It's not just PetCo and Pet Smart!!

[Keith Richard]

While on vacation over in Edinburgh, Scotland I took the opportunity to visit an aquari biased pet store that also sells inverts and lizards. After the initial excitement of seeing a couple of species that I had not seen face to face before, I then took a better look at the living environment of the spiders available for sale. They had a mixture of old and new world species, but all were kept in what could be argued as typically old world conditions......wet susbstrate, heaviliy misted, mixture of cork bark and foliage, BUT no water bowl in any enclosure. It saddened me to note that at least three (visible) spiders were in the death curl including H. lividum and B. smithi. My heart sank when I saw the the smithi...I'm almost certain that a moist ICU could save this very nice 4"+ example, but I have nowhere to re-home the beauty if it pulls through. From my understanding, I cant ship it back home to CA...or can I??? Anyway, anyone near the Edinburgh vicinity should quickly consider giving a home to this smithi (and the others for that matter). I'm depressed....where's the scotch??

 

[conipto]

I don't have a clue about the legality.. but a t in a deli-cup doesn't set off a metal detector, that's for sure.

Bill

 

[Mendi]

Being a T listed in the CITES (Brachypelma) does make it illegal to transport into other countries without expensive papers. Plus if you are caught, without these papers, you will be facing smuggling charges as well.

 

[Rourke]

I don't have a clue about the legality.. but a t in a deli-cup doesn't set off a metal detector, that's for sure.

Bill

Hold on there....maybe not a smithi, but what if it's a metallica???

Totally lame, I know. Absolutely could not resist. Somebody slap me......

 

[gusman1204]

SLAP!......ok couldnt resist another slap ;P ;P

 

[cricket54]

They open and search your suitcases now, even look through women's purses
so they would probably find the B. smithi and drag you off especially since it is large. I did get away with carrying a tiny black widow spider from Alabama to NJ on a plane. I put it in a small grated cheese/powdered sugar type shaker that had a plastic lid with holes. I put tissue inside the lid to cover the holes just in case the spider tried to squeeze out (it was larger then the holes, but so small they wouldn't see it much if you looked inside). The purse went through the metal detecter and they did look through it, but did not pay any attention to the salt shaker. The spider made it back here without any problems.

Sharon

 

[Keith Richard]

Haaa ,I can see the headlines now....."aviation professional caught illegally smuggling protected deadly tarantula on a commercial airliner". I'm still working on finding a good home here in Scotland for the poor little fellow. thanks for the feedback.

 

[spidergoddess]

Just remember, when you buy animals from places like this, it only encourages them to replace their stock with more. While you may save one, you are dooming others. Difficult as it may be, in the long run it is better to buy nothing from these places and give them no financial support or encouragement of any kind.

 

[oogieboogie]

Just remember, when you buy animals from places like this, it only encourages them to replace their stock with more. While you may save one, you are dooming others. Difficult as it may be, in the long run it is better to buy nothing from these places and give them no financial support or encouragement of any kind.

Ditto Ditto

 

[Keith Richard]

Ditto Ditto

C'mon folks...do not patronise me!! I can figure out the consequences of my actions without help. Whatever happens past or future, I am living in the now.....and right now there is a very handsome RedKnee about to die. My potential saving of this beast (or not as the case may be) will have absolutely zero effect on the strategic direction of this vendor...you're preaching to the converted!! For your information, my only purchases from high street pet stores have been vivariums and feeders.

 

[oogieboogie]

All were pointing out is that when you buy that T from them, they replace it with another thinking they will continue to sell them.

You dont buy the T and it dies, they may replace it this time, and maybe the next time. But after a while they will stop.

If you want a beautiful B. smithi, let me know I have two. Or contact one of the reputible dealers on the net that treat the animals how they should be treated and give them the support and not some petshop thats in it to turn a buck no matter what happens to the T.

 

[Keith Richard]

All were pointing out is that when you buy that T from them, they replace it with another thinking they will continue to sell them.

You dont buy the T and it dies, they may replace it this time, and maybe the next time. But after a while they will stop.

If you want a beautiful B. smithi, let me know I have two. Or contact one of the reputible dealers on the net that treat the animals how they should be treated and give them the support and not some petshop thats in it to turn a buck no matter what happens to the T.

oogie, I totally understood the replies to this post. I actually have a gorgeous female smithi who's in pre-molt right at this time. The B. smithi is without a doubt my favorite species, which is why I'm so upset with this situation....it's almost a case of "damned if I do, damned if I don't". And for clarification, the old world species at this store seem to be being kept in reasonably suitable conditions (apart obviously from the H. lividum I mentioned). Thank you for your concern anyway.

 

[JJJoshua]

Put 'em under your kilt! Nice n warm to, eh?

 

[Keith Richard]

Put 'em under your kilt! Nice n warm to, eh?

Super suggestion......right from the Rick West care of tarantulas advice line!

 

[oogieboogie]

it's almost a case of "damned if I do, damned if I don't".

Damn true there. Sticky situation it is. Dont mean to be annoying, but It just amazes me at how some pet stores work. And not only stay open, but actually thrive and make a very good profit. *shurg*

Good luck with the situation!

BTW how much were the asking for the smithi?

 

[MatthewBerfield]

This is just my opinon but can't you talk to the manager or the owner of the pet store and let them know what is going on? that would be a solution to the problem....atleast i hope so....

 

[oogieboogie]

Most of the time the petstores dont care. Ive gone into my local petco and informed them that soaking wet substrate with no hide box is the worst conditions for a B. smithi.

There were droplets of water on all the glass sides.

They said... oh i dont know. A spider is a spider.

 

[MatthewBerfield]

dang thats pretty bad...that kind of stuff makes me mad....