Calcium Dusting

[Mustadio]

When I went to get crickets for my new T, they asked me if I wanted them calcium dusted. Is this necessary? I mean, crickets in the wild aren't calcium dusted.

 

[Code Monkey]

More than likely not. Mineral additives with crickets are important for a lot of herps that are very often both not getting the variety of food they do in the wild, nor the full spectrum of light.

Ts lack bones and don't need specific light spectrums so it's almost certainly pointless overkill. I kept a wild caught female B. smithi alive for 17 years in captivity without more than plain old store bought crickets and the occasional wild caught bug.

 

[Grael]

ummm i know i dont know that much about T.s but dont they suck out the crickets juices from the inside? and dusting the crickets it only goes on the outside sooooo even if u did dust them the T wouldnt get the mineral additives anyway?

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Grael
dont T.s suck out the crickets juices from the inside?

You're mistaking tarantulas with most true spiders. Ts don't suck anything out of an inside. They masticate whatever it is they are feeding on into an unrecognisable "meatball", constantly bathing it in their digestive fluids, and drinking that soup up.

 

[Grael]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
You're mistaking tarantulas with most true spiders. Ts don't suck anything out of an inside. They masticate whatever it is they are feeding on into an unrecognisable "meatball", constantly bathing it in their digestive fluids, and drinking that soup up.

oh even more nice lol well i told you i dont much

 

[Valael]

Oh, oh! Someone from St. Louis. I live about 40 minutes away, heh.



Finally someone in my area of the world!

 

[LPacker79]

My crickets are gutloaded. My frogs are the only critters that get dusted crickets. Since the T's are in no danger of metabolic bone disease, I trust the gutloaded crickets are providing enough nutrients.

Leanne

 

[jwb121377]

I use the dust every now and then. It probably doesn't do anything, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt.

 

[Buspirone]

Varying the kinds of insects you feed,gut loading or raising small crickets on a highly nutritious diet till they are the size you need is probably better and safer than dusting.