Help with my cousins birthday gift?

[notanarachnophobe]

I've been asked by a relative to purchase/suggest a T for my cousin for his 10th birthday on the 25th. You know the drill.

I need sellers, websites and breed suggestions. His mum wants it to be an 'educational experience'. I'd assume he'll want a male because of the lifespan and stuff. Thanks boys.

(might check out these sellers you suggest for myself)

 

[antinous]

Will his parents be helping take care of it? IMO, a 10 year old isn’t responsible enough to be taking care of an animal by themselves, especially since their attention span isn’t the longest.

So he’d want a male because he doesn’t want one that lives that long so he doesn’t have to take care of it for a long time?

Honestly, I’m not too fond of people getting animals as a ‘learning experience’. It’s another life you’re taking care of, not a class that you can drop if you’re not interested in after a while.

 

[notanarachnophobe]

Will his parents be helping take care of it? IMO, a 10 year old isn’t responsible enough to be taking care of an animal by themselves, especially since their attention span isn’t the longest.

So he’d want a male because he doesn’t want one that lives that long so he doesn’t have to take care of it for a long time?

Honestly, I’m not too fond of people getting animals as a ‘learning experience’. It’s another life you’re taking care of, not a class that you can drop if you’re not interested in after a while.

Yeah, I'm concerned, but I haven't agreed to it yet. I'm just getting some ideas, you know?

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Yeah, I'm concerned, but I haven't agreed to it yet. I'm just getting some ideas, you know?

The spider shop always has a good amount to choose from or @KezyGLA on here that's the only 2 I've bought from and great experiences

 

[antinous]

Yeah, I'm concerned, but I haven't agreed to it yet. I'm just getting some ideas, you know?

I’d honestly try to talk to your aunt and explain that it’s a living animal that she’s asking for, not some video game. If he wants an educational experience, there are plenty of good books on spiders!

 

[notanarachnophobe]

I’d honestly try to talk to your aunt and explain that it’s a living animal that she’s asking for, not some video game. If he wants an educational experience, there are plenty of good books on spiders!

Would it be worth suggesting just studying and finding common house spiders?

The spider shop always has a good amount to choose from or @KezyGLA on here that's the only 2 I've bought from and great experiences

Cheers mate, will have a gander.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

Would it be worth suggesting just studying and finding common house spiders?

There is great thing on amazon for kids it's only a £10 and ye make it up, catch a house spider for a couple a weeks, then let it go again

Nick bakers spider world a think it's called

 

[notanarachnophobe]

Nick bakers spider world a think it's called

You legend- cheers mate. I'm window shopping on thespidershop for myself atm, lol.

 

[Andrew Clayton]

You legend- cheers mate. I'm window shopping on thespidershop for myself atm, lol.

@KezyGLA has a Facebook page called Tarantulas Glasgow

 

[notanarachnophobe]

@KezyGLA has a Facebook page called Tarantulas Glasgow

Will have a look at prices, stock and reviews on all suggestions.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I'd assume he'll want a male because of the lifespan and stuff.

Starting from the fair enough point that you/they should do what they want, here's my opinion about.

Quite frankly I wouldn't opt at all (no matter the species) for a MM specimen.

I mean, there's nothing 'scientific' to witness into a MM's shorter life except if someone is lucky enough for see a sperm web (nothing so transcendental, and of course a not granted thing at all to witness, since the spider can do that at late night, or when 'you' aren't present).

Honestly it's better to leave MM's for the breeders/breeding invertsonal projects etc and, instead, purchase a perfect beginner friendly (and sexed from trusted vendors) 0.1

The lifespan of certain NW's 0.1 is crazy, and well... that's a 'Pro', unless someone wants to own a 'time limited' animal.
Besides, aside for the sperm web, MM's spend what remains of their life searching for 0.1, so their behaviour isn't the normal one... climbing, digging like crazy in the substrate (obligate burrowers), they are more prone to dehydrate (MM's are great drinkers).

Not the best choice, honestly

 

[chanda]

Yeah! Live animals as a birthday (or Christmas or Easter) gift! 'Cause that always works out well! Even better if it's a total surprise!

Seriously, if your aunt really wants to get your cousin a tarantula as a gift, that can be fine - if she is prepared to assume responsibility for the animal, to make sure it is appropriately housed, fed, watered, and taken care of. She should also have a contingency plan for what she will do with it if your cousin gets bored with it, doesn't like it, or is otherwise uninterested in caring for it long-term. Will she take care of it herself? Is there someone she can give it to? (You, perhaps?)

While inverts like tarantulas are very easy to take care of, they are also very easy to neglect. Unlike a dog or cat, which can let you know when it is hungry or thirsty or otherwise in need of attention by barking or meowing or whining or scratching or biting or shoving the empty food dish around the kitchen floor until you notice it, an invert like a tarantula can't really do anything to get your attention. The only way it can tell you that it has been neglected is by dying on you, at which point the smell will remind you - Oh, yeah! I was supposed to be taking care of that!

