# Silliest T advice you've ever heard at a pet store



## Moltar

What is the worst or funniest advice you've ever gotten from an under-informed pet shop employee?

Mine would have to be one of these two statements. Both were said by the same girl and are somewhat paraphrased here:

A: "That there Tiger Rump molted yesterday. It looked like it was having a hard time 'cuz he was flipped over on his back strugglin to get outta' the old skin. I helped him out by grabbin' him with these here tweezers and flippin him back over"

B: "Yeah, this Orange Baboon Spider is pretty docile. Here, i'll just open up the box and grab her so you can handle her."
-To which I replied: "Wow, that's a crazy threat display, you're gonna get bit, be careful."
-To which she replied: "Naw, she ain't mad or nuthin'. She does that all the time."


I have since purchased the fasciatum as he appeared to suffer no ill affects from being manhandled. They can keep the OBT tho'.

Reactions: Like 4 | Sad 1


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## kristal_kaos

The people at a shop near me told me to put a heat lamp on the top of the screen lid and a heat pad under the tank - actually sold me all the heating supplies and some other stuff I didnt need. They told me that the G. rosea i was buying my bro was 6 months old....but when I got it home (i was new to Ts), my dad pointed out to me that it was older because it was a mature male ready to breed....and wouldnt live too long. Needless to say I do not buy from that shop no more.


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## LeilaNami

I think the silliest thing I ever heard (and the pet store did) was at the Petco down the street from the one I work at.

"Oh, well rosehairs can be put together in one tank.  I know what I'm talking about.  I'm the reptile specialist."

I'll tell ya now, just because the people at Petco have reptile specialist titles means absolutely NOTHING!  Of course the GM at that store didn't give a crap either way and GUESS WHAT!! She's going to be the temporary GM at my store for a month or so...I think I might have to kill myself :wall:

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Acal57

"If your worried about getting bit, you can take it to a vet and for maybe 30 bucks that can defang it for yah" And on that note I left.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## KJE

I try to stear clear of petstore t's, but I did notice this A. seemani at a store once.  She was missing a leg and it was laying in the enclosure with her.  I asked what happened to her and was told, "She was accidentally knocked off the counter a couple of times."  Ugh!  Wasn't once too much.  No, they had to leave her there to let her get knocked off the counter again!

I get WAY too upset with petstore's know-it-all attitudes.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Parahybana3590

"I have a hard time remembering to feed my rose hair so I get 10-15 crickets and throw 'em all in the cage at once, it works really well that way!"

:wall:


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## TheDarkFinder

"If you let a tarantula lay on it back too long it will drown." - from both the employees and the owner of the store.  I was asking why they where flipping the tarantula over in mid molt.


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## Ph4nToM

kristal_kaos said:


> They told me that the G. rosea i was buying my bro was 6 months old....but when I got it home (i was new to Ts), my dad pointed out to me that it was older because it was a mature male ready to breed....and wouldnt live too long. Needless to say I do not buy from that shop no more.


I pretty much had the same thing happen, guy told me my first T was only 3 months old and within the first week of having him he had already made a sperm web.


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## Drachenjager

hmmm how about to mist a G. rosea container daily lol 
she said you can tell they like it because they dance and do head stands lol

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Arachnobrian

After noticing a 2" avic (pink toe) in a 20 gal. tank with nothing but 2" of substrate, a water dish filled with blue water gel, and a heat lamp. I asked the clerk if this setup was appropriate for such a small Tarantula.

The clerks response, yes this is exactly what the supplier recomended. Also that this is the way to house "all" Tarantulas if they are to thrive.

This store also carries "The Tarantula Keepers Guide", the clerk obviously never took the time to even flip through it.

I almost bought the poor thing, but declined, and have never returned.

Reactions: Disagree 1


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## BooyaTarantula

Haha this thread is sweet. I was recently at a pet store and informed that my Nhandu Chromatus when it was full grown would be fully capable of leaping twelve feet directly into the air. That's why they're called birdeaters. My stars...

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 5


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## LeilaNami

Well, I'd sure like an N. chromatus that would do that ;P

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## jr47

when i bought my h. gigas and asked why they had bark in the kk i was told that it made her feel like she was on a tree so it felt more at home.  :?


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## P. Novak

BooyaTarantula said:


> Haha this thread is sweet. I was recently at a pet store and informed that my Nhandu Chromatus when it was full grown would be fully capable of leaping twelve feet directly into the air. That's why they're called birdeaters. My stars...



Ohhh, they don't? I always thought my birdeaters would do that when they grow up. In fact I was planning on them to take care of the pesky birds in the morning.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## LeilaNami

I think its funny but sad when I point out an invert has mites and I'm yelled at for self-diagnosing and only a vet can diagnose it...Would anyone like to tell me of a vet they know of that treats inverts


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## spider_fan

> "That there Tiger Rump molted yesterday. It looked like it was having a hard time 'cuz he was flipped over on his back strugglin to get outta' the old skin. I helped him out by grabbin' him with these here tweezers and flippin him back over"









I have to say that's the most stupid thing I've ever heard.


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## tarantulas.com

LeilaNami said:


> I think its funny but sad when I point out an invert has mites and I'm yelled at for self-diagnosing and only a vet can diagnose it...Would anyone like to tell me of a vet they know of that treats inverts



  Suprisingly there are a few here in the Seattle area.  The farthest they go is giving fluid injections (probably not isotonic to invert hemolymph), and anesthesia to manually remove mites.  It's rare, but some do it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Snipes

tarantulas.com said:


> Suprisingly there are a few here in the Seattle area.  The farthest they go is giving fluid injections (probably not isotonic to invert hemolymph), and anesthesia to manually remove mites.  It's rare, but some do it.


Really?! Which ones?


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## tarantulas.com

Dr. Johnson-Delaney at Eastside Avian and Exotic Animal Medical Center (Bothell), Dr. Nelson at Exotic Pet and Bird Clinic (Kirkland), and possibly Dr. Maas at Avian Exotic Animal Clinic (Bothell).
    I am not giving any kind of endorsment, simply stating that it is being done (knowledgably or otherwise).


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## Varden

"You know they're dead when they flip over on their backs.  Nothing to do then but flush them."

Reactions: Like 1


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## Snipes

tarantulas.com said:


> Dr. Johnson-Delaney at Eastside Avian and Exotic Animal Medical Center (Bothell), Dr. Nelson at Exotic Pet and Bird Clinic (Kirkland), and possibly Dr. Maas at Avian Exotic Animal Clinic (Bothell).
> I am not giving any kind of endorsment, simply stating that it is being done (knowledgably or otherwise).


Wow, have they been given any advise on what to do? (by you or others  ) I can't think of anything that vets could actually do for them, and it would seem like a waste of money to bring them in. Expecially if the doctors are misguided and doing actual harm.

As for actual bad advise, i have not really gotten any. The people at my local petco ask (me) and don't tell.


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## JakeLeg

etown_411 said:


> -To which I replied: "*Wow, that's a crazy threat display..*.


ROFL... very funny dude. Love it.

Reactions: Like 3


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## phil jones

are all the u.s.a. and canada pet shops so f******  stupid what is wrong with them?


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## Nitibus

Varden said:


> "You know they're dead when they flip over on their backs.  Nothing to do then but flush them."


That's not funny ! It's really quite sad. Perfectly healthy T's getting flushed during a moult.

What's wrong with these people !

Reactions: Agree 3


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## ShadowBlade

phil jones said:


> are all the u.s.a. and canada pet shops so f******  stupid what is wrong with them?


No, the franchise stores are, the ones that don't care about the animals.

There are plenty of specialized petstores, and some others, (especially privately owned) that actually have knowledgable staff.

See, in America we've got plenty of tarantulas running around that can be sold, (including things like rosea that are so quick and easy to import). So people sell them without caring much.

I'm sure over there, it was harder to get them, and there aren't as many WC, so people generally have more knowledge before selling them.
(You guys still get cooler species before we do....)

-Sean

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jonathan

I had one guy tell me that I needed to keep the humidity way up on my Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens.  Ie; flood the tank, and wrap the lid with saran wrap to keep the humidity in.  He later ended his advice with "you can trust me, I have a degree in biology"


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## kyrga

I asked a shop owner what Ts eat (this was the first time I'd ever seen one in a pet store, and I at the time knew nothing about them). He told me that at least once a day, he caught a housefly that was buzzing around the store, ripped it's wings off and threw it in. The T by the way was a 1"-1.5" sling that was in an empty deli cup, with a large heat lamp over it.


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## Varden

Nitibus said:


> That's not funny ! It's really quite sad. Perfectly healthy T's getting flushed during a moult.
> 
> What's wrong with these people !


True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.

Reactions: Like 6 | Funny 1


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## Ice Cold Milk

phil jones said:


> are all the u.s.a. and canada pet shops so f******  stupid what is wrong with them?


No, they are stupid everywhere...
here in South Africa one store said "Buy it a big tank, and keep more than one in there so they don't get lonely"....

and the owner of one of the biggest south african tarantula websites sells 2cm legspan OBT's as m/f pairs.


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## Dilbrain

phil jones said:


> are all the u.s.a. and canada pet shops so f******  stupid what is wrong with them?


We have more than our fair share of dodgy pet store "experts" in the UK....


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## midnight_maiden

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


Way to use their stupidity (or should I say Lack of knowledge)to your benefit.  That's kinda funny.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## phil jones

very naughty    and good for you :clap: :clap: :clap: you saved their lives  :worship: :worship: ===== phil


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## Cirith Ungol

Ice Cold Milk said:


> No, they are stupid everywhere...
> here in South Africa one store said "Buy it a big tank, and keep more than one in there so they don't get lonely"....
> 
> and the owner of one of the biggest south african tarantula websites sells 2cm legspan OBT's as m/f pairs.


Not too unusual seeing T's sold as pairs. Did you see a mention of keeping them together? Because if not you can almost count on it that the seller let's you apply common T sense assuming you'll keep thems separate.


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## Nitibus

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.



Now that's FUNNY !


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## Cirith Ungol

One problem that pet store people face is that they can't know how much you know. Next is that they by default have to play experts so that they don't put the shops reputation on the line (for good or bad). 

I know from one pet store that had a lividum on 1" bark shavings - I told them that if they wanted to give the T better housing they should give it some peaty/earthy sub and make that quite deep. 

I agreed with the counter argument that the T wouldn't be visible then and at least it had a hiding spot now under a lumpy peace of wood. But the clerk also told me that I was the fourth person comming in giving "good" advice on the T. Some had told them to put the T on fine sand, some had said to add a heat lamp and other such rediculous stuff. So I almost fully understand if petstores don't just by default listen to the customers unless they can kinda varify what they are saying.

Still ofcourse the clerks should try and read up, one could say - but I guess we all know how hard it is to actually get through the jungle of bad information, ranging from sick caresheets over to self proclaimed expert hobbyists.

How easy is it, without any reference or true expert advice to actually find the one real piece of information that you need? I think if you have no clue where to start and where you wanna get to it's pretty hard.

What I think many pet shop clerks lack is common sense, that's the biggest problem and that's what could be most easily fixed.


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## kristal_kaos

I feel awful for the Ts at the shops around here, they arent kept well at all.  I bought my first T at a shop, but that was my last. I buy from reptist now on these sites...just means more to me to know he knows what he is doing and can offer me quality advice. And the Ts are well cared for and sexed.  I realize now that I may never shop at a pet store again...


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## kyrga

kristal_kaos said:


> I feel awful for the Ts at the shops around here, they arent kept well at all.  I bought my first T at a shop, but that was my last. I buy from reptist now on these sites...just means more to me to know he knows what he is doing and can offer me quality advice. And the Ts are well cared for and sexed.  I realize now that I may never shop at a pet store again...


I feel your pain. I was in a petshop w few days ago that had two "Rose hairs" and a "pink toe". All three were in terrestrial set ups, 5gal, with bark chips, a water dish stuffed with cotton, and a heat lamp. The rosies weren't too terrible, but the poor avic    and all the tanks have a sign on them that say "We can be hand held! "

They used to have a guy who was pretty knowledgable, but he obviously doesn't work there any more.


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## phil jones

do you have     pet shop inspectors in the u.s.a. as we have the r.s.p.c.a. and the p.d.s.a. and why is it that the shops seem to know not one way to keep a . t. yet they must have books on them why do they not read them to the shops your pet -t- is just $$$$$ in the bank for them :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:    ==== phil


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## P. Novak

Yes we have pet inspectors in the USA. Tarantulas just aren't at the top of the list. Apparently you can't neglect a tarantula like you can a dog or a cat.


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## phil jones

what can i say :? :? :? :?       ==== phil


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## kurisute_hasu

Varden said:


> "You know they're dead when they flip over on their backs.  Nothing to do then but flush them."


Uhg. This makes me want to vomit....:wall:

Reactions: Agree 2


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## galeogirl

I think the funniest I heard was that I could make a "really neat tank" by putting Avics in with some P. imperators.  I mean, "they're all from the rainforest, right?"


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## dukegarda

I bought both of my roseas from pet stores here in Canada. I like to think of myself as rescuing them. However, I have to say, pet stores have some of the worst set ups. Cotton in the water dish, (I used to do that, then I learned better.) Bark Chips... I even did that, then I learned better.

Do you see a trend? Not only where the Ts housed poorly, I was given the wrong information on how to care for them... some people might go get a tarantula for their son, and get misinformed about how to set up the enclosure, or when to feed them, or what is dead, and what is not.

I talked to this lady, and she wants to get her son a Tarantula. He loves spiders and all, at the age of 6. (Reminds me of running around the school yard collecting ants into a jar as I did at that age. Poor poor ants. Anyways, I told her a few things, the basics, soil, temperature, feeding habits. And for as long as her son doesn't stick his hands in the enclosure she should get one for him. 

Then she started talking to me about what she heard from petshop owners... ...my jaw dropped, and I just told her to forget that crap.


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## Vaul

I think I have encountered someone worthy of the title of 'Pet Shop Plank'. It concerned uricating hairs. The conversation is sorta etched on my mind.

Me: "I am always careful with the new world species, I'm developing a bit of a reaction to them"
Petshop Plank: "How? I don't know anyone who has any problem with Red Knees*" (I dont know my T's aswell as scorpions, but it was the strangest B. smithi I have ever seen!)
Me: "They can be quite the hair kickers, so I'll give them a miss. Lets see the bird eaters"
Petshop Plank: "You must be mistaken. I have kept reptiles like these for much longer than you. They are fine."

Obviously I didn't buy, because last time I checked Tarantulas weren't reptiles.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## ShadowBlade

Novak said:


> Yes we have pet inspectors in the USA. Tarantulas just aren't at the top of the list. Apparently you can't neglect a tarantula like you can a dog or a cat.





phil jones said:


> what can i say


That they're just invertebrates?? And shouldn't automatically be subjected to the requirements of dogs and cats? Or reptiles??

-Sean


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## DrAce

*UK/US Pet Shop Laws*

In the UK:
*The Pet Animals Act 1951 *
The Pet Animals Act 1951 (as amended in 1983) protects the welfare of animals sold as pets. The Act requires any person keeping a pet shop to be licensed by the local authority. Before granting a licence the local authority must be satisfied that the animals are kept in accommodation that is both suitable and clean; that they are supplied with appropriate food and drink; and are adequately protected from disease and fire. The local authority may attach any conditions to the licence, may inspect the licensed premises at all reasonable times and may refuse a licence if the conditions at the premises are unsatisfactory or if the terms of the licence are not being complied with. 

Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the law in this area and anyone who has reason to believe that a pet shop is keeping animals in inadequate conditions should raise the matter with the local authority who will decide what action to take within the range of its powers. 

Under s.2 pets cannot be sold in the street, including on barrows and markets.

In the USA:
http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ddusretailpetstores.htm#II
...Currently, there is no federal law which covers all retail pet stores. The Animal Welfare Act (“AWA”) is a federal law which specifies who may possess and sell certain types of animals and the minimum standards of care for these regulated animals. *The AWA does not cover *birds, rats, mice, and *cold-blooded animals* such as reptiles, fish, and amphibians. Furthermore, the AWA specifically excludes retail pet stores from its purview of protection.

...There are fifteen states that do not have any laws regulating retail pet stores...For example, Alabama does not regulate retail pet stores. Yet, if a retail pet store employee in Alabama “intentionally or recklessly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment or subjects any animal in his custody to cruel neglect” and is found guilty of such an act, she would be charged with a Class B Misdemeanor.

Etc.

Basically, Phil, both countries have dealt with it in the same way.  The central government has pushed the job to a lower level.  In the UK, it's gone to the city.  In the USA, the job has gone to the state.  Certainly, the S.P.C.A. are active in the US.  Also, it's not clear in the UK if a tarantula breeder would be considered a pet seller.  Or if the RSPCA would get involved.

Does that give you a little more info?  BOTH countries have similar regulations, but neither seems to out-law bad advice.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Parahybana3590

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


I just called my local Petco and said "I just bought a pinktoe from you guys and now its on its back" just to see how they reacted when a T was molting and to my suprise the guy said "I wouldn't worry about it, its probably molting"

To be honest, I'm very pleased with his response.

Reactions: Like 1 | Optimistic 1


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## phil jones

Parahybana3590 said:


> I just called my local Petco and said "I just bought a pinktoe from you guys and now its on its back" just to see how they reacted when a T was molting and to my suprise the guy said "I wouldn't worry about it, its probably molting"
> 
> To be honest, I'm very pleased with his response.


thats his job he should know ? where do they get their workers the idiots ( we call it the job center ) sorry if i am going off on one ( as we say ) but its makes me mad    ==== phil


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## Arachnobrian

Big chain retail pet stores don't normally add Tarantulas to thier stock to actually sell them (if they do "bonus"). 

IMO - they bring one or two tarantulas in as stock for shock value, and to entertain the children of parents shopping for other items (common pet items), and therefore take no interest in learning proper husbandry, or correct names for that matter.

Which is why, I purchase my animals directly from people immersed within the hobby.


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## LeilaNami

Things like this make me so angry.  As far as Petco is concerned, we have a corporate vet that makes the protocol for the habitats and care for all the animals and we have to follow it.  It's not so bad until it comes to some reptiles and all of the inverts.  None can have more than two inches of substrate and the tarantulas are on bark chips which I hate.  Luckily they sell pretty fast so their not on it for too long.  I looked in the A. seemani tank the other day and discovered him just beginning to molt.  His humidity was really low because the lazy jerks I work with neglected to mist his cage but fortunately I brought it to their attention before he got too far in the molt and got stuck or started dropping legs. (Had that happen at the store before).  

