# Calcium Supplements For Tarantulas



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Anyone use any? If so what brand?

Reason for this is that i have read a few care sheets saying that dusting the crickets with a calcium supplement for tarantulas is recommended. Just wondering whether this is needed.


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

selina20 said:


> Anyone use any? If so what brand?
> 
> Reason for this is that i have read a few care sheets saying that dusting the crickets with a calcium supplement for tarantulas is recommended. Just wondering whether this is needed.


Personally, as long as you feed the food (as it were), I think these products are just another way of getting you to spend money.

Some people might swear by them, but I never use them, and I cannot report that my T's etc are any lesser for it..


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Thats what i thought because iv always thought crickets were naturally high in calcium anyway and iv never heard of dusting them for T's lols.


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

nah, calcium suppliments are needless!


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## matty (Feb 17, 2007)

I read somewhere that calcium supplements can kill Ts..?


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

well, the exo is not made of calcium so its just not needed.. doubt they would use it for any other purpose than shell formation, and they dont:lol2:


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## bmsonline (Feb 7, 2008)

selina20 said:


> Thats what i thought because iv always thought crickets were naturally high in calcium anyway and iv never heard of dusting them for T's lols.


Crickets have very little; if any calcium, which is why they need to be dusted before feeding to lizards etc...
Inverts such as spiders do not need calcium as they have no bones. Just gut load the crickets on fresh fruit and vegetables, and you will have healthy spiders. 
Try to vary their diet using waxworms, mealworms, crickets and locusts. Spiders can live solely on crickets but it is thought to make them healthier and replicate their natural feeding in the wild.

Alex


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Okies thanks 4 the help.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

If you use calcium supplements on arachnids, you actually run the risk of causing calcification of their internal organs. 

They really do not need a lot of calcium in their body, and by adding extra, they cannot get rid of it efficiently, and it tends to encase their organs, eventually causing death. 

As said, just gut load your prey items before feeding, they will be fine.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Thankies just thought i would ask in case i was missing something lols.


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## kamakazecat (Jun 8, 2008)

also if you just dust the crickets with it, its not really any good anyway cuz the spiders are sucking out the insides of the insect. i spose maybe for scorpions or solifuges it wud make sense if there wasnt the risk of internal calcification.


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## C_Strike (Feb 20, 2007)

kamakazecat said:


> also if you just dust the crickets with it, its not really any good anyway cuz the spiders are sucking out the insides of the insect. i spose maybe for scorpions or solifuges it wud make sense if there wasnt the risk of internal calcification.


Tarantulas actually masticate, that is chew up their prey into a big gooey ball, so dsuting with calcium would be effective if the t needed it supplimented
but i doesnt,:lol2:


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## enlightenment (Dec 14, 2006)

Do crickets in the wild walk around with dust on them, like some sort of pizza topping?

No.

Do those that feed on them seem to survive well without this?

Yes.

'Nuff said, really..


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