# calcium dust on crickets, is it safe for T's



## Irene B. Smithi (Dec 22, 2010)

I just got a Bearded Dragon, and will need to dust the crickets.  What I wanted to know is: would it be safe for my Ts and scorpions to eat dusted Crickets?  Or do I need to have separate feeders for the BD and the Arachnids? 

Thanks


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## Treynok (Dec 22, 2010)

If it is what I'm thinking of I use the same stuff for my pacman frog.  I just dust some of it onto the feeders right before giving them to the frog and then he eats those feeders.  I give non-dusted to all my inverts as there is a debate on excess calcium leading to bad molts / ruptures over time though nothing is confirmed and it is all speculation.  I don't dust my invert feeders and wouldn't recommend it but if you feel the need to most people will probably say don't or do it at your own risk.


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## Irene B. Smithi (Dec 22, 2010)

okay... so that's a big no to dusting them while they're still in the bag.  Just wanted to double check on that.  Thank you!!!


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## Sleazoid (Dec 22, 2010)

You can just feed the crickets regularly and your Tarantulas won't mind. Tarantulas and Reptiles are completely different. I came into this hobby thinking they were somewhat similar, they are nothing alike.


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## Irene B. Smithi (Dec 22, 2010)

Sleazoid said:


> You can just feed the crickets regularly and your Tarantulas won't mind. Tarantulas and Reptiles are completely different. I came into this hobby thinking they were somewhat similar, they are nothing alike.


I'm referring to 'dusting' the crickets with 'Fluker's Calcium with Vitamin D3'.
If as mentioned there is a chance of issues with molting due to increase of calcium, then I'll simply dust them right before feeding instead while they are still in the store bag as suggested by the pet store.


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## patrick86 (Dec 22, 2010)

I've heard the same stories that Treynok is referring to and choose to not dust any feeder insect that is destined for our inverts.


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## KoriTamashii (Dec 23, 2010)

patrick86 said:


> I've heard the same stories that Treynok is referring to and choose to not dust any feeder insect that is destined for our inverts.


Agreed. Even a slight dusting isn't really worth the inherent risk, to me.


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## Vespula (Dec 23, 2010)

I don't dust mine. I just don't want to risk it.


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## Arachnobored (Dec 23, 2010)

I disagree with my learned colleagues from the West...

A tarantula does not lick the bodies of it's victims at any point, so unless some calcium dust blows into it's eye, it will have no effect on the arachnid. (A small eye-bath will help with the latter)


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## KoriTamashii (Dec 23, 2010)

Arachnobored said:


> I disagree with my learned colleagues from the West...
> 
> A tarantula does not lick the bodies of it's victims at any point, so unless some calcium dust blows into it's eye, it will have no effect on the arachnid. (A small eye-bath will help with the latter)


Yes, but it still ingests the dust along with the cricket.


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## jimip (Dec 23, 2010)

your best bet is to gut load. but i thought scorpions needed calcium but cant have d3?


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## Arachnobored (Dec 23, 2010)

KoriTamashii said:


> Yes, but it still ingests the dust along with the cricket.




In what quantities? 9 microns? Ten?

How exactly does the spider manage this, and do you have any papers to back up this theory? 

The spider pre-digests the prey and then ingests the resultant mulch. Any calcium powder entering his/her tiny mouth would be microscopic and totally harmless as suggested by anecdotal evidence.

Let's not get side-tracked by voodoo and urban legends. There are no papers on this subject, so it's a matter of conjecture, and you must decide for yourself, but logically....there's no realistic chance of your tarantula having a calium related moulting problem as a result of a dusted cricket.


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## Bill S (Dec 23, 2010)

Arachnobored said:


> In what quantities? 9 microns? Ten?
> 
> How exactly does the spider manage this, and do you have any papers to back up this theory?
> 
> ...


Other than microns being a measurement of length rather than volume, you're right on the money.  There are lots of pseudoscientific "rules" regarding the keeping of tarantulas that do not hold up well under critical examination.  This may be one of them.  I'd like to see actual studies on the topic before I'd fully accept it.


