bxspiderman
Arachnopeon
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i was told that some put there t in the frig to i guess slow it down. is this true
put t in the frig??
- Thread starter bxspiderman
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Dont put any animal in the fridge.
Najakeeper
Arachnoprince
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Unless it is a pennguin and you live in Ecuador.
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Some people have done this with defensive spiders for a few minutes before packaging them. I have not done it with any of my spiders but hear it works well if done right.
If you do attempt this get advice from someone experienced at this method. You could kill your spider if you put it in for too long. I assume its stressful for the spider to be chilled and could them. On the other hand it could prevent a nasty bite or escape during packing.
The other reason is for a gestation period. Some put a mini fridge on the highest temp setting (no colder 50 degrees) to cool certain sp. to mimic the natural cold season. When it warms up in spring a sac is ussually produced. ONLY SOME tarantulas need a cooling period that low.
Don't go throwing a spider in a fridge unless you KNOW what your doing.
If you do attempt this get advice from someone experienced at this method. You could kill your spider if you put it in for too long. I assume its stressful for the spider to be chilled and could them. On the other hand it could prevent a nasty bite or escape during packing.
The other reason is for a gestation period. Some put a mini fridge on the highest temp setting (no colder 50 degrees) to cool certain sp. to mimic the natural cold season. When it warms up in spring a sac is ussually produced. ONLY SOME tarantulas need a cooling period that low.
Don't go throwing a spider in a fridge unless you KNOW what your doing.
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I havent done this with a T so I cant say if it is a good idea or not. But I have used this method to slow down many insects like mantids and wasps. If you do this DON'T LEAVE HE T IN ALL NIGHT. a couple of hours should slow the T down enough that you can manipulate the T for what ever purpose you need. If you leave the T in for too long YOU WILL KILL IT.
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I have to disagree with most of you. Putting a T in the fridge for say 10-30 minutes (30 mins MAX) Can and does slow the T down a bit. If you have no choice but to rehouse your snarky, defensive OW beasty, and you are downright scared to do so, then it is a viable option. It shouldn't kill or harm the spider (if done correctly) and will not cause any lasting damage or (IMO) any heavier stress than it would undergo in any rehousing. Just watch the clock, set atimer, whatever. Don't forget about the T and leave it in for hours.
However... I think it's a cop-out. It is a much better approach to research your T's and buy species requiring a skill level that you are already comfortable with. Learn and grow as your collection grows. If you can sort out proper technique and you know your specimens, you won't have to take less-safe shortcuts like the fridge thing.
Besides, the two times I tried the fridge trick (earlier on in my hobby experience) the spider came out of it too soon anyway. The last time I did this, I wasn't done with the transfer yet and whatever fear she'd had for what was going on caused the T to bolt and jump. In a couple of seconds we went from sluggish 2" P. regalis barely moving as I prodded her from one enclosure to another, to spastic 2" P. regalis halfway up the wall and not letting me anywhere near her. I mean shoot, I could have done that without the fridge.
So, possible? Yes.
Dangerous? Not particularly.
Effectiveness? Questionable.
Just learn how to do transfers right in the first place and you won't need to do stuff like this.
However... I think it's a cop-out. It is a much better approach to research your T's and buy species requiring a skill level that you are already comfortable with. Learn and grow as your collection grows. If you can sort out proper technique and you know your specimens, you won't have to take less-safe shortcuts like the fridge thing.
Besides, the two times I tried the fridge trick (earlier on in my hobby experience) the spider came out of it too soon anyway. The last time I did this, I wasn't done with the transfer yet and whatever fear she'd had for what was going on caused the T to bolt and jump. In a couple of seconds we went from sluggish 2" P. regalis barely moving as I prodded her from one enclosure to another, to spastic 2" P. regalis halfway up the wall and not letting me anywhere near her. I mean shoot, I could have done that without the fridge.
So, possible? Yes.
Dangerous? Not particularly.
Effectiveness? Questionable.
Just learn how to do transfers right in the first place and you won't need to do stuff like this.
For number 1...
If your scared of it, dont buy it. I do not see this as a valid reason to stick any animal in a fridge, if you cant handle what your dealing with, then you have either done a couple of things, or atleast one of the following
1. You have not revised and/or educated yourself on the species you are interested in, or have
2. You have not taken a wise route through the hobby, you have not worked your way up to them, and you refuse to do so because you "think" you are ready, or you just like the spider in question and you take a huge jump (head first) into somthing (meaning a defencive and/or fast T) you shouldnt even have in your care in the first place. Start with a nice easy Sp, then work up the food chain.... Your not born eating steak, you work upto eating solids
Dont bite off more than you can chew....