Has anyone noticed how women are more likely to take corrective advice than men?  This IDIOT came in and was putting his emp scorpion and C. vittatus (scorp again) on sand.  When I suggested something else and explained the reason why not to use sand and use the other substrate I just got
"Uh...that's ok...the big black one is the other I have so I'm going with the sand."

What?  Is he high?  He sounded like it


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## ShadowBlade

LeilaNami said:


> Things like this make me so angry.  As far as Petco is concerned, we have a corporate vet that makes the protocol for the habitats and care for all the animals and we have to follow it.  It's not so bad until it comes to some reptiles and all of the inverts.


Okay, lets calm down. And think this through. Not everyone in the world shares our love of T's. And the people that sell them, GET THEIR ADVICE FROM OTHER PEOPLE THEY THINK ARE RIGHT.
Sure, they don't delve into it much. But they're making enough money already, they sell something new, every petstore they see is how they're sold. Why change? Don't see PetCo going out of business 'cause they're losing some T's.

They can't just hire people that are knowledgable about T's. And they keep them in cheap, visible ways. Sure they don't know what they're doing, or talking about. It sells, and thats all they care about. They're invertebrates, not reptiles. You kill more invertebrates driving to the petstore, then die being flushed molting.

I don't mean to sound like I don't care, but we arachnofreaks can't expect everyone else in the world to care.



LeilaNami said:


> Has anyone noticed how women are more likely to take corrective advice than men?


Exactly the same reason we don't stop and ask for directions. 

-Sean

Reactions: Like 1


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## kyrga

Oh I remember another one... after I had done some research and decided I definately had to have a T, I called around the local pet stores to see what they had, and one guy had a "Mexican redknee, for ONLY $95.99! That's the best price you'll find on one of these!" I asked if it was at least guaranteed to be a female at that price, to which he responded, "Actually it's a male. Their better though, more active."


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## widowkeeper

while looking at a local pet shops


  i asked if i could pick one up.  this was the reply. yes .they can only bite small curved things like crickets ,as long as i kept  my palm flat it couldn't bite but to watch my fingers and be sure to face it away from them so if is runs it goes up your arm not to munch on your fingers 


my worst experince was about 15 years ago when i asked for a price of the nameless, priceless, tarantulas that all looked to be half dead.. he replys 15$ and you will need...sand, heat rock , lights, cage....just to be a smartass i say what about a water dish? he says oh no...no water dish....they will drown .... just mist them every 1 to 2 weeks and clean the cage atleast once a week to get rid of any webbing .....  keep the temp above 90  like in the desert you know? thats why you need a really bright light.... then added that some get hair ulcers  and lose all the hair off their butts and showed me one with the problem but it was ok that would go away when it moults needless to say i saved the four spiders they had and never went back there again


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## Transylvania

I went to a small privately-owned petstore a couple months ago and they had a rosea in a KK with barkchips and a sponge in the water dish and no shelter. So I explained to an employee that there's no need for a sponge and that he should at least provide a shelter for it for the time being. He responded with "Oh yeah, I meant to take that sponge out earlier..." Which sounded like either a big fat lie or pure laziness. I haven't gotten the chance to go back and check to see if he actually followed my advice, but I get the feeling that he didn't. Petstores follow each other, and if most stores are caring for them in the way that they do, the rest will follow. Inverts aren't high up on their list, because not many people buy them. But I'm more concerned about the buyers' knowledge than the sellers, since they'll obviously be keeping them longer.
Oh, and at another privately-owned petstore...
"The only tarantulas we sell are rosehairs, because they're not poisonous."


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## BooyaTarantula

I have been told numerous times by people in pet stores that the tarantula has been defanged and therefore is incapable of biting anyone. This was when I was around nine years old, and even then I knew better. The honest truth IMO is that when we see things we know to be completely wrong and unfair for the animal, it should be a priority to provide the proper information to the people administering the care. Good theory. Never works. It's sad that so many people respect living things so little that they can't even be bothered to make sure that they are getting the care they need. I will always be on the frontier of giving free advice in a friendly manner, and occasionally saving the odd T through the use of my wallet. Then venting my frustrations on the board...

Reactions: Like 1


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## Transylvania

I hate it so much when people ask me if my Ts are "de-fanged" or "de-venomed" It sounds like some made-up fantasy thing. Even if you could do it without harm to the T, I wouldn't. Why take away part of their natural beauty and the only weapon they've been equipped with (other than u.hairs, for NWs) for defense? (Unless you consider Avic. poo-shooting to be another alternative...)  If someone's uncomfortable with the fangs then they need to find a new pet.

Reactions: Like 2


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## rooster

phil jones said:


> do you have     pet shop inspectors in the u.s.a. as we have the r.s.p.c.a. and the p.d.s.a. and why is it that the shops seem to know not one way to keep a . t. yet they must have books on them why do they not read them to the shops your pet -t- is just $$$$$ in the bank for them :wall: :wall: :wall: :wall:    ==== phil



heck, the humane officers in my area have a hard time telling, let alone prosecuting abuse on cats and dogs. If you tried to get the humane officer to even consider that a T could be abused youd pretty much just get a "stupid look"


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## chrispy

How about when "a captive bred " rosie from Petsmart has an Immaculate conception , the advice from them was -- TO CRUSH THE EGGSAC.  Not until the mention of a write up in a scientific journal on the miracle ,did they come clean and say it was wild caught.  There was even an article about it in the Eureka Reporter.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Meaningless End

not that its not fun to rip on pet stores and stuff (most of them diserve it) but you guys have such a problom with it then why dont you get a part time job at one?

just grabing the tarantulas they have and splitting to never go back there again dosent solve much of a problom... talking to interested employees and asking if they want to learn a thing or two is probrably a better route

Reactions: Like 2


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## AviculariaLover

I'm searching the pet stores in my area once I get home from college to look for a part time job, in charge of a reptile/invert section. If anything I want to be there to discourage people from getting animals, oh how I'll grill them to ensure they're ready ;P


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## Nitibus

Meaningless End said:


> not that its not fun to rip on pet stores and stuff (most of them diserve it) but you guys have such a problom with it then why dont you get a part time job at one?
> 
> just grabing the tarantulas they have and splitting to never go back there again dosent solve much of a problom... talking to interested employees and asking if they want to learn a thing or two is probrably a better route


Excellent comment ! Here here !


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## Brian S

About a year or so ago I went into a Petco in Kansas City to buy some mice for my snakes. The man getting my mice was telling me all sorts of new things about tarantulas. He was telling me that the "Giant Birdeater" had to be fed fetal pigs. I acted really amazed with his brilliance. I asked him how big does this "Giant Birdeater" get? He informed me that he has seen them get up 24 inches!! I then asked him how many beers he had when he was doing the measurements......must have been quite a few


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## Cirith Ungol

Brian S said:


> About a year or so ago I went into a Petco in Kansas City to buy some mice for my snakes. The man getting my mice was telling me all sorts of new things about tarantulas. He was telling me that the "Giant Birdeater" had to be fed fetal pigs. I acted really amazed with his brilliance. I asked him how big does this "Giant Birdeater" get? He informed me that he has seen them get up 24 inches!! I then asked him how many beers he had when he was doing the measurements......must have been quite a few


Great one!


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## Scorpendra

while not advice per se, it's still a bucket of horsecrap:

this store keeps Ts on woodchips with no hide, massive waterdishes and a light shining on the 24/7. kept coming back telling them it was wrong, but this guy said "a professional breeder told us to keep them like this". i gave up after that.

i plan on getting a part time job at the local shop eventually.


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## LeilaNami

Meaningless End said:


> not that its not fun to rip on pet stores and stuff (most of them diserve it) but you guys have such a problom with it then why dont you get a part time job at one?
> 
> just grabing the tarantulas they have and splitting to never go back there again dosent solve much of a problom... talking to interested employees and asking if they want to learn a thing or two is probrably a better route


I work there.  I still can't change their care policy. In fact, I get yelled at if I try.

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## ZooRex

Man this is a great thread. 
Just want to say that there is at least one more petstore thats smart when it comes to T's. Since I started working there I've revampt the standard T housing, taking a way all the sponges and bark and added hide spots. I've also enjoyed sharing advice and telling people to check out this site.

Anyway, even though this is a T thread, this story is just to stupid not to share. 

A lady walks in the store one day and asks if iguanas need water. I say of coarse and start to talk about there habitat in the wild and needs in captivity. She was quite taken back at this, for she had boughten an iguana for her son at a local PetWorld. (I've long nick named this store as "the company of death" for it is known to sell half dead animals and give out terrible cold-blooded advice.) The lady continued to say that the person their told her that "iguanas don't need any water of any kind because they absorb all their moisture through their food." Her iguana then dies obviosly because of dehidration for it hadn't had any water for 3 weeks. She had no idea why this happenend cause she thought she was doing everything right. I then steered her in the directoion of Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Website (http://www.anapsid.org/) for this could answer any questions i coulden't.

I then called PetWorld and asked simple inocent questions about iguanas, the guy thought that "they're from Australia er no wait uh... maybe middle america?" and that "they need no water what so ever." 

Can you believe this?!! ~ Rex


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## mandolin101

I went to a pet shop once the day after my sister had puchased a T there, and asked an employee if she knew what gender the tarantula that was sold yesterday was. She replied, promtly and confidently, "Stripe-knee"...

I agree that something should be done to help educate pet stores. I have made suggestions at my local pet store before that were ignored, but, as had been stated, the store cant really be expected to change their policy based on a suggestion that is not backed by anything concrete. For that reason, I intend to compile a packet of concise and simplistic information on the basic care of T's and present it to the store owner. Hopefully, that will make some kind of difference.


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## Moltar

Kingrex, nice job getting those guys on the right page. I've been talking with my local pet shop about T's and helping them fill in the blanks. They're not to bad on the care side of things. They're using bark chips which sucks but they do have arboreal/terrestrial setups for appropriate species, water dishes (no sponges) and hides. So it could be worse. They're dealing with a breeder in Philly (don't know who) that is getting them some nice, healthy T's so i'm really trying to encourage the invert thing there.

I did supply them with a decent caresheet on OBT's cuz this one girl thought they were cute and cuddly. Maybe she can tell me how cuddly it is when she gets bitten and her hand feels like it's being soaked in liquid magma for a couple days...


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## Drachenjager

theres a pet store where i go quite often, they kept thier Ts displayed in 12X12X12 exoterras, i asked why they did that and they said they used to keep them on display in a KK on eco earth but someone called in on them and some agency i forgot who came in and made them use calci sand and the exoteras for them and said they could only have 1/2 " of the sand....I told him that was wrong . he knew it was but said "what can i do" i told him to house them properly and keep the T keepers guide handy , and i could get him some good care sheets. HE is moving his store to a larger place and next weekend i am probably going to help him set up his herps and inverts. so there is hope ...too bad the enforcement people are complete idiots


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## Greyhalo

I got a good one.  I was talking to a guy at the Petland near me who at first I thought might actually know something about inverts or atleast the Ts he had on hand (I dont know what I was thinking).  Anyways I was looking at a Ephebopus murinus that was a pretty decent size, sub-adult, which I was semi interested in.  I asked the guy if he knew if the E. murinus was male or female to which he replies "oh its a female, we make sure we only get females in from our supplier." Now that might not sound all that strange if you didnt know the majority of the other t's that they had were mostly very small slings/juvies which would be very difficult, if possible, to even sex.  So I then asked "so the rest of these are all females too huh?"  To which he replies "yeah, of course". Liar I say! Liar!  I didnt call him out on it, just said thanks and left.  They over charge everything anyways.

This is the same store that still wants $80 bucks for a 5" c. crawshayi missing two legs and looks like death is soon to come knocking.  I attempted to see if they would just give it to me for free but they said the could give me "a great deal of $80 bucks, orignally $175!"


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## SpiderZone2

I have found that most of the people in the pet stores have no idea with what they are dealing with. This goes for other reptiles too. I have never bought a T from anything around here because they charge way too much for them. They know nothing about them. My husband bought a Gecko from one of the stores closest to us and they told us is was a male. It was way under fed and that is one reason why we had gotten it. Plus the price for that one was so under what we would have paid for it at a swap. It turns out it was a female!! Man good money for us paid out for that one. And they didn't even have the right kind of gecko it was. It was a double good deal we had gotten. This was about 2 years ago. She is now at breeding stage and is doing well. Plus it is not always the store's fault. It could happen to be who ever is unloading such pets does not give them the proper info either. I have also found that out to be true. But as pet store people I would think they would want to be more informed in what they are selling. I guess that is what I wish would be done, but as we often see, it is not. Most of the people would not know a L. parahybana from a rosea to a GBB. Just the way it is.

Reactions: Helpful 1


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## Masurai

Here's one for you. I walk up to the T Tanks, and see one that only has 6 legs, i asked the guy what happened to the other two legs, guy  says " what do you mean, Tarantulas only have 6 legs"


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## mandolin101

Masurai said:


> Here's one for you. I walk up to the T Tanks, and see one that only has 6 legs, i asked the guy what happened to the other two legs, guy  says " what do you mean, Tarantulas only have 6 legs"


LOL!!!!! Thats great! He should get some points for playing it off like that.


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## Masurai

mandolin101 said:


> LOL!!!!! Thats great! He should get some points for playing it off like that.


The most messed up thing about it was that in a tank right next to that T was an "freak" tarantula that had eight legs, oddest thing uh lol


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## GailC

I had a guy tell me the 7+ inch T. blondi was a "just hatched" baby and it would double in size.

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## Masurai

waldo said:


> I had a guy tell me the 7+ inch T. blondi was a "just hatched" baby and it would double in size.


that's messed up


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## GailC

Yeah it was but at least they had it labled half way right, Goliath bird eater. Usually they mix up their T's and I have to go in and re label every thing. 

I keep hoping they will get another sub adult A. genic in mis marked as A. seemanni for $20, still kicking myself for missing that deal.


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## Scorpendra

ah, i'm still waiting to see an M. balfouri being sold as a G. rosea


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## Scorpendra

Greyhalo said:


> This is the same store that still wants $80 bucks for a 5" c. crawshayi missing two legs and looks like death is soon to come knocking.  I attempted to see if they would just give it to me for free but they said the could give me "a great deal of $80 bucks, orignally $175!"


the store i posted about before, one of their Ts was a 1" _bald_ crawshayi for $80. needless to say, it died off quickly.


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## Masurai

I walked into the pet store today and saw a T. blondi marked as a G. Rosea. They only wanted $30 for it, damn me for being broke lol


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## Iggy22

One of the helpful employees at a chain pet store told me that you should never EVER put water in the "spider cage" because they will drown. I almost slapped him.

Also, I was told that a A. avicularia was poisonous by a so called "tarantula expert".


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## Masurai

it amazes me how stupid some pet store people can be


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## IdahoBiteyThing

*On the other hand (yes, you have different fingers)*

On the other hand, I've recently had an excellent pet shop experience (thought I'd share something positive for Monday).  First the most recent negative; went to a shop in a small town I was traveling through and they had one T.  Housed in a 20g tank, barkchips, no hide, no H2O, and a wicked heat lamp.  I tried to edumacate the owner, but um, not gonna happen. I bought the T out of pity (he'd already had it 3 months), which I usually will not do, as it just perpetuates the collecting and mistreatment of more T's.  But, I was a sucker for this one- great big G. rosea throwing threat displays worthy of any OBT, figured she deserved to live.  I was looking for some small mealworms, they were out, so I asked if there was anywhere else to buy T food.  He reluctantly named the only other shop in town, so I thought I'd stop at that one on my way through as well.  I walked into the second shop and I about Cr$#&ed a brick! Little tiny store, clean as a hospital, and they had over a dozen T's, all housed in KK's or 5g tanks, all on coco fiber, with hides, ceramic water dishes (no sponges), no crickets in the tanks.  And the selection: T. blondi, Megaphobema robustum, G. rosea rcf, B. smithi, Avic. avic (tiny slings for $3.00 each!!!!). I talked to the owner at length, and apparently a local hobbyist had been working w/ her and she'd obviously been listening to him!  She tries to stick w/ CB, but wasn't sure on some of the rosy's, but the rest were all CB sub-adults. ALso, on each T, there was a w/tank & w/out tank price, generally only $12.00 more for the complete setup.  She does this to encourage people to keep them appropriately, and also sells the T Keeper's guide (and has read it!).  She did tell me she was afraid of handling them and asked if I'd get my purchases out of the tanks myself.  So, I showed her how to do a safe transfer using the old cutoff top of a liter soda bottle trick, and how to safely pack the T in a deli cup.  So, if you're traveling through Twin Falls, Idaho, definitely stop and score some sweet T's, knowing that there is at least ONE decent petshop out there. :clap:  Happy Monday! Tony

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## Masurai

well i guess out of a million pet stores there had to be atleast one good one lol


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## IdahoBiteyThing

*Million to one*

Yes, I think that ratio is correct


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## bluerich74

Wasnt really advice ,but Petco had a Pinktoe and the girl told me theyd be getting in (regular) tarantulas in a couple days.


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## IdahoBiteyThing

*Hmm*

Maybe she was referring to their bowel habits; avics could certainly be described as "irregular".  So now I think you should ask her when the "constipated" tarantulas are coming in!


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## ZooRex

*Great WI Store*

Hey, if anybody is looking for a great T store in the Milwaukee area, check out Hoffers Tropic Life Pets on 76th and Good Hope. They are a huge store that specializes in exotics with an entire wall dedicated to inverts. Their prices are acctually pretty good ~ $60 for a Goliath Pinktoe (A. braunshauseni) and they definitly know their T's. I bought my first T (rosea) from them years ago and am now thinking of geting a scorp their. Just be sure you talk to a reptile or invert specialist, not an aquatics guy just trying to say the right things. ~ Rex


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## Masurai

Here's another one for you. About a year ago i go into this petstore and was asking about the tarantulas and this woman says that if i really want to make it happy to have half the tank be a little pool cause they love to swin.

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## ChrisNCT

Here in CT we hear this rule Tarantulas are not legal here. Not advice but still stupid!  :wall:


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## Iggy22

love to swim......what? that is messed up, yo.

was she thinking of a fish? I bet she was a bottle blonde. "And, like, you can,like, put a pool in there cause these things like to swim and stuff."


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## mandolin101

Masurai said:


> Here's another one for you. About a year ago i go into this petstore and was asking about the tarantulas and this woman says that if i really want to make it happy to have half the tank be a little pool cause they love to swin.


You didnt know that? i rcently moved all my T's to the back yard so they could swim in the pond.

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## Masurai

But i was reading something somewhere saying that same can swin pretty well. Like if it was living in a tree over a body of water and was to fall in it could swin back to shore. it kind of makes sense.


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## mandolin101

:? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :? :?


