Where do you obtain your Tarantulas?

[JustSomeDude]

I was curious to see where everyone gets the majority of their tarantulas from? Online? Local Breeder? Pet store? Reptile Conventions?

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Most I have bought from online sellers in various European countries. As unsexed juveniles is much cheaper than confirmed females, I often buy a few and trade off those turning out to be males with local keepers who breeds them.

 

[JustSomeDude]

Yea I totally agree I feel like unsexed slings are the way to go. Male or female you get them cheap and get the experience of all the molts and pure joy that comes from raising a spider. Even if studding out your males is the outcome it is still progressing the trade of cb spiders in the hobby!

 

[Walter1]

I was curious to see where everyone gets the majority of their tarantulas from? Online? Local Breeder? Pet store? Reptile Conventions?

Some of each. Just depends on what I want.

 

[Andrea82]

Same here, with one exception being bought in a pet shop,all my T's come from breeders in the Netherlands. It is a very close community here, so if a breeder isn't trustworthy he or she will be out of buyers and sellers real quick.
Most breeders here sell only CCB,or CB T's here,which is a comfort,knowing I'm not pillaging wildlife.

 

[Psyrocke]

Only online. I would love to go to a show but I missed the one that was in my area over the summer. And I popped into an exotic petstore that had rave reviews from an AB member in my State, but its not really local to me, and they aren't selling the tarantula I want anymore. Someone bought them on me haha.

 

[SausageinaNet]

I got all my Ts from breeders online as there are none in my area. Also I am not a fan of expos nor petstores.

 

[eminart]

All of my current T's have come from a local breeder. I'll definitely be on the lookout for any deals the next time I go to a reptile show though.

 

[Perentie]

Mainly reptile shows and shops. I'm not in a rush to get many species, so typically I wait until I can avoid shipping.

 

[Toff202]

Exactly what @Andrea82 said. The one from the pet shop being a MM Lasiodora difficilis they gave me for free because they knew I could take care of it and because it wouldn't be fair to sell it for the price they offered it.

 

[Envoirment]

Currently online only. I've used The Spider Shop and have just placed an order from tarantulas Bristol. Quite lucky to have a few reliable sites here in the UK to order from!

 

[matypants]

One from a pet shop. I know better now. A decent local reptile show with reputable dealers. And online.

 

[EulersK]

I used to buy online, but the ungodly shipping prices drove me away. I'll do it if I find one that I really want, but overall, not so much. I'm lucky enough to have a huge expo just down the street from my home twice per year. I also have a local store who acts as a middle man between online dealers and purchasers. I buy almost all of mine through him. Slightly higher prices, but still cheaper than shipping, and I don't have to buy 5+ at a time to offset the price of shipping.

Unfortunately, both of those things may be coming to an end very soon. Nevada will likely be outlawing almost all exotic pets (with the exception of arthropods). Unfortunately, as we all know, expos and stores usually cater to reptiles with tarantulas as an afterthought.

 

[Venom1080]

online mainly, but i never miss a chance to check out a reptile expo for deals.

 

[LuiziBee]

Everywhere. Craigslist, sometimes local pet shops, tarantula Facebook groups (local or otherwise), exotics expos, instagram, random friends of friends who don't want their "rose hair" anymore. Online dealers, breeders, through online trades, etc etc etc.

 

[viper69]

I was curious to see where everyone gets the majority of their tarantulas from? Online? Local Breeder? Pet store? Reptile Conventions?

Online and Conventions and Classifieds here on AB!

 

[viper69]

I used to buy online, but the ungodly shipping prices drove me away. I'll do it if I find one that I really want, but overall, not so much. I'm lucky enough to have a huge expo just down the street from my home twice per year. I also have a local store who acts as a middle man between online dealers and purchasers. I buy almost all of mine through him. Slightly higher prices, but still cheaper than shipping, and I don't have to buy 5+ at a time to offset the price of shipping.

Unfortunately, both of those things may be coming to an end very soon. Nevada will likely be outlawing almost all exotic pets (with the exception of arthropods). Unfortunately, as we all know, expos and stores usually cater to reptiles with tarantulas as an afterthought.

Who are the crazy people supporting that crappy piece of legislation? Thank god Ts are arthropods. So all exotics go, even snakes, like corns, kings etc?

 

[JustSomeDude]

That's wild I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[JustSomeDude]

Everywhere. Craigslist, sometimes local pet shops, tarantula Facebook groups (local or otherwise), exotics expos, instagram, random friends of friends who don't want their "rose hair" anymore. Online dealers, breeders, through online trades, etc etc etc.

That's funny I got a sweet pulchra off of Craig's list!

 

[EulersK]

Who are the crazy people supporting that crappy piece of legislation? Thank god Ts are arthropods. So all exotics go, even snakes, like corns, kings etc?

The bill has gone through several revisions. At first, they outright banned any snake capable of reaching >6' and any venomous reptile whatsoever. It has been revised several, several times, and where we currently stand is an ad hoc conglomeration of exceptions. Larger snakes are allowed, but nothing past 12'. No matter what, you can't own more than 2 of any exotic pet, and even those 2 require permits to own. Juveniles/eggs/whatever also count towards that 2 limit, so a person who is breeding leopard geckos is suddenly a criminal. Licensed breeders will of course be allowed, but only after lengthy and expensive permits. The bill also goes into how many feral cats a person can own (this is a problem?!), and actually defines an "exotic animal" as anything other than a cat or a dog. Snakes, lizards, birds, fish, you name it. I find it very odd that arthropods, or at least tarantulas, are excluded in this bill. I'm not complaining, though.

I was at the town hall meeting last year when it was being proposed, and holy bejeezus, there was a huge outcry. It's not just the small niche of tarantula keepers like on this forum - we're talking about anyone with other than a cat or a dog. Frankly, I stopped following the evolution of this bill when I found out arachnids were excluded, so I don't have a lot of info. If you Google "exotic pet ban Nevada", you'll get a million links on the subject.