So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

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Yes you can order from places that operate online. Shipping is usually done on a record next day delivery to lower the stress of the spider. It should be fine and good breeders offer a return policy if it dies on route.

As for which to get. I'd bare in mind that the the Cobalt Blue, although a nice looking spider is a reclusive burrower and needs at least 6inches of substrate to burrow in; you aren't likely to see it much.

If your ready for something a bit more agressive then I think your best choices are one of the Poecilotheria genus or a Pterinochilus murinus (Orange Baboon) as they are very attractive looking spiders.

Online places:

http://www.easyexotics.co.uk
http://www.vcheeseman.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
http://freespace.virgin.net/darren.biggs/Inverts1.html
http://www.coasttocoast.co.uk

Also if you look up Tarantulas in a UK search engine, then go through the various sites then you can always find breeders who have stock for sale. Lopez will know some good ones if you know what it is your looking for.
 
I buy nearly all my T's online, infact I might be getting one shipped from Hong Kong next week!

Adult Cobalt blues are stunning - but Nexus is right, they are an obligate burrower that will get immensely stressed if not given the opportunity to dig.
The only time I see my Cobalt is when I dig her out to change the soil, put her in a bigger tank, or do a photoshoot.
For the rest of the time, this is all I see:

BangkokTank02


Choice really depends on what sort of T you want.
Do you want a digger? Something big? Something bright? A webbing arboreal?

A personal favourite of mine is the Tiger Rump (Cyclosternum fasciatum)
They are very very nervy but extremely pretty too.
I see mine nearly all the time, it has a webby little cork bark enclosure and feeds voraciously

Punta05


If you have any specific in mind, let me know and I can ask a few breeders I know :) Please bear in mind that some stuff just isn't regularly available.
 
I think TBH I will go for size, what others should I look out for apart from?

Goliath Bird Eater - Theraphosa blondi
Salmon Pink Bird Eater - Lasiodora parahybana

And if anyone knows of any good breeders let me know ;)
 
Originally posted by Lopéz
Choice really depends on what sort of T you want.
Do you want a digger? Something big? Something bright? A webbing arboreal?

A personal favourite of mine is the Tiger Rump (Cyclosternum fasciatum)
They are very very nervy but extremely pretty too.
I see mine nearly all the time, it has a webby little cork bark enclosure and feeds voraciously
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If you want to see it then a webbing arborial is by far the best choice.

After 4 different homes my Tigerrump has turned out to have strong arborial tendancies and finally settled in to a tub with a vermiculite base & a piece of cork going up the middle. S/he's made a web hammock between the cork and one side of the tub and sits in it in full view showing off the excellent colourings this species has, as Lopez' pictures above show.

My newest addition - my Pinktoe - is an arborial species that sits on the side of her tank all day and night - very cute :)
 
*Chuckles @ Lopez's bottle of dirt*

Those Goliath Spiders look scary, far too big for my liking:eek: Not very pretty either. I think the Cobalts look better by miles, shame they make such rare appearances.
 
Today was a bad day. Even though my Trinidad Chevron moulted, it was not good. As you can see, one of her back legs was pretty twisted and not a nice sight. It was affecting her mobility and she looked pretty distressed. After taking advice from Lopez on the Arachnopets.com tarantula forum, I decided I should remove it. Another friend also gave me the same advice so I thought it was for the best.

Check out that leg:


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I took her tank into the bathroom and armed myself with tweezer, watergun and paintbrush. After a bit of cowardliness on my part (she kept moving around and quite undrestandably didn't want me to pull the leg off) we got down to business. I got hold of the femur and pulled. I couldn't believe the strngth of her. I took some effort, she was pulling in one direction and I was pulling in the other. It came of eventually, no loss of haemolyph so she will be ok. The leg sat twitching on the side of the bathtub for a couple of minutes which didn't make me feel any better mind you.

Anyway, her she is in her seven-legged glory. Like Lopez tells me, because I pulled t off now it will give her plenty of time to start to regenerate a new one in time for the next moult. She has gone from 4.5" to 5.5" which is pretty good:D

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I'm so glad it worked out nicely :)
A good tip is to pinch hard and pull, certainly helped when I lopped off Idi's leg.