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## Arachnobrian

Masurai said:


> I walked into the pet store today and saw a T. blondi marked as a G. Rosea. They only wanted $30 for it, damn me for being broke lol


This could be a big problem, for the store and the hobby.
Lawsuit and a big bad media hype regarding our hobby and pets.

Whatever happened to "know" what you "sell"?

The pet store mentioned in my first reply to this post, has closed. I stopped by that mall the other day, and it was gone.

Most, but not all pet stores are bad.

The one closest to me where I purchase my crickets, has a couple of employees which are into lizards. They are pretty cool on spiders, and have even brought a little B. smithi in as stock. These staff oviously researched as it is housed properly. (without assistance)

I even provided a couple of photos for the pet photo bulletin board. I have been told they have raised a few eyebrows. lol


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## fangsalot

i know a guy who works at petsmart.because corparate has a general standard for all the enclosures,hes not allowed to treat every species different.for example,the enclosures have constant condensation on the glass,,not so good even for humidity loving reptiles but for god sakes,,give those leopard geckos in there some dryness!there in 100% humidity at all times!that much of a constant humidity would even make bin laden jump out of his cave and yell out..I SURRENDER!!


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## Pink_tarantula

i know kristal kaos i bought the same thing grr...
" well personaly i'd say breed a g.rosea with a baoon get a friendly bboon"
i said" dude mo thanks i like my rosea
theen he put his rosie (personal" in a king babbon's cage and wothin a minute the rosie died and he said " well he'll be fine just wait till he molts"""
no sense


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## Pink_tarantula

one of the sadest things i've hears" well our classmate bought a gecko from the petstore it was 6 months and the guy said oh yeah that guy can take pinky mice so i'd say 2 a day"


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## yeR_NarKoTiK

Saddlepatch said:


> I hate it so much when people ask me if my Ts are "de-fanged" or "de-venomed" It sounds like some made-up fantasy thing.


i had just bought a P irminia sling and a subadult avic huriana and they were in my boyfriends bedroom near the heater ( it was kinda chilly outside and in my car) while we were going out to dinner. my boyfriends mom has a bad habit of throwing things of his away, so we told her not to touch them, that i was taking them home in an hour or so and assured her they wouldnt escape. her response was: 
Mom: "are they in containers?"
Me: "yes, dont worry, they wont get loose"
Mom: "do you need a container?" 
me: "no, ive got an aquarium at home"
mom: "are they defanged?"
me: "of course not! only idiots would try to defang their tarantulas"
mom: "well, why not? then they cant bite you"
me: "then theyll die of starvation... would YOU want to die because some moron pulled your teeth out and was feeding you steak?"

needless to say, its one more thing ive chalked up to why i dislike her... and probably one more reason she dislikes me


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## yeR_NarKoTiK

waldo said:


> Yeah it was but at least they had it labled half way right, Goliath bird eater. Usually they mix up their T's and I have to go in and re label every thing.
> 
> I keep hoping they will get another sub adult A. genic in mis marked as A. seemanni for $20, still kicking myself for missing that deal.


at the petco near me they had an A seemani subadult for 25. i dont know how much they usually go for, but i didnt have the money. just pickin up my usual menu for feeding time


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## mr_jacob7

*Small story, and comments.*

My story isn't much advice, but they had my G. Rosea labled as an unsexed "mexican grey". me being a noob at the time, i did a whole lot of research and thought it was a male A.Pallidum for 2 mo. Then i saw a pic of the rosea, and called myself an idiot. okay, that was my bad, but when my dad was picking it up, i was on the phone with him. I asked for the latin name, and my dad replied that the worker said that I "would be the only one who would know that..." 

kk, that wasn't too big a story, but whatever.



Masurai said:


> But i was reading something somewhere saying that same can swin pretty well. Like if it was living in a tree over a body of water and was to fall in it could swin back to shore. it kind of makes sense.


I gotta say, that'd be REALLY FUN TO WATCH! not just the swimming, but the fall, and splash, too. Assuming the T was fine, of course...

Also, i'm not sure who said it earlier, but in 2 years, when i turn 16, i'm definately going to work in a pet store for just the reasons i've seen here.


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## KingBowser

Working in a pet store's not all it's cracked up to be. When I did I found myself in the reversed position...being the "knowledgable" person that had to deal with idiot customers. :? :}

Reactions: Like 1


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## mr_jacob7

yeah, but not all of the customers are idiots. some of them are professional breeders.


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## Moltar

*A positive developement...*

Due at least in part to my suggestions the local pet shop here has begun housing their T's on a peat based substrate rather than the previous bark chips. Their new 2" rosea and something their calling a "stripe leg" (A. seemani?) are on this new stuff. They also rehoused their B. vagans sling. I can't help but notice, however that they haven't yet rehoused the OBT...


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## Neuroticvirus

When i bought my B. vagans the lady told me that Tarantulas didnt bite well i prefer to let stupid people think what they want because i prefer not to tell people how stupid they are, so ne ways she goes and gets it out of the thing and gets it to get on her hand and then the thing doesnt get out of her hand when shes putting it into box thing for me and it bites her and she freaks i go listen chill tarantulas do have venom but it wont kill u and she went on and on so i just got my spider paid for it and left.


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## LeilaNami

bah Petco makes us house all the tarantulas the same.  Terrestrial setup on reptibark.  Sucks don't it?  The poor little avic gets all confused but manages.  I make double sure to mist them and the A. seemani.  Most of the others cut corners and I usually feel like the only one doing my job right.  

On another note, one of our rosies had his ultimate molt a couple of weeks ago.  He's so cute but I feel bad about selling him to a new family that don't know much about Ts.  I make double sure that they know what's gonna happen and how long they should expect them to live even though I'm not supposed to sex animals that don't already come in sexed.  I think that's really stupid anyway.  I told my boss though that we need to find him a woman.  Fat chance ;P


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## Texas Blonde

There is a store in Midland where I get my frozen mice, they carry a large number of tarantulas.  Last time I was in they had a large T blondi, a P lugardi, an A seemanni, two OBTs, and two Avic avics.  They keep them in the correct size critter keepers, but on very little substrate, which is Reptibark.  They also have sponges in all the water dishes.  

I told them some general care tips, but they dont change anything.  About all they did was add more substrate in with the OBTs, cause I said it would make them happier.  I have bought Ts there before, and probably will continue to.  I hope that if they begin to trust me as a regular customer, and get to know me, that they will eventually listen to me.


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## K-TRAIN

i went to a petco yesterday to buy crickets, and after talking to the guy about reptiles and arachnids,(i was curious to see how much he accually knew about them) the guy who was giving me crickets told me that petco can get three t's. the rosehair, the costa rican zebra, and the pink toe. he then told me that the costa rican zebra and rosehairs are the same price, but the pink toe tarantula is extremely rare, so it costs more. and to think they say they know what there doing. lol


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## LeilaNami

Actually Petco can get others but only on special order.  They can get H. lividum, B. smithi, and other Avics.  These are only what i know from off the top of my head.  The rosies at Petco are SUPPOSED to be 17.99 and the A. seemani are SUPPOSED to be 32.99.  I believe the Pinktoe costs somewhere in between.

Speaking of...we have a mature male rosie that had his ultimate molt a couple weeks ago.  We're not allowed to sex the animals that don't come in already sexed.  So...I secretly tell the customers what happens to mature males, point him out, and tell them how long they can really expect him to live.  I don't want to be responsible for a new T owner becoming antiT because the first one they bought only lived 6 months.


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## ShadowBlade

Masurai said:


> But i was reading something somewhere saying that same can swin pretty well. Like if it was living in a tree over a body of water and was to fall in it could swin back to shore. it kind of makes sense.


Many can 'swim'. Whether they like to or not, I doubt it. And half the tank of water is crazy.

-Sean


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## AviculariaLover

I recall getting a pink toe at Petco for around $15, but it was about 1.5". I don't remember how it was housed, but it was always sitting up in the top corner of the glass. I had my eye on it for about two months, and it kept getting fatter and fatter, so at least it was eating! The guy who worked there knew a lot about reptiles but was repulsed by the inverts. I'm anxious to go back and see how things are now... if the same guy is working there, I know he'll try to listen.


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## tarangela2

"be sure to put a sponge in the water dish so the T doesn't drown."

i looked at the gal and said "you're serious"

she replied she was and looked so sincere that i couldn't help but laugh. i told her i didn't have a 'pool' of water in the tank and i was certain my T would be fine. 

she looked VERY concerned and wished me luck.  :?


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## AviculariaLover

Well I went to check out my local petco today... and to my surprise, their two nice looking rose hairs were in cages with that coconut eco earth stuff, and full water dishes (no sponges). So much for bark chips being the policy, eh? The scorpions had ample substrate as well. I was surprised, all their reptiles and such looked to be in good enclosures. 

Oh, and the rose hairs were $13.99

Almost tempting enough to make me want to grab one.


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## JungleGuts

AviculariaLover said:


> Well I went to check out my local petco today... and to my surprise, their two nice looking rose hairs were in cages with that coconut eco earth stuff, and full water dishes (no sponges). So much for bark chips being the policy, eh? The scorpions had ample substrate as well. I was surprised, all their reptiles and such looked to be in good enclosures.
> 
> Oh, and the rose hairs were $13.99
> 
> Almost tempting enough to make me want to grab one.



yea ive noticed they care for the rosehairs quite well at my local petco store, but there are also some idiots working there, heres a little story, not about T;s but still a petstore screwup

me: "hey i need a frozen pinkie mouse for my cornsnake"
petco guy: looking very confused he says, "ok"

he brings out a full size frozen rat, and then im speachless.


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## aliceinwl

The Petco corporate policy has me a bit mistified. Both our local Petcos house all their tarantulas on the compressed cocconut fiber substrates, with a half log hide and a spongeless water bowl. The G. roseas seem to get subjected to occaisional misting, but on the whole conditions there are pretty decent.

-Alice


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## YouLosePayUp

I have heard far too many to write them all down lol.

Here's a few I've had:

Poecilotheria ornata at Tails N Teeth Lindsay, ON
"You will die within minutes if that bites ya"

Eupalaestrus campestratus at Super Pet Cambridge, ON
"This is a mean nasty bitey tarantula never to be handled... I'll get her out for ya"  and the attendant reaches in with her bare hand:wall: 

Pterinochilus lugardi at PJ's Pets Pickering, ON
"I just got it in and have no clue what it is, why don't you take a look"  Then he starts prodding it with his finger to get it more visible.  
On a good note I told him it was an Old Worlder with the potential of a nasty bite and he probably wouldn't want to sell it to an unsuspecting customer. I ended up getting it for $10 taxes in ;P


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## Mallard

*5'+ A.Seemanni*

I had a guy tell me that the 5" A.Seemanni I was admiring was only a few mounths old. Knew he was full of B.S. but it was so poorly cared for(small K.K. and no water dish not to mention filthy) I took it home and he/she is doing great
   Jason


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## mr_jacob7

What are you talking about, BS?!? all T grow an inch a month. my rosehair's 5 yrs, and she takes up the whole backyard. :wall:

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 1


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## spydrhunter1

OK I know this is about tarantulas, but here's one about pedes. i went into a petstore which had a giant centipede which was labeled as a giant millipede. I was informed that they were entirely perfect to be handled.


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## Sequin

yeR_NarKoTiK said:


> Mom: "are they in containers?"
> Me: "yes, dont worry, they wont get loose"
> Mom: "do you need a container?"
> me: "no, ive got an aquarium at home"
> mom: "are they defanged?"
> me: "of course not! only idiots would try to defang their tarantulas"
> mom: "well, why not? then they cant bite you"
> me: "then theyll die of starvation... would YOU want to die because some moron pulled your teeth out and was feeding you steak?"
> 
> needless to say, its one more thing ive chalked up to why i dislike her... and probably one more reason she dislikes me



This was an opportunity to educate her. I get this question ALOT, it's nothing to get hostile over. The ability to "defang" a tarantula is a VERY popular myth.


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## JMoran1097

i've never had a really dumb suggestion because I already know all that I need to know about the T's in there so I never ask. I usually just see awful feeding techniques and terrible conditions in most pet stores.


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## peterspiderling

etown_411 said:


> What is the worst or funniest advice you've ever gotten from an under-informed pet shop employee?
> 
> Mine would have to be one of these two statements. Both were said by the same girl and are somewhat paraphrased here:
> 
> A: "That there Tiger Rump molted yesterday. It looked like it was having a hard time 'cuz he was flipped over on his back strugglin to get outta' the old skin. I helped him out by grabbin' him with these here tweezers and flippin him back over"
> 
> B: "Yeah, this Orange Baboon Spider is pretty docile. Here, i'll just open up the box and grab her so you can handle her."
> -To which I replied: "Wow, that's a crazy threat display, you're gonna get bit, be careful."
> -To which she replied: "Naw, she ain't mad or nuthin'. She does that all the time."
> 
> 
> I have since purchased the fasciatum as he appeared to suffer no ill affects from being manhandled. They can keep the OBT tho'.



hahahahaha thats friging awsome!!!! the funnist thing i have heard in a long long time    

i havent had any bad advice for nothing cos i dont bother asking incase i hear what every one else hears, "bullshit". but there are so very very very over priced! B.Smithi spiderling, very very very small.....£55  P.Regalis spiderling.....£74       who on there right mind would pay that!


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## peterspiderling

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


thats f***ing nutts!!!!!


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## R.W.

"If a Rose Hair bites you, and you don't get to a hospital fast, your dead. Your heart will literaly explode in your chest"...

wtf

Reactions: Like 1


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## worm's girl

we asked the girl at that handles the reptile and fish department if the t we were looking at was wild caught, and she said "well it came in last night and so far hasn't showed any signs of being wild"... we left and the first thing worm said was "what? is it supposed to beat on its chest like tarzan?" :wall:  this coming from a girl who thought a red rump was a rose hair. :?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## jen650s

Best/worst thing I've heard is Ts can't drink, so you have to mist them every day.  At this point the pet shop guy gets out a professional plant sprayer, pumps it up to maximum pressure and procedes to cause an incredible downpour into the otherwise well set-up A. seemani enclosure we are looking at.  The very pissed T comes out of it's burrow and starts throwing threat displays like mad.  He then proceeds down the row opening the tanks and flooding every T out, and seemed amazed that I thought he was loony.

What makes this even better/worse is that the pet shop is generally reputable, deals only in exotics and all the Ts they sell are captive bred by the owner (who I have known casually for years).  Needless to say the pet shop guy has moved on to wherever fired pet shop guys go.


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## jen650s

JMoran1097 said:


> i've never had a really dumb suggestion because I already know all that I need to know about the T's in there so I never ask. I usually just see awful feeding techniques and terrible conditions in most pet stores.


I wish I knew all I need to know


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## jeff1962

When I bought my first T,I went to petco  to get something to house it. "It" by the way,is a 2 inch B. Smithi . While I was looking at the small critter keepers, a girl ask me if I needed some help.To see what kind of answer I would get I told here I was looking for something to house a small T.(thankfully I had  already found this forum!).Seeing that I was looking at the critter keepers,she proceeds to tell me that I should get a 30 gallon long tank because my spider,she says,is going to get at least 7 inches long and I will just be wasting my money because I will be constantly rehousing it. LOL Gotta love those big chain stores !


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## Water spider

"_Poecilotheria ornata_ is a docile species, fit for beginners."

"oh yes, that full grown _Brachypelma smithi_ is six months old"

"If it doesn't have hooks in it legs it's female"


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## Arachnobrian

Most recent pet shop error found, while picking up crickets.

A B. smithi with a professionaly printed label, stating it is an aboreal "T" which will thrive in a aboreal setup.

When I mentioned to the clerk the error, he refused to accept that the label imformation could inaccurate. 

So I choose to leave it be, and asked the clerk for my cricket order. When the clerk asked me what I was feeding. 

My reply, "A collection tarantulas."

Response, "Oh!" with a supprised look.


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## Reacker

IdahoBiteyThing said:


> On the other hand, I've recently had an excellent pet shop experience (thought I'd share something positive for Monday).  First the most recent negative; went to a shop in a small town I was traveling through and they had one T.  Housed in a 20g tank, barkchips, no hide, no H2O, and a wicked heat lamp.  I tried to edumacate the owner, but um, not gonna happen. I bought the T out of pity (he'd already had it 3 months), which I usually will not do, as it just perpetuates the collecting and mistreatment of more T's.  But, I was a sucker for this one- great big G. rosea throwing threat displays worthy of any OBT, figured she deserved to live.  I was looking for some small mealworms, they were out, so I asked if there was anywhere else to buy T food.  He reluctantly named the only other shop in town, so I thought I'd stop at that one on my way through as well.  I walked into the second shop and I about Cr$#&ed a brick! Little tiny store, clean as a hospital, and they had over a dozen T's, all housed in KK's or 5g tanks, all on coco fiber, with hides, ceramic water dishes (no sponges), no crickets in the tanks.  And the selection: T. blondi, Megaphobema robustum, G. rosea rcf, B. smithi, Avic. avic (tiny slings for $3.00 each!!!!). I talked to the owner at length, and apparently a local hobbyist had been working w/ her and she'd obviously been listening to him!  She tries to stick w/ CB, but wasn't sure on some of the rosy's, but the rest were all CB sub-adults. ALso, on each T, there was a w/tank & w/out tank price, generally only $12.00 more for the complete setup.  She does this to encourage people to keep them appropriately, and also sells the T Keeper's guide (and has read it!).  She did tell me she was afraid of handling them and asked if I'd get my purchases out of the tanks myself.  So, I showed her how to do a safe transfer using the old cutoff top of a liter soda bottle trick, and how to safely pack the T in a deli cup.  So, if you're traveling through Twin Falls, Idaho, definitely stop and score some sweet T's, knowing that there is at least ONE decent petshop out there. :clap:  Happy Monday! Tony



I live in Twin Falls as well, and I'm sorry to report that the place, MJPets, is going out of business and will soon to be closed. 

I bought a Skeleton T and a Pinktoe sling from her in the past, they were excelently cared for. I bought the pinktoe for only $3. She currently has a bunch of redknee slings that are going for $8 dollars, originally ten I believe, but as I said, she is going outof buisness. 

I can honestly say that her store was the best pet store I have ever had the pleasure to shop from. She had all sorts of interesting things like the generic rodents and such, birds like quale(don't think I spelled that right), and various reptiles which were housed quite well. Most interesting was her display of inverts. She had, as was said, many different T's, all well housed (though some that needed to burrow didn't have enough substrate, but they did have hides and the conditions were good otherwise). She also once had these interesting looking milipedes, Indian stick insects, and also cockroaches.  I bought all of her roaches (two species of which I think I got enough to barely start a colony). Her large size crickets were typically fully mature females that were, needless to say, much larger and same priced as those that you would get from a larger chain dealer. She also had a variety of sizes of the crickets, even those small enough to feed to the slings that she sold. When you bought them, you could be assured to get all healthy crix, not the bag of half dead mutilated individuals that you get other places. The store was the cleanest I have ever seen, no trace of the typical mess you see at other places.

