feeding earth worms to my T's

stovepipesteve

Arachnopeon
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Apr 1, 2005
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earth worms make a great meal for my T's.
i just go to the bait shop or wal-mart and buy a couple o' dozen earth worms. they keep in the frig quite nicely and make a killer juicy meal.
I have 16 T's that love them outside of crikets. I also have babies that i fed pieces to and they luv em too. When ya feed the worm to the T. it will put up a struggle but it cant hurt the T. in any way. i think the T's luv the fight.
I wouldnt run out in the back yard and grab a worm because of the possible pesticides. make sure you buy the big juicy worms(not red worms, i think they are alil toxic from what i read.)
try it a think you will see that the T's luv em and let me know what ya think.
 

nine livez

Arachnosquire
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Feb 18, 2006
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i never really thouth of using worms? crazy man i thik im going to try it tonight just to see if they like it. im normally a roach or cricket guy , but what ever is cheaper, is better.:D
 

Donovan

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Jul 3, 2006
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How big of a peice would you feed a 4" Aphonopelma hentzi (Oklahoma Brown)? Also how much money do worms cost at walmart and how long would they stay alive in the fridge? I have thought about worms but never really considered buyin them til now. Im guessing just buy the worms you usually use for fishing?
 

sick4x4

Arachnoprince
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wow

u are right i have never really thought about worms...dugh why not...pede's love them why not a t!!!my question is do t's like worms??mines dont like meally's but i am guessing that a night crawler is way bigger???in your experiance do ur t's gobble them up???
 

big-n-hairy

Arachnosquire
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Jul 27, 2005
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you've got my curiousity up now. after next time i go fishing i'll have to try it. just wondering if they have a good nutritional value for the T.
 

Scarp172

Arachnoknight
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As far as nutrional value I'd say put them on an applesauce diet for a week or so. That cleans the dirt out them and gives them the nutrients in applesauce. (Assuming applesauce or the like has what we're looking for) Just put some applesauce in a tupperware container or something shallow with a wide enough mouth that you can get them out of later. I've been meaning to try this as well. Maggots for slings and worms for the bigger fellas, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Oh and worms will keep for a at least a couple weeks in the fridge very nicely. You can also stick'em in a styrofoam cooler with some dirt, keep it moist and sprinkle on some commercial worm food to keep and breed your own. I did that when I was younger with quite a bit of success. :)
 

IMPURE

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Jul 3, 2006
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would you be able to just cut a worm in half or a quarter off of it? the worms will end up regenerating thier body parts anyways.
 

Scarp172

Arachnoknight
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Feb 1, 2006
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Yeah you should be able to cut off parts as long as it's from the tail end. The tail can regenerate a new tail, but without a mouth it will starve to death (and more importantly for us- won't be able to eat any nutrients for our T's and scorps!) Not sure how long it takes to regenerate a new tail segment or the survival rate of svered head sections... but it's worth a shot.
-Steve
 

ShadowBlade

Planeswalker
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Yes, T's eat earthworms.
One of my favorites though are mealworms. T's, Scorps, and true spiders all love em. Haven't tried 'pedes with them yet, maybe I should tonight...
 

Cirith Ungol

Ministry of Fluffy Bunnies
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None of my T's or scorps were ever really into worms, because they were too slimy. Whiping them off prior to feeding might help a bit, though all remaining worms I've tossed into my lividum tanks.
 

Delailah

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Mar 16, 2006
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I asked the experts

I fed my B. smithii half an earthworm about 6 months ago (had fed her since, haha! {D ) and posted because I thought she would overeat herself to death! The morning after being fed, she was still munching away, and her abdomen was grossly distended.

Most folks recommended sectioning the worm in quarters because an entire worm (or even half) would be powerfeeding. So, lesson learned on my part.

The funny thing was the way she handled it. She came running out of her hide like usual when she's fed, grabbed the squirming, slimy, soft worm, and suddenly let go, jumped a step back, and "stared" at it for a while in shock! She then turned completely around and sulked back into her hide. On the way back she lifted her front legs off the ground very high while walking, almost like she had stepped in gum!

She got over herself though, and finally came out and took care of business.

Who says T's don't have personality?
 

ta2edpop

Arachnoknight
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Jan 2, 2005
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I found out about worms before I really knew any better. I caught my first T (Anax) and needed something to feed it. Earthworms and stag beetle larva. Don't really feed worms much anymore though.
 

sammyp

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Apr 17, 2006
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I've fed my T's earthworms a couple of times before. the funniest was feeding one to a rosea, the worm burrowed a bit into the substrate and the T actually dug him up again frantically!:D and then of course proceeded to eat him....
 

Merfolk

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A lot of commercialy sold worms are actualy picked off surrounding grounds. A fraction is captive bred. If T's don't react negatively, this shouldn't be a problem, unless you are in a heavy agricultural area (heavy on pesticides, hormones etc) or with lots of factories around.
 

dymndgyrl

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Delailah said:
The funny thing was the way she handled it. She came running out of her hide like usual when she's fed, grabbed the squirming, slimy, soft worm, and suddenly let go, jumped a step back, and "stared" at it for a while in shock! She then turned completely around and sulked back into her hide. On the way back she lifted her front legs off the ground very high while walking, almost like she had stepped in gum!
My Rosie did the exact same thing! Literally! But the worm started to burrow, so I removed it before she had a chance to come back for a taste, and I haven't tried again since. Maybe I will now, seems to me it would be a convenient source of food as you can dig them up around here even in the winter.
 

Cerbera

Arachnobaron
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My small L. para male goes nuts for earthworms. Really quite keen.
 

stovepipesteve

Arachnopeon
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Apr 1, 2005
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i have a couple 4" T's and they seem to be able to handle a whole night crawler. The worm does put up a stuggle but it does not seem to do any harm to the spider. i also think that the spider enjoys the fight. the worm stays alive for a while and you can actually see it being sucked dry alive. (man that would suck).
i buy my worms at wal mart for about $2.50 for 24 and they keep in the frig for ever if ya sprinkle coffee grounds or sum'thing like, although i have kept worms in the frig for a month and not feed them and they still live...juicy as ever.
gooood <edit> man.
 
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sublimeskunk37

Arachnoknight
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Mar 21, 2005
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I just fed my B. Albi. an earthworm and it was quite comical to see her reaction to it. She stood right on top of it for a minute, and then seemingly reluctantly decided to very slowly reach down and get the worm. I don't quite think she knows what to do with it if she should eat it or play with it...{D ...Gotta love Ts...
 

Derekool

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May 19, 2006
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No way in hell are the worms that ar sold commercialy picked up off the ground!!!!! Worms are so incredibly easy to breed its rediculous (I breed my own)why pick them up when a captive worm population can grow 10 or 15 times the starting population. Somthing like 60% of all worms(Earthworms) in Canada and the US are in captivity. One guy owns 90% of all canadian earthworms and it is him you are buying from at walmart!!!!!

Do you research!!!!!
 

Donovan

Arachnopeon
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Jul 3, 2006
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stovepipesteve said:
i buy my worms at wal mart for about $2.50 for 24 and they keep in the frig for ever if ya sprinkle coffee grounds or sum'thing like, although i have kept worms in the frig for a month and not feed them and they still live...juicy as ever.
gooood <edit> man.
They have Night Crawlers here for $2.88 for 24. Is that the right thing to buy? they are called Canadian Nightcrawlers so Im guessin the guy above me was right with the canadian thing.

SO whats the final decision on what to feed the worms so that they are the most nutritious for my T?
 
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