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## Sleazoid (Dec 23, 2010)

Orchid said:


> I'm referring to 'dusting' the crickets with 'Fluker's Calcium with Vitamin D3'.
> If as mentioned there is a chance of issues with molting due to increase of calcium, then I'll simply dust them right before feeding instead while they are still in the store bag as suggested by the pet store.


Yeah I understand that, you apparently misread my post. I stated that there is no reason to dust them. No one has proven it harmful, but if you don't dust the crickets they will live just as long as they would with the dust. (Unless it does turn out that the calcium causes molting issues.) My point is there is just no need for it in my opinion.


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## Moltar (Dec 23, 2010)

I wouldn't. As stated above, they don't _need_ it. There's no proof that calcium does harm to tarantulas but neither is there proof that it _doesn't_.


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## Suidakkra (Dec 23, 2010)

Until there is actual bonified evidence that supports the facts that calcium dust either harms/benefits a Tarantula, I will be sticking with non-dusting and minimal calcium. Although there may not be a concrete study that states it, its generally a past practice of many keepers to not use high quantities of calcium.

Some keepers have had Tarantulas live for 20+ years without using calcium, so I will just stick with the tried and proven.


To each, it's own.


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## Irene B. Smithi (Dec 23, 2010)

Suidakkra said:


> Until there is actual bonified evidence that supports the facts that calcium dust either harms/benefits a Tarantula, I will be sticking with non-dusting and minimal calcium. Although there may not be a concrete study that states it, its generally a past practice of many keepers to not use high quantities of calcium.
> 
> Some keepers have had Tarantulas live for 20+ years without using calcium, so I will just stick with the tried and proven.
> 
> ...


The only reason I wanted to dust is for my Bearded Dragon... not the T's... just wanted to know if it was okay or not to dust while in the store bag, which I've decided I'll only dust the crickets right before feeding the Bearded Dragon and not the whole batch... I buy a lot of crickets.... lol so, just wanted to know..


thanks for all the help!


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## jimip (Dec 23, 2010)

just dump some out then dust the rest in the bag. then everyones covered. ohh and injoy the beardie there wonderful


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## Suidakkra (Dec 23, 2010)

Orchid said:


> The only reason I wanted to dust is for my Bearded Dragon... not the T's... just wanted to know if it was okay or not to dust while in the store bag, which I've decided I'll only dust the crickets right before feeding the Bearded Dragon and not the whole batch... I buy a lot of crickets.... lol so, just wanted to know..
> 
> 
> thanks for all the help!


I love beardies   Blood Red German Giants are my fav !!


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## Arachnobored (Dec 25, 2010)

Bill S said:


> Other than microns being a measurement of length rather than volume, you're right on the money.


Agreed. I was using it as a reference to length of the particle.


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## Netherland (Dec 25, 2010)

Sure you can, just powder your crickets and dubia's... just like in the wild, where all insects are pre powdered....


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## webbedone (Dec 25, 2010)

Speaking from personal experience:

For number of years now i have kept many different species of Ts and purchased crix from the local petstore to use as feeders, I used crystal water and Flukers premium cricket gut-loader (the one with HIGH CALCIUM description on it) to feed and gut load my crix. Oblivious of the rumors that calcium can cause bad molts, i used it simply because when i was starting out in the hobby and was clueless to how much crix actually eat bought two large jars of it and i wasn't going to throw it away just because it >>MIGHT<<
cause problems. As soon as i found out that calcium may be potentially dangerous to the Ts i thought to myself "Thats absured! Any insect in nature is bound to consume some calcium sooner or later! Infact some tarantulas are more than capable of taking down bigger pray like mice and in cases of largest of Ts like T.blondi and L.parahybana even small snakes and lizards bigger in size than the tarantulas themselves."

Since then i have not stopped trying to get rid of the fluke's high-calcium cricket diet by feeding it off to my crix and even my B. Dubias that i have recently purchased from the North Berks Reptile show on Dec 4th since i was getting sick of buying crix all the time. Having said that NONE of my Tarantulas had any problems molting not even a stuck limb or the dreaded wet molt and cysts. Some of them like my Rosie, Pulchra and L.Parahybana even went through multiple molts and are healthy and are always hungry for anything that moves!

Just my story about calcium sorry if i wrote a book.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Arachnobored (Dec 27, 2010)

Great to see common sense isn't totally extinct.


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