So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?
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I've got 'The Tarantula Keeper's Guide' on order, which hopefully explains a lot of these things.
I'm actually thinking I might quite like to get a sub-adult female red-knee. Though I wouldn't buy that one they had in my local petshop, as they wanted £80 for it and judgeing from what I have now learned about Tarantulas it didn't look too healthy, it was all hunched up. Probably better seeing what stock some of the online dealers have.
I'm actually thinking I might quite like to get a sub-adult female red-knee. Though I wouldn't buy that one they had in my local petshop, as they wanted £80 for it and judgeing from what I have now learned about Tarantulas it didn't look too healthy, it was all hunched up. Probably better seeing what stock some of the online dealers have.
Originally posted by Lostkat
Sometimes it looks as though they're eating their feet
I had that thought exactly! - which is why I thought I'd better ask
Looked likea cross between my cat having a wash & el spido eating his toes... very odd
Kate and I will be there - Birmingham's only about 2 hours away.
SaBBz, the Pink Toes and White Knees at EasyExotics are actually pretty well priced.
Make sure the baby Pink Toe is kept well ventilated (plenty of air holes) but damp. If it dries out the spider will dehydrate and die ever so quickly, especially at such a small size. Keep an eye out for mould - tiny little white or green dots - any mould needs removing at once by changing the substrate.
Avics walk and move in a totally different way to terrestrial spiders - they're very interesting to watch.
Of course if you want uber cheap spiderlings you have to go for something:
Massively common
That has over 500 babies
From a dealer in Germany
Here's a price list from a German dealer:
Those prices (and the range available) are far better than generally found in the UK - of course, at the show there will be a lot of rare spiderlings available.
SaBBz, the Pink Toes and White Knees at EasyExotics are actually pretty well priced.
Make sure the baby Pink Toe is kept well ventilated (plenty of air holes) but damp. If it dries out the spider will dehydrate and die ever so quickly, especially at such a small size. Keep an eye out for mould - tiny little white or green dots - any mould needs removing at once by changing the substrate.
Avics walk and move in a totally different way to terrestrial spiders - they're very interesting to watch.
Of course if you want uber cheap spiderlings you have to go for something:
Massively common
That has over 500 babies
From a dealer in Germany
Here's a price list from a German dealer:
Those prices (and the range available) are far better than generally found in the UK - of course, at the show there will be a lot of rare spiderlings available.
Adult or sub adult Brachypelma are always going to be expensive because they are in demand - plus you are no longer to collect them from the wild, so all stock is captive bred, and may take 7 years to mature.
A hunched up tarantula is normally just stressed - this si what happens if I don't give Miguel enough dirt to dig in - he hunches up. Give a tarantula some form of shelter or the opportunity to burrow and it will make a rapid recovery
I've just looked at Virginia's site. It says 'medium' red knee. She means medium spiderling, not medium-sized tarantula, so it'll probably have a length of about 3-4cm, if that. Jezabel was classed as 'medium' when I bought her from Virginia and she was about 3cm long. The sizes on Virginia's site are extremely misleading. Always enquire about exact sizes before you shed out the cash for any tarantula.
You'll probably find that £70-£80 is the going rate for a sub-adult female red knee. You'll also find that they're very rare (like Leon said) because the only ones available should be captive breds, but they take several years to mature. Never ever buy wild caught tarantulas
I've been reading up for a long time on keeping one now, trying to get more and more info though Have decided to go for it in a month or two after i move into my new place. However still need to be getting more info on them all I think i'm going to go for the Acanthoscurria geniculata species as a spiderling like lostkats. I want one with a very easy temprement though, one thats pretty calm all of the time, i really don't want to loose my confidence if i get a moody one .
Any recomendations? Lostkat, hows yours for temprement?
Have decided to go for it in a month or two after i move into my new place. However still need to be getting more info on them all I think i'm going to go for the Acanthoscurria geniculata species as a spiderling like lostkats. I want one with a very easy temprement though, one thats pretty calm all of the time, i really don't want to loose my confidence if i get a moody one .Any recomendations? Lostkat, hows yours for temprement?
Interesting watching Shiva right now. All morning she has been busy carrying the substrate around, which I have not seen her do until now. She has cleared one area of the container right down to the bottom. Though I'm not really sure what she is trying to make. Fun to watch though.
Chile roses are notoriously crap at building
They tend to move all the substrate about but never get very far - it's very amusing to watch.
Miguel has cleared one end of his tank completely - it's a security thing, they like being able to go under cover or have a small burrow set lower than the floor level.
Nexus, if you want a bigger handleable tarantula (it's always nice to have a spider you can hold) then get a sub adult Curly hair, my pet shop does them for about £15
Originally posted by DHR
I've been reading up for a long time on keeping one now, trying to get more and more info though
Any recomendations? Lostkat, hows yours for temprement?
Well A. geniculatas are not known for their uber docile tendencies, but I can hold Rio when she's in the mood. However, she has been known to run around a lot, show me a threat posture or two and even tag the forceps. They're supposed to be big hair kickers too, but mine doesn't, although my hand sometimes itches after handling her. Behaviour seems to vary widely between individuals. If you're looking for something that's guaranteed to be 100% docile, then a white knee probably isn't it. You have to test Rio's mood before you hold her, but nudging her leg and seeing how she reacts.
She's a lovely tarantula though, docile most of the time, fast growing and very pretty. Glad I got her.
Absolutely not, of course you don't
In fact, most people recommend that you don't handle them. They are extremely fragile and I've heard a few horror stories about people dropping them and then watching them rupture their abdomen and die 
If you're not 200% confident, then don't touch it hmm... I gave Houdini a mealworm about 7pm... s/he's still sucking on it now - do they always take this long?
The abdomen is visibly much bigger than it was before - I'm waiting for it to explode like the Gremlin does in the microwave (you'll know what I mean if you've seen that movie )
The abdomen is visibly much bigger than it was before - I'm waiting for it to explode like the Gremlin does in the microwave (you'll know what I mean if you've seen that movie
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