas truculentis that arrived on Saturday their "settling in" crickets, they all immediately went for them, (with greed and gusto, in the case of the sp North's), and started laying strands of silk on which to eat. it struck me that the spider having thus "staked out" the area will start to "feel" of it more as "home", to use anthropomorphic terms. that's only an assumption, but at least that area will "smell" familiar next time they walk over it.
however, as said above...some spiders take a while to settle in, and some require a bit of a silked hide or burrow to feel settled, and thus ready to feed.
i even notice this with rehoming spiders already in my collection...