over feed????????????????

[Alexander Ramsey]

Hi all, a question that requires an experienced answer,

Is it possible to over feed a T?

Any info welcome, thanks.

[Martin Huber]

yes, it is possible to feed too much,


...similar as it is possible to use more question marks than it is necessary to indicate it is an (important) question. =

[Alexander Ramsey]

yeah thanks (I think) I was looking for a more detailed answer to the question than an observation about its punctuation.

I have an a. geniculata that has matured in 14 months.

[Aaron Annal]

Hi Alexander,
Well i can add some more to the answer yes you can easily overfeed certain species others its a struggle to get to eat at all
I have a female A.geniculata here that is 16cm leg span and is 5 yrs old(as near as i know anyway) will eat nearly everything i put in except when she's getting ready to molt.
The same as my 3 L.parahybana females then going to the other extreme my G.rosea hardly eats at all unless she has just molted.
Hope that helps
Aaron

[Peter Lacey]

One of the problems that over feeding can cause is abrasions on the underside of the abdomen, which in turn result in infections.
Its far healthier to limit the feeding to sensible amounts because tarantula are opportunistic feeders, eating when the food is available to enable it to survive times when food is scarce.
A. geniculata, L. parahybana and some of the other giants are notorious for having a large appetite.

[Martin Huber]

yeah thanks (I think) I was looking for a more detailed answer to the question

detailed in what way?

BTW, some time ago (if I remember right), on the t-store forum someone posted a photo of a tarantula with a bursted abdomen, which was allegedly caused by overfeeding.

I have an a. geniculata that has matured in 14 months.

adult male now? What size does it have?

[James Box]

i've heard that in the wild spiders are rarely found with full rounded abdomens...so it's almost definite we overfeed in the hobby. relatively sure i'm guilty of it at times

[Alexander Ramsey]

So with my A. gen maturing at 14 months old, have I severely shortened its life by over feeding? It doesn't appear to have any abrasions and the only way I can describe it after its maturing molt is "gangly" lol, it took a while to adjust and is happy as ever now. Its been bred once and another female is being lined up so health wise it seems ok. My concern is, will it maybe live another 18 months as an adult, as I have read, and so put its entire life span at little over 3 years? I feel quite bad about this as its down to my lack of knowledge alone and thought a thread like this may be useful to anyone else who is considering a larger T as their next addition.

Thanks.

[Alexander Ramsey]

Sorry Martin, missed the bit about the size, he's around 8" legspan but very gangly with it, he's gradually bulking out now and doesn't appear to be struggling with mating, even though the female waas considerably larger and quite aggressive.

The sling pic is Oct 2008, The sperm web pic is Jan 2010

[Aaron Annal]

Hi Alexander,
Although 14 mths does seem a little fast to have a mature male to me but i am no expert but at least you have mated him which is his 1 aim in life and as far as i'm aware males of all species mature alot earlier than the females.
I have had a few males here and some havent lasted 18mths after maturing which again to me is the the way it is with male T's.
I also have a male here which was from a rescue center and was going to post some pics later to get confirmation that it is A.geniculata male to mate with my female he is also very "gangly" which again is very common in males they do tend to look all legs when mature.
I hope you have some luck in mating him and will soon have alot of slings to hopefully get a female.
Aaron

[Martin Huber]

as far as i'm aware males of all species mature alot earlier than the females.

BTW, this is a widespread fales information.

[Aaron Annal]

BTW, this is a widespread fales information.

Ok i stand corrected.
I did say i was no expert lol

[James Box]

as for longevity...i didn't realise it was a male spider. i'm not sure how long it takes males of this genus or species to mature, but they do live much shorter lives than females...so maturing rapidly for a spider with a voracious appetite doesn't sound unreasonable.

[Peter Lacey]

BTW, this is a widespread fales information.

Hi Martin
Would you agree that in general terms males mature ealier than females? Or could you please give some indication as to which genus is likely to mature at the same time. I've always noticed males mature quicker than females when kept in the same conditions eg. Poecilotheria, A. geniculata, Avicularia, N. chromatus, Psalmopeous, Chromatapelma etc. so I'm interested in whether this is specific to the genus or the way in which species can be kept.
Thanks in advance

[James Box]

my Yamia male matured at the same time as the females, or at least they were fertile at the exact same time.

my P irminia female, though a little small, was most agreeable to the attentions of my male P irminia...they are siblings raised in pretty identical conditions...

just two examples from me.