Eating habits

Hogge2k

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 24, 2003
Messages
167
As some of you may know I'm fairly new to T's and I have understand that one of their (the T's) favourite hobby is to make us, the keepers, concerned.

I wonder how often and how much do your L. Parahybana eat and what do you feed it?

I have a female Parahybana (about 7") and a Rosea (about 4") and the Rosea eats a lot more than the LP. I feed the rosea about 3 cricks or so a week and a pinkie mouse now and then and he almost never rejects the food. The parahybana have only eaten one pinkie in two weeks and seems to be a lousy cricket hunter. She molted about 3 month ago (before I got her) so I thought she would be eating a lot now (I heard they are supposed to be bottomless pits). I've tried to feed her cricks earlier but all shes done is follow them and poking on them with her front legs. After a few tries I gave up and gave her another pinkie, after a day or so she probably consider it gross to have a dead and decaying mouse on her corkbark so she picked it up and moved it to a corner of her enclosure. A day later I had to remove it cause I was afraid it was going to smell.
Then I tried with another cricket, i picked out the biggest and fattest one I could find and released it in the centre of the enclosure. She noticed it immediately and took a few slow steps and then WHAM, she charged and missed the crick and I glad it was just corkbark she hit, if it had been something harder I'm sure she would have injured herself, I had no idea just how violent those small animals can be!! After that she and the cricket have lived in perfect harmony side by side for 2 days now. I have ripped the jumpinglegs off the crick to make it slower but she doesn't seem interested anymore, maybe she's ashamed of her failure earlier :8o
Is the crickets to small for her or what?

I know that I'm not supposed to be worried, the LP looks very healthy and 1 pinkie in 2 weeks should be enough to keep her going but I'm a bit surprised that she doesn't eat more. I'm probably feeding the rosea a bit much but as long as he doesn't get to fat I will make it fall crickets from the sky just as much as he wants. :}

/hogge
 

krystal

Arachnodite
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 18, 2002
Messages
381
you might want to make sure the fangs came out of the exuviae all right...
 

Hogge2k

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 24, 2003
Messages
167
I have thought about this to, but how can I check this now (her last molt was before I got her). I mean it's not to easy with a meany like her, kicks lotsa hair and is pretty defensive. In other words, this is not the spider I want to pick up and start playing with her mouth.
I have tried to check them out when she tries to climb the glass but I cannot see something odd. The fangs looks alright to me but she is hiding them pretty good under her mustasche.
Mabye if I really pisses her off... :D
 

Mendi

Arachnowolf
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
1,385
You can always put her in a clear delicup to have a good look at her underside. This is much easier than trying to pick her up with your thumb and index finger to inspect her, and safer for you too.
 

Hogge2k

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 24, 2003
Messages
167
Well, I finaly got some pictures and this one is the clearest of them. I cannot see if there is something wrong but maybe some with sharper T-eyes can tell me if she looks ok.
She have rejected all crickets and a pinkie (mouse) since I last posted but maybe I don't hav e to worry anymore, in this very moment she is munching on a large rat pinkie wich can be viewed in the "post your eating pics" thread... I think I shot some cool (or gross? :D ) pics.

anyhow, here is her mouth and fangs:
 

Attachments

Last edited:
Top