Why?

[Blaze]

I was wandering youtube, and i noticed some videos of tarantulas killing mice...i noticed that the video had around a 4:1 dislike to like ratio...but then when i see a video of a tarantula eating a cricket...its the opposite, and the viewers are happy instead of angry? hmm...thoughts?

 

[vickywild]

^It's dangerous for the spider to be going face to face with a live mouse. And as I believe, the contents of a mouse contain far too much calcium for most spiders...So it's not recommended any way.

ALSO, it's actually illegal in a few places to feed live mice to spiders, because it is really not necassery.

 

[Lawnmower599]

people like mice a bit more than crickets

calcium could kill a t as it gives it molting problems
and it could harm the tarantula

while a cricket is fine
no or little calcium and it wont kill the t if its smaller than the tarantula

 

[Hobo]

It's because it's completely unnecessary, and potentially dangerous for the spider to go against a live mouse.

The calcium thing isn't really proven, but most have noticed a trend of problematic molts and unexplained deaths when fed mice. My personal guess is that it's the mite sprays/medicated food that some mice might be treated with at the LPS, rather than calcium content.

With larger feeder inverts available, there really isn't a point in feeding large, live mice.

 

[Blaze]

i understand it is harmful to the T, but the youtube community really doesnt care about the T, the reason they're giving the video so much hate, is because they feel pity for the mouse. keep in mind not everyone on youtube know as much about T's as we do.

 

[Hobo]

Well yeah, a mouse is much more cuddly and cute than a cricket. And YouTube comments aren't exactly a place of wisdom.

Cute thing getting eaten = mad
Ugly thing getting eaten = happy

That's pretty much why.

 

[vickywild]

It's like the whole dolphin/shark thing really isn't it?

Ask for donations for the sharks that killed every day for shark fin soup..nah, sharks are horrid.

Ask for donations for the dolphins that get harmed by nets DUE to the shark fin soup trade..get lots of donations.

 

[BobGrill]

I hate humans Just because something isn't cute and cuddly, then it deserves to die.

 

[rodneyfool]

IMO, it's an insect vs. animal thing as well as a matter of size. For example, swatting a fly to its death seems fine to most people. but swatting a tarantula to its death is horrible to most people. Both are insects, but a tarantula is more visual than a small fly. Furthermore, feeding an insect to an insect is fine, but feeding an animal to an insect just seems wrong.

 

[Hobo]

Well, tarantula's gotta eat, and she ain't gonna go vegetarian!
Inverts don't feel "pain" as we know it anyway, so there's a huge difference between comparing mice and crickets to dolphins and sharks.

...For example, swatting a fly to its death seems fine to most people. but swatting a tarantula to its death is horrible to most people. Both are insects...

Tee hee hee..

 

[rodneyfool]

Err.. In a vague world of only insects and animals

 

[Goljat]

I hate humans too. Or those who are just superficials.. And in every area of life. Damn. And now I need to find a girlfriend. Huoh!

 

[sja69]

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=202173

 

[Jmugleston]

IMO, it's an insect vs. animal thing as well as a matter of size. For example, swatting a fly to its death seems fine to most people. but swatting a tarantula to its death is horrible to most people. Both are insects, but a tarantula is more visual than a small fly. Furthermore, feeding an insect to an insect is fine, but feeding an animal to an insect just seems wrong.

I'm confused.

Insects are animals.......Did you mean insect vs. mammal?

Tarantulas are not insects. Tarantulas are arachnids......Did you mean arthropod?

 

[Jenthevet]

I hate humans Just because something isn't cute and cuddly, then it deserves to die.

I think food animals are cute and cuddly and can't eat them but many people love to eat their flesh. But my reason is mostly due to watching the horror at the slaughter plants I have toured and not wanting to perpetuate that fate for the animals. (toured as part of my veterinary education). I kinda feel like if people are gonna eat animals and their by-products (dairy, eggs, roe) from commercialized venues, they should see how they die first. But I'm getting off point....sorry....early....coffee...

I agree that the original question is likely due to the cute factor, and the more obvious distress the prey suffers when it's a mammal and not an insect. I stupidly watched one such video and regret it....can't erase those memories. I think the people taping the event actually giggled when the mouse started twitching and the T got as far away as possible after striking it. It was an OW species and an adult mouse.

I often *hate* people, too.

 

[webbedone]

There is no such thing as a cute mouse. Its a vermin rodent that infests breeds and spreads deseases only because men found a commertial use for the previously mentioned morsels doesnt mean that we should feel any regret for them. Carriers of black plague they are in my book no matter how cute and pink and cuddly they may look. Anyway its tottaly unneccessary to feed any size tarantula a mouse even as small as a hopper or a pinky. One strike in a right place(abdomen) at the right time (death twitch) and its game over for you precious pet that you raised from a 1/4" sling, not to mention the calcium theory.

 

[venom81]

tarantulas worst enemy Ignorance

 

[Lorum]

Well, I think pain and suffering are the central issues here. Mammals and Arthropods do not feel the same, at least that is what experiments suggest. There have been threads about that.

Of course, maybe YouTube users don't care about that and just see the "poor mouse" being killed and the "negligible cricket" being eaten.

 

[TGod]

I think i saw that video, was it an ornamental T and the uploader was showing off its poison. The spider bits it then just crawls up the glass and waits while the mouse runs around flipping and fitting for like 5 mins before dying. There were some pretty harsh comments on that vid one of which from me lol. People get angry from odds against the mouse, were it the wild the mouse would be able to run away but being enclosed it couldn't and had an extreamly unfair fight and its all because of the lack of mercy the uploader had because he wanted to post a vid on youtube for the sake of "entertainment"

 

[catfishrod69]

i think that we should put one of the guys responsible for the mice eating videos into a huge pit with a 15' saltwater crocodile, then yell down to him, "your not his natural food, but it is gonna be sooooo fun to watch, and we will make sure this video makes youtube".....