Random question...

I was thinking, I have seen more than once on T ads that people feed them pre-killed crickets. What is the point behind that? I mean, I may be a hypocrite because I only feed f/t rats to my snakes, but I just don't see the point in killing a cricket before you feed it to a T (or scorpion, or whatever). Is there another reason behind it other than making sure the cricket doesn't suffer? Does it make some species less aggressive? I know my GBB baby kills with a vengeance, and the cricket doesn't see it coming or feel a thing...

So the cricket does not hurt the tarantula. So the tarantula doesn't have to wrestle with an over sized meal. So the tarantula can eat the meal later without looking for it or fighting with it. To prevent burrowing or escape of the feeder insect. For little avics i do it and place it in the web for it to eat when its ready. They dont have to look for it or fight with it. Just some random reasons. I can understand why people would not like to prekill a feeder insect though.

That makes sense, my red knee isn't as aggressive of an eater as my GBB seems to be, so I'd consider prekilling, I just didn't know if there were other reasons behind it. I don't even know how to prekill? They move so darn fast, I can barely grab it by the leg with tongs and get it into the Ts enclosure without a struggle...how am I to squish it's head without squishing the whole body? lol

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Originally Posted by LGray23

That makes sense, my red knee isn't as aggressive of an eater as my GBB seems to be, so I'd consider prekilling, I just didn't know if there were other reasons behind it. I don't even know how to prekill? They move so darn fast, I can barely grab it by the leg with tongs and get it into the Ts enclosure without a struggle...how am I to squish it's head without squishing the whole body? lol

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Grab the feeders with your fingers then crush it's head with a pair of tongs. Then place the feeder in the container where you want it with the tongs. If the meal is slightly larger then what is needed prekilled works great. Nice big meal and no worries of the feeder injuring your T or giving it a scare causing it to not eat at all.

Thanks for clarifying all this. I hate bugs (I don't care what anyone says, Ts are not bugs LOL)...and was hoping to avoid touching them, phyisically, with my fingers :weirdface buuuuuut, I'll do what I have to for my buddies. My red knee seems more skittish than the GBB, who gladly devoured a rather large cricket left over, so maybe I'll start prekilling, especially for the red knee.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Thanks for clarifying all this. I hate bugs (I don't care what anyone says, Ts are not bugs LOL)...and was hoping to avoid touching them, phyisically, with my fingers :weirdface buuuuuut, I'll do what I have to for my buddies. My red knee seems more skittish than the GBB, who gladly devoured a rather large cricket left over, so maybe I'll start prekilling, especially for the red knee.

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Lol :rofl: Your welcome!!

We will take and pre-kill crickets for our slings. Or cut the head off of a cricket. Interesting though, the head seems to stay "alive" for a bit afterwards.

If I think one of our T's are in pre-molt, I'll throw a Dubia in. Dubia's won't go after the T like a cricket will and eat it when it's flipped.

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Originally Posted by Boanerges

Grab the feeders with your fingers then crush it's head with a pair of tongs. Then place the feeder in the container where you want it with the tongs. If the meal is slightly larger then what is needed prekilled works great. Nice big meal and no worries of the feeder injuring your T or giving it a scare causing it to not eat at all.

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I've been doing this lately for my little guy because the store has been out of small crickets. I was able to corral the cricket in the bottom of the bag that it came in and then reach in the the tongs and grab it by the head.

It's definitely not the most enjoyable thing in life to do by any means but you do what you have to for the safety and benefit of your tarantula :gj: