So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

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Have 8 eyes and you think they are as blind as bats.lol

cheers for that LK you seem to know yer stuff about the crawly ones, good on ya:)

And is it true that T's have no bones, just like fluidey stuff under pressure to keep them that shape?
 
Tarantulas eyesight is thought to be quite poor - from what we can ascertain they can tell the difference between dark and light, and not a great deal else - moving shapes and that's about it.
The 8 eyes are for apparently 360 degree vision.
 
Originally posted by Bundles
And is it true that T's have no bones, just like fluidey stuff under pressure to keep them that shape?
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Yup, no bones and surprisingly no muscles to speak of either. They only have one muscle per limb as opposed to our pair of antagonistic muscles (one to extend our limbs, one to relax). AFAIK these single muscles in the tarantula act to pull the leg in. To extend their limbs they have to increase the hydrostatic pressure in their limbs by altering the amount of haemolymph (spider blood, i.e. body fluid) that goes into them. So, if a spider becomes dehydrated, it cannot move and eventually curls up and dies. This is the reason we have to provide all of our T's with a waterbowl and mist their tanks every few days. In this respect, it's actually more important to make sure your tarantulas have enough water rather than food when you go away on your hols. They can do without food for a fair while, but you dehydrate them and they die.

btw, correct me if I'm wrong Leon :)
 
Originally posted by Lostkat
yup :) chitin isn't bone though is it? He was asking about bone :)
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I'm aware of what you've covered, having followed the thread with interest from its creation.

I was just making a general comment, and not specifically answering Bundles' point :)

However, it is their chitinous exterior that actually keeps them rigid isn't it? The haemolymphatic fluid simply pumps them up after a moult until their exoskeleton hardens and then serves as 'hydraulic fluid' to move the limbs?

Or am I barking up the wrong tree here :)
 
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Originally posted by taliesyn
I'm aware of what you've covered, having followed the thread with interest from its creation.

I was just making a general comment, and not specifically answering Bundles' point :)

However, it is their chitinous exterior that keeps them rigid isn't it? The haemolymphatic fluid simply pumps them up until their exoskeleton hardens.

Or am I barking up the wrong tree here :)
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Correct :)
 
Don't you just love waiting for new arrivals? :D

SpiderlingTanks01


Should be here by the weekend with a bit of luck. :)
 
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