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Help: Heating dilemma.
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<blockquote data-quote="Stan Schultz" data-source="post: 185420" data-attributes="member: 28438"><p>I have never been able to understand why people fret so much about their pet tarantulas' temperatures. Are we projecting our homeothermic weaknesses onto them? Or are we simply not able to fathom an animal that can tolerate such low temperatures, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding? (There are literally thousands of other kinds of creatures on this planet that can tolerate brief cold spells, and even more kinds that can live permanently at near freezing temperatures.)</p><p></p><p>First off, visit and read <a href="http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/Temperature.html" target="_blank"><strong>Temperature</strong></a>. Then, if you're still really concinced that you absolutely <strong>MUST</strong> fret over your tarantulas' temperatures, and depending on the number of tarantulas you're keeping and the sizes of their cages or housing, consider keeping them in an environmental case. This can be anything from a large aquarium to a modified, used, 16 cubic foot refrigerator, or any other sort of container that will tend to hold warmth internally. Insulation is optional but not a bad idea.</p><p></p><p>Depending on the size of your environmental case, you can use anything from a small light bulb to full blown heating mats as a heat source. There are several immutable rules, however, that you violate at your and your pets' peril:</p><p></p><p><strong>1) Always use a thermostat to control the temperature!</strong> Need I mention that the thermostat must be inside the environment case with the tarantulas to be useful?</p><p></p><p><strong>2) Never, ever allow the tarantulas' primary cages or containers to come into direct contact with the heat source!</strong> Actually, "not even close" would be an even better rule.</p><p></p><p><strong>3) Unquestionably, it is almost always better to allow your tarantulas to endure cooler temperatures than it is to risk cooking them with a heat source!</strong></p><p></p><p>A little anecdote to illustrate the situation: I am currently living in a little RV park just outside Zapata, Texas. I'm within a mile or two of the Rio Grande River and Old Mexico, almost as far south as you can get in the continental USA. I have a little Rio Grande gold tarantula (DLS = ~2") living in its 6" deep burrow in my yard.</p><p></p><p>Recently, two cold fronts came through, one right after the other, and night before last the air temperatures dropped to 29 degree F just before dawn. I had frost on the hood of my car. The local residents thought they were going to freeze to death (many do not have actual heating plants in their homes).</p><p></p><p>My little buddy outside was laughing and partying all night long! Well, maybe not quite. But it had pulled the silk veil away from its burrow's entrance this afternoon, hoping for a grasshopper for dinner!</p><p></p><p>Temperature is one of the last things you have to worry about with tarantulas.</p><p></p><p>Stop fretting so. Enjoy your little eight-legged wonders!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Stan Schultz, post: 185420, member: 28438"] I have never been able to understand why people fret so much about their pet tarantulas' temperatures. Are we projecting our homeothermic weaknesses onto them? Or are we simply not able to fathom an animal that can tolerate such low temperatures, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding? (There are literally thousands of other kinds of creatures on this planet that can tolerate brief cold spells, and even more kinds that can live permanently at near freezing temperatures.) First off, visit and read [URL='http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/Temperature.html'][B]Temperature[/B][/URL]. Then, if you're still really concinced that you absolutely [B]MUST[/B] fret over your tarantulas' temperatures, and depending on the number of tarantulas you're keeping and the sizes of their cages or housing, consider keeping them in an environmental case. This can be anything from a large aquarium to a modified, used, 16 cubic foot refrigerator, or any other sort of container that will tend to hold warmth internally. Insulation is optional but not a bad idea. Depending on the size of your environmental case, you can use anything from a small light bulb to full blown heating mats as a heat source. There are several immutable rules, however, that you violate at your and your pets' peril: [B]1) Always use a thermostat to control the temperature![/B] Need I mention that the thermostat must be inside the environment case with the tarantulas to be useful? [B]2) Never, ever allow the tarantulas' primary cages or containers to come into direct contact with the heat source![/B] Actually, "not even close" would be an even better rule. [B]3) Unquestionably, it is almost always better to allow your tarantulas to endure cooler temperatures than it is to risk cooking them with a heat source![/B] A little anecdote to illustrate the situation: I am currently living in a little RV park just outside Zapata, Texas. I'm within a mile or two of the Rio Grande River and Old Mexico, almost as far south as you can get in the continental USA. I have a little Rio Grande gold tarantula (DLS = ~2") living in its 6" deep burrow in my yard. Recently, two cold fronts came through, one right after the other, and night before last the air temperatures dropped to 29 degree F just before dawn. I had frost on the hood of my car. The local residents thought they were going to freeze to death (many do not have actual heating plants in their homes). My little buddy outside was laughing and partying all night long! Well, maybe not quite. But it had pulled the silk veil away from its burrow's entrance this afternoon, hoping for a grasshopper for dinner! Temperature is one of the last things you have to worry about with tarantulas. Stop fretting so. Enjoy your little eight-legged wonders! [/QUOTE]
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