Other than breeding purposes, or stimulating a more natural habitat for the animal in question there is no need to cool of a T (cooling meaning the room temp, not thrown into a fridge)... if you cant pack a fast and/or aggressive T, then look into it further, never see a problem with packing any T, because i use the ol noodle, im aware of what they can do, so i think it through.
p.s, "Moltar", this wasnt towards you, i was quoteing you to respond in kind to the OP, my opinion so to speak ;P
This is just my opinion, and what I use when I'm in need of sneaking arround in my H. mac's cage. I get her into a big old canning jar (you can get canning jars upto I think like 1/2 a gallon and a 6in opening, other than that walmart has some big jars in their bulk section that are like 2-3 gallons with almost a foot opening) I use the standard metal canning lid and seal skrew with holes poked into the lid.
I've used the fridge/freezer to slow down flies, and it works quite well but T's are a bit to big imo for it to work properly. Its the equivalent to someone throwing you outside when theres 3 feet of snow on the ground the temp is in the negatives and your in your underwear, then proceeding to leave you out there for an hour or so. Yes you'll come back in and be sluggish but you may also have frostbitten toes(slight). Just not the thing to do imo.
I've used the fridge/freezer to slow down flies, and it works quite well but T's are a bit to big imo for it to work properly. Its the equivalent to someone throwing you outside when theres 3 feet of snow on the ground the temp is in the negatives and your in your underwear, then proceeding to leave you out there for an hour or so. Yes you'll come back in and be sluggish but you may also have frostbitten toes(slight). Just not the thing to do imo.
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Hey Damok, I agree with you in principle, in a perfect world, people wouldn't get themselves into situations where they have a pet spider of which they are terrified. Unfortunately, this board is full of posts like "I got my first T, an OBT! It's soooo cute but I'm afraid to even open the lid because I never knew these guys could bite!"
For those people that find themselves in a situation like that, it's good to know that this option is available, even if it's not really recommended. People were saying here that this method is downright dangerous, potentially lethal, etc and I want to point out that it's not that serious. I'd rather see people fridging their T's than taking envenomations, T's escaping or T's being hurt/killed.
Charly, although it is a bit risky, this does not equate to a mammal being thrown out in the snow. Refridgerators run about 40 degrees (well above freezing) and because they are cold blooded, invertebrates don't experience cold like we do. No skin, no nerves on the outside to register pain, it's just not the same. A tarantula will just get slow and sluggish in a fridge like houseflies do, just not as quickly. Then they warm up and start running around like crazy.
For those people that find themselves in a situation like that, it's good to know that this option is available, even if it's not really recommended. People were saying here that this method is downright dangerous, potentially lethal, etc and I want to point out that it's not that serious. I'd rather see people fridging their T's than taking envenomations, T's escaping or T's being hurt/killed.
Charly, although it is a bit risky, this does not equate to a mammal being thrown out in the snow. Refridgerators run about 40 degrees (well above freezing) and because they are cold blooded, invertebrates don't experience cold like we do. No skin, no nerves on the outside to register pain, it's just not the same. A tarantula will just get slow and sluggish in a fridge like houseflies do, just not as quickly. Then they warm up and start running around like crazy.
I still don't get it. Tarantulas are not hard to deal with, even the fast ones. I just can't understand why anyone would see it necessary to put a T in the fridge.
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Have you ever packed a tarantula for shipping, let alone a defensive/flighty one? Getting a large "pissed off" spider in a small container is not that simple or easy. Especially if its the first time you have packed one and they dont want to go in.
Arboreals like to go up so having all your stuff upside down is key. But once you stress them out all bets are off.
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I've done this multiple, multiple times with wasps.. I don't see how harmful it could really be, if you need it, go for it. Probably wouldn't make a habit of it though, as it won't help much with experience.
-Sean
-Sean
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Brief refrigeration (10 to 20ish minutes) can safely be used as a 'sedative' in the event a tarantula requires 'medical care', but only if absolutely necessary. Most Ts in need of handling for medical assistance probably don't need the 'sedative' and it should probably only be considered as a last ditch effort at 'restraint'.
IMO, there are better methods for simulating a cold season to stimulate breeding.
And, more appropriate methods to transferring a difficult T, though I haven't yet been in a position where this would even be a consideration.
IMO, there are better methods for simulating a cold season to stimulate breeding.
And, more appropriate methods to transferring a difficult T, though I haven't yet been in a position where this would even be a consideration.
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Its not always done for stimulating breeding but egg production after breeding. If your trying to get a sac out of a female like a Brachypelma sp. and the weather is not cool enough she will most likely molt out later on. Using a a fridge on the highest temp setting or a cool place is no different. Why dont you share your alternative or better method for cooling? :?