The worst part is making that decision to take your pets life into your own hands - there are no real T vets, so it's all down to us to do the best we can. :)

On a happier note, she looks bloody gorgeous mate :)
 
 
A word to the wise for you new T keepers.

With temperatures in the 80's and even 90's, your T's will be too damn hot with a heatmat.

I've had mine off for the past couple of days, as all the tanks are very warm, and drying out fast.

Keep a closer eye on moisture levels, watch out for your spiders tucking a leg under themselves whilst resting, this is a general sign that the spider is uncomfortable and possibly a bit dehydrated. :)
 
Well after spending all day looking at the different species *cough* I mean working hard…

I’ve short listed it down to these two, basically - beauty or the beast ;)

Salmon Pink Bird Eater - Lasiodora parahybana

or

Greenbottle Blue - Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

Any ideas then on what sort of figures I’ll be paying for juveniles. Also contacts / shops that would be a good starting point?
 
Keep a closer eye on moisture levels, watch out for your spiders tucking a leg under themselves whilst resting, this is a general sign that the spider is uncomfortable and possibly a bit dehydrated
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I haven't needed heat mats for the last 3 weeks now. I noticed the temp gauge was as high as 32 degrees in one cage yesterday.

Thanks for the info on that tucking leg thing, I saw my Greenbottle doing this yesterday and hadn't got a clue why she was doing it. I'm off to give it a good misting now.
 
They sometimes "tuck" when cleaning, but if they are doing it for prolonged periods it generally means exhaustion :) Winston was doing it this morning.
 
It was like that for a prolonged period of time. I took interest because at first I thought maybe she had damaged the leg or something.

Just put in another large bottle cap full of water and misted it a bit. She didnt like the stream fo water tho and kpet trying to jump at it. I think I will have to go and buy a proper water bowl as I cant find anything in the house that would make a good substitute.
 
Originally posted by Nexus
http://www.eurobugs.com
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This guy has quit the T business.


Originally posted by Nexus
http://www.coasttocoast.co.uk/live-stock.htm
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Nooooooooooooooooooooooo..................... I wasn't going to get another one just yet (well.. maybe a Fringed Ornamental froom Brum T's :p) but I see that guy has a Puerto Rican Pinktoe. £15 for a sling ain't cheap; but I told myself I'd get one of these one day...

... soooooooooooooo hard to resist :rolleyes: ;)


Originally posted by Lopéz
A word to the wise for you new T keepers.

With temperatures in the 80's and even 90's, your T's will be too damn hot with a heatmat.

I've had mine off for the past couple of days, as all the tanks are very warm, and drying out fast.

Keep a closer eye on moisture levels, watch out for your spiders tucking a leg under themselves whilst resting, this is a general sign that the spider is uncomfortable and possibly a bit dehydrated. :)
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Thanks for the tip. My heatmat is still in it's packet. My T's are in the same room as my SETI farm so temps are always in the low 80's ;)
 
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Well I’m not having much luck :(

I've called and emailed a few shops to find they are either no longer trading or they don’t have any stock :(

Anyone know where I can get a Salmon Pink from? (Preferably a juvenile female)
 
Originally posted by St0n3y
Well I’m not having much luck :(

I've called and emailed a few shops to find they are either no longer trading or they don’t have any stock :(

Anyone know where I can get a Salmon Pink from? (Preferably a juvenile female)
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Try emailing this person : [email protected] - that's where I got my A.Seemani from :)
 
Originally posted by St0n3y
Well I’m not having much luck :(

I've called and emailed a few shops to find they are either no longer trading or they don’t have any stock :(

Anyone know where I can get a Salmon Pink from? (Preferably a juvenile female)
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St0n3y there's a pet shop here in Liverpool that has a salmon pink spiderling for sale. Want me to get more info on this for you?
 
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Originally posted by azrael357
St0n3y there's a pet shop here in Liverpool that has a salmon pink spiderling for sale. Want me to get more info on this for you?
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If they do postal orders then - Please :)

I have finally sourced one here in Stoke but does £30 for a 2.5" juvenile female sound high?
 
That's a bit high.
I've seen a 9 month old captive bred Lasiodora parahybana for £30, which was almost 8" across.
 
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