Day & Night Cycle

[grimmjowls]

Do tarantulas benefit from a day and night cycle?

I don't mean putting a light on their enclosure. I mean being in a room with the curtains pulled back and natural sunlight falling in the room (not directly on the Ts emclosure) for approximately 12 hours or so. Would it be the same if they lived in a dark closet for ~24 hours a day?

I know they don't have the best eyesight by any means, but that doesn't always mean the rest of the body can't sync with the cycle.

Also, as far as I know, they don't really... "sleep" like mammals and other animals.

Any scientific studies or research on the topic would be greatly appreciated!

Opinions are, of course, welcome.

 

[Venom1080]

i dont put too much effort into a diurnal cycle, i open the blinds in the morning, make sure theres no direct sunlight on the cages, and leave it at that. Ts can recognize light from dark. i would think they would be a little confused if they were in the dark 24/7, and stressed out if they were in the light all the time. i dont see them really benefiting from it, but theres no harm in doing it. especially since its such a small and simple thing.

 

[Flexzone]

IMO I can see them benefiting from having a regular day/night cycle, tbh I haven't really made sure to stick to one all the time. Being nocturnal by nature there primitive eyes are still able to detect when ambient light levels drop, they're most active hunting for prey, preforming maintenance for there burrows/retreats etc. I believe T's in general go into and experience a rest like state(torpor) were you see they remain very still and don't respond as sensitively to stimuli(us) around them.

 

[Poec54]

They're nocturnal, so they're on the opposite schedule of most owners. If you don't watch them after dark and in the wee hors, you're missing a lot of what your spiders are up to.

Another factor in their activity is nighttime drops in temp (5 or 10 degrees).

 

[grimmjowls]

IMO I can see them benefiting from having a regular day/night cycle, tbh I haven't really made sure to stick to one all the time. Being nocturnal by nature there primitive eyes are still able to detect when ambient light levels drop, they're most active hunting for prey, preforming maintenance for there burrows/retreats etc. I believe T's in general go into and experience a rest like state(torpor) were you see they remain very still and don't respond as sensitively to stimuli(us) around them.

I figured obvious distinctions of daytime would trigger their "sleep" periods more so than nighttime.

 

[cold blood]

The less light they are exposed to, generally the more visible they will be....a day/night schedule is not a requirement for a t....my t room gets the little bit of light that seeps past the shade or from my flashlights, that's it.

 

[cold blood]

I figured obvious distinctions of daytime would trigger their "sleep" periods more so than nighttime.

they do not sleep in the manner in which we are accustomed.

 

[viper69]

they do not sleep in the manner in which we are accustomed.

I think that's why s/he put quotes around sleep

 

[High Lord Dee]

I say YES. But may be in the minority here? I have lighting on timers for most of my enclosures.

 

[EulersK]

I say YES. But may be in the minority here? I have lighting on timers for most of my enclosures.

Why do you say yes? What have you observed? Clearly you've seen some benefit if you took the time and expense to set up light timers.

Personally, I see no difference. My tarantulas are in a room with blackout curtains - only the smallest amount of light comes through. It's not pitch black in the afternoon, but you could certainly take a nap in that room during the day. Due to this, they seem to be active the majority of the time... especially during the summer months in the middle of the day. Warm, dark, and quiet. That makes for an active spider. As Poec54 brought up, some species respond pretty well to the lower temps at night. I mainly see that in the arboreal and obligate burrower species.

 

[14pokies]

They could live without a day night cycle but if it can be provided I think it's beneficial...

 

[Poec54]

I figured obvious distinctions of daytime would trigger their "sleep" periods more so than nighttime.

A lot of them live in tropical forests with huge trees and a lot of foliage, so things can be fairly shady during the day.

 

[grimmjowls]

A lot of them live in tropical forests with huge trees and a lot of foliage, so things can be fairly shady during the day.

But shady differs from night, no?

 

[grimmjowls]

they do not sleep in the manner in which we are accustomed.

I'm aware. Hence the quotations, like @viper69 said.

 

[High Lord Dee]

Why do you say yes? What have you observed? Clearly you've seen some benefit if you took the time and expense to set up light timers.

Personally, I see no difference. My tarantulas are in a room with blackout curtains - only the smallest amount of light comes through. It's not pitch black in the afternoon, but you could certainly take a nap in that room during the day. Due to this, they seem to be active the majority of the time... especially during the summer months in the middle of the day. Warm, dark, and quiet. That makes for an active spider. As Poec54 brought up, some species respond pretty well to the lower temps at night. I mainly see that in the arboreal and obligate burrower species.

I believe that all living things benefit from the natural day and night cycle. As most of the inverts we collect here at nocturnal, they are far more active in the dark. I have not scientific evidence to back this regarding T's but believe if the inverts live prolonged periods in the dark, they could suffer by not having a true "rest" period. This would shorten the life span if I am correct. Regardless, there is an additional benefit to us. Without light, it is very easy to NOT examine your enclosures until your prescribed maintenance time. We all suffer from the occasional time pressures of real life and planned maintenance periods can be delayed. Having the enclosures visible allows us to see any problems much sooner and prevent catastrophic problems for our inverts. So, I see it as a dual benefit. Lastly, there are keepers that enjoy the addition of live plants to the enclosure. Although you will hear arguments against that, they require lighting to survive.

It would be important to ensure that your inverts have a good hide to completely remove themselves from any light source at their will. Otherwise, the opposite will occur: Stress. However, there are very few of my species that have not rewarded me by coming out during the "daylight" period and I was able to see their full color radiance. To your point, lighting systems are not inexpensive and add complexity to your set ups so make sure you do the research.

 

[Poec54]

Without light, it is very easy to NOT examine your enclosures until your prescribed maintenance time.

Doesn't every room in a house have a lamp or overhead light? Anytime you walk in the spider room you can turn it on.

 

[Venom1080]

It would be important to ensure that your inverts have a good hide to completely remove themselves from any light source at their will. Otherwise, the opposite will occur: Stress. However, there are very few of my species that have not rewarded me by coming out during the "daylight" period and I was able to see their full color radiance. To your point, lighting systems are not inexpensive and add complexity to your set ups so make sure you do the research.

what species? i cant see the violet on my violaceopes without a flashlight, shes never out until the rooms gone dark for the night. i dont think you can see much color just with the sunlight.. lighting systems are quite useless. the same can be acheived by opeing the blinds, it makes a daylight cycle just like that, i used a lighting system on a few of my cages before and i am not impressed. the T hid the entire time but came out within minutes of the system going off.

 

[Introvertebrate]

............I have not scientific evidence to back this regarding T's but believe if the inverts live prolonged periods in the dark, they could suffer by not having a true "rest" period..........

Spiders live and successfully breed in my dark garage all summer long. They choose that location. The only time they get any significant light is when I open the door. Usually that's about 5 minutes per day.

 

[High Lord Dee]

Spiders live and successfully breed in my dark garage all summer long. They choose that location. The only time they get any significant light is when I open the door. Usually that's about 5 minutes per day.

True for some species. But they are not in pitch black either in this case assuming you have some sort of window? So, I am confident they know that their internal clocks still tick. Whatever. As I said, I have no scientific evidence but would interested to hear if anyone does.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I did (and still doing) exactly what you asked in this thread, since 1992. A gentle light filtered by the window curtain.