Experiment suggestions please!

Hello everyone,

I have been thinking for quite some time now about starting some kind of experiment with Ts to gather some more information if possible and to contribute back to the community. Of course I know this is to be a very long running project but I have to start it some day! hehe

I am thinking that the control group should be of the same species and a good number of specimens (at least 20), as well I would hope to obtain specimens from different sacks to discount any genetic or sack specific issues and happenings.

What I am at a loss for now is what to do this study/experiment on! I don't need it to be really fancy, as long as the information would be useful to hobbyiests and anyone interested in it. I also don't have much scientific equipment but I am sure there is something I could do that is still interesting and informative.

Any suggestions? ALL are welcome

Also suggestions on species to do this study with is appreciated.

Thank you very much,
Pixie

I've got ideas:

I've always thought it would be neat to have a female raise a sack to hatching, and let the slings live in the same tank as the parents (have to be a big tank).

Different genus's together in a tank, (once again large) who might live around eachother in a "natural" environment.

Experiment on growth rates and size of prey fed - (i'd hypothesize that slings raised on their-size/larger prey might grow faster as a reaction to the prey size)

More T-Fishing experiments!


:?

I thinkk there is some species of plants that depending on the temperatures they are raised on produce different coloured flowers. So could you tell as if that could in any way happen with T's as well? Ya know, we'd like more red phased rosies...

how about putting an egg sack from one species and giving it to another mature female of a different species. thats a big risk of lossing the sack to the "nanny", but we've all seen "the hand that rocks the craddle";P

Thanks! Keep 'em coming!

Thanks for the replies folks, great ideas!

You guys have really piqued my curiosity about an eggsack experiment and I think I have an idea for a very interesting one but it would take quite some time to put together.

It would be on the rate of success of female Ts keeping their eggsac till hatching BUT with a control group of half wild caught and half captive born. I really want to see if being captive born would give better chances of a female T rearing her eggsac to success in captivity.

So I would be looking for three things in particular:
- Overall success of eggsacs
- Success of WC eggsacs
- Success of CB eggsacs

What do you think? I am planning to get a control group of 10 WC females and 10 CB females. Is that enough to make this experiment worthy? Should I plan for more in case of possible losses along the way? Since this is a long term experiment, I want it to be worth the time investment! The males used for breeding will be respectively WC or CB to the females they breed with.

It will take some time for me to get the eggsack experiment together as obtaining 10 or more assured CB females will take some time and them being mature enough to breed also.

So in the meanwhile, I am thinking of starting an experiment on either the growth rates with different foods or different feeding schedules.

I will be starting with slings of the same species of hopefully 2 different sacs. I like the idea of different foods but I've had terrible results feeding certain food items myself (mealworms mainly) as they seem to mold up their enclosure almost instantly... I also don't have access to some popular feeders such as roaches, it would most likely be a study using: crickets, mealworms, silkworms, waxworms.

Different feeding schedules sound interesting too. I imagine seeing the difference between 3 groups: 1 who is fed as much as they will take, 1 that will be fed a moderate amount 1 x week or 2 weeks, and 1 that is fed sparingly 1 x month. I would be comparing the molting and growth rates between the groups.

I am leaning towards the latter as I don't think I have enough of a feeder diversity to make a good experiment between different food sources and one of the most frequently asked questions I see is "How much do I feed my tarantula?". It may bring more insight on food quantities and growth, in the end lifespan.

I am thinking of starting these experiments with rosies (unless there are other suggestions for species). I am hoping to eventually redo these same experiments with an arboreal species as well later.

Keep the ideas coming! Any comments are welcome

Pixie

thats a lot of slings if all sacks make it =D