

Slings + crush adult cricket heads

Discussion in 'Tarantula Chat' started by Jones0911, Jun 26, 2014.

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    Ok I have 5 LP slings, 2 gbb slings and 8 P. Cancerides slings however the pet store only had adult crickets.

    So I crushed the heads, now I'm just double checking, if they get hungry enough they'll scavenge and have their fill on the adult cricket bodies?

    All species of Ts scavenge correct?
  2. When I don't have pin heads, I cut a roach or cricket up like a chicken and feed about 7 slings with it
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  3. so I just wasted about 14 crickets lol....oh well they'll be nice and full probably fill em up to the next molt lol
  4. cold blood

    cold blood Moderator Staff Member

    At least they're cheap, its only about a bucks worth of crickets anyway. You can cut up superworms or mealworms as well and feed several.
  5. Thanks CB!!
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  6. How big are the slings. My lps are such wimps and won't hardly take down a cricket. But my gbb an versis will nail anything that moves, doesn't matter what size it is hardly
  7. the GBB slings are about 2 molts bigger than the P. Cancerides abd the LPs.

    I'll say the GBBs are maybe closer to an inch not big enough to take down an adult cricket though

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  8. My gbb is about that size and will go after med size crickets. My lps are twice that size easily and are scared half the time. I have L. Difficilis also and they will snag anything they can catch. It's weird how picky they can be
  9. LythSalicaria

    LythSalicaria Arachnosquire

    I have to do the same thing with small crickets for my slings. My LD sling is only 1/4" and not even remotely ready for live prey items. Sadly my LPS doesn't sell pinheads, so I will either grab the smallest cricket I can find and mush it into a ball or else I'll tear it in half if all the crickets I have are too big. The LD sling gets the head and thorax, the 3/4" brachypelma sling gets the abdomen and drumsticks. If I've given my LD sling something that's too big for it, it'll eat its fill and then drag the leftovers into its water dish. LOL...:giggle:

    So yeah, the most you have to worry about is a few wasted crickets. You should let us know what your slings do with their leftovers. Some Ts can be very creative home decorators. :biggrin:
  10. dredrickt

    dredrickt Arachnoknight

    Start breeding dubia roaches, 15 total T's should justify a colony. And if you're anything like me, it won't stop at 15 either, LOL.

    But for now, I'd tear off the legs of the crickets and give them to the smaller T's. The bigger ones should be able to take down a cricket with no back legs to springboard around, unless they are also tiny, then yes, crush the head.
  11. Medusa

    Medusa Arachnoknight

    I've found this has worked best for my slings. I get 3-4 fed from pieces of 1 large superworm.
  12. One of my LPs actually got just the crickets head xD

    But yah I can feed 8 slings with 1 and half crickets, B.vagans gets the remainder scraps.
  13. can't use dubia they bury themselves annoying to me lol....

    Are orange heads any good?
  14. Pinch that Dubia's head and he'll still kick, but won't remember how to dig :D

    ---------- Post added 06-26-2014 at 06:29 PM ----------

    I like Red Racers for feeding slings, they breed crazy fast compared to Dubia and the Red Racer nymphs are comparable to cricket pin heads. Dubia nymphs are a bit large for feeding whole to small slings
  15. are pin head crickets 3/16" or 1/4"?

    which one of these sizes do pet stores usually sell as "pin heads"/baby crickets

    Last edited: Jun 26, 2014
  16. I hope neither one as there not anywhere close to pin head size
  17. cold blood

    cold blood Moderator Staff Member

    A pinhead can sit comfortably on a pencil eraser with room to move even.
  18. that sounds super small way too small for me so I'll get some the next size up so maybe the 1/16" crickets.

    Slings can over power live crickets their size correct?
  19. cold blood

    cold blood Moderator Staff Member

    Yeah, pinheads are not really necessary, I just use the smallest ones the store has, its never been an issue.

    Some slings can, others need pre-killed, depends on both the species and to a degree, the individual t's attitude. I have some that will tackle crickets their same size without hesitation...psalmos, P. nigricolor, A. ezendami....while others flee when the see a live one and need them pre-killed, and even then they are apprehensive...B. albiceps, tiny B. vagans, B. smithi (till it was 1.5").
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  20. Ok all is well I checked on the P. Cancerides and all of them are either directly over the dead crickets or they are very close to them.

    Thankfully they are probably investigating before they actually eat any of the crickets but now I do have a baby crickets just in case they don't touch the other ones