MICE, CALCIUM, AND MOLTING

[PamCz]

So...I was looking up some "myths" of the tarantula keeping hobby, and stumbled across the following article by none other than the Schultzes, famed arachnoculturists, and authors of the Tarantula Keeper's Guide. I'm sure we've all heard feeding mice to our T's is a serious no-no...and that if you do it, you'll risk bad molt. Not true!

(But, having said it's not true, I still could never feed a mouse to my T. Not even a dead one. It's not necessary, for one, and second...I couldn't stomach the clean-up, or the smell from it 8 hours later. lol... Just thought I'd share & try to bust the myth!)

http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/CalciumMoltMyth.html

 

[spidey noob]

well thanks for busting that myth, i agree a mouse now & again wouldnt hurt a T but feeding them constanly wouldnt do them any good.
i will happly feed mice to my Ts as i got used to it when i had snakes. (used to bread rats as feeders for them)

 

[PamCz]

well thanks for busting that myth, i agree a mouse now & again wouldnt hurt a T but feeding them constanly wouldnt do them any good.
i will happly feed mice to my Ts as i got used to it when i had snakes. (used to bread rats as feeders for them)

Yeah, I was just surprised to see that, other than causing obesity if fed mice too often, it doesn't really seem to be a problem. I had bought into the myth of it causing bad molts, and have seen a ton of other people spreading that myth online. But, indeed, a frozen (thawed in warm water) pinkie every now & again won't actually hurt them.

But, since T's can be trained to take a dead pinkie, a live one, IMO, is cruel. Not picking a fight with anyone reading here, or anything...to each his own. It's just that I used to have hamsters as a kid...and I still really like rodents. (Uh...not wild rodents loose in my house...only the ones in a cage! Just clarifying!)

 

[spidey noob]

the problem is there is two many internet warriors who think they no every thing there is loads of top advice online but u do have the sort out the good from the bad !!! i had to learn the hard way in my last hobby lissend to some one that i thought new what they were talking abought but they diddent have a clue cost me big time
but thats why i like this forum, loads of people with a exallent knolage of the hobby & there willing to share what they have learnd along the way.

 

[Therasoid]

This is the big reason I dismiss care sheets from big box stores and lps. Online there are a few that are knowledgeable, mostly breeders that have decades of experience and great reviews to back up their claims. Not notorious drop shippers whom I'll not name. Lol!
Rick West, Paul Becker, Mike Jacobi, and Tom Patterson are, IMO, some of the best in the hobby. Also Poec54, with nearly 40 years of experience and cared for 100's of species, gives excellent advice on the T forums.
Just my thoughts. ^_^

 

[PamCz]

This is the big reason I dismiss care sheets from big box stores and lps. Online there are a few that are knowledgeable, mostly breeders that have decades of experience and great reviews to back up their claims. Not notorious drop shippers whom I'll not name. Lol!
Rick West, Paul Becker, Mike Jacobi, and Tom Patterson are, IMO, some of the best in the hobby. Also Poec54, with nearly 40 years of experience and cared for 100's of species, gives excellent advice on the T forums.
Just my thoughts. ^_^

Right on...always appreciate opinions. Especially knowledgeable ones...lol

I dealt with Paul Becker (got 4 T's) -- what a truly *stand up* guy. Very knowledgable & really cares about the T's. You can see that in the way he does business. Great video links on his site for the (confused) noobs, too.

Would you consider PLEEEAAAAASE pm-ing me to share the notorious one's name? I like to reward the good breeders with my business, not the crappy ones. You know? Thx!