Switching from Crix to dubia?

[scaledverts]

Hello - I have recently obtained a small dubia colony that I have been raising for about 3 months now. I currently have 4 Ts (2 G. rosea, 1 L. parahybana, and 1 P. regalis). My question regards switching tarantulas over to dubia from crickets. My two rosea have been eating crickets and I really would like them to be switched to dubia like the other 2 Ts. Any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated.

[codykrr]

well first pich there heads so they dont burrow....also if you have A hard time getting them to eat them just let em go hungry till they eat one...if nothing else feed them male dubias to start ......i had the very same problem when i switced over

[Widowman10]

yeah, some of mine like their staple and nothing else. when they get hungry enough, they'll eat whatever is in there. some are just stubborn and refuse for as long as they can. the beauty of T's....

[gvfarns]

or you can use a species that T's like, like lateralis or lobsters.

I don't recommend pinching their head. It takes a trial and error process and makes every error count.

[RoachGirlRen]

I find that Turkistan roaches are more readily accepted by inverts accustomed to crickets in general since they are similar in size, softness, and fast movement. However, I have found that most animals reluctant to eat dubias seem to do so due to their sluggish movements and tendancy to stay very still; grab a dubia by a hind limb with tongs and let it either thrash around in the air or try to scurry away with only a few feet on the ground and the movement is much more attractive. I feed dubia occasionally and find that if I just let restrain their back legs and put their front feet on the web, the movement almost immediately attracts the T out and the response is very receptive.

[NinjaPirate]

If you run into a T that doesn't want to switch, try feeding it smaller juvenile roaches. I generally feed off male's by crushing their heads and putting them on their back in the cage. Works for most of the T's, but my Suntiger will run up and pounce it like he's going to bite then get kicked in the face by the roach and freak out. I switched to roaches that were no bigger than large crickets and he had no problems with them.

[Bigboy]

If they won't eat them don't feed them. They change their minds eventually and that is a guarantee.

[codykrr]

ok well it is clear to me by now....that there isnt one good species of roach that works best...soooo why cant we breed the best roaches together? to get the ultimate feeder....for instance people like dubia...people like lats...and some prefer lobsters so why not just combine the 3 and see what happens? in theory it could work right?...and also if i have a stubborn T that wont take a roach i usually feed a crixket for the time being if i have to....or i throw a male dubia in, even though i hate feeding off my males since my colony produces more female offspring for some reason

[Widowman10]

so why not just combine the 3 and see what happens?

haha, riiiight...

and your T will eventually take a roach over a cricket, trust me. when it's hungry, it will eat whatever drops in the cage- then it will prob eat roaches from then on out.

[codykrr]

hey...i had to say it even if i knew it probly wouldnt work....hahaha...but seriously....why wouldnt it? now you have me wondering....

[somethingbig]

prolly the same reason you can't make avicupelma. they're different species.

[Bigboy]

hey...i had to say it even if i knew it probly wouldnt work....hahaha...but seriously....why wouldnt it? now you have me wondering....

There are pre-zygotic barriers that prevent successful breeding between species. Some species are able to pass them only to be hit by a post-zygotic barrier. That means that the sperm and the egg will not combine, or they will but the young dies thereafter respectively. In other cases you can actually get live offspring but they will be sterile. Think of this as a latch and key. Every key has a latch it fits, it is very rare that a key will fit a latch it is not made for and even rarer that it will unlock it.

[gpsling]

I usually just toss the roach right by the spiders or by the hole it's burrowed in and they do the rest. Worst case the roach burrows only to be found and eaten at a later time. Roaches are nocturnal so they may burrow but them come out at night or in search for water.
GP

[burmish101]

Nothing cinerea and lateralis cant do! Dont think I ever had something that refused discoidalis, quite a bit bigger than dubia too.

[reverendsterlin]

I have found offering male dubias to be a little easier, they move more, burrow less, and do not tend to freeze in position as much. pulling off the antennae can help as well