A. geniculata: a must have for a modest collection?

[Nightshady]

If you're not a fan of tubs, you may not be a fan of these. They're office boxes made for index cards/supplies, etc. But I think they look nicer than the average sterilite tub, they stack AWESOMELY (they're called Super Stackers), and they come in a wide variety of sizes that's suitable from small slings to all but the largest terrestrials. They even have these tiny ones called "pixie boxes" that are about 3.5"x2.5"x1.5" that would be GREAT for itty bitty slings, and they're only about $0.88 at walmart. You can find them in the office supply section.

Gotcha. I looked them up. Definitely better than deli cup, but yeah I do prefer the acrylic habitats.

 

[FrDoc]

I opine an A. Geniculata is a must have if you're only gonna have one T (as if).

 

[Vanessa]

They are very attractive and grow crazy fast. They are readily available and hardy. I picked up a very inexpensive juvenile female and I was pretty shocked at the growth - it even seems faster than my L.difficilis female. There are not many cons to them... except the hairs. They are worse than a lot of others. My girl is probably the worst hair kicker in my group, even more than my B.boehmei.
Having said that... if I were to only allow myself a small collection, they would not be in it. There would be a lot of others that I would choose over them. I love my girl, and don't regret getting her, but they are not in my top 10.

 

[StampFan]

They are very attractive and grow crazy fast. They are readily available and hardy. I picked up a very inexpensive juvenile female and I was pretty shocked at the growth - it even seems faster than my L.difficilis female. There are not many cons to them... except the hairs. They are worse than a lot of others. My girl is probably the worst hair kicker in my group, even more than my B.boehmei.
Having said that... if I were to only allow myself a small collection, they would not be in it. There would be a lot of others that I would choose over them. I love my girl, and don't regret getting her, but they are not in my top 10.
View attachment 259438

Funny, I was just looking at my L Difficilis and pondering how the heck it grows so fast ! My last Geniculata molt was also quite a size difference....

 

[SingaporeB]

I think you got pretty well shellacked ion the topic of size estimations in that other thread.

What thread is that? If I had been "shellacked" the thread would still be there so everyone could enjoy my shellacking.

When you get censored that means you won. You won in a big way.

(SingaporeB does the tarantula happy dance)
.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

It was the thread in which you argued that Jaimie's Tarantula's had misrepresented the size of the tarantula you had received. I believe it was called "Where is Jaimie's tarantulas?". Most if not all responses were of the opinion that you lacked the concept of s'ling sizing in the hobby and in the business. Your signature suggests that breeders make $10,000 dollars per LP sac, a figure, that while I am not a breeder or vendor, I am pretty skeptical of. You also inflate the mortality rate of 'slings. I merely pointed out that I had a 100% success rate with my small group of s'lings even though I had never attempted to raise spiders from the s'ling stage before. and you failed to take into account the cost of doing business. You also failed to take into account the possible mortality rate of 's'lings before they are offered for sale. An actual breeder/vendor would have to chime in, but I don't think that a 1,000 s'ling sac would necessarily equate a 10,000 dollar profit.

 

[Andrea82]

For sure on water dish.

I’m kind of against deli cups, strictly for aesthetic reasons. I will construct a nice acrylic sling habitat. I like making them and enjoy watching my slings live in them.

Thanks for the tips!

I'm sure the A.geniculata will love living in a fancy sling enclosure. For the month it will be housed there that is...
This species grows ungodly fast. Seriously. I have 10, and for 7 of them i needed rehousing every month, for two of them 2 months, and only one has been rehoused once.
I wouldn't put them in something fancy until it is grown a bit into juvenile stage.
I love my food motivated earth destroyers. Somersaults, jumping, wrestling, martial arts, you get the whole package when feeding. I'd keep the substrate a bit damp or they'll be camping out in the waterdish.

Only 5?!
That will end when you get your first freebie. 'well, the freebie doesn't count since i didn't select it so I still can buy four more'. And before you know it you'll have 10. Or 30.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

$10,000 dollars per LP sac, a figure, that while I am not a breeder or vendor, I am pretty skeptical of.

I'm not sure how he's getting that figure either. Granted, I'm in the UK but they get practically given away as slings here, same with P. cambridgei.

I merely pointed out that I had a 100% success rate with my small group of s'lings even though I had never attempted to raise spiders from the s'ling stage before.

Nearly two thirds of my collection are/were raised from slings, I've had 3 deaths, 1 of my 2 H. maculata slings (died 2 days after arrival), a C. versicolor (had already dropped 2 legs in transit and then died after a couple of days) and a Y. diversipes (moulted the day after arrival and then died about a week later), at worst I'm looking at something like a 11% mortality rate (3 deaths from 28 slings), this isn't counting my 2 C. elegans slings that escaped but even then it's about 16% (5 from 30).

 

[Nightshady]

I'm sure the A.geniculata will love living in a fancy sling enclosure. For the month it will be housed there that is...
This species grows ungodly fast. Seriously. I have 10, and for 7 of them i needed rehousing every month, for two of them 2 months, and only one has been rehoused once.
I wouldn't put them in something fancy until it is grown a bit into juvenile stage.
I love my food motivated earth destroyers. Somersaults, jumping, wrestling, martial arts, you get the whole package when feeding. I'd keep the substrate a bit damp or they'll be camping out in the waterdish.

Only 5?!
That will end when you get your first freebie. 'well, the freebie doesn't count since i didn't select it so I still can buy four more'. And before you know it you'll have 10. Or 30.

I don’t believe in the multiple rehousing theory. I put my slings in 5x5” habitats (granted, have never had one smaller than about 3/4”); when they get too big for that, they will go in an adult 8x8” or 12x12” habitat.