I can't say enough good about the place. Always shopped there first when I could.

The other guy to wich you refer (I believe the guy on mainstreet), is sadly still in business and continues to treat his animals poorely. Keeping have a dozen or more baby Red Eared sliders in small KK  in dirty water is a regular feature of the place. The other animals are kept similarily, as are the other T's he has. I have never purchased anything from him and never will.

I know this is sort of off topic, but I thought it should be mentioned that one of the best pet shops in existence is about to disappear while shops that house their animals like sardines and care nothing for them are still doing well.


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## xjak3yx

i had advise from a local exotic store that a cobalt blue was an excellent T to start with. there carm , docile and you can always see them because they dont dig like other Ts and can be handled easily i fink that was wrong ...... and a while after the store closed. i wonder why


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## Deathla

once at pet city, the employee told me that a chilean rose hair (which like most pet stores were kept horribly) can grow up to 10 inches and can jump 3 feet in the air.


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## Warren Bautista

always remember to put your avic sling in a screen cage 3x3 ft and keep humidity at 5%


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## crpy

reading this thread makes my head hurt real bad, mommy make it go away:wall: lol


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## irascible_pixie

lol... The pet store we go to (I don't want to put the name) doesn't know anything about Ts... NOTHING! One girl that works there is in charge of buying all the Ts and she is the only one that will feed, water, or clean the cage! Everyone else seems to think they will die if they even look at them too closely. At one point the store manager had the poor girl convinced that she had bought "illegal and poisonous" Ts... They were Rear Horned Baboons and Starburst!!! I was so mad!! Grrrrrrrr. Some people are just retarded! 

MJ


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## Kris-wIth-a-K

*haha*

This was before the pet store closed down.  

Q....Is the A. Geniculata a male or a female?:? 
A....It's not an "A. genicualata or whatever you called it, its a white striped bird eater:wall: 
Reply.... Thats the scientific name but do you know if its a male or a female. 
A.  No its not and idk.



Q....  What kind of tarantula has burrowed in here.  (the title said venezualen suntiger/bird eater priced at $200 for a 5")
A.... Psalmopoeus Irminia.  :wall: 
Reply....  Those don't burrow.
A.... Well, apparently they do.
Reply.... Lets see.
A. fine

T= Haplopelma Minax


I told them the T's needed water because they had none.  
There reply was nah they are ok for a few months without water.  You just have to keep feeding them.  Thats when I realized how rediculous some people are...:clap:


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## hardlucktattoo

I only go to pet stores if i cant get my daily dose of stupid somewhere else 

The all time stupidist thing i have ever heard 

"When they are about to molt throw some crickets in there they will help chew off the old skin"--pet store manager Rocky Mount NC Petco--

Reactions: Like 1


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## johnharper

We just leave the crickets if the tarantula does not eat them right away the crcikets won't hurt the spider because its way bigger than they are and they are naturally scared of things bigger than them.


John


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## CharlaineC

"sex it are you mad their no way to sex a tarantula. I know that because i have had them for years and i hav a degree in biology."

To that i to my female grosa off my shoulder and took her in a nice grip for sexing and showed him. then did the same to his male.


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## thirtysixwood

So I'm looking at this Nhandu Chromatus:

Lady asks if I need some help?

I said "What kind of Tarantula is that?"

She said "Its a Mexican Red Knee" then pointed to the label...

I said "yes I see that but thats not a Red Knee, its a N. Chromatus or Brazilian Red and white striped...."

as I was interupted she said,

"oh, its legs will get redder as it gets older..." :wall: 

It was already about 3.5in... and now its about 4in since I saw it last, with a nice sticker price of $125.00... aint that nice... lol lol 

Anyway the lady proceeded to tell me that the guy who buys them is the manager and he knows what hes doing, and the person he gets them from said it was a red knee so theres no way its not...


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## Stamper

"So, were pretty sure that she might be hungry bc everytime we put our hands in there to get out the water dish she raises up and sticks her little fangs out":wall: 

oh and the "water dish" was a petri dish wish a sponge in it


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## PsychoChaser

"Male Ts are worth more than females because females are more common in petshops."  Shop owner continues to spray water directly on Ts to "flush them out".


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## Necrobyheart

hardlucktattoo said:


> I only go to pet stores if i cant get my daily dose of stupid somewhere else
> 
> The all time stupidist thing i have ever heard
> 
> "When they are about to molt throw some crickets in there they will help chew off the old skin"--pet store manager Rocky Mount NC Petco--


first time, I have ever heard of stupidity, and honesty at a pet shop... unfortunately they left out where the poor T becomes they prey.


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## Shogun

The petstore near me is horrible for many, many reasons but one time..

I saw they had a mature male rosehair (kept in a 5" deli cup btw) and told him that mature males dont live too long. He tells me that is a myth and it will live another 20 years!


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## Le Wasp

wow, the uneducated workers at pet stores do seem to be quite sure of themselves.  It's scary how authoritative they can be when dispensing terrible ideas.

This place my girlfriend and I go to to pick up feeder crickets advised me this, trying to get me to buy a 10 gallon tank for a small tarantula: "If you were a tarantula, wouldn't you like to have more space to roam around?"  We told him how they actually feel more secure in smaller environments, and he seemed to take note of it.

They're actually quite a decent store because they take advice from the tarantula hobbyists around here.  I think we were dealing with one of the uninformed workers.


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## ShellsandScales

Cirith Ungol said:


> One problem that pet store people face is that they can't know how much you know. Next is that they by default have to play experts so that they don't put the shops reputation on the line (for good or bad).
> 
> I respect a place a lot more and the staff if they are willing to admit they don't know the answer to you particular question and either offer to find out from a reputable source or point you in the right direction instead of just guessing or making something up.
> QUOTE]

Reactions: Like 1


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## ShellsandScales

peterspiderling said:


> hahahahaha thats friging awsome!!!! the funnist thing i have heard in a long long time
> 
> i havent had any bad advice for nothing cos i dont bother asking incase i hear what every one else hears, "bullshit". but there are so very very very over priced! B.Smithi spiderling, very very very small.....£55  P.Regalis spiderling.....£74       who on there right mind would pay that!



And my personal favorite g.rosea and a. avic $26.99


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## Zoltan

I am suprised and shocked at the same time when I read this thread. 
We do not have pets shops on every corner here, and it's not like I have been to hundreds of them, but they're not that bad. There are even some that don't keep any tarantulas, you go in, tell what species you need, they phone their dealer, and if they can get it, they will bring it to you - only it takes about 1 week. Others are mostly selling slings. Of course the bigger ones' enclosures suck, but that's nothing new.


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## DooM_ShrooM

the siliest advice i heard was hang the aquarium so no ants can reach her 

what a bunch of lunatics


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## OxDionysus

I was looking at a few Pink Toe T's and the girl grabed it out and droped it not once but TWO times (like 4-5') and it hit with the sickest thud on the conc floor. She told me "oh they're like cats and know how to brace themselves beofre they fall so they are ok"

Reactions: Like 1


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## Thompson08

They petstore I bought my first T from told me to get a very HUGE tank because T's need a lot of room and if they don't walk around their legs can get jacked up. They also said for me to put in all the crickets at once.

Reactions: Like 1


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## jrmrbcax

Went to go check out another pet shop close to mine in Bradenton and they had a 3'' smithi there marked as a stripe knee (take it I have a stripe knee at my shop and it looked nothing like it) for $30. I couldn't pass that up! I later told them after I bought it that they have been had! lmfao


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## fartkowski

A pet store told me that an adult rosie they were selling has to eat 3-4 a day.


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## Skullptor

I went into a hole in the wall petstore and they had a E.Murinus in a KK with no substrate and a moldy sponge in a dirty water dish. The T was in a death curl. I opened it up and blew lightly on it...nothing. I said:

 "It's dead" Her reply was " No it's probably sleeping" 
I give her one of these  and said
"No, It's dead" Her second reply was "Oh, it's probably molting"
 I pick it up by it's leg and dangled it in her face and said "It's dead"
 she actually said "umm, I don't know, that one didn't move very much"


This was my expression  I guess a smarter person would have been tipped off by the fact that she was about 250 lbs woman wearing a slimfast tee-shirt.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Kamikaze

I bought my very first tarantula more than a decade ago. It was a chilean rose. The seller advised me to put pine shavings as substrate and keep the tank dry.
As for food, he said I can just catch cockroaches from the local sewer.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Crazy0monkey

Lol pages of this stuff. Well The one real negative encouter iv had was the clerk telling me i needed to heavily mist the container 10+ times a day. and it woudl best if i bought the $150 misting machine as it would make it eaiser. I wanted to smack him. ALSO he told me i needed 2 buy a  big heat bulb  2  give the t nutrients. To top it off "I own over 500 Fish so i know what im talking about) lulz!!!!!!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Aurelia

kamikaze said:


> I bought my very first tarantula more than a decade ago. It was a chilean rose. The seller advised me to put pine shavings as substrate and keep the tank dry.
> As for food, he said I can just catch cockroaches from the local sewer.


 How long did it live?


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## blazetown

Masurai said:


> ...they love to swin.


Oh god I'm sure all T's love to swim like those poor "Deadly but not deadly" T's that were getting sucked away by the flooding in TX. My cobalt I picked up in Welland (Niagara falls area) had an empty water dish with a sponge because "The scary thing attacked me when I gave it water"...which I'm sure some people have run into. It was on bark chips with not even a hide no wonder it attacked you lady lol.

As a side-note the weird thing about that area is that Inverts are illegal in St Catherines and possibly Niagara falls but theyre only about 15 mins away from Welland. And the F'ing girl in the pet store in the Falls told me that they couldn't keep T's in the area because they would risk populating the area:?  Which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard because no tarantula can live through a Canadian winter especially in the Falls lol. Unless they really do like swimming and ice skating in the winter.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Kamikaze

Aurelia said:


> How long did it live?


Believe it or not, I had it for around 4 months before I sold him/her. He/she covered the wood shavings with his/her own web. I fed him/her a cockroach a week. There was no forums about tarantulas during that time (1994) --  well, none that i know of, and during that time, literature about tarantulas here in the Philippines are very rare.


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## Kamikaze

I visited a local petshop here near my area where I found a small enclosure filled with webs. I took a look at it and there was a dead C. crawshayi. The sales people told me that it had been there for quite sometime and they were wondering why it died.

I took a look at the substrate and it was nothing but a layer of dried Sphagnum moss. It even had plastic tree branches and plastic plants.
The enclosure has web all over and a dead spider in the middle in a death curl pose 

The people there even said that those "baboon spiders" are short lived and that they won't survive in the Philippines because of our weather.


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## ryan2_2cool

mr_jacob7 said:


> Also, i'm not sure who said it earlier, but in 2 years, when i turn 16, i'm definately going to work in a pet store for just the reasons i've seen here.


Me too i just want to see the other employees say funny stuff about Tarantulas to people and then i would like push the employee out of the way and tell the person he knos nothing and help them out . =]

Reactions: Like 1


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## -Exotic

christ.. i wish people in stores noe what they were talknig about the ''cobalt blue is the most docile creaute ever'' pffft ya right give me a break


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## Aurelia

I think many people think that ALL tarantulas are docile and nice. I know that's what I used to think before I started reading about them and got into the hobby. I had no idea there were so many different species and that they could be a rainbow of different colors!

Reactions: Like 1


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## SkyeSpider

Great thread! I found it tonight while search for something else and had to read the whole thing 

In 12 years in the hobby, I have more stories than I'd like to admit. I'll keep this brief, though.

First, I worked in a pet store when I was 19. I wasn't allowed to change ANYTHING about the care of the animals, and was written up (and eventually fired) over this. The worst was a two foot long Nile monitor lizard who they insisted needed to eat only two crickets a day and be kept in a 10 gallon tank. I snuck in mice to the poor guy. If they didn't grow to around 4-6', I would have taken him home. Unfortunately, these stores can't even be changed from the inside sometimes.

On the plus side, I can count on two hands the number of times I've bought B. smithi adult females and one male all labeled as "rose hair" for under $10 each. Can't beat that, eh?

Reactions: Like 1


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## vvx

Cirith Ungol said:


> So I almost fully understand if petstores don't just by default listen to the customers unless they can kinda varify what they are saying.


Yeah, I'll vouch for that. I do phone support for a tax preparation software (sold to "professional" prepares, not something you'd buy to do your own taxes.) And a lot of the customers in addition to offering flat out incorrect program corrections get upset when you don't immediately assume they are correct. Tell them you're pulling up the form instructions and they have a heart attack, how dare you doubt their expertise!

In fact even though there are reports of pet stores listening to our suggestions & making changes based on them I worry about that. If they are so easily swayed what happens when the heat lamp & fine sand expert customer tells them how to care for a T? Be sure in addition to telling them what to improve you give them a source for more information so they can verify what you said is correct.


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## Tcollector

Well this is not about a T but they kept the T's the same way. I went to go pick up a scorpion from the pet store and they said that I needed a light for it. I told them that they should not have lights and I got some weird looks.


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## J.huff23

Ok, I have two pretty good ones:

First I bought an a.seemani off pet supplies plus, and just to mess with them i go "do you know the species name" and the guy says 
"its just a smaller version of that rose hair" I just smiled and said thank-you. What else can I do?


My personal favorite pet store story takes places in the same store. I saw a 2.5-3" H.gigas for 8$ and had to jump on the deal. I guesse the guy thought all Ts have the same temper and was used to handleing avics, so he reaches his hand in the KK in grabs that gigas. I was to shocked and amused to say anything. I just kinda looked at him curiously. The gigas kinda did the same thing: It was still for a second then WAM. The guy gets tagged on the finger and flings the T to the floor. The T was fine but the guy was in a bad state of panic. His initial reaction was " aww F***! Is it posinous?!?! " so i explained what he would probably be feeling. By the time I left, his finger was swollen and very purple. I left the store purple in the face from laughing so hard.

And let me tell you, this little gigas is unlike anything I have ever encountered. Its more agrresive than my Lividum Or my OBT's.

Reactions: Like 2


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## oblivion22

The wierdest advise I have ever gotten is that I need to mist the tank every day, because spiders breathe through their skin like frogs do, and if they dry out, they will suffocate.

Reactions: Like 2


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## calum

i've been in a few pet shops that sell inverts, but there aren't that many where I live. 

the worst i've seen in a petshop was a pandinus imperator. it was in  a tiny KK with a tiny bit of sandy substrate. all it had for a hide was a coconut hide thing. there was a heat pad AND a basking light on the tank, and there were like 10 crickets running around, and the poor little guy was all huddled up in the corner.


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## EightLeggedFrea

For me, the worst was when I saw an adult A. avic trapped in a KK that was so small its ceramic water dish took up nearly HALF OF ALL THE SPACE! Worse yet, there was no substrate and the dish had one of those cursed sponges in it!

Breaks my heart to see and hear things like this.

I even tried to get a job at Petco simply because of this. Considering I was a voulonteer (spelling?) at the local zoo at the time I figured they'd at least give some consideration after I submitted the needed papers. Alas, I never heard from them again.


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## FishermanSteve

It was my first t. an avic avic. An employee of the store gave me a rose hair care sheet and told me they were same in terms of care. Even as a beginner i knew how wrong they were.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kris-wIth-a-K

Volunteer*  It's funny how we can talk loads of crap and how dumb some pet store people but when we talk about someone else its a big no no.


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## BigBryan

one guy told me the G.rosea was a female because of the hole lookin thing on its carapace... and then argued it with me after i said its a male because of the tibial hooks hahaha

Reactions: Like 1


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## ShellsandScales

SpiderZone2 said:


> Plus it is not always the store's fault. It could happen to be who ever is unloading such pets does not give them the proper info either.


I know with petco at least even if they know the proper species name they have to sell it as whatever it was shipped to them as. If they get a crested gecko and it came in from their supplier as a bearded dragon, they have to sell it as a bearded dragon. Something about their contract with the supplier. It can be a good or bad thing. Sometimes they get some unusual stuff in that is mislabled and have it out for less than its worth and sometimes they have something common labled as something rare and it costs way too much. Just a roll of the dice I guess!


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## ShellsandScales

K-TRAIN said:


> i went to a petco yesterday to buy crickets, and after talking to the guy about reptiles and arachnids,(i was curious to see how much he accually knew about them) the guy who was giving me crickets told me that petco can get three t's. the rosehair, the costa rican zebra, and the pink toe. he then told me that the costa rican zebra and rosehairs are the same price, but the pink toe tarantula is extremely rare, so it costs more. and to think they say they know what there doing. lol


Our location here in Omaha can get rosie, avic's and B. smithi. 99.99 for smithi!!!!


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## ShellsandScales

LeilaNami said:


> bah Petco makes us house all the tarantulas the same.  Terrestrial setup on reptibark.  Sucks don't it?  The poor little avic gets all confused but manages.  I make double sure to mist them and the A. seemani.  Most of the others cut corners and I usually feel like the only one doing my job right.
> 
> On another note, one of our rosies had his ultimate molt a couple of weeks ago.  He's so cute but I feel bad about selling him to a new family that don't know much about Ts.  I make double sure that they know what's gonna happen and how long they should expect them to live even though I'm not supposed to sex animals that don't already come in sexed.  I think that's really stupid anyway.  I told my boss though that we need to find him a woman.  Fat chance ;P


My wife runs the reptile dept at petco here. They had a rosie molt out as male and put it on a $5 managers special. Plus they tell anyone that looks at him what they are getting into. Very different from the petco norm.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Tuwin

I was told that i could tell the difference between a male and a female by the size of the abdomen vs the carapace. Males have a smaller abdomen and a bigger carapace and females have a large abdomen and a smaller carapace


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## Bazzgazm

I think to generalize about the whole industry based on a few experiences is bad

Luckily, the guys here are fairly knowledgable. not perfect by any means.
and instead of being a dickhead to the kids at petco i don't mind telling them a few things. and just casually talking... believe it or not some of them enjoy learning about the animals they don't know.


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## desertdweller

I think I've told this one in another thread but here goes, forgive me if it's a re-run.

I was buying an H lividum and asked about the sex.  The store MANAGER points to one of his spinnerets and says, "It's a male, see?"

Reactions: Like 1


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## bliss

"This is a tiger rosehair"  when really it was a Haplopelma sp. ( possibly longipes?)  man you guys should've seen that poor girl try to get that thing in a "take home" container... lol

"These things have had to have their venom glands taken out, their venom is lethal" -  the classic 
(and they were talking about a dang rosehair!)