Your cousin is young - but I have known children of 10 that were certainly mature enough to take care of a low-maintenance pet like a tarantula (particularly if they have an adult who is willing to oversee and remind them in case they forget). I have also known adults of 50 who were not responsible enough to own a pet or even a houseplant. It all depends on the person.

As far as what kind of tarantula to get, better to stick with something slow and docile for a beginner. New world terrestrials such as Brachypelma, Grammostola, or Aphonopelma species are good choices. I would not recommend a mature male because it will most likely only live for a year or less, and it can be very difficult for a child to deal with the loss of a pet. Remember - this is a live animal, not just a "thing" that your aunt wants to give him. There is the very real possibility that he will bond with it, which will make its eventual death difficult for him. Why pick a pet with an expiration date - and the clock already ticking down? Better to get a female, or an unsexed juvenile. If your aunt wants it to be a learning experience for him, then watching a young spider grow and change should be fascinating for him! Maybe not a tiny sling, as those can sometimes be a bit more challenging to keep alive - plus they are so small that they may not hold your cousin's attention the way a larger tarantula would - but a good-sized juvenile with a few molts under its belt would be a good choice.

I need sellers, websites and breed suggestions.

The various tarantulas are separate species, not different breeds. Breeds are what you have with dogs, where all domestic dogs are the exact same species, but they have been selectively bred for a variety of traits such as size, coat, temperament, etc. A Great Dane is the same species as a Chihuahua or a Pit Bull or a Poodle. With tarantulas, each "variety" is an entirely separate species that evolved on its own, without human intervention. (There are some humans that like to "play God" - or are just careless/thoughtless - that will try cross-breeding related species of tarantulas, resulting in inter-species hybrids, but this is generally regarded as a bad thing.)

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I need sellers, websites and species suggestions.

So Many Legs
Tarantulas Glasgow (either on FB or talk to @KezyGLA on here)
Portsmouth Tarantulas
Creatures From the North
The Spider Shop

 

[SteveIDDQD]

Recommend a millipede, or a hissing roach?
Both more suited to a 10 year old than a hair kicking, venom injecting tarantula, but both a good introduction so he can get a T later.

 

[notanarachnophobe]

Thanks guys. I'll take all of your suggestions.

 

[sschind]

I'm assuming the 10 year old has been asking his mom for a pet tarantula and she has no idea where to turn. Please don't take this the wrong way when I ask if you have any experience with keeping tarantulas and why she asked you for help. Do you have some knowledge that leads her to believe you would be up to the task or is she just trying to pass the responsibility off onto someone else? I think its great that you are willing to help out but the 10 year old needs to be involved in this decision as well and needs to be doing some of the research. Giving a live animals to a child (even an adult for that matter) as a surprise is not the way to go about it.

It is possible that the child has already done a ton of research and knows a lot abut it and his mom is turning to you simply for making the final purchase but since you are looking for species suggestions and the like I didn't get that impression. My suggestion would be to talk to your aunt and rather than buying him the spider you buy him an appropriate setup and supplies for one of the beginner friendly new world terrestrial species and give him that with the idea that you, or ideally she, will help the boy choose the correct spider. Maybe come up with a list of 5 or 6 appropriate species and let the boy research and choose for himself. It is going to be his pet and he is going to be the one who care for it (though I would hope his mother understands that she may have to lend a hand) so he should be in on the decision. Help devise a list of daily and weekly chores he needs to do to keep up with.

Good luck. Pets can be a very rewarding part of growing up but the child needs to know that there is much responsibility that goes along with it and being involved in the choice is one of the first steps rather than just "you wanted one here it is now take care of it."

 

[Chris LXXIX]

So Many Legs
Tarantulas Glasgow (either on FB or talk to @KezyGLA on here)
Portsmouth Tarantulas
Creatures From the North
The Spider Shop

You forgot Virginia "a certain dairy product derived"-man*. Altough she's more into inverts in general at 360°, she has T's for sale

*Cheeseman.

 

[Venom1080]

I wouldn't get a sling. He'll get bored of the growth rate real quick.

Aim for juvies. Cheap especially as I doubt he'll care about the sex.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

You forgot Virginia "a certain dairy product derived"-man*. Altough she's more into inverts in general at 360°, she has T's for sale

*Cheeseman.

Last time I checked, her sizing is weird and she's a bit overpriced.
There's also BugzUK but their sizing is kinda weird
And Martin Goss, but he never updates his site

 

[Minty]

Will have a look at prices, stock and reviews on all suggestions.

He's top notch.

I'd also recommend The Spider Shop and Spidersworld EU.