Funny you mention the freebies. I was supposed to get a pumpkin patch freebie when I bought my veriscolor and I held the line and told them not to send it haha.

 

[Lil Paws]

Just 5? Heh, I said the same thing after buying a GBB. Then I bought a versi. Now I'm looking at another. A. Geniculata are beautiful! You'll have to update with picts when you get yours.

 

[Nightshady]

Just 5? Heh, I said the same thing after buying a GBB. Then I bought a versi. Now I'm looking at another. A. Geniculata are beautiful! You'll have to update with picts when you get yours.

For sure! I’ve been brainstorming on how I’m gonna build its habitat. Will toss up some pics of the habitat and the spider in it when it’s all done.

 

[Vanessa]

Is that clown still going on about the 95% mortality rate and the colossal conspiracy that tarantula dealers, and hobbyists, all over the world are perpetrating on him in order to fleece him out of a few dollars? What does he think... that if he keeps saying that there is a conspiracy, over and over, that it's going to come true?
Is he an anti-vax, flat earther too? He is, isn't he?
Good grief.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Well, the thread WAS removed so he won!. OR, it was removed because assertions were made using faulty evidence and an opinion not backed by facts against a reputable vendor, and it looked a little like trolling.

I think it makes a good case for a thread discussing s'ling mortality rates, though. Both for some informal research and to avoid cluttering this thread.

Edit: I see it has been done before, but the thread originated in 2003, I see no point in using a thread containing old data.

 

[Vanessa]

I think it makes a good case for a thread discussing s'ling mortality rates, though. Both for some informal research and to avoid cluttering this thread.

I think that would be an excellent discussion and one which could prove helpful to people. I just had a discussion with someone who wanted to purchase a very expensive spiderling, who needs it to be far more moist than others, and I advised that he might want to wait until the spring when things are not so painfully dry where we are. There are definitely ways to avoid some losses, or minimize the chances of experiencing higher than average spiderling losses.
However, all I see happening is a handful of members getting on their high horse and using a thread like that to bash those who admit to having losses and lord it over everyone that they are so perfect that they have never had any. You wouldn't see me fessing up to losses just to take that kind of abuse.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

What thread is that? If I had been "shellacked" the thread would still be there so everyone could enjoy my shellacking.

You need to 'Shillelagh'* those that 'Shellacked' you. <-- old long white bearded Chinese crap u_u

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shillelagh_(club)

 

[Andrea82]

Funny you mention the freebies. I was supposed to get a pumpkin patch freebie when I bought my veriscolor and I held the line and told them not to send it haha.

You're a stronger man than I am. If I was a man, that is
A.geniculata start as really really small slings. They were the size of ants when i got them, which was, i think, half a year ago. Some of them are now over 7cm DLS. Really fast growing!

 

[Nightshady]

A.geniculata start as really really small slings. They were the size of ants when i got them, which was, i think, half a year ago. Some of them are now over 7cm DLS. Really fast growing!

I found a 1.5-2” sexed female from a reputable dealer. Thinking I’m going to go with that one. I wouldn’t mind having a smaller one (like 1” which is what my GBB and Versi were when I got them), but on the other hand having one that is sexed female is a huge draw. I dunno. I’m a bit torn.

 

[Nightshady]

...getting on their high horse and using a thread like that to bash those...

I think you’re right and when things like that happen people should be called out on it (the bashers I mean, not ppl who lost slings).

 

[Swoop]

I have 3 genics.

Two were slings I got at 1/2". One was very shy, both dug under their water dishes instead of their hides/starter burrows. Both threw tantrums in the same day. I'm talking flipped over water dish, hides on their sides, substrate everywhere! Both molted a few weeks later, both about 3/4" now and starting to look like juvies (very distinct leg stripes). Both alive because I'm not SingaporeB. I started feeding live pinhead roaches once they molted and they're ferocious already.


I have a 2" one also. Part of a multi-t purchase, it was mislabeled and molting in a burrow so I didn't know what it was until a week later when I tried to feed it. The way I remember it, I lowered a mealworm in, the T ran out of its burrow, went up the tongs, flipped me the bird, slammed its kritter keeper shut, base-jumped off my tongs and landed on the mealworm which I had dropped by that time. It may not have gone quite exactly like that but it happened so fast I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

 

[Nightshady]

I have 3 genics.

Two were slings I got at 1/2". One was very shy, both dug under their water dishes instead of their hides/starter burrows. Both threw tantrums in the same day. I'm talking flipped over water dish, hides on their sides, substrate everywhere! Both molted a few weeks later, both about 3/4" now and starting to look like juvies (very distinct leg stripes). Both alive because I'm not SingaporeB. I started feeding live pinhead roaches once they molted and they're ferocious already.


I have a 2" one also. Part of a multi-t purchase, it was mislabeled and molting in a burrow so I didn't know what it was until a week later when I tried to feed it. The way I remember it, I lowered a mealworm in, the T ran out of its burrow, went up the tongs, flipped me the bird, slammed its kritter keeper shut, base-jumped off my tongs and landed on the mealworm which I had dropped by that time. It may not have gone quite exactly like that but it happened so fast I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

Hahahaha!! This sounds like the perfect T for me. Right now I have a GBB and a Versicolor. Both are doing awesome, but they are totally different spiders. The GBB putters around his cage a bit, adjusting webbing and checking things out. If I drop a cricket in the habitat, it will feel the vibrations on the web and come charging in like a linebacker.

My Versi is beautiful and has an elaborate web house, which it sits in 24/7 and does nothing else. If I drop a cricket in, it sits motionless until the cricket literally crawls into its web house (believe it or not this happens pretty much every time eventually), at which point it calmly snatches it up.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love my Versi, but my GBB is so much more entertaining. I’m thinking the Geniculata might be like my GBB on crack. I MUST get one now!!