"This is an _asian baboon_" -- when really it was a parahybana female.  was gonna buy it but they sold it before i could scrounge up the money.  i later explained to her that for starters, neither asians nor baboons had Urticating hairs.  Secondly, i explained to her that baboon tarantulas do not live in asia, but rather in Africa, therefore it is impossible to have an "asian baboon". lol    Luckily she knew me well enough to know that i wasn't someone just running off at the mouth.  She knew i was experienced.

 --dan--


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## NevularScorpion

some of my relatives told me that the police will raid my house and i will go to jail because i'm keeping severals tarantulas lol. also they said that people are not allowed to keep tarantula in a rich place because of home owner association. sometimes i just want to bring them to one of our tarantula gathering so they will be educated.

Reactions: Like 1


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## oregongrown

Me: Well, I think ill take the pinktoe over the costa rican zebra, its an arboreal and will climb more, as for the zebra might just reside in his hide.
Petstore: *Looks at me like I dont know what im talking about* They both can climb.

By the way, I ended up buying both because there cage was full of crickets and both had really dry substrate.


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## hasani1408

I went to a little local pet store to buy crickets for my A.seemanni . they don't sell T's so the owner says I have a nice rose hair somebody just brought in. it was in a kk couldn't see it at all. it was hiding. so I pull up the hide it was a OBT. she was like its a rose hair they are docile. when I told her what it was she handed me kk and said here its FREE.

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 1


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## blazetown

desertdweller said:


> I think I've told this one in another thread but here goes, forgive me if it's a re-run.
> 
> I was buying an H lividum and asked about the sex.  The store MANAGER points to one of his spinnerets and says, "It's a male, see?"


lol I always love it when you ask them the sex and you just get a  ......Last time I was in Petsmart some cute little chick was looking at an avic which was priced 89.99 and she was trying to persuade the workers to let her see it and they were putting up a fight so on my way out I cruised by and whispered don't buy that lol


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## ricneto

Snipes said:


> Wow, have they been given any advise on what to do? (by you or others  ) I can't think of anything that vets could actually do for them, and it would seem like a waste of money to bring them in. Expecially if the doctors are misguided and doing actual harm.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Funny, I think that's what people used to say of vets treating dogs 50 years ago!!!!


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## crpy

LeilaNami said:


> I think its funny but sad when I point out an invert has mites and I'm yelled at for self-diagnosing and only a vet can diagnose it...Would anyone like to tell me of a vet they know of that treats inverts


I know two that do


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## Ritzman

Reading this thread really "grinds my gears". It makes me so angry. 

This pertains to turtles, but I hate when I hear, "oh yea, a 10 gallon will be fine for that turtle(red-eared slider btw). Not telling the buyer the full extent it takes to care for one of them," cute little baby turtles".

 It seems that a lot of pet stores in my area are just trying to make a quick buck, Shady characters they are...


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## Pondskipper

The stores here are fairly good at caring for Ts, the only thing I have seen that was in the way of stupidity was that the owner of the store told me T. Blondis could get as big as Trash Can Lids.  (he was pointing at a trash can that was easily 2.5 feet wide)

-Pond

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## halfwaynowhere

this wasn't from a petstore, but still thought it was interesting- yesterday i met some people from a Science Learning Center. They were at the fair, and had a ball python, a bearded dragon, and some hissers on display, and were letting the kids handle them. It was actually pretty fun. They didn't know if their snake was a male or female, so I sexed it for them (female). I told them about my tarantulas, and they said "you have so many, do you breed them?" I said no, but I'm planning on it as soon as i can find a male for one of my girls. Then they were all like "Can you even tell the difference with spiders?" and then I had to try to explain sexing. very funny.
anyways, i'm going to end up volunteering with them, and they mentioned maybe hiring me someday because my knowledge of animals would come in handy.

Reactions: Like 1


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## EightLeggedFrea

Here's another one that I just now remembered. This old guy in an exotics shop told me that the T. blondi he had in a huge tank was "not for sale and for display only, because it's venom was lethal."

Dummy:wall:

Reactions: Like 1


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## Shagrath666

A)i used to work in the pet industry for years, at one of the stores we had recently begun carrying tarantulas (i already owned a few and know quite a bit) and we got a nice G. rosea and after a few days of her settling in, i was done with my shift and went to play with the animals as i liked to do to habitualize them. well i decided to play with the rose hair, i sat on the floor and was letting her explore my arms legs and whatnot. The owner comes out of the office and sees the tarantula and says "DONT HANDLE THAT!!! IT'LL KILL YOU IN 5 MIN IF YOU GET BIT!!!! WERE NOT INSURED!!!!" i laughed and laughed and laughed. how do you own an exotc pet store and not know that T venom is a joke with most sp., needless to say i couldnt work in a store like that for long.
B) i was at another store and was looking for a new T, a guy said "I have this orange spider, we dont know what it is, but she (it was obviously male) is really calm and pretty" so he gets the cup and behold it is an OBT, and he promtly opens the lid and gets bit on the thumb in a split second. just goes to show, if you dont know what it is dont touch it.

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## hasani1408

I went to lps today look for a new T. the girl asked me if I was alergic to bees?
Me: yes why?
her: well then you don't want a T its venom will kill you and its hair might also.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Strix

Well, the pet shop I got my first OBT and T. blondi from refused to stock tarantulas because they didn't know how to setup or care for them yet. 

The owner always brought me out a list of what his T dealer had and he would go pick them up for me with no extra charge.

I have to say I was pleased with them and their reluctance to carry something they didn't know about.

When he brought the T. blondi in the first response from one of the female workers had when she saw it was  "Holy crap, that's a big spider... do you need a harness for it?"

I got a little laugh out of that and realize she was joking around ;P 

The blondi is a male, not mature yet (maybe 1 or 2 molts left I believe) and his last molt measured roughly 10 inches.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Goomba

hasani1408 said:


> I went to a little local pet store to buy crickets for my A.seemanni . they don't sell T's so the owner says I have a nice rose hair somebody just brought in. it was in a kk couldn't see it at all. it was hiding. so I pull up the hide it was a OBT. she was like its a rose hair they are docile. when I told her what it was she handed me kk and said here its FREE.



HAHAHAHAHA! The guy who brought it in and told them it was a rosehair is a pro. That is hilarious.


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## ZergFront

*Silliest Thing*

Okay, it's not T's and it's sad to say that this isn't bull.... the birds _are_ this dumb...

 employee "I wouldn't have purchased button quail. We had them for years and if it's not in a big cage you have to somehow cushion the top of the cage or they'll keep flying up and hitting the roof."  

 We had our button quail barely 2 weeks after that. My mom didn't do a lot of research and like usual bought something because it was really cute.


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## presurcukr

this is a flame rose hair i got for 10$ wish I bought them all they had 5 (I think it is A.mozambque or junoldi


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## WelshTan

when i went into my LPS last week they had a G.rosea and G.aureostriata/pulchripes in the SAME TANK!!! The tank was also quite small only furnished with eco-earth and no hides or anything else apart from a waterbowl filled with dry cotton wool balls. I pointed out that they should seperate both the T's into seperate tanks. They said "the tarantula's came in that way so we are going to sell them as a mating pair as they like each other" . . . . .

Reactions: Like 1


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## jme

well i got my first T and scorp from a little towns pet store its more like a little corner marked of in a home hardwar lol , i walked into there pet section and saw a mature female pinktoe (Avic Avic) in a tiny enclosure with a heat lamp and no water dry substrate and like 20 crickets the ppl actualy said this is how it has to be done and when i bought it they wouldnt let me leave withought all the necasarry suplies, heatpad, heat lamp lol , the same place had a little tiny maby 2 inch red claw scorp (p. cavimanus) set up in a desert enclosure with a masive heat lamp and no water with a bunch of 5 week old crickets in with him and they were saying why doesnt he eat or move ever, i also took him home again wouldnt let me take him withough heat pad and lamp ppl are so stupid, the little pink toe lived for over a year in a nice exoterra tank and was lots of fun and my little red claw is now about 4 inches and super happy took him a month to recover poor guy,

Another one was a girl at my  Lp said ohh you can handle the Ghost tarantula (Poecilotheria pederseni) there just like rose hairs just more colorfull and fast and there have like no venom lmao , i actualy saw her get bit 3 times in a matter of second's along with some dumb lady who thought they new every thing about tarantulas , i tried to stop them realy but who would want to listen to some random guy that walks into a pet store and knows more than the ppl that work there :? sufice to say they both whent to the hospital the one womans hand swelled up completly and apparently the one who worked there whent numb from  were she got bit on the hand to all the way up her arm dumb ppl i did save the t and get it back in the enclosure though go huge winter jackets and leather gloves woo woo   the poor little T is still there with a sign that now say's do not tuch i would buy him but they want $189.00 bucks for it


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## gumby

"If you nudge the tarantula(H. mac) with your finger he will move. He tried to bite me last time so be careful"

Ill just let that speak for itself


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## jme

ohh man that just reminded me when i bought my H. Lividum from one of the LP's here i realy need to stop going into these damn pet stores, the guy whent to grab it with his hand hahaha the look on his face after it jumped at him was priceless, he asked after arent these ones docile  i wanted to say yes just reach in and grab him so bad


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## gumby

good job not going with your gut on that one I know it was hard ;P


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## jme

its realy hard sometimes to keep cool or not lose it on the dumb managers that work at these places, most of the time its not the younge staff they really dont know any better but there reptile specialist and managers should no better it realy pisses me off , there should be a law introduced and a majority of these places should be smacked in the face with animal abuse charges,  fines and there buisnesses striped from them


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## christian77

I was in my lps yesterday buying crickets and was checking out an A.avic they had. and we started talking about T's and I mentioned that I had 3 A.avics already. she then asked what color they were because the black ones were males and the brown ones were females :? . I just said good to know and took my crickets.


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## jrmrbcax

Stopped by a pet store last night and saw this carp.













LOOK AT THIS AVIC!


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## ReMoVeR

OH MY GOD :O cmon... get them some Tarantulas Keeper Guide Book plz :\ that just shock me as hell!

//Tiago


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## Autumnvicky

At least their giving them water instead of sponges


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## Moltar

Ugh, sand. Those poor little arachnoid souls...


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## WelshTan

The sand is bad. . .one thing thats good tho is at least theyre not squashed into tiny little boxes half the size of their legspan which i see happening in the 3 lps near me.


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## KoffinKat138

i was in this one pet store and they had a Avic,
and this one guy wanted me to buy 2 blocks of eco earth,
cause he said they love to burrow.


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## mariemaria

jrmrbcax said:


> Stopped by a pet store last night and saw this carp.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> LOOK AT THIS AVIC!


ooo, i bet they're all aggresive by now. Great, so whoever buys one is going to get a nasty bite...


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## Aurelia

mariemaria said:


> ooo, i bet they're all aggresive by now. Great, so whoever buys one is going to get a nasty bite...


Why would they be aggressive? My G. rosea was kept on sand for years by her previous owner and she was never aggressive. :?


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## ashisnothereman

australian pet stores are no different. they keep the Ts on stupid substrates like sand, spagh moss or bark chips. they will have a small fake aquarium hide for it and they look half dead. ive been given a care sheet that tells you to keep them like this from a pet store!

they tell me that i should buy Ts from them and not from online suppliers that know what theyre doing because they say its illegal to post Ts.... no it isnt... worst sales pitch ever!

most if not all pet stores are in it for the money and most people working at pet stores couldnt really give a crap about tarantulas or scorpions... i know this is off topic but they keep australian desert scorps communally and they rip each other to shreads.

also almost every T sold in australia by pet stores is sold as selenocosima crassipes when 8 times out of 10 it is not.

do not buy Ts from pet stores. do not support them. unless you know for sure they are legit and know what they are doing.

cheers ash.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ZergFront

*Oh God...*

The ones in the sand saddened me. It would've been hard not to buy them all - and I've never even owned tarantulas to know what sub. they should be on. Least there are no sponges on cotton..  

 I bet those were some fat scorpions. 0.0


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## Memento

From two separate chain-type pet store outlets, both cases of mistaken identity...

"It's a rare large type of rose hair.  Super docile, very handleable, and they make great beginner spiders."  It was a 10" T. blondi.

Not T-specific, but at the second one they had a scorpion marked as "Desert Hairy", and a worker insisted that while venomous, a sting wouldn't be much worse than a hornet.  This would have been true, had it actually been a species of desert hairy, but it was a LQ.  When I pointed this out, the guy admitted that they were only guessing at what it was, since their dealer supplied it marked only as "gold scorpion".  Thankfully, it got removed from the sales floor.


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## endoflove

Meaningless End said:


> not that its not fun to rip on pet stores and stuff (most of them diserve it) but you guys have such a problom with it then why dont you get a part time job at one?
> 
> just grabing the tarantulas they have and splitting to never go back there again dosent solve much of a problom... talking to interested employees and asking if they want to learn a thing or two is probrably a better route


well i work at a pet store where i live. im luckey im such a good sales man or i would have gootten fired a long time ago. the Tarantulas r not kept right, Heat bulbs and heat mats for an arboral tanj for a rosie, i tell teh boss he says ok ok what ever, I turn the stuff off. then waks away. they put fish that kill each other i move them to diffrent tanks, i get yelled at.... i am a great employe that goes around my bosses back to keep the kritters happy, once a week..... its sad but true i tell my customers .... this is an example of how to not keep your tarantuals!

Reactions: Like 1


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## endoflove

EightLeggedFrea said:


> For me, the worst was when I saw an adult A. avic trapped in a KK that was so small its ceramic water dish took up nearly HALF OF ALL THE SPACE! Worse yet, there was no substrate and the dish had one of those cursed sponges in it!
> 
> Breaks my heart to see and hear things like this.
> 
> I even tried to get a job at Petco simply because of this. Considering I was a voulonteer (spelling?) at the local zoo at the time I figured they'd at least give some consideration after I submitted the needed papers. Alas, I never heard from them again.


ps i know this .... pet chains do not care for knolage infact if u know some thing besides the basics u wont get a job. they waht people to come in and buy and leve. if u point out whats wrong and do something diffrently they will loose momey and the fing managers will look stupid <not that they dont> They want tennage girls that can  ring up the regester and say have a nice day. they want to go home and for get all this.... from the manager at pet co taht says angle fish are not cichlids and want $199  for a hlaf dead male >labled it as female< vailed chameleon that hand verry obvious calcium diffency....point is pet sores make there money on doog and cat food and could'nt care less about fish, reptile, or any invets...........>ps when i order from the petstore i work at the fing T never leaves the delli cup  bought only onc H. Liv.   > boss pokes it. the T lunges at him!!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## endoflove

spydrhunter1 said:


> OK I know this is about tarantulas, but here's one about pedes. i went into a petstore which had a giant centipede which was labeled as a giant millipede. I was informed that they were entirely perfect to be handled.


hahahahaahahahahhahhahahhahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahahah OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOGM HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAH thats a law suit wating to happen yea try to hold my Vietamese ped!!!!!!!!!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Dave

(I cant resist  ...)  Man, that store is way off! That's not even a fish!


jrmrbcax said:


> Stopped by a pet store last night and saw this carp.


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## Sky`Scorcher

That is so wrong but the KK's are cool. I like it black but I still can't find any.  I want my enclosures uniformed


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## Moltar

I think those are exo-terra "breeder boxes". I don't have any but they look great for smaller spideys.


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## Sathane

I have a few of those breeder boxes and they are awesome.  Right now I have my _H. hottentotta_ in one with her babies.  There's even a small door on side of the lid (not the big main hatch on the top) that you can put food through for minimal disturbance.


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## Firedrake15

*Stupid Stores*



KJE said:


> I try to stear clear of petstore t's, but I did notice this A. seemani at a store once.  She was missing a leg and it was laying in the enclosure with her.  I asked what happened to her and was told, "She was accidentally knocked off the counter a couple of times."  Ugh!  Wasn't once too much.  No, they had to leave her there to let her get knocked off the counter again!
> 
> I get WAY too upset with petstore's know-it-all attitudes.



Thats just stupid.  When you drop a tarantula, their abdomen bursts.  My freind had a pink-toe with 7 legs.  She bought it like that.  2 sheddings later it grew back.


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## PaMBiX

*how i got educated the hard way*

i was told a 5" rosea was 6 months old, good thing i got her when i did, cause 1 month later after taking her home i got an eggsac,  funny thing is the manager said he was sure of the age of the tarantula because that is how long they had had her for.....clearly impossible that the spider could have existed before then...along with the rest of my collection i kept 3 of the babies though so that was cool


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## The Spider Faery

I was looking at ornaments in the fish section, like leaves, etc. when a pet shop employee came and asked me if I keep fish.  I said that no, I have tarantulas and I like to look at the ornaments to consider ideas for their cages.  

The pet shop employee first of all replied "Oooh, we keep spiders here but I try to stay as far away from them as possible".  But the real funny thing was when _she asked me if I got my tarantulas declawed!_  Lol, I should have told her "yes, and they are litter boxed trained as well".  

She admitted to not knowing much about them, so I just told her that they don't have claws.  I told her that they are venomous, but since I don't take them out of their cages, they aren't a threat to me, and even if I did, most likely they wouldn't bite me (because I educate myself about them).  I don't think she was aware that they are venomous either.  I'm glad I could teach her something.

I wasn't too annoyed though.  She seemed sincerely interested and was otherwise wanting to be helpful.

Reactions: Like 2


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## arachna-nono

This thread is EXACTLY why I joined this board!  I've been LPS for 13 years now, and HATE the idea of being so stupid that the "bug people" talk about me behind my back!  Luckily what I DO know about T's and scorps. I learned from an actual spider-guy who I used to work with, so nothing as stupid as "my t's are de-fanged" or "It must be dead if it's on it's back" has EVER left my mouth!  I don't know very much about spiders, so I like to learn from my customers.  There a few people on here (Bob, being one of them) that have put up with me for years and have NO IDEA how appreciative I am of that!  While I'll admit that my store T's are not in ideal enclosures (16 oz. deli cups for most of them... I started feeling bad for my arboreals, though, so will start putting them in the really tall solo deli cups), at least they are not on sand or bark chips, their enclosures get the sides misted a couple times a week, and I feed appropriately.  

I AM surprised at how many people think that T's and scorpions are all "de-fanged" or "de-venomed with the stingers removed" in the pet trade!  I had a guy just yesterday tell his girl-friend he wanted a tarantula and she re-coiled at the thought.  When he told her they were "de-fanged", and I promptly told him they need the fangs to eat, he came back with "then why would I want one??".  I mean, holy crap, people!  I wish I could start a thread entitled "What's the stupidest thing you've ever heard from a CUSTOMER"! 

