# Red light



## Nathan` (Jul 20, 2006)

I know that with my Ball python, they can't see the red color spectrum and can have a red light to be able to see them at night without disturbing them.  Is it the same with t's?  I have an avic avic in an exoterra tank that I'm wanting to put a light on so I can see it.  It's right beside my computer desk and would be nice to be able to see it better.


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## secular (Jul 20, 2006)

i've been expirmenting with the red-light thing myself.  using a flashlight and a lamp or two with red bulbs.  it seems to me like the T's can tell the difference between red light and no red light but i don't know enough to be sure.  maybe i don't use the right type of red light?  it seems like the T can tell if something interrupts the red light source, enough to make it run.  i'm just not sure if it's the light change they notice or just everything else, since they can sense all sorts of environmental changes and tiny ones at that.  i'd be interested to see what others think even though i've read a few posts on here concerning this topic before.


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## ta2edpop (Jul 20, 2006)

I use them on some of mine. It doesn't seem as they see the red spectrum of light.


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## Cerbera (Jul 20, 2006)

*the red light debate again...*

Oh its this one again. Last time we went round this, I chipped in with the viewpoint that all my T's notice when a pure red LED light is shone directly at them, but they don't seem to object to it as much as white light.

Having now added a couple more T's to the collection, I can now point out that only the baby p. fasciata seems to totally ignore the red light, and carry on with whatever it's doing at the time, illuminated, or not. All the others stop, and wait for the light to pass until they resume activity.

My instinct is still to keep spiders in a pitch dark room, and keep one red light in there that can be picked up, and shone around when you go to check them, as opposed to being on and 'in-their-faces' so to speak, all the time.

Whether they appreciate this, is, of course, anyone's guess...


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## IMPURE (Jul 21, 2006)

i actually posted this question a while back about the red light as i do have snakes as well as spiders. if you look for it you will see. i use red lights to view and check my spiders and it does not seem to bother them in any way they just go about their biz and are fine with it. still, i dont keep the light on not because of my spiders but i just cannot sleep with a red light on all the time so i keep it on at night until i go to bed and then turn it off. something you may want to try is a light you can get at petsmart or petco that will actually resemble moonlight. it is of a darker purple shade and not too bright seems to work wonders on my snakes and keeps my temps up on my spiders better than a red light plus i can sleep easier. by the way i have three g. rosea slings they are my ladies. hopefully!!! ha ha.


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## Nathan` (Jul 21, 2006)

I went looking and found one of those energy efficient bulbs that you can handle when they've been on for a while.  It's only 11 watts and throws enough light to see, but not enough to blind you.  I'm not going to be leaving it on even though it doesn't really heat up, just to view it once in a while while I'm sitting here.


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## IMPURE (Jul 21, 2006)

sounds like a good idea to me.


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## Nate (Jul 21, 2006)

This was taken from the following thread and I’m not going to debate with Steve Nunn. 

Can T's see red light? http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=67714&highlight=red+light 



			
				Steve Nunn said:
			
		

> Hi,
> Agree, the simple eyes of tarantulas cannot see the light once the spectrum is broken down. Good link, thanks for posting it  Tarantulas cannot detect red light, it's simply impossible for them to do so. Any movement detected when someone shines a red light on a spider is probably more to do with the vibrations of being near the enclosure then the actual light itself.
> 
> I've seen this debated here before, really there is no debate, they simply cannot detect light once the spectrum is broken down, same with blue light or yellow light for that matter
> ...


Something also to consider, incandescent and LED lights don’t have the similar wavelength bands. So it’s possible they wouldn’t yield the same results. I’m not a light expert so I don’t know, just a thought.

http://www.sunbriteleds.com/articles/index.asp?file=Led_VS_Incandescent.htm

Reactions: Like 2


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## Jonathan Rice (Jul 24, 2006)

*No Idea..*

I too have been struggling with the question...the question many of you have been asking yourselves! Can tarantulas see red lights? I thought not so I had the idea of getting a red cube for my geniculata, that way I could use a regular flashlight and it would shine through the red acrylic and would be still consider "red light." Unforntunately, my hypothesis was proved wrong time and time again with dif. species of tarantulas. Most noticed the light and stopped. Some were distracted by the light and a few went about their business unphased. 

My conclusion is I have no conclusion, as of yet! But soon I'll have my own answers!


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## geoff200 (Apr 19, 2012)

http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v17_n2/JoA_v17_p195.pdf

I have scan read the article and can't say I really understand it.

Can someone point out where is say's Aphonopelma can't see light that is broken down to a primary colour i.e. Red.

The way the article read to me was that they saw in black & white and ultra violet.


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## SamuraiSid (Apr 19, 2012)

Can a tarantula see red light? Im a simple hobbyist and the answer is beyond my interest. My experience and preferance are to provide a red light for viewing.... and for pupating morio larvae... and a reg light for the day/night cycle, and yes, my T's are way more active at night, and they dont seem to be bothered by me at all. Its a different story during the day.


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## grayzone (Apr 20, 2012)

idk if they can SEE it, but none of my ts appear to be bothered by one.  7 of my 11 ts are currently housed close together with 1 red bulb on to provide extra heat. they are in my den (which is cold) and the light provides them a lil extra heat. it is a good 6 to 8" away from all their enclosures.


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## Zman181 (Apr 21, 2012)

None of mine seem to be bothered.  This is how I keep them warm on cold days and nights.

Reactions: Like 1


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## spiderengineer (May 4, 2012)

when they say red light they are specifically talking about the wave length of 620-750 nanometers the only way to get this is with L.E.D. lights. by cover a normal light with a red covering is not the same. Its still white light just with a red coloring. I use Red L.E.D. lights to watch mine and shes stop when I shine white light and go on there business when its just red L.E.D. Hope that helps

P.S. Heat lamp use infrared electromagnetic waves so that they give off more heat. the reason they are reddish orange is because there wave length is right next to the red wave length of color thus in front of red or as it is called infrared. this is probably why T don't react to heat lamps light (but the heat is a different matter) because it is close to the red wavelength so it might be indiscernible to them.


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## sjl197 (May 4, 2012)

@spiderenginer.

but when you cover a white light with a red covering = filter, you are filtering out the non-red wavelengths, and what passes through are red wavelenghts.. which are the same long wavelengths as your red LED emits alone... 

And no. It's VERY VERY unlikely tarantulas can see red light. Vision has been scientifically tested in a whole host of different arthropods, and only very few can see red wavelength, day-flying butterflies and thats about it. Some bee-like insects probably can also see red end, maybe some dragonflies. No chelicerates, arachnids or any-spiders tested to date, but if any arachnids can see red, it would be some jumping spiders. Trombidiform mites would be fascinating to test too, as theyre bright red to us and maybe themselves too. Almost all arthropods just have 3 receptors, blue, green and UV, none of those suitable for detecting light at the red end of the spectrum, except really really dimly...

Reactions: Sad 1


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## weaverofwords (Apr 18, 2013)

*red-orange towel cover.*

This is just an assumption, because of how my G. Rosea was acting. I had covered her enclosure with a red-orange towel. During the day, only half the enclosure was covered, and for the longest time she wouldn't retreat to that side of the enclosure. Not red light, just a red-orange towel. I also noticed that when it was put down, to block the light, she would dig in her substrate to the point where she was below the line of the towel. She did this on both sides of her enclosure that weren't under the towel at all times. Upon removal of the towel completely, she immediately retreated to the hide side of her cage, which was the side that was constantly covered. I think they may have reactions to the red/orange spectrum of light. This would make sense seeing as the sun can be seen as the same colours in the morning and in the evening. Just my observations.


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