crickets

[Longbord1]

do crickets bite when u hold them and dose it hurt

 

[Longbord1]

also is sand alright for my emp scorp becaue i use sand for my g rosea and shes fine

 

[XOskeletonRED]

Crickets wont bite through skin.... it wont hurt.

Sand is not a suitable substrate for Pandinus imperator because it will not hold humidity as well as they will require. Nor can they burrow as well in it. Peat is prolly your best bet because it is very inexpensive and works well for them and with humidity.

adios,
edw.

 

[Longbord1]

problem is that my mom wants a pretty colored substrate

 

[XOskeletonRED]

:? Not a good idea with this species of scorpion. I don't think they make "pretty" peat moss and other forest type substrates. They go for more realism. If a "pretty" sand is desired, get rid of the emp and get a non-deadly desert scorp. Like I said, sand can't hold the humidity high enough to sustain their requirements. If they don't have nearing 80% humidity, they will dry out and die in time.


adios,
edw.

 

[Reitz]

I agree on the sand issue, as for the crickets, I got bit by a big one while I was attempting to de-chirp it. I think it kinda hurt (but I'm also kind of a wuss). I use gloves now!

Chris

 

[Frank]

Sand is not good for Ts too by the way..



Correct me if i'm wrong, but it will hurt their undersides after a long time..






Frank

 

[chau0046]

I beleive it can cause *edit*adverse effects after a molt.

Mat

 

[Reitz]

I think you mean adverse, Mat (not to sound like a jerk). I don't keep T's, but I've heard it hurts the pads on their feet (sorry, if the technical language was too intense there just PM me ).

Chris

 

[Longbord1]

but in the wild lots of tarantulas live in sandy areas and the petshop say it's alright

 

[Reitz]

Again, I'm no T expert--I don't even keep them. You should ask the T forum. But my guess would be that although some T's live in sandy areas, they don't spend all their time on sand, which may wear away at their exos. Again, not my specialty.

Chris

 

[Longbord1]

thanx for ur help don't take my argument personally

 

[Frank]

As far as I know, there's not much deserts Ts...

And always remember: never trust the petshop guys. Some says the truth, some says what they want you to hear and then buy.

I'm not really far into Ts (even if I own one) but I really think that your rosea would be better on something else than sand.. peat moss, coconut thinggy.. there's plenty of stuff that are still good looking, if ever you do a nice setup, it'll be way better than sand.

Sand is only good for 100% desertical arachnids.

Try another more proper substrate, I'm sure your rosea will do bigger smiles




Frank

 

[Whitdadie]

They have already cleared up the substrate deal but as for cricket bites... There are a ton of different crickets and all have different "bitting" habbits. Most of the crickets you buy in the pet trade do not bite enough to say so. The thing that used to bother me was the spike on the bottom of the females, which is harmless (it is an egg laying tube, not a stinger). It is possible to get nasty crickets in the trade though. Some crickets are so nasty that they can draw blood. I cant remember the names of the more bitty crickets.. wish i could so then you might know if you have those kinds.. but most o the store purchased ones dont bite hard there for no pain. Wild ones... thats a different story.. good luck

 

[Mister Internet]

Originally posted by longbord1
but in the wild lots of tarantulas live in sandy areas and the petshop say it's alright

longbord,

Most petshops receive scorps, tarantulas, and other inverts as part of their "shipments" and they usually never know what to do with them. They may just say the first thing that pops into their head and then act like they have a clue... or, they may actually have a clue. The point is, you never know... just like you would probably rather get fish advice from a store that specializes in fish, you're better off getting advice on Tarantulas from Arachopets. Here are some links where the sand things has been beaten to death many times before... and your Mom should be able to see the logic of giving an animal what it actually NEEDS instead of what's pretty:

http://www.arachnopets.com/arachnob...id=19915&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

 

[XOskeletonRED]

Wow guys! Those posts are great explanations on many of the aspects of keeping and indeed, it's like Mr Int said, "your Mom should be able to see the logic of giving an animal what it actually NEEDS instead of what's pretty". A pretty substrate is sometimes nice, but I prefer the realism over the "pretty" aspects of things. Most notably, the substrate in which to keep arachnids and other creatures on. I do use some different sand colorations on occasion to photograph different species that appear duller colored on their natural terrain, but that's as far as it goes. I also only do this immediately upon their arrival and minutes later, move them to a more suitable substrate.

adios,
edw.

 

[rza672003]

CRICKETS DONT BITE!!!!!

 

[Kugellager]

Uh...I beg to differ...I have gotten bitten by the little buggers on at least a half dozen occasions...some of which I actually witnessed the biting.

John
];')

 

[XOskeletonRED]

As a completely true statement, ALL CRICKETS are capable of biting, though many people don't catch them from the angle which they would be required to be at in order to bite. Also, some species of crickets which have a harder exoskeleton, are more capable of biting than others and the bite will be felt much faster and more intense than others. I quote from the cricketman of Tennisee, "I have been bitten by some weaker species and didn't know, other than having a stinging sensation which felt like a light pin prick (no blood drawn) and some others who have had a harder and darker exo and bitten in areas of the hands with more sensitive skin and they have almost drawn blood. A red spot almost always occured." Just to let anyone know, this guy is the major supplier of crickets for the entire south side of TN and the north side of GA, and has been breeding them for at least fifteen years, so I'm sure he knows what he's talking about.

adios,
edw, =D