I have to admit I'm alarmed at the number of my co-workers over the years who have thought something was dead because it was on it's back so they shook it around to make sure.  They all get the same response from me, and it's NOT pretty!

Reactions: Like 1


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## nulir

arachna-nono said:


> When he told her they were "de-fanged", and I promptly told him they need the fangs to eat, he came back with "then why would I want one??".  I mean, holy crap, people!  I wish I could start a thread entitled "What's the stupidest thing you've ever heard from a CUSTOMER"!


good idea 

start one, i guess you people get a lot of dumbass questions 

i guess that there are enough pet store employees who dont know a thing about what they are selling, but at least there seems to be a change (well at least here in germany). they get lessons and get taught what they need to know. not everywhere but its getting more and more.


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## theanimalbin

I've heard terrible reptile advice. But since I don't have arachnids, I'll just say that I believe every thing you guys have written. Why do they employ those fools? I'm glad to say tarantulas are the spiders I'm least afraid of


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## paul fleming

Most of the shops I use have very knowledgeable staff.
You can normally tell if they know their stuff by just looking at the set ups.
For every good one there are probably a few bad ones out there,run by idiots though.


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## Widowman10

S. Blondi said:


> so I just told her that they don't have claws.


:? whaaat?


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## JimM

LeilaNami said:


> I think the silliest thing I ever heard (and the pet store did) was at the Petco down the street from the one I work at.
> 
> "Oh, well rosehairs can be put together in one tank.  I know what I'm talking about.  I'm the reptile specialist."
> 
> I'll tell ya now, just because the people at Petco have reptile specialist titles means absolutely NOTHING!  Of course the GM at that store didn't give a crap either way and GUESS WHAT!! She's going to be the temporary GM at my store for a month or so...I think I might have to kill myself :wall:


You shouldn't be shopping at Petco anyway.


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## Jackuul

Honestly, the PetCo where my sibling got his "Miss Charolette" was decent.  The T's had a water dish, were not on bark or anything bad, and had a hide, and a cricket supply. 

The only thing I could see is that they were being over-fed. 

But someone did offer me a hampster ball on the way to the checkout for his T.

I might add: This was before I had my own, which I got through AB.  Not from a Pet store.


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## mitchnast

The first T I ever got was an Aphonopelma seemanni for my 9th birthday.
Under the pet shops recommendation, My mother set up a tank with sand, a water dish filled with polyfil, and a caramic skull.

afer a few months it molted, a few more months and it escaped for a couple more months living in the basement  (and probably found plenty to eat)

Finally, about a year after the first molt, it stopped eating.....

I asked the pet store what to do, they said to offer it a baby (pinkie) mouse and that will fix it right up.

Needless to say it was tragic watching the tiny mouse die on the sandy tank bottom.  But the spider was not interested.

The pet store aggreed to buy the spider back at half-price.  Several weeks later I saw the spider for sale at full price again, eating well, and more colorful.

"hmm," I thought, "these guys must really know what they are doing."


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## Onagro

Just today, I saw a Superpetz selling a Haplopema sp. (more than likely a Thai Tiger) being sold as "friendly, furry fun for the whole family!"  

It didn't help when I asked the employee, she said she missed the Chilean Roses!

Reactions: Like 1


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## The Spider Faery

> Originally Posted by S. Blondi
> so I just told her that they don't have claws.





> Originally Posted by Widowman10
> whaaat?


To get her to stop going on about how I should have my tarantulas declawed!


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## Tarantula_man94

LeilaNami said:


> I think the silliest thing I ever heard (and the pet store did) was at the Petco down the street from the one I work at.
> 
> "Oh, well rosehairs can be put together in one tank.  I know what I'm talking about.  I'm the reptile specialist."
> 
> I'll tell ya now, just because the people at Petco have reptile specialist titles means absolutely NOTHING!  Of course the GM at that store didn't give a crap either way and GUESS WHAT!! She's going to be the temporary GM at my store for a month or so...I think I might have to kill myself :wall:





lmao. i laughed sooo hard at this one....


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## Placeboani2

Things like this make me want to work in evey single pet shop just so they are kept correctly.


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## Widowman10

S. Blondi said:


> To get her to stop going on about how I should have my tarantulas declawed!


haha, thanks for clarifying that. 

but now, that employee is going to tell everyone that the "T expert" said they didn't have claws...  hahaha


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## Faing

Meaningless End said:


> not that its not fun to rip on pet stores and stuff (most of them diserve it) but you guys have such a problom with it then why dont you get a part time job at one?
> 
> just grabing the tarantulas they have and splitting to never go back there again dosent solve much of a problom... talking to interested employees and asking if they want to learn a thing or two is probrably a better route


Still doesn't work. TRUST ME. Nobody cares... why? Because it's a business. If you think you're going to get the owner to change their ways as a customer or employee you're wrong. 

I'm still waiting to visit a 100% GOOD PET STORE. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think so.


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## Hobo

Overheard an employee talking to a mother and her daughter about the 5" rosea on his hand:
"...and their *bite* is no more painful than a mosquito!"

God help us if mosquito bites hurt like a Ts

Reactions: Like 2


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## Jackuul

I feel sorry for the T that gets flung across the room to a shriek.  To all the T's who are about to die (and have died from fear-flinging), I salute you.

Reactions: Like 1


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## KoffinKat138

i guess its a good thing...

a week ago i went into the Local Petco,and i havent seen any T's latley so i asked about it,and they said,the're store is Not allowed to sell Inverts no more.,.,so i guess enough people complained. :clap:


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## NinjaPirate

Hobo said:


> Overheard an employee talking to a mother and her daughter about the 5" rosea on his hand:
> "...and their *bite* is no more painful than a mosquito!"
> 
> God help us if mosquito bites hurt like a Ts


I don't know about you, but I'd rather get bit by some of my T's than by the mosquitoes I get here in MN.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Sathane

That guy is a dumbass - plain and simple.  Anyone who actually believes that is in the same boat as common sense would tell you that the mechanical damage alone, from 1/8" diameter fangs, would be more painful than a mosquito bite.

I usually play with salesmen when they spit out blatant lies like that.  I'll play along and offer my own equally, but usually more, ridiculous facts and see if they catch on.  More often than not they don't.



Hobo said:


> Overheard an employee talking to a mother and her daughter about the 5" rosea on his hand:
> "...and their *bite* is no more painful than a mosquito!"
> 
> God help us if mosquito bites hurt like a Ts


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## PrimalTaunt

Sathane said:


> I usually play with salesmen when they spit out blatant lies like that.  I'll play along and offer my own equally, but usually more, ridiculous facts and see if they catch on.  More often than not they don't.


Please tell me that you finally clue them in on their own idiocy after having your fun with them.  Otherwise I could easily see some LPS employees regurgitating those "facts" to other customers.


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## Sathane

Of course, I make it quite obvious that I was testing the limits of their gullibility and that they are full of it. That's half the fun. 



PrimalTaunt said:


> Please tell me that you finally clue them in on their own idiocy after having your fun with them.  Otherwise I could easily see some LPS employees regurgitating those "facts" to other customers.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Roski

Sathane said:


> I usually play with salesmen when they spit out blatant lies like that.  I'll play along and offer my own equally, but usually more, ridiculous facts and see if they catch on.  More often than not they don't.



I'd like to hear stories of this


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## The Spider Faery

> haha, thanks for clarifying that.
> 
> but now, that employee is going to tell everyone that the "T expert" said they didn't have claws...  hahaha


Hopefully she's not the one who will be selling the T's to customers.  She did say that she tries to stay as far away from them as possible, and we met up in the fish department, so one can hope.


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## Moltar

Hobo said:


> Overheard an employee talking to a mother and her daughter about the 5" rosea on his hand:
> "...and their *bite* is no more painful than a mosquito!"



Yeah, a mosquito weilding a couple of ice picks!


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## arachna-nono

Hobo said:


> Overheard an employee talking to a mother and her daughter about the 5" rosea on his hand:
> "...and their *bite* is no more painful than a mosquito!"
> 
> God help us if mosquito bites hurt like a Ts


Something that drives me nuts.... my boss is constantly telling people that scorpions are about like a bee sting.  The guy has NEVER been stung, and while he may be referring to our Emperors (when was the last time someone was actually stung by an emperor?!), we also carry Desert Hairys, Asian Forests, Olive keeled, Tri-colors, etc.  There are probably a LOT of idiots out there who seriously think getting stung by ANY scorpions is painless! :clap: 




Moltar said:


> Yeah, a mosquito weilding a couple of ice picks!



ROFLOL!!


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## Sathane

A good one was about a year ago.  I got the standard, "all of our tarantula's are de-venomed" speech from a guy at Super Pet.  When I was done with him he was talking to the section manager about the dangers of urticating hairs and that all the "really good shops that know what they are doing" shave them periodically.  

To be honest, with that guy, I thought he was just playing my game right back and humouring me but when he went and told his manager I was convinced that he wasn't playing.  His manager knows me though and picked up on it right away. 



Roski said:


> I'd like to hear stories of this

Reactions: Like 2


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## Sathane

HAHA!                           



Moltar said:


> Yeah, a mosquito weilding a couple of ice picks!


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## Roski

Moltar said:


> Yeah, a mosquito weilding a couple of ice picks!


Hitchcock woulda made that work 



Sathane said:


> A good one was about a year ago.  I got the standard, "all of our tarantula's are de-venomed" speech from a guy at Super Pet.  When I was done with him he was talking to the section manager about the dangers of urticating hairs and that all the "really good shops that know what they are doing" *shave them periodically*.


I choked on my cereal   I've always wanted a poodle more than a tarantula anyway...

On topic, the LPS I frequent is Nature, and their staff, to their credit, are not total wackjobs when it comes to Ts. Although, they're mostly herp people

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ariel

probably my worst experiance I've had at a petstore was at a store called "pets R us" and they tried selling me an OBT as a friendly handleable species. 

also most of their set ups/cages/enclosures were crap. :evil:

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sathane

Mmmm... I love cereal for dinner! 

Yah, I felt like a bit of a jerk afterwards, but only for a second, because the guy wasn't being cocky or anything.  He was just misinformed and he really was taking in what I was saying regardless of the BS nature of it.

I have a very wacky personality that way though.



Roski said:


> I choked on my cereal   I've always wanted a poodle more than a tarantula anyway...
> 
> On topic, the LPS I frequent is Nature, and their staff, to their credit, are not total wackjobs when it comes to Ts. Although, they're mostly herp people


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## paul fleming

I know there are really bad pet stores out there but people do not seem to realise that,without such pet stores,we would not have this hobby or at least the vast majority would not anyway.
My 2 cents worth.
paul


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## Sathane

Oh, we realize it.  The problem is that people purchase animals from these places and are given completely incorrect and downright dangerous care information.  In my opinion, that does much more harm to the hobby than good.

If someone buys an emaciated bearded dragon, for example, from one of these hell holes, takes it home and sets it up on it's shiny new heat rock (The employee told them they needed one of those for the animal's health.  They are a high margin item, you know?).  The animal then has severe problems requiring expensive vet care (burns, perhaps mites from bad conditions at the store, etc.) or, worse yet, it just dies.  This leaves a bad taste in people's mouths and scares them away from the hobby.

This is a  spider forum , so using a tarantula example from this thread;  Someone takes home their cute, cuddy, totally docile, orange spider that, if it did bite them, would only be like a tiny mosquito bite.  Their young child goes to tickle it under the 'chin' like a hamster and gets tagged.

Now we've got another group of people who believe these are dangerous creatures that need to be banned.  How is this good for the hobby?  

The hobby would be alive and well without misinformed pet shop employees pushing sales of these animals.  It may be very slightly smaller but dedicated, ambitious hobbyists would still be bringing in new and exciting species to keep us occupied.

I don't entirely disagree with your post - pet shops are good for the hobby in the way that they expose more people to it but I do disagree that "really bad pet stores" help the hobby.  It's the good pet stores, with employees who are willing to learn and actually care for the animals they sell (instead of pushing high margin garbage) that help this hobby.



spit said:


> I know there are really bad pet stores out there but people do not seem to realise that,without such pet stores,we would not have this hobby or at least the vast majority would not anyway.
> My 2 cents worth.
> paul

Reactions: Like 1


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## paul fleming

I am just saying that it is not a good idea to slag them all off......some are very good if not most.
We have a "name and shame" thing over here........seems to work too.
The dodgy pet stores soon get the message without destroying their business which we don't normally want.
I also never once said that "bad pet stores" are good for the hobby.
I can see your point and agree that bad stores need reporting but there are also very good pet stores out there,
I am mainly a snake person,as well as owning  frogs and scorps as well as 25 + T's so have seen it all by the way.
Paul


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## Sathane

Not always but, personally, I feel it's a responsibility to inform others if there is a problem somewhere.  I would feel like a complete ass if I saw deplorable living conditions at a shop then learned of a friend who got ripped off because they bought an animal there that died a few days later.

I think this thread is more of a fun thing to tell about our experiences.  Not necessarily to destroy someone's business.  Actually, most of the posts don't even mention the name of a shop in particular.  We're all smart enough to know a bad shop when we walk into one.  

I would really like to see a "LPS Employee's Revenge" thread started though because I'm sure they've heard a few doozies from ignorant customers who just know everything.  I'd start it myself but, since I'm really bad for screwing with ignorant employees, that would be hypocritical of me.  

In my sales days, I came across quite a few customers who insisted that what they were saying was 100% correct despite all common-sense or reason.



spit said:


> I am just saying that it is not a good idea to slag them all off......some are very good if not most.
> We have a "name and shame" thing over here........seems to work too.
> The dodgy pet stores soon get the message without destroying their business which we don't normally want.
> Paul

Reactions: Like 1


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## paul fleming

It is not normally never ever done over here,a name and shame but when things are so bad there are lots of bad posts about a peticular shop,they do get get named and shamed and most of them do read the threads on the forums.
These shops then buck up their ideas which is always a good thing.
ps...how did you get your BTS thing on the side.....I want my membership of the BTS shown too.....lol ?
Paul


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## Sathane

Agreed.  Sometimes a public shaming does wonders, but usually only temporarily as shops that have gotten into the habit of accepting sub par standards tend to slip back into the habit when the 'heat' is off.

To get the icon you need to donate.  You can do this in the UserCP under Paid Subscriptions.

You could always do some fancy Photoshopping on your avatar but that would be cheating. 

EDIT:  spit: Your PM box is full. 



spit said:


> It is not normally never ever done over here,a name and shame but when things are so bad there are lots of bad posts about a peticular shop,they do get get named and shamed and most of them do read the threads on the forums.
> These shops then buck up their ideas which is always a good thing.
> ps...how did you get your BTS thing on the side.....I want my membership of the BTS shown too.....lol ?
> Paul


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## skilletsteve

I feel that I am in the small minority of people happy with my pet store experiences. There are three within an hour of my home that carry tarantulas (that i know of anyways) and none of them are big chain places. 

The one closest to me (about ten minutes) doesn't have a big selection but the owner and both employees (only three of them running the show) are very nice. The owner and the one employee are very knowledgable about the Ts and the other admits he was hired because of his herp knowledge and has one of the others answer the questions. The few Ts they have are well cared for and at fairly reasonable prices (a bit more than online dealers, but no shipping and I like to support local business).

The next one is a bit of a larger shop with more selection and more employees. I have only had one give me misinformation and it may have just been a slip of the tongue (she said that males live longer). Besides that she knew quite a bit about the species they have and what kind of setup they need. The rest of the employees there never told me anything false.

The furthest away one (about an hour) is really just an average in between the two (as far as Ts go) so I don't need to explain it further. They do however have a much larger selection of herps, including baby American Alligators!

Reactions: Like 1


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## paul fleming

I am a BTS member....paid once and all that....lol


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## Sathane

I find that it's the smaller "mom and pop" type LPSes that usually have better selection and information too.  I guess the stresses of having to satisfy the corporate greed of the big chains really gets to them.



skilletsteve said:


> I feel that I am in the small minority of people happy with my pet store experiences. There are three within an hour of my home that carry tarantulas (that i know of anyways) and none of them are big chain places.
> 
> The one closest to me (about ten minutes) doesn't have a big selection but the owner and both employees (only three of them running the show) are very nice. The owner and the one employee are very knowledgable about the Ts and the other admits he was hired because of his herp knowledge and has one of the others answer the questions. The few Ts they have are well cared for and at fairly reasonable prices (a bit more than online dealers, but no shipping and I like to support local business).
> 
> The next one is a bit of a larger shop with more selection and more employees. I have only had one give me misinformation and it may have just been a slip of the tongue (she said that males live longer). Besides that she knew quite a bit about the species they have and what kind of setup they need. The rest of the employees there never told me anything false.
> 
> The furthest away one (about an hour) is really just an average in between the two (as far as Ts go) so I don't need to explain it further. They do however have a much larger selection of herps, including baby American Alligators!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sathane

heh.  Perhaps a mod can give you the icon if you produce your membership card.   Do they even have a "card"?

Anyhow, off to watch a movie...



spit said:


> I am a BTS member....paid once and all that....lol


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## Jackuul

For a while I have fancied the idea of starting an arachnid store, however I would basically be out of business by the end of the first month.


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## Endagr8

This is rather off-topic, but has anyone noticed that Britain is not included in the map of the BTS logo?


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## paul fleming

That's because we run it


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## Endagr8

spit said:


> That's because we run it


That doesn't make much sense.


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## MiniRiki

I went to a pet shop once, I thought it was great They even had an alligator then I was extremely happy when I saw the Ts when I got to them I saw a pink toe that I handled, it was sweet  then I asked if I could hold the Brachypelma Smithi that was sat in the corner and he the woman said "Oh you don't want to do that, B.Smithi are Extremely aggressive and has been known to kill people... I left :wall:

Reactions: Funny 1


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## catfishrod69

i was holding a mature female Avic. avic, and i asked them if there was anyone that knew the sex, and of course this mastermind woman comes up and says she can tell...she said if it has 10 legs its female, if its got 8 legs its male...well of course i had a female in my hand, cause she was counting the palps too....i told her that it looked like all the T's they had were female cause they all had 10 legs....thennn finally i explained to her that the 9th and 10th legs are pedipalps not legs.....i dont think she believed me....


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## TrentinG

"oh this spider is called a obt ( actually a t gigas) they really like to burrow so we filled the whole container with sand from outside"  :wall:

or when a different guy told me that the indian violet will come out of its burrow if he blows on it, shakes the container, and sticks his finger into the burrow

Reactions: Like 1


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## Bill S

MiniRiki said:


> ....the woman said "Oh you don't want to do that, B.Smithi are Extremely aggressive and has been known to kill people...


She must have seen the movie Kingdom of the Spiders...  Hordes of _B. smithi_ wiped out an entire town.


