anyone use backyard dirt as substrate?

[EndlessForms]

Chemicals are a potential problem but I would worry more about local wildlife. If I were to use soil in my area I can know that I would have ants galore in my T cage.

well obviously, i would bake and boil the soil before using it, so it would clean out all that stuff..

 

[jeryst]

I just bought a huge bag (8.8 liters) of loose Eco-earth at Petsmart for $9.00.

More than enough to fill up just about anything.

 

[EndlessForms]

I just bought a huge bag (8.8 liters) of loose Eco-earth at Petsmart for $9.00.

More than enough to fill up just about anything.

WOW...i got some sphagnum peat moss 85 liters for the same price...i think i like that lol

 

[Ictinike]

I don't really understand the chemical and pesticide paranoia that occurs in questions regarding soil from the outdoors. It sometimes appears that everyone forgets or doesn't know tarantulas live in people's backyards and in city run parks in their range in the country. Some, at least from what I've seen in the suburbs of Dallas/ Ft. Worth Texas, have very well maintained landscaping! If chemicals were such a big problem that the pet trade community makes it out to be, I don't think tarantulas would be as prevalent in suburban neighborhoods as they are. Also, it seems very unlikely that the top soil, compost, peat moss, etc. bought at a garden center is sterile or even "clean." Who knows what trucks it is carried around in or even where it comes from exactly?

I wanted to audience this a bit and your comments.

Sure tarantulas live in the wild and in may peoples back yards and they were born there. The mother and father both lived there most likely and over time and successive generations have built a tolerance to the possible pesticides and fauna that reside in the same area. Wild caught T's would have this and if you were to collect soil from the surrounding area it was caught, assuming it's not a far traveling male, you most likely would be OK however in captive bred pets, which is most of what the hobby is striving for, do not have these tolerances.

Captive bred spiders live in a fairly clean and isolated world and releasing the potential hazards from local soil may prove too much for them to overcome thus resulting in death. Because they have not built up those defenses to possible pesticides, chemicals and local fauna it would be like taking a boy/girl in a bubble (those in specially designed sterile environments) and shoving them into a mosh pit. They most likely would contract any number of conditions.

Lastly this effect is not simply isolated in the T world but any and most life on the planet. Ever hear of small pox decimating the local population of indigenous tribes of the new world? Yes, same effect. Explorers coming from Europe to North America so many years ago brought with them various diseases and items (read: alcohol) that proved, in most cases, detrimental to the local indigenous tribes. The locals had never been exposed to such things thus were at it's mercy until they as well went through rounds and rounds of disease, death and ultimate tolerance.

This is why many state this opinion and not because they know this directly or just repeat what has been told to them but is the backbone of why the argument persists.

Thanks!

 

[esotericman]

I can not find a single thing in that which is not based on wild assumption.

Assuming the parents (WC) can "build up a tolerance to pesticides" but that it is not inherent in the species for example. What mechanism would allow species to adapt, yet disappear in CB generations? Furthermore, are we talking about pesticides with half-lives measure in decades? Pesticides are not heavy metals which stick around for decades or longer.

I fail to see what small pox has to do with anything in regards to tarantulas. The assumption here is that soil has pathogens with the ability to infect tarantulas. There is host specificity involved in diseases/parasites. I am willing to entertain ideas that native soil can kill tarantulas, but only with evidence. Far too many people have used soil without a single death.

The many are paranoid at worse, or ignorant at best. I have yet to see a single soil organism which has ever been shown to kill tarantulas, in our hobby (USA). I've used soil for a few tarantulas myself, and for over 5 years, no deaths.

Now, as I said, this is an international site, and what works for my collection might not work for others. There are soil fungi which can kill tarantulas, but those are in the tropics. But it has been documented, the rest as I stated along with AphonopelmaTX is unsupported.

Wade Warila was always a huge supporter of natural soils, as was Cedrik (Mr. Pterinochilus) and others. Parroting what people have seen on websites holds no water compared to decades of combined keeping.