"Oh, you should never feed adult female crickets to a tarantula..."

Jamie H

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 22, 2013
Messages
15
Ok guys help me out here.
I've been a hobbyist for many years, but I don't nearly claim to know everything (or even much), so please help me out here. I recently got a job at my LPS - we don't sell tarantulas but we do sell live food. So a young lady comes in the other day and asks for "30 5-week old *male* crickets. No females please." I thought she was building a choir, so out of curiosity I asked her what she was doing with all these male crickets. "I'm feeding a tarantula," she says.
Well now I'm confused. "Why do you only want males?" I asked, intensely interested in her answer.
"Oh, you should never feed female crickets to a tarantula," she said, "adult females can lay eggs under the tarantula's carapace."
I had no idea how to respond. I can't just be like "no. you're wrong." She's obviously gotten this very specific piece of knowledge from some very trusted source, and I'm in my first week on my new job, I don't want to start alienating our customers already. So I think I said something like, "Really?!? That's the most interesting thing I've ever heard!"
And I left it at that.

So my question is: How would you approach such a subject? Obviously she's not doing any harm (except making us count out only male crickets in large quantities), but she's obviously misinformed, and possibly spreading misinformation. Where could such information come from and how can I possibly convince her otherwise? Has such a thing been addressed on these forums before?
 

cold blood

Moderator
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Jan 19, 2014
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13,223
So my question is: How would you approach such a subject? Obviously she's not doing any harm (except making us count out only male crickets in large quantities), but she's obviously misinformed, and possibly spreading misinformation. Where could such information come from and how can I possibly convince her otherwise? Has such a thing been addressed on these forums before?
I wouldn't approach the subject or really care to convince her otherwise, its not a health issue or risk to her t....if she wants the noisemakers, why argue?

Now a year or two down the road, if you have developed a working relationship with her as to where you can judge if, or how to bring it up, then so be it. Frankly, most LPS don't have a good reputation for quality t info, so you may not actually be in a good position to get her ear right now.

Who knows, she could be a big spender at the store, but a very nasty person quick to be offended or something, in which case you may loose a good customer over what really amounts to her house being noisier than yours.

Get to know her, talk about your t's and common interest, find out what she keeps and maybe even impress upon her about interesting t forums, such as right here to converse and meet others in the hobby (and share information). Who knows, maybe she's been lurking here for a while?? Maybe she should come on here and share this info.

I've never heard of this rumor. That would really have to be one stealthy quick ninja birth giving female cricket, that's for darn sure!
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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Feb 27, 2011
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2,336
I can't imagine a healthy, non-molting tarantula allowing a female cricket to lay eggs under its carapace...
Have fun picking out male crickets. :)
 

Spepper

Arachnodemon
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Jul 22, 2013
Messages
745
I don't have anything constructive to share... I just wanted to say that the idea that a cricket would lay eggs under a tarantula's carapace cracked me up. LOL
 

freedumbdclxvi

Arachnoprince
Joined
May 28, 2012
Messages
1,426
Yeah, I don't really see her doing much harm saying that. If someone then asks you if that's the case after she has left, then be honest.
 

ratluvr76

Arachnodemon
Active Member
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Jul 12, 2014
Messages
759
Maybe someone told her a bunch of info all at once giving her info overload.. It happens. What they really said was that sometimes female crickets will lay eggs in the spiders SUBSTRATE. Her info addled brain gets mixed up when later she tries to retrieve the info and substrate gets transposed somehow with carapace?

I could see it happening like this but yes, definitely, it would take one stealthy ninja cricket to lay her eggs. IN a tarantula!
 

edgeofthefreak

Arachno-titled!
Old Timer
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Apr 2, 2012
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496
I can't even imagine a female cricket's ovipositor being able to penetrate the carapace. I've seen them furiously trying to lay eggs in carrots/potato/other water foods (it kinda bends a little), and once manage to get a good stab into water gels. That last one was funny, as it clearly realized it was the wrong material for egg laying. This isn't a wasp sting, delivered with careful defensive accuracy... it's a freaked out lady trying to survive. No tarantula would want/allow that on their head.
 

Poec54

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Mar 26, 2013
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Honest to god, I don't know how people think of this stuff. What do they think happens in the wild? If you want, direct her here for advice.
 

skippydude

Arachnobaron
Joined
Feb 3, 2013
Messages
487
Be sure to charge pet price and not feeder price for those crickets. Hand picked males must be worth about a buck a piece due to the extra work involved separating them, rofl :confused:
 

LordWaffle

Arachnobaron
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Nov 20, 2013
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451
That has got to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. I mean, really?
 

freedumbdclxvi

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May 28, 2012
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Honest to god, I don't know how people think of this stuff. What do they think happens in the wild? If you want, direct her here for advice.
She confused Pepsis with crickets. Better than her claiming tarantulas are highly poisonous...
 

ratluvr76

Arachnodemon
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I personally don't know if tarantulas are poisonous. I've never licked one.
 

viper69

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Dec 8, 2006
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17,851
How do you know she heard the information from a "trusted source"?? Make no assumptions there at all! Regardless of source, you simply tell her she's wrong for they very concern you mentioned. This isn't a rocket science. If she gives you grief over it you can say this quite politely>> People don't like to hear they are wrong..TOUGH, suck it up, no one is perfect. :cool:

I go out of my way to feed my Ts large fat females because they are full of eggs, and I'm assuming would be a bit more nutritious, even though I gutload my crix.
 

MarkmD

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Aug 9, 2012
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1,835
Lol wonder who told her that?, anyway you should tell her to come to this site for lots more info on T's (especially feeding).
 

Kron

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
135
lol, If she is going to feed it only one gender she should use females as their jaws are smaller, they're less aggressive, make no noise and are usually fatter. What a silly person. And has she never watched her tarantula eat? how on earth is it going to lay eggs whilst being mushed into a pulp and even if it could what harm is it going to do to have an egg on her carapace, does she think a tarantula wouldn't be able to fight of a nymph? XD

---------- Post added 09-19-2014 at 11:36 AM ----------

Lol wonder who told her that?, anyway you should tell her to come to this site for lots more info on T's (especially feeding).
but then she'd see this thread XD
 

PIaf94

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
34
I've actually heard about this rumor along time ago.
It's nothing more than an urban legend...obviously..
I am curious as to how it started. When you look at a female
Crickets ovipositor the thing really does look like it can really dig (not pierce)under
A tarantulas carapace.
 
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