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## xhexdx

Should have asked her why she was selling a deadly spider in a pet shop...

Reactions: Like 1


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## 406member

There are no pet stores in my area that sell spiders. Based on the stories in this thread - I think that's a good thing.


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## ChiiAlice

I bought my B vagan in Kansas and the guy told me first that the species is from the desserts of mexico so I should let the substrate dry out all the way and keep it very hot because they are used to the deserts....

Same guy also told me that they are very temperamental and that spiders don't get used to being handled so there was no way her temperament would change as she adjusted to me....

Id just like to say I think she's having trouble now adjusting to the conditions her species is supposed to be kept in... and she's honestly the sweetest spider Ive ever met.


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## Chris_Skeleton

ChiiAlice said:


> I bought my B vagan in Kansas and the guy told me first that the species is from the desserts of mexico so I should let the substrate dry out all the way and keep it very hot because they are used to the deserts....
> 
> Same guy also told me that they are very temperamental and that spiders don't get used to being handled so there was no way her temperament would change as she adjusted to me....
> 
> Id just like to say I think she's having trouble now adjusting to the conditions her species is supposed to be kept in... and she's honestly the sweetest spider Ive ever met.


Aside from keeping it very hot, all that info was correct. Tarantulas don't get used to handling and don't adjust to you. B. vagans are known to be temperamental, but each individual is different. Yours may be "sweet" now, but that might change the next molt, or maybe not. 

And what do you mean by "I think she's having trouble now adjusting to the conditions her species is supposed to be kept in"?


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## Nepenthe56

cyanocean said:


> I was looking at ornaments in the fish section, like leaves, etc. when a pet shop employee came and asked me if I keep fish.  I said that no, I have tarantulas and I like to look at the ornaments to consider ideas for their cages.
> 
> The pet shop employee first of all replied "Oooh, we keep spiders here but I try to stay as far away from them as possible".  But the real funny thing was when _she asked me if I got my tarantulas declawed!_  Lol, I should have told her "yes, and they are litter boxed trained as well".
> 
> She admitted to not knowing much about them, so I just told her that they don't have claws.  I told her that they are venomous, but since I don't take them out of their cages, they aren't a threat to me, and even if I did, most likely they wouldn't bite me (because I educate myself about them).  I don't think she was aware that they are venomous either.  I'm glad I could teach her something.
> 
> I wasn't too annoyed though.  She seemed sincerely interested and was otherwise wanting to be helpful.


Actually tarantulas do have very small retractable claws...  And now I'm editing because I should have just kept reading, of course someone would point it out...

---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 PM ----------

I have a bittersweet setup here in Bozeman, Montana.  We only have a Petsmart, no other pet stores in town...  Which kind of sucks because Petsmart is not my first choice for pet supplies.  Fortunately, because some of the employees are afraid or think they're gross, they do not carry invertebrates of any kind (except hermit crabs).  When I asked their reptile specialist if they ever get any invertebrates in, she responded "Ew, no I wouldn't work here if we did."  Really? That's where you're drawing the line?  Alright, personal preference I suppose (albeit a little rude to react that way in front of someone who is obviously an invertebrate enthusiast).  In hindsight, even though I don't like that particular employee (for other reasons too), it is for the better that this Petsmart doesn't carry them since they would probably be neglected.  I will however say that there is another employee who likes them and I believe would probably take very good care of them if she were allowed to, as well as be open to suggestions on how to care for them (I don't know if they're regulations would actually allow that, but its good that someone cares).  But it's still probably for the best that they don't carry them at all...


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## Raven9464

when asked why a LP had sponges in their Ts water dishes (which I know breeds bacteria and is a no no)
He said "They use their fangs to suck the water up through the sponge, just like they suck the fluids out of their prey"

LOL - I wonder what all the Ts do out in the "wild" without any sponges :wall:

Reactions: Like 1


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## TheTarantulaKid

theres a place I live by called the Pet Stop. The whole place is a <poop>hole. Right now they have 1 pink toe. It as a terrestrial T setup, the tank has many many cracks (ALL of the tanks in the store do), blue water gel, a sponge in the water dish too. And theres like 20 crickets with it, and its bone dry. I remember when I was 10 i got my first T from there. A G. Rosea. But that place is the only place withtin 50 miles that sells dubias... im sticking with crickets for my t's cause of that. btw I RESCUED that rosea. She had almost no substrate, and was highly stressed. Now shes in a nice 5 gallon tank with her own burrow they told me i should defang her. I am now considering going there and buying the pink toe to rescue it, poor thing.:wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall::wall:


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## Bill S

Chris_Skeleton said:


> Aside from keeping it very hot, all that info was correct.


Really?  _B. vagans_ from the deserts of Mexico?  Last I heard they were from southern Mexico in much wetter climes (Yucatan peninsula).


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## Chris_Skeleton

Bill S said:


> Really?  _B. vagans_ from the deserts of Mexico?  Last I heard they were from southern Mexico in much wetter climes (Yucatan peninsula).


The "keep it very hot" was attributed to it "supposedly" being from the deserts. So I said aside from that.


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## Leora22

I've had a few problems with my local pet stores 

1. i went into a petsmart to buy a live mouse for my ball python and the lady said she couldnt sell me one i asked why and she said cuz its inhumane i couldnt help but giggle i said inhumane you sell mealworms crickets frozen rodents and feeder fish but you cant sell me a mouse she said its against policy i said fine i want a "pet" mouse she got  really ticked at me and said she would not sell me a mouse my snake went hungry that night 

2. i went into petco and saw that the red tail boas had mites (yes boa's, they had 4 in one cage) and went to tell the guy working and he told me they where fleas from the dogs that come in the store...he still wouldnt belive me so i went and got one of the books they had on snakes and showed him a picture of a mite and he was like omgosh it isnt fleas so i had to show him what to do and stuff  at least he listened 

3. i went to another petco across town and went in and saw there red tail boas where doing the corkscrew i told them that there snakes most likely had IBD and that they needed to get them away from the other reptiles they told me that boas like to move like that when there babys which i said well to be sure you need to get a vet in here.....the lady said she would....i hope she did 

and it doesnt help being only 18 years old and trying to explain things to older adults who think your some stupid kid

Reactions: Like 1


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## roukey

A woman in our local London pet megastore was interested in the Chilean rosea they had, the shop assistant told her that there is no way you can handle them and if you try then the T will SPIT hairs at you.


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## vickywild

-Mist your rose hairs tank daily. 

-Bark is the best sub.


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## Jester

Raven9464 said:


> when asked why a LP had sponges in their Ts water dishes (which I know breeds bacteria and is a no no)
> He said "They use their fangs to suck the water up through the sponge, just like they suck the fluids out of their prey"
> 
> LOL - I wonder what all the Ts do out in the "wild" without any sponges :wall:


I was told the exact same thing when I brought it up.

I was just trying to help.. Poor tarantulas on about 1/4 inch of sand, smallest KK I've ever seen, massive, bacteria-infested water dishes with huge sponges, what I would consider a cricket infestation.. 

I was looking at the Ts with my friend, very concerned, apparently one of the workers noticed me. He was older, around 18 (I'm 15), and I just politely told him, "I'd never put a sponge in with my tarantula.. did you know sponges are just a breeding ground for bacteria?" and he told me that they can't drink without it, that they have to "bite" it. I gave him a confused look and my friend and I left..

For the love of tarantulas, never go to Pet Supplies Plus.. your heart will break. D:

On the other hand, there's a local pet store around here, I'm guessing it's family run but don't quote me on that, called Markheims. I used to sell them my baby hamsters. I went there for crickets not too long ago and I saw a whole bunch of Ts that were very well taken care of, all correctly labeled.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Alireza

When I told a pet shop owner that I don't feed my Ts WC insects, he said I can do it after putting the insects in a solution of water and salt ) also he aged my full grown G. rosea as 1.5 years old


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## Sage

I said 'There are like 10 crickets in there.'  And he said 'Yeah'There there always is.'

Also to keep a rosehair's substrate niiiice and damp.  Good for humidity.  He actually looked really offended when I told him otherwise.  Oh well, at least I tried.


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## BimBim

A: "That there Tiger Rump molted yesterday. It looked like it was having a hard time 'cuz he was flipped over on his back strugglin to get outta' the old skin. I helped him out by grabbin' him with these here tweezers and flippin him back over"




hahah ohhhh wow

---------- Post added 12-21-2011 at 06:47 AM ----------

oh geez how many molting t's much have been thrown away


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## bjm54

i hope to own a pet store specializing in inverts one day, and some of these comments astound me. How can a person sit there and claim to be a specialist if they have no idea what the heck they are talking about? pet stores need to have a better screening process.


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## Chris_Skeleton

bjm54 said:


> i hope to own a pet store specializing in inverts one day, and some of these comments astound me. How can a person sit there and claim to be a specialist if they have no idea what the heck they are talking about? pet stores need to have a better screening process.


That's because pet stores don't hire people for their knowledge.


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## Shell

I know this is an old thread, and this isn't really "advice" but the woman who owns the exotic pet store I used to get feeders at, has her own tarantulas (unfortunately.) One day when I was in, she told me that her OBT was "so mean, it always tries to bite and never kicks hairs first, isn't that strange?" I said no, considering OBTs are OW and don't have hairs to kick. She looked at me like she thought I was an idiot.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Alireza

It's really interesting that most petshop owners aren't open to others ideas. Just guess how many owners keep their animals only on their advises :-(


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## arachnofreek

YAh luckily around here in London, Ont. the pet stores are not to bad. They are when it comes to fish. But I havent seen any problems with arachnids or reptiles. On the other hand I litterally just applied to a pet store a few mins ago. Lets hope I get the job!


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## le-thomas

Shell said:


> I know this is an old thread, and this isn't really "advice" but the woman who owns the exotic pet store I used to get feeders at, has her own tarantulas (unfortunately.) One day when I was in, she told me that her OBT was "so mean, it always tries to bite and never kicks hairs first, isn't that strange?" I said no, considering OBTs are OW and don't have hairs to kick. She looked at me like she thought I was an idiot.


Well at least that doesn't point to incorrect care.


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## Arashi Takamine

Well this isn't about a petstore but my dad and BFF insisted that all tarantula's found in banana's were poisonous. I started explaining that there are tree spiders and that tarantula's are not poisonous and then asked them what they thought.

Unconvinced and I wound up blurting everything I've learned on T's...I'm shocked I actually used the scientific names when talking with them since usually..They don't get it I have to say the typical name and I told them that the birdeater label they get is bullsh*t.


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## Vespula

While getting some feeders the other day, I was chatting with the person getting the crickets. The dialoge went a little like this.

Her: Wow, that's a lot of crickets. What are you feeding?
Me: My tarantulas. 
Her: Really? 
Me:Yep. 
Her: Wow. I wish we had them here. Y'know there are some shops in Texas that can sell them, but we can't in Mississippi because of the weather here. 
Me: Huh? I bought two of my spiders here in this very town. 
Her: uh... yeah. how many crickets do you want again?

*sigh* It seems like noone knows anything about spiders here.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Shell

le-thomas said:


> Well at least that doesn't point to incorrect care.


Except that I didn't mention that she keeps all arboreals in terrestrial set ups, and has a G. rosea on display in the shop in an arboreal tank. The only reason she has never told me incorrect care, is that I don't go in there about tarantulas, I go in to buy feeders. I don't need her advice, and actually would never ask a pet store employee for any kind of animal advice. I am very positive that she spreads misinformation to other people who know nothing about them and think she would be a good person to ask. 

She got to the point where she would call me to ask me tarantula related questions, she never actually took my advice, just asked, but at least it indicated that she wanted to learn.


I am a vet tech, and have seen animals sick from bad advice given, animals purchased from pet stores that are in poor health, the list goes on. I've seen more than enough to make me dislike the majority of pet stores out there. Just because they hire people, doesn't mean those employees actually have experience or any kind of training, the problem is many customers assume that they must, when they in fact , really don't.


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## boxofsorrows

"All of our employee's are specifically trained, to the highest standard, for the departments they work in"
I still love that one.
From the same place that takes peoples names, addresses, ages/ID's for an aquarium fish and then asks "so are you going straight home?" - like anyone would say "Ohh no, we're going to leave the fish in the bag for the rest of the day. Same place had a 16-17yr old drone who stopped trying to "advise" me on tropical freshwaters once I asked him how long he'd been into the hobby - "erm, I've never kept fish before."... me "what animals have you kept then?".... him "rabbit when I was six or something". CLUNK!.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Earth Tiger

Arashi Takamine said:


> Well this isn't about a petstore but my dad and BFF insisted that all tarantula's found in banana's were poisonous. I started explaining that there are tree spiders and that tarantula's are not poisonous and then asked them what they thought.
> 
> Unconvinced and I wound up blurting everything I've learned on T's...I'm shocked I actually used the scientific names when talking with them since usually..They don't get it I have to say the typical name and I told them that the birdeater label they get is bullsh*t.


No spider is poisonious. You can eat them and you won't be poisoned. But you can tell the difference between a true tarantula and the banana spider from the urban legend. This is a good start. Did you read my story btw? Still fear spiders?


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## Arashi Takamine

Earth Tiger said:


> No spider is poisonious. You can eat them and you won't be poisoned. But you can tell the difference between a true tarantula and the banana spider from the urban legend. This is a good start. Did you read my story btw? Still fear spiders?


Agreed I was telling them and they wouldn't stop trying to interrupt me either. BFF - Trying to tell me some dumb story how if her mom saw a tarantula cross her she'd beat it to death (Yeah thanks the potential T owner will keep her pet on lock and keep away from her) And I did I thought it was really funny and I'm not afraid of spiders anymore. T's at least, smaller house spiders still kinda give me the willies. But I figure I leave them alone they'll leave me alone.


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## baboonfan

Where to begin? I think their habit of failing to correctly identify what they have often tops their bad advice and poor keeping. I knew an old woman at a pet store in Ormond Beach Florida that sold a plain Jane rosie in a plastic container with nothing to dig in as a "rare bird eating spider from Japan". The cage was marked "poisonous". She wanted 150.00 for it. I told her what it was and that she needed to bed the enclosure with something. She got offended and said "Ive been selling fish since before you were born, I know what Im doing".

The same woman previously ordered me a Jacksons Chameleon and expected me to pay for it after I had asked her about Thrasops jacksoni (Jacksons Tree Snake). I had never ordered the item in the first place, i had only made a price inquiry. 

There was also a know it all reptile dealer who sold made up Ts for absurd prices when all he ever had were standard pet rocks (rosies).

I am a mail order guy for the most part. Stay away from those pet stores.


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## ZergFront

fartkowski said:


> A pet store told me that an adult rosie they were selling has to eat 3-4 a day.


 I don't even feed my dogs that much!

---------- Post added 01-06-2012 at 06:21 PM ----------




blazetown said:


> As a side-note the weird thing about that area is that Inverts are illegal in St Catherines and possibly Niagara falls but theyre only about 15 mins away from Welland.


 Well there's another place I can add to my "Avoid Like the Plague" list.


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## ZergFront

baboonfan said:


> Where to begin? I think their habit of failing to correctly identify what they have often tops their bad advice and poor keeping. I knew an old woman at a pet store in Ormond Beach Florida that sold a plain Jane rosie in a plastic container with nothing to dig in as a "rare bird eating spider from Japan". The cage was marked "poisonous". She wanted 150.00 for it. I told her what it was and that she needed to bed the enclosure with something. She got offended and said "Ive been selling fish since before you were born, I know what Im doing".


 Haha! I would've been like, "You do realise that is a spider and not a fish, right?"


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## DannyH

A pet store owner from where I get my crickets got very offended when I told him he shouldn't have 2 rosies in a cage together (the cage itself was really bad, woodchips, sponge, dead crickets).I came back a day later and one of them was gone. Hopefully an archnoboards member came and rescued one, but I doupt thats the case .

The rosehairs were also priced at 100$, and labled as "Pink Bird Eater".


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## SpiderNurse

It was a long time ago, but something along the lines of: "The more you handle it, the more tame it will get. I have a friend who says his tarantula likes it when he pets it on the back."

I've been reading through these, and wow! Where on Earth do people come up with this stuff?? I wouldn't be able to find some of this false information anywhere if I tried...


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## bishopk546

Petland in alberta, these prices scared me, 
1.) 2.5" A.avic  74$  
2.) 1" B. emilia 214$ 
3.)  1/2 inch  L.  Difficilis 75$

the avic was in a terrestrial setup, the emilia was in a 10 gallon as was the L. difficilis...... it was rather frustrating


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## SgtSparkles

it's alot like that here in kalispell, mt too man, though there is one who is open to care tips and one of the girls is warming up to them and held an a. avic when i took it out for another customer while i was there last week most are deathly afraid of them, all they ever get are WC rosies and avics, though occasionally as a result you can get your hands on an azuraklaasi that they think is a common pink toe its still not really worth it, i get all my stuff from paul as i don't need care tips from the employees at petco and they know better than to try and share them with me, it still never stops one lady from trying to sell me "our new pinktoe" 





Nepenthe56 said:


> Actually tarantulas do have very small retractable claws...  And now I'm editing because I should have just kept reading, of course someone would point it out...
> 
> ---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:49 PM ----------
> 
> I have a bittersweet setup here in Bozeman, Montana.  We only have a Petsmart, no other pet stores in town...  Which kind of sucks because Petsmart is not my first choice for pet supplies.  Fortunately, because some of the employees are afraid or think they're gross, they do not carry invertebrates of any kind (except hermit crabs).  When I asked their reptile specialist if they ever get any invertebrates in, she responded "Ew, no I wouldn't work here if we did."  Really? That's where you're drawing the line?  Alright, personal preference I suppose (albeit a little rude to react that way in front of someone who is obviously an invertebrate enthusiast).  In hindsight, even though I don't like that particular employee (for other reasons too), it is for the better that this Petsmart doesn't carry them since they would probably be neglected.  I will however say that there is another employee who likes them and I believe would probably take very good care of them if she were allowed to, as well as be open to suggestions on how to care for them (I don't know if they're regulations would actually allow that, but its good that someone cares).  But it's still probably for the best that they don't carry them at all...


