Q for experienced breeders

I was wanting to get some opinions/facts from some of you about whether or not a proper daily light cycle may be necessary when breeding T's.
The reason I'm asking is that my bug room has no windows and most of the time I have the lights off in there. It would be easy enough to time the lighting if necessary. I would appreciate some input.

Thanks.

Atrax

I would bet that a daily light/dark cycle is beneficial in breeding tarantulas. My guys are pussycats during the day (shy and reclusive), but at night it's a different story. Even the Poecilotheria metallica threat display. So they know the difference, in my home.
Every critter I keep is on a strict 14 hrs light/10 hrs dark cycle during the summer months. In the fall I bump it back to 8 hrs. light/16 hrs. dark. Spring/Summer=warmer weather and more water=more prey items=the best time to have babies. Fall/Winter=cooler weather and less moisture=less food=time to relax. That's how it's been in my bug room for years. After their "Winter" is over, it naturally gets warmer, so I bring on the water and food. This especially worked for Poecilotheria subfusca.
john

Posts have been deleted.

GWright,
your post was a perfect example of "fluff" and added nothing useful to this rather serious inquiry. One-line replies to a thread topic that asks for input from experienced breeders is not only useless, but disrespectful. Please respect the author's request for SERIOUS information. Please see LaRiz's post for an example of what would be considered "useful".

Richard Degville,
Please try not to be so antagonisic. Keeping threads clean is our job, not yours, and the only method we appreciate is clicking the "Report this post to a moderator" link that is on EVERY POST ON THE FORUMS.

End of tangent. Future participants please respect Atrax's desire for actual and relevant information.

I consider myself told off lol
now back to business
From my experiences with over 50 pairings of various sp of theraphosids I have found that night time is the most active time for a male 12 am onwards is a good time for Poecilotheria sp I could hypothesize to say this is down to predatation due to the male having to actively seek out females in the wild thus rendering him vulnerable to predators + the added bonus of the females out hunting and not hiding in burrows etc however I have paired sp during the day but have found the males very skittish and females over defensive and not willing to mate again seasons could play a big part in the over all mating cycle and "when is the best time to pair a sp etc ) the one thing I can say that has always helped me is giving the female a large meal before attempting to pair her
hope this helps

John and Richard,
Thanks for the info, I very much appreciate it.
(any other general breeding tips would certainly be welcomed via PM or e-mail if you wish.)

Take care.

Atrax