Does calcium from mice ACTUALLY interfere with molting?

[Estein]

This is scientifically not true. There's a scientific paper reporting on calcium levels. They likely use it for molecular signalling like almost all animals use calcium for (including humans), among other things too.

Do you know the title and/or authors of the paper offhand? I'd like to read it but didn't spot anything applicable in a Google search.

 

[viper69]

Do you know the title and/or authors of the paper offhand? I'd like to read it but didn't spot anything applicable in a Google search.

What are your search terms and specifically which search engine?

 

[Estein]

What are your search terms and specifically which search engine?

I wasn't quite sure how specific to tarantulas the article you mentioned was, so I used Google and searched "tarantula calcium levels paper" (very cursory, I know). Was it "Peptide Neurotoxins that Affect Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels" from Pringos et. al.?

What search engines would you recommend?

 

[viper69]

I wasn't quite sure how specific to tarantulas the article you mentioned was, so I used Google and searched "tarantula calcium levels paper" (very cursory, I know). Was it "Peptide Neurotoxins that Affect Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels" from Pringos et. al.?

What search engines would you recommend?

Haha, oh it's specific alright, the papers are about tarantulas Use Google Scholar and Pubmed.

The paper you found is not about Ts per se, it is about scientists that have isolated a peptide from a T's venom that acts upon an ion channel, usually by inhibiting the channel. There are many of these types of articles. They do not inform the reader about T biology.

Use these 3 terms: calcium tarantula haemolymph

 

[Estein]

Haha, oh it's specific alright, the papers are about tarantulas Use Google Scholar and Pubmed.

The paper you found is not about Ts per se, it is about scientists that have isolated a peptide from a T's venom that acts upon an ion channel, usually by inhibiting the channel. There are many of these types of articles. They do not inform the reader about T biology.

Use these 3 terms: calcium tarantula haemolymph

Ahh thank you so much. I look forward to reading the paper. I haven't really used Pubmed--this opens a whole new world.

 

[Bugmom]

This is scientifically not true. There's a scientific paper reporting on calcium levels. They likely use it for molecular signalling like almost all animals use calcium for (including humans), among other things too.

Is the paper specifically referencing calcium's affect on molting, as myself and the OP were doing?

 

[Moakmeister]

Moak, I think you need you take the word of 2 of the worlds foremost experts on these animals who have actually observed these animals in their habitat. There is no contradiction but from a bunch of misinformed hobbyists.

Does this mean one should or shouldn't feed a pre-killed mouse/pinky to a T, no it doesn't. However there is no harm in doing this as provided by some of the keepers above as well. I've done this too, specifically pinkies, no heath issues.

But instead of taking the word of hobbyists, why don't you take the words of spider scientists!!

http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/CalciumMoltMyth.html

"And, our hero is completely ignoring the fact that both Sam Marshall (Tarantulas and Other Arachnids) and Rick C. West (both respected arachnologists and field investigators who've actually been to South America to study T. blondi) have reported that in their wild habitat T. blondi subsisted on a diet very rich in forest floor amphibians. That translates into a natural diet rich in calcium. With no obvious untoward affects."

we already solved this question doe :/ i accepted the answers from everyone. The first guy just worded in a way that made me think he was saying something different, but once that was cleared up, that was the end of it.

 

[viper69]

Is the paper specifically referencing calcium's affect on molting, as myself and the OP were doing?

No, you wrote they don't use calcium for anything, which is not factually true.