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## SgtSparkles

silliest advice ever was "all rose hairs are sweet" NO! mine was evil


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## Gnat

There used to be a LPS near by that had a large Psalmopoeus cambridgei. At first they wanted $50 for just the spider but then it became $50 for the whole enclosure. I was new to tarantulas and went home to research the beast. I decided at the time it wasnt for me and was certainly not kept in the best conditions. It was in a 10 gallon glass tank with a branch to climb on and a very dirty cage and dry water dish.(it was on paper towels) The lady that owned the shop was terrified of the spider and said she was selling it for a friend. She told me that the spider had sprayed on the sides of the tank was venom and that when she tried to feed it that it would spit venom at her and act crazy. I didnt buy the T because I was new in the hobby at the time and thought that it was above my experience level. When the shop closed down about 6 months later they still had it, spitting venom an all

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Thomas2015

Was at a new exotic petstore when I saw the owner trying to sell to what looked like an eight year old kid a cobalt blue tarantula. When the kid's mom asked if it was aggressive, he said "no, its perfectly docile," and "its venom is no stronger than a bee sting." After they started talking about how to handle it, I thought I might step in.


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## Jared781

from right of the top... my LPS said i should mist/soak my B. vagans enclosure every day!
and feed every other day.. which isnt bad but its a bit off right?


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## SamuraiSid

Silliest thing a lps employee ever said to me: *"Trust me, I work at a pet store."*




Jared781 said:


> from right of the top... my LPS said i should mist/soak my B. vagans enclosure every day!
> and feed every other day.. which isnt bad but its a bit off right?


If thats all the employee told you, its absolutely terrible advice!!!!!!!!

In the context of powerfeeding, feeding every other day might be fine, or even good. But without properly educating the client on what powerfeeding is, what it does, and why people do it, the info is useless and your B. vagans would end up with a ruptured abdomen. Same with the misting, slings enjoy higher humidity than adults, but without this piece of context, the information passed on is worthless... Or worth as much as a dead Tarantula.


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## Redneck

I've never really been given advice at a petstore. Not until recently. I wasnt even asking for advice or nothing. I was just looking at what they had labeled as a "venazulen tiger turntula". I was thinking maybe a C. fasciatum. So, I asked the guy there what they had in it, he stoped and looked at the label. I said okay, just let me see it. He started his spill...I can only let you look at it through the glass, all tarantulas can run 5-7 MPH, and this one is extremely dangerous, and can put you in the hospital. And it has hairs on its butt that can cause you to break out in hives...blah blah blah. 

So, I finally shut him down and said look, I dont need a lesson on tarantulas, in fact, I can probably school you a bit. I dont care if you pull the tarantula out, I just want to reach in move things around so I can see what the heck yall got in there. 

He wouldnt let me reach in. So he did it. Guess what shoots to the back of the corner of the cage. My number one, all time favorite tarantula. A Psalmopoeus irminia. Oh boy. 

I turned to that fella and told him how much a a freaking retard he was...seriously. A whole spill of horse crap came from his mouth. Yeah, P. irmina are fast, and mean. Dangerous? Only if your a dummy. Hairs on the rump? You gotta be kidding me. It aint got no hairs! 

I went on to trying to teach him and he got all pissy with me. I was asked if I was going to buy it or not. I said there is is no way Im giving $50 for a 2.5-2.75" unsexed P. irmina. 

Anyways, thats my most super awesome petstore experience...as of late.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ZergFront

Gnat said:


> She told me that the spider had sprayed on the sides of the tank was venom and that when she tried to feed it that it would spit venom at her and act crazy. I didnt buy the T because I was new in the hobby at the time and thought that it was above my experience level. When the shop closed down about 6 months later they still had it, spitting venom an all


 Huh, either I had the wrong species or the most laid back P.cambridgei. I purchased two more slings after that male died. Yeah, real vicious. :roll:

---------- Post added 03-26-2012 at 06:25 PM ----------




Jared781 said:


> from right of the top... my LPS said i should mist/soak my B. vagans enclosure every day!
> and feed every other day.. which isnt bad but its a bit off right?


 My B.auratum would have been PISSED with all that water.

---------- Post added 03-26-2012 at 06:26 PM ----------




SamuraiSid said:


> Silliest thing a lps employee ever said to me: *"Trust me, I work at a pet store."*


 Found a new signature. X-D


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## Kris M

Oh this should be good.

Snakes with mites.  Snakes with stuck on sheds.  They keep all Ts in arboreal setups.  They use sponges in water dishes for all inverts.  Dogs that die after a few weeks... Cats that do the same... hmmm wonder why I haven't seen any dogs or cats there for a while...
They sell Red Eared Sliders to people with a 10gallon setup and fail to mention to them that turtle will one day require a 100gallon tank (This is a pet peeve of mine)

*One day when buying gold fish the guy selling them to me told me I needed a heater.  This is because goldfish are tropical fish and require a temperature of 78f.  I went on to explain to the guy that he had no clue what he was talking about and he wasn't going to sell me crap I don't need.  I guess he thought I might not already have a few aquariums at home, or that I might actually know something about fish.  I proceeded to go across the street to another LPS and pick up my gold fish. *

Something that really irritates me is how everyone at every pet store seems to have EVERY animal that I do!  I mean how do they all have the EXACT SAME COLLECTION AS ME!?  Then I remember that they are full of it as they continue to list off facts that have nothing to do with the animals they claim they have, and they would know that if they kept one.

This is store 1, store 2 is slightly better.  They still try to feed me full of useless facts and get me to buy stuff I don't need, but at least the animals seem healthy and they seem like they take care of them.  Mind you they have almost nothing, just a couple lizards, a few birds, and a handful of rodents.  Plus feeders.

I really don't like pet shops.  While there are probably some good ones out there, I haven't seen one.  I only use them for supplies that would be more expensive to ship, and as a go-to for crickets and the occasional fish.

*End Rant*


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## abryan1992

What I just love is when I ask to look at the T's and all of the employees act like I'm sentencing them to death. You work in a pet store. Go do your job and open the cage. If you're too scared to look at a 2 inch spider at the place that pays you for it, looks like its time to get a different job.


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## Chris_Skeleton

So every time I stop in at Petco to get crickets, they normally have a MM. I tell the employee/manager and explain it to him. He shrugs, gives me a blank look, and asks how many crickets I want. I then tell him a dozen large. After he hands me the bag, I count, 9 crickets. Seriously, you're a manager and you can't count to 12?


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## captmarga

bjm54 said:


> i hope to own a pet store specializing in inverts one day, and some of these comments astound me. How can a person sit there and claim to be a specialist if they have no idea what the heck they are talking about? pet stores need to have a better screening process.


Pet stores for the most part have people who are willing to be elbow deep in a fishtank several times a day, scrubbing poo off of cages, cleaning up messes left by animals several times a day, carrying heavy boxes, running vaccuum cleaners, stacking bags of nasty-smelling dry dog food, hosing down tanks, and if they do grooming, add masses of pet hair to that.  I used to work in a pet store.  Teenagers who love animals work there. 

Before the internet, anything people knew about the animals they sold was gleaned from conversations with owners, personal experience, and reading every book that the store carried.  You've read those books from 20 years ago? The ones that show Ts on wood chips?  Guess what...

Marga

Reactions: Like 1


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## Spinster

I was told that T's don't need a water dish, you just spray the inside of the enclosure twice a week and they're good - no matter what species (I asked). According to their staff a T doesn't need a hide, either.

They also told me that the ONLY species a newbie can own is a G. rosea, the others are "too fast" and "bite hard". They had other newb-friendly species in stock like red-knees and curly-hairs. They refused to bring them out and let me see them when I asked.


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## Zman181

Chris_Skeleton said:


> So every time I stop in at Petco to get crickets, they normally have a MM. I tell the employee/manager and explain it to him. He shrugs, gives me a blank look, and asks how many crickets I want. I then tell him a dozen large. After he hands me the bag, I count, 9 crickets. Seriously, you're a manager and you can't count to 12?


I hear you.  It has happened to me multiple times.  I ask myself the same question :wall:


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## rasulsimakshah

i was pointed only to the G. rosea as a starter species and wood chips as a substrate. luckily, the internet quickly changed my opinion on most of what they told me.


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## MaskFac3

Come back to us for more information &hellip; jkz my Lps is amazing (if it can be counted as its specialises in exotics)


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## swithers

Was told G. Rosea need moss in with them and a humidity over 80%


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## Giygas

When i bought my GBB sling last year, the owner really underestimated me partially because of my age. He specifically told me:

'This species has extremely potent venom, it is considered very venemous when compared to most Old Worlds'

After that I first looked up my father as he seemed as if he believed him, then I gave the pet store owner a stern look. Gently placed the little deli container on the counter, pulled out a carebook that had a chapter of venezuelan species, opened it in front of him and left the store. He's a good guy though, at least all his Ts and reptiles are well fed and are set up according to their natural habitat.

Reactions: Like 1


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## funkymonk

When I first got into the hobby I started off with my adult female G rosea who is still with me. When I purchased her from the pet shop, I asked how much I should feed her, they gave me a box of large locusts and said one of these each day... So off I went, set her up, tossed one in, watched in fascination as it was grabbed and slowly eaten. Next day another, then another, then on day 4 no interest... you guessed it, didn't eat for another 9 months after that...!


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## Zoomer428

Mine would be on my g Rosie the girl who was getting horrible pick up from behind and above the t. They had them in crit carriers with wood chips and slate waterbowl. Two species they had was rose and pinktoe I dident look at pinktoe tho. The lady told me they feed them every like 2 days I. Told them oh really? Cause I hear maybe 1 a week she dident reply....I guess she knew I knew alittle more than her about t's


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## Yoxigan

If it molts, put it in water so the skin floats off.


They had remarkably small tarantulas there.


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## Moonwolf87

While I was on vacation in California I went to a pet store that had a few tarantulas. They were all in their own tanks next to each other, 2 of the species being B. Albiceps. Both of the tarantulas had kicked off ALL of the hair on their abdomens leaving only a peach hue behind. I was looking at the T's and the young lady working came over and told me as follows: 

"Those used to have fluffy butts. But I think since they are next to each other and can see each other through the glass they kicked off their hair to intimidate each other. It is like defense or something."

She then went to tell me how they had rehoused the tarantulas about 5 times in a one month span. They had no hides as well and no substrate.

I just stared at her.


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## web eviction

I walked in a LPS and noticed the women working crouched down by some kids (5yr olds) holding a T as I got closer I realized it was an adult P. ornata !!! Not only that she was telling the children it's a very gentle spider as she began to place it on a little girls shoulder !! I immediately shouted stop she pulled it away real fast and she got educated real quick and as calm as I tried to be I just wasn't I explained how dangerous it could have been and as much as I could about the T and walked out extremely frustrated and havnt returned since....


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## Hayden

I met one of my close friends because she works in my LPS. She knows a lot about snakes and geckos, and definitely more than average about T's, but what gets her is that she is unwilling to accept maybe someone knows more than her. I tried to help her set up her axolotls, seeing as how they're my specialty, and she just wasn't having it, and eventually they all died. She tried to sell me a Chinese Warty Newt as a Paddletail, which... it isn't.

But the most frustrating thing came right after I bought my A. versicolor off of a trusted friend whom we both buy our tarantulas from. I had set out to buy the versi, I had done plenty of research, and felt confident I could keep one. So I bought it, and I was very pleased with it and myself. Immediately, she began laughing and telling me that they "die for no reason," that I had "wasted my money," that I was stupid for picking an Avic, etc. She used to have one and it died soon after she bought it. I suspect this is because she keeps her apartment INCREDIBLY hot and humid and had no ventilation for the little guy. It was really hurtful and totally unnecessary, and it led to the slew of panicked messages I left on here.  

On a related note, I've had the little A. versi for a few weeks and she's doing great. Webbing like crazy, and she's eaten every single cricket I offered, even the smooshed one.


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## motomori

well it wasn't in a store but I just watched a program which "educated" children on T's (we don't have them here in holland as far as I know but anyway)

the guy was holding a chillean rose and he told about how deadly T's where (but this one was very sweet and wouldn't bite) and how the T would make a web to catch her prey -headdesk- it was a trainwreck... the rosie was also very panicky and obviously didn't want to be there (she tried to run away on the girls arm and the girl freaked out)


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## Skeri

One guy at a petco was atleast honest. "I have no clue about these things I just work here."

Reactions: Like 2


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## le-thomas

Yesterday at the reptile expo, a guy had a Theraphosa sp. (stirmi I assume) in a shallow plastic cup with that newspaper litter stuff and was tipping it around and shaking it up and down. Its legs were touching the lid it was so shallow, and he was literally shaking it up and down. It was also nearly full grown, and he claimed it to be "half size". In conclusion, expos suck.

Reactions: Like 1


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## zadane

Maybe I'm just lucky (or this is ignorance speaking) but the LPS I go to (this is a family owned shop) so far has been amazing. I was applied there and didn't get the job for not knowing enough and I've got quite a nice bit of experience in the field (I'm new to Ts though). After a few discussions with them I went home to look up a few of the suggestions they made and everything they told me has so far been spot on with all of the research I've been doing.

I bought a G. Rosea 3/4" and a L. parahybana 1" form there. the prices didn't seem too bad either. 5$ for the rose and 39$ for the LP. with a 30 day refund/replacement policy if it doesn't survive (unless I am the one who kills it).

Mind you, I went to another LPS and they suggested a cobalt blue for my first... the other lady came up and nearly slapped the girl who suggest the cobalt to me and suggested the rosea... that's when I left that store...


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## ZergFront

Face meets desk in 3.....2.....1...... *THUMP*

 Just an excuse for a thread bumping. I don't go into LPS anymore but these are funny (and sad at the same time). Good 'ol internet does the jobs for me without the clerk poop they shoot out!


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## SgtSparkles

well actually the lady from our local petco admits to not knowing much and had me get her a little A. geniculata on my last order, and she came by and checked out my T room at the same time


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## Theist 17

Not advice per se, but still funny. 

Went to a PetSmart to buy crickets the other day, got asked what I'm feeding. Eyes the size of an LP when I told her. Hahaha


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## scorps

I dont have any for arachnids but I was about to buy an anole from petco and the woman told me I had to buy all kinds of things like a powder for their water and a bunch more, she wouldnt let me buy it unless I bought them, she then told me I had to have them because anoles wernt native, then I simply asked if they arent native them why do I catch them all the time then simply left, I came back another time to buy crickets, I mentiones they were for a snake (a species that only eats small insects) then the same woman said get mice, I said this snake eats insects, she replied again "snakes only eat rodents, I then left again and havnt been back. I hate petco when it comes to buying live animals, I wanted to punch someone when I saw there leo's on sand


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## Ahmet29992

ZergFront said:


> (...) without the clerk poop they shoot out!


Truth: The clerk is an Avicularia sp.


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## ragnarokxg

Well I went yesterday to the LPS where I got my first T to get some crickets because he sells them in bulk. Well he tells me he has a Goliath Bird Eater. Well a lady overheard us sand asked what it was. Well he told her it was a tarantula that grew to 7 inches long with 2 inch fangs and was lethal. I had to turn around because I almost started laughing. The guy knows some of what he is talking about and I might buy another avic from him but I have a feeling his dealer sells him wc tarantulas. 

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2


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## jen650s

From a specialty LPS that breeds several T species on-site--Don't forget to soak the ground for them, because they cannot drink water.  They suck it from the soil...


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## DVMT

Cirith Ungol said:


> One problem that pet store people face is that they can't know how much you know. Next is that they by default have to play experts so that they don't put the shops reputation on the line (for good or bad).
> 
> I know from one pet store that had a lividum on 1" bark shavings - I told them that if they wanted to give the T better housing they should give it some peaty/earthy sub and make that quite deep.
> 
> I agreed with the counter argument that the T wouldn't be visible then and at least it had a hiding spot now under a lumpy peace of wood. But the clerk also told me that I was the fourth person comming in giving "good" advice on the T. Some had told them to put the T on fine sand, some had said to add a heat lamp and other such rediculous stuff. So I almost fully understand if petstores don't just by default listen to the customers unless they can kinda varify what they are saying.
> 
> Still ofcourse the clerks should try and read up, one could say - but I guess we all know how hard it is to actually get through the jungle of bad information, ranging from sick caresheets over to self proclaimed expert hobbyists.
> 
> How easy is it, without any reference or true expert advice to actually find the one real piece of information that you need? I think if you have no clue where to start and where you wanna get to it's pretty hard.
> 
> What I think many pet shop clerks lack is common sense, that's the biggest problem and that's what could be most easily fixed.


IT should be obvious, but apparently it isn't that a local library most likely has a book on the subject.  Mine has several.  People forget to check the FREE Library!


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## Mattia

Faing said:


> Still doesn't work. TRUST ME. Nobody cares... why? Because it's a business. If you think you're going to get the owner to change their ways as a customer or employee you're wrong.
> 
> I'm still waiting to visit a 100% GOOD PET STORE. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think so.


Ken the bug guys shop, in Tucson Arizona. COOLEST SHOP EVER!!!!!!


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## thespiderguy

These are to good! I fortunately have a good store near me, that admits they don't know everything but they are pretty good. 

It is a good sign when you find a store that doesn't try and do everything!


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## BorisTheSpider

Not a T story but it goes along with the silly pet store thing :

  I once overheard a pet shop person telling someone that they need to be sure to keep their new Green Iguana in a dessert setup since they come from the heart of the dry scrub lands of South America . I pointed out that this was not exactly correct . The girl told me that I was clearly mistaken . I went to explain that I was more then sure that Iguanas come from the rain forest and that they need a nice humid enclosure with lush plants , climbing branches and full spectrum lighting . To this the girl told me ( very rudely ) I was wrong and if I could be so kind as mind my own business she could finish helping her customer and complete her sale . Well , I wasn't going to let that go .  I said that this would fine if she could explain why an animal from the deep desert would evolve to be bright green . Normally animals tend to be colors that match their environment . I also pointed out that the bag of jungle substrate has a picture of a Green Iguana very prominently pictured on the bag . I couldn't pass on the opportunity to point out that the desert substrate has "brown lizards" on it . Lets not overlook the fact that there is an Iguana care book right there that we could check with . She just looked disgusted and told me to get out of her store . I left with a smirk on my face and a slight chuckle under my breath . I did notice the customer leaving right behind me , sans the Iguana . The customer thanked me for not letting her waste her money on such an knowledgeable clerk .

Reactions: Like 2


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## Mixae

I work at a petsmart but our petsmart doesn't sell Ts. Most people I ask are like "Ewwwwww" if I mention spiders. A few months ago this T and scorpion breeder brought in some and I got to hold a whiteknee, a younger one. I wanted to keep her lol It was my first time holding one. But people at my petsmart dont really know anything about tarantulas


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## MrCrackerpants

Tarantulas do not have stomachs and that is why you should not feed them gold fish.

Reactions: Like 2


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## SirenSanJose

MrCrackerpants said:


> Tarantulas do not have stomachs and that is why you should not feed them gold fish.


Ba...WHU?  That just makes my head hurt.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## jen650s

SirenSanJose said:


> Ba...WHU?  That just makes my head hurt.


I think you could probably start the thread someone mentioned above about the dumb questions customers ask about Ts...


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