Catching wolf spiders
How many people here have tried wolf spiders? Bahamut (see my sig) loves them. He goes after them with a fervor that I have never seen with any other feeder.
Man, you know I've been wanting to try some wolf spiders, granted my leo is still a juvenile. How would I go about getting some? I am not catching them by hand, I've been bit by one before and it hurt like hell and honestly I am now terrified of spiders. But how do you gets yours?
You sure you want to know? ;-)
You can find wolf spiders hiding under rocks and large pieces of wood. They don't spin webs; instead, they run after their food, so you won't really know whether you are about to find one or not until you actually see it.
If you don't want to use your hands, you can use an empty yoghourt container and a brush to sweep them into the container. They can't clime vertical surfaces very well so don't worry about covering the container. Then just drop them into your gecko's tank.
Make sure your leopard gecko sees you drop it into the tank or it will run off somewhere and hide, then you will have to use your hands to get it out into the open again. The best way is to take everything out of the tank except for your gecko, then drop the spider in. If your gecko is hungry, it will eventually see the spider.
To be honest, I was kind of puzzled when you typed that you got bitten by a wolf spider. I have never been bitten by one before, and I used to pick them up all the time. If you are concerned about whether the spider will bite the gecko, you could try snipping the celicera (fangs) with nail clippers. You'll either need tongs, tweezers, or your hands to do that. I never did it with wolf spiders but I did do it with earwigs - first the tail pincers, then the mandibles on the head - and my gecko was able to eat it.
If the spider you catch does bite you, then don't feed it to your leopard gecko. It might be a different kind of spider and therefore might have venom, or it might just be an overly-aggressive wolf spider that is more likely than not to bite your gecko. In which case it isn't a good idea. The smaller and less aggressive ones are OK, though.
I've heard of some people catching moths and stufff for the gecko to eat. my gacko vet said it should be alright as long as there are no pesticides in the area.
Yeah, sure. I used to feed Pepé moths all the time in the summer.
back to me freakingout about superworms... are you sure?! they seem giant. the one at the store are at least a few inches long!:blushing:
They are big, but they rarely bite. Once your leopard gecko has the worm in its mouth, the worm won't be able to bite anyway. Many leopard geckos chew their super worms up before eating them. Others strike the worm at just the right place, instantly immobilizing it before the gecko eats it.
