Can Axie's eat Australian spiders.

hendrixtheaxie

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Hey guys I read somewhere that axies can eat spiders. Is this true? And if so does anyone know if Australian spiders are safe for them? and do you have to kill the spider first? and do you remove to head so there is no poison I would assume you would do that.
 
Australian spiders is I'm afraid, a bit to generalized. I think you need to ID what's available and then go from there. As a general rule I try not to feed WC critters to my critters. :happy:
 
Ok then here is a list of spiders commonly availible in my location.

mn15775.jpg
Badge (Huntsman) Spider - Neosparassus diana Bird Dropping Spider - Celaenia excavata Black House Spider - Badumna insignis Brown House Spider - Steatoda grossa Daddy Long-Leg Spider - Pholcus phalangioides Garden Orb-weaving Spider - Eriophora biapicata Huntsman Spider - Holconia immanis Jumping Spider - Sandalodes (near bipenicillatus) Leaf Curling Spider - Phonognatha graeffei Melbourne Trap-door Spider - Stanwellia grisea Mouse Spider - Missulena bradleyi Red-back Spider - Latrodectus hasseltii Red and Black Spider - Ambicodamus crinitus Sac Spider - Cheiracanthium mordax Scorpion Tailed Spider - Arachnura higginsi Slater-eating Spider - Dysdera crocata Spiny Spider - Austracantha minax St Andrew's Cross Spider - Argiope keyserlingii Victorian Funnel-web Spider - Hadronyche modesta Water Spider - Megadolomedes australianus White Tailed Spider - Lampona cylindrata Wolf Spider - Lycosa (species)
most have poisonous properties but some less server than others.
I guess my real question is: is it safe to feed them a poisonous spider once the head is removed? As the venom is stored in the head (fangs) and I was reading that in an axolotls natural habitat they eat lots of spiders.
 
I think it's probably just not worth the risk. Anything you catch is going to have the mark of it's habitat on it - the same reason that you wouldn't necessarily feed your axie worms from a garden that you didn't know what the soil was like - aside from the venom (which WOULD kill your axolotl) often common spiders have a poisonous substance on their skin to deter predators. Also I don't know too much about spiders (except for when I see one, I have to call the fella!) but that red and black one in the picture automatically spells danger for me, and most likely your axie!! Not to mention all the parasites, pathogens, pesticides from the environment you found it in...

I know that as humans, it's hard to look at those awful earthworms and imagine eating those for the rest of your life. But when you see your axie eat one, does he look up at you and go "Really? Another worm? Again? Ah well, ok, I'll force it down" whilst he watches a spider across the room and prepares to pounce, or watches you eat a pizza and think "Oooh, I'd like a bit of that!"

... or does he do as mine, and everybody's who has ever kept one for a while does and swim straight up not even thinking about what he might bump in to and snap at it - making it disappear right away! And even look around for more when you're feeding his friends?!

Think about what they would eat in the wild. They don't have the means or the whereabouts to chase spiders. That's for a very good reason - that's not what they really should be eating. I'm not too sure about the logistics about how they catch worms in the wild - though I'm sure someone more experienced could tell you- but I do know that worms have been used throughout time to catch fish which also love them.
They are highly packed with nutrients, and you can vary the diet that the worms themselves eat for your axie (If I feed the worms exclusively on carrot peelings, for example, my little worm-muncher seems to be a bolder colour and very energetic, but if I feed the worms bits of lettuce then Puck seems to be going to the toilet more often...!) but anyway, also, more to the point, axolotls LOVE them. Why would you waste time chasing spiders and trying to get your axie into them, which could be fatal... When you have all the nutrients you need in your little ice-cream tub, or bait shop, or even pesticide-free back garden full of gloriously juicy, fat, actually quite disgusting worms!

As ever, if you must vary the diet, try a sinking pellet (which I think are messy and can foul the water) or some live river shrimp (which you CAN catch yourself, if you quarantine them for a few days!) or minnows... And a little bit of beef heart, if you cut it into matchstick strips and make sure it's rinsed, goes down great as a bit of a treat. But worms are where it's at.

Please please please stay away from the spiders. It's only going to lead to trouble!
 
Yes they can eat headless spiders but why would you risk being bitten catching spiders when there are plenty of other things to feed them. Any spider bite can cause Necrotizing fasciitis. And it always seems its the little ones that do it everytime.
 
we have the most deadly spiders in the world in australia i wouldnt recommend feeding axolotls our spiders instead stick to maggots, mealworms, earthworms
 
I have seen the impact a white tail spider had on someone from my work, she was hospitalised and almost lost a limb.

So I would definetly steer clear of spiders in my axolotls diet.

But I was wondering about another australian icon the Witchetty Grub which has been eaten by the aboriginal people of australia for hundreds of years. Witchetty grub - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Spiders seem like a lot of risk to me, especially considering that you have such dangerous ones like funnel webs. I don't know how easy it is to mistake spiders there, but it's really easy where I am. We thought we had a normal house spider infestation, but we also had a hobo spider infestation. We couldn't tell the difference, especially when sitting down on one. I wouldn't try it, but I hate spiders in the first place.

The Witchetty grub dad of axle posted looks good to me. I've fed my axolotls some nice small slugs and grubs from my yard when I can't find worms small enough for them (when they were around 3 and 4 inches and bloodworms got too messy). If you want to go wild and try variation from earthworms, I'd go for grubs over anything else. They're easy to find, and look pretty good to me. I'm not sure on the fat to protein ratios, but I'd guess they'd be closer to waxworms (they do look like a writhing ball of fat), so sticking to earthworms for the most part would probably be best.

If I were lost in a forest area for weeks, I'd probably eat a lot of grubs.

A side note: the witchetty grub wiki article is right for most grubs. They're easiest to find near tree roots, especially under rocks at the base or if you dig a small hole.
 
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