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For years I've used large oven bags for transfers. They're like big clear ziplocs, only big enough to cook a turkey in. For smaller enclosures, you can put the entire enclosure/jar/keeper into the bag. Some will entirely cover a 5gal aquarium. Very versatile in what you can do with them, and...

This is spider that we, if we claim to be responsible hobbyists, should really be concerned about (among quite a few others). The problem isn't that Brazil closed imports, it's that they were never open. Every single Typhochlaena in captivity is from poached, smuggled spiders. Most were...

Thanks for attempting this, it's a good effort with some interesting data. Although I'm actually curious as to whether or not you can draw any substantive conclusions from just the bite reports on AB. There are just so many variables that you can't account for. Individual spiders and people...

The Mexican suspension has been lifted.

You can NOT collect from National Parks like Saguaro and Grand Canyon. You CAN collect for personal use from most state parks. Check with the rangers when you enter. Catalina State Park is a good one to check out. You can NOT bring them back on any airline. No airline will allow them in carryon...

I do wildlife import and export for a living and work with USFWS, CBP, CBP/Ag, FDA, etc.,... This is a not the end of the world for Brachypelma/Tliltcatl or Aphonopelma. It just means that no CITES tarantulas are coming out of Mexico. While we do get a lot of spiders from Mexico, most of the...

I work in International Import/Export at a major shipping port, and I've never seen anyone ship in a single, live spider. That's not to say that you couldn't do it, but there's a reason that most people don't do it. It's pretty darn expensive, and there is always a significant risk of something...

Don't mistake the outside world with the climate that they live in. Arachnids in arid parts of the world usually live in burrows where the micro-climate is much cooler and more humid. All arachnids can succumb to dehydration. By the time you notice the death curl of dehydration, it's usually too...

I love finding wild spiders, especially tarantulas. In one of the zoos in Arizona, we found 7 adult females in burrows and three wandering males just in the flight cage/aviary. One of the males was actually shedding into his penultimate at the time. Dozens of people walking within a couple of...

Arachnopets is correct. It's illegal. The law is a funny, imprecise thing. When they talk about venomous animals, they include both Taipans and Phidippus. Seems kind of dumb, but most laws of this type were written for people who don't know much about animals, by people who know even less about...

For those of you that keep inverts in acrylic enclosures, what do you use to dust and clean with? For years, I've been using plain water and microfiber cloth for tanks with spiders in them. For empty tanks, I use PlastX, but it's not super good at cutting through hardened Pokie poop. I'm...

I can't count the number of posts I've read over the years where a cat, dog, or tiny human has accidentally knocked over an enclosure, allowing the spider to escape. As an ex zookeeper and venomous snake keeper, I've always locked my enclosures. I also don't use glass enclosures. If you have...

I work with imports/exports, and I can assure you that it would be MUCH less expensive, and much less of a hassle to sell everything here. First off, most airlines won't accept tarantulas, or any venomous animals for that matter, either in carry on or in checked luggage. If you try to smuggle...

There is no "personal" way of bringing Endangered Species into the United States legally. The only way to do what you are describing is called "smuggling". Interestingly enough, I recently became aware that US Customs/Agricultural specialists, and USFWS Wildlife Inspectors both have sniffer dogs...

CITES App. II listings are not a "ban". It just means you need an export permit before you can ship them internationally. Brachypelma genus has been listed for almost 25yrs. Do you see any problems acquiring a B. hamorii or B. albopilosum? This means practically nothing for 99% of the hobbyists...

I'm more than a little amused by the turn that this thread has taken. At first, everyone seemed to be so concerned with the captive breeding and conservation of the species, and there were several posts about the greed of the countries involved. Yet now, the main thrust of the conversation is...

A reintroduction program is a really tough thing to set up. Years ago I worked with an effort to reintroduce tamarins, bred and raised in American zoos, back into the Amazon. Getting all of the countries interested, and willing to invest time and money is very tough. Getting all the permits is...

One point to remember, is that the rules in this arena are different from a court of law. They don't have to believe you. They don't even have to know what it is. They can require you to prove what species you are saying it is, ...at your cost. Otherwise they can seize it, destroy it or send it...

I'm curious what species you are referring to.

Just an FYI, before everyone gets all melancholy, P. regalis and tigrinawesseli are not included in this listing. Nor are they included in the proposed listing of Indian tarantulas. So, if you've had your heart set on acquiring a Pokie, breeding it, and then selling the offspring across state...