Power feeding / temp question

cold blood

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Ts don't emerge at night by chance or luck. It's a biological process that is controlled by external cues (it is for mammals and other animals too) that in turn control genes, protein synthesis and release, such as hormones. It's a rather interesting process.
This is speculation unless you have some info I don't...and not something I would necessarily agree with.

The external cue is sunlight...they emerge when its not there.

Now, I could be wrong here, but I think a T hiding in burrow that is nocturnal has external cues that let it know when it's time to come out.
Yeah, when the sun goes away:shifty:...same as a Dracula, and he certainly doesn't require sun. My source for this was the writings of Vlad the Impaler.:astonished::astonished::troll:
 

Pokeroo

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What about when you feed and or want to see them. Do you turn lights on? Do they all run and hide?
 

Pokeroo

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Temps do play a role, but there can be too much of a good thing as there is always a point where optimal temps are surpassed...do this and you are no longer increasing things like intended. 80 however, is IME, just about the perfect temp...I keep my room at 77 to 80 from fall to spring, I don't feed at accelerated rates, but my growth rates are always crazy good.

I think the way you have things is great.




Actually in the wild many, if not most tarantulas do live exactly like that.....when a t hides all day and only emerges at night, its avoidance of light periods means it never or rarely sees the natural light. If it never sees it or directly benefits from the suns rays, how is it a requirement or even needed? Its more a requirement for much of their prey and their prey's food source than it is a requirement of the tarantula.

Nocturnal animals thrive in darkness...ask Alaskans...In winter Alaska goes through months of no real light, just a few hours of twilight, during this time, nocturnal animals can be seen out and about at any time of the day or night as they now have nothing to restrict their movement. Many become diurnal.

The only difference a dark room makes is that the ts feel the need to hide a lot less. I can't recall, but I bet its been 5 years since I kept a t in a room that was even occasionally lit.
What about when you feed and or want to see them. Do you turn lights on? Do they all run and hide?
 

viper69

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This is speculation unless you have some info I don't...and not something I would necessarily agree with.

The external cue is sunlight...they emerge when its not there.



Yeah, when the sun goes away:shifty:...same as a Dracula, and he certainly doesn't require sun. My source for this was the writings of Vlad the Impaler.:astonished::astonished::troll:
Which part don't you agree with, I wrote a few things down in that line?

Heheheeh SEE sunlight is the cue!
 

cold blood

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What about when you feed and or want to see them. Do you turn lights on? Do they all run and hide?
I use a flashlight...the ones that are photosensitive will bolt, most don't...but I have learned to not shine lights directly on them, but to use the light around the main beam...if that makes sense.

Which part don't you agree with, I wrote a few things down in that line?

Heheheeh SEE sunlight is the cue!
Haha, I can see your confusion, I look back and re-read and I wasn't clear at all:banghead:...lmao...because what you mentioned is indeed a fact, I certainly wasn't disagreeing with the concept although reading what I wrote you might think that...again:banghead:

I was just doubting that it applied to all animals and to tarantulas in specific.
 

viper69

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What about when you feed and or want to see them. Do you turn lights on? Do they all run and hide?
At most I turn on a single light set to dim, or feed in the dark too. Some Ts are quite photosensitive by many accounts, such as P. irminia and Lvs.

I've never left my lights on at night because that is not what they experience in the wild.
 

viper69

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I use a flashlight...the ones that are photosensitive will bolt, most don't...but I have learned to not shine lights directly on them, but to use the light around the main beam...if that makes sense.



Haha, I can see your confusion, I look back and re-read and I wasn't clear at all:banghead:...lmao...because what you mentioned is indeed a fact, I certainly wasn't disagreeing with the concept although reading what I wrote you might think that...again:banghead:

I was just doubting that it applied to all animals and to tarantulas in specific.
Gotcha! Well in point of fact, I don't know if it applies to them. I think it does though. I only say this because scorpions have been found to have at least one of the genes, and expression of its protein. These genes are HIGHLY conserved throughout animals, so I'd find it very, very unlikely they weren't functioning in scorpions in some fashion similar to people, and if so, then likely Ts too.

But I don't know technically know.
 

darkness975

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I keep mine at room temperature. That is, during the summer months it is around 78ish - 80ish give or take depending on the temps outside and when the AC kicks in. During the winter, they are around 70 daytime and the heat drops to the low 60s at night (not my choice but I have no control over that).

Also, because they are in my room, they do get a natural day/night cycle. While I do not have any bright lights that shine directly on my Tarantulas or Scorpions, they do have ambient lighting during the day just from the windows and what not.

I know other keepers, such as @cold blood, that keep theirs in much darker conditions and have the same health, growth rates, and habits that mine do (and he has a lot more specimens than I do).

@Pokeroo , those temps you listed are pretty warm, so their metabolism will be higher than those that are kept cooler.

With all that being said I do have one observation worth noting. All of my Scorpions seem to be far more photosensitive than about 70% of my Tarantulas. Every single one of my Scorpions will noticeably flinch and retreat when the lights go on, while a good percentage of my Tarantulas just sit there like nothing is going on. It does not have to be super bright spotlights either. Turning on the ceiling light is enough to send the Scorpions running.
 

nicodimus22

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What about when you feed and or want to see them. Do you turn lights on? Do they all run and hide?
Half of mine are fairly photosensitive. I use a red light to watch them at night so they aren't disturbed at all.
 

darkness975

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Half of mine are fairly photosensitive. I use a red light to watch them at night so they aren't disturbed at all.
@Pokeroo I second this, I use a red light for the more photosensitive ones to observe at night. This is not an across the board statement, but for my collection personally I find the arboreals I have are overall more photosensitive than the terrestrials I have.
 
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