Plastics and effects on our Ts

[Gogyeng]

I make my enclosures with plexiglass, sometimes with combination of glass and plexi. Glass looks nice, you dont need to glue it , just silicone,but advantages stop there... plastic is so much easier to perforate, add ventilation, is light and easy to transport, than glass, easy to manipulate and handle (although can get scratched too). Also, water cup? plastic. Of course the rest of the decoration and foundations tend to be similar for me, wood, coco fiber, sphagnum moss, the occasional plant with substrate. So I can say I am a bit laid back with plastic these days, but I can see alarmingly news on how PBA and other compounds are harmful for animals in manufacture, including us humans. So I wanted to know your opinion on that one. Do you think plastic use is fine for the Ts, have you observed anything detrimental by 'overuse' of it?

 

[MetalMan2004]

I can’t necessarily comment specifically on tarantulas, but with humans the major issue with plastics is BPA. These days a lot of stuff is BPA free, but the only way BPA is released is through lots of heat anyways. Unless you are giving your tarantula hot tea or coffee that shouldn’t be an issue.

 

[Gogyeng]

Heat might well be true... But I can't really say plastic is inert. Are your plexiglass walls and plastic cups completely spotless after years of scrubbing? My cups in particular get noticeably lighter, my plexy blurs, and scratches noticeably. Well that can well be me or the Ts shooting chemical action on the walls or other more solid warfare (stones in the substrate). Sorry for the bad example, plastic is soooooooft man

 

[Liquifin]

This thread is confusing. Are talking about all plastic in general?? Or those that uses BPA??

BPA usage is still debatable in environmental politics, so I can't say anything on that matter.

Do you think plastic use is fine for the Ts, have you observed anything detrimental by 'overuse' of it?

If you're talking about all plastic in general then I disagree in that sense. A huge portion of T. hobbyist use sterlite bins and containers like me for example, which those containers and bins are made of plastic and have lasted for years for some keepers.

 

[viper69]

I make my enclosures with plexiglass, sometimes with combination of glass and plexi. Glass looks nice, you dont need to glue it , just silicone,but advantages stop there... plastic is so much easier to perforate, add ventilation, is light and easy to transport, than glass, easy to manipulate and handle (although can get scratched too). Also, water cup? plastic. Of course the rest of the decoration and foundations tend to be similar for me, wood, coco fiber, sphagnum moss, the occasional plant with substrate. So I can say I am a bit laid back with plastic these days, but I can see alarmingly news on how PBA and other compounds are harmful for animals in manufacture, including us humans. So I wanted to know your opinion on that one. Do you think plastic use is fine for the Ts, have you observed anything detrimental by 'overuse' of it?

No one knows is your answer.

still debatable in environmental politics

True for politics...science, not a debate from what I have seen. The substitutes for BPA, science has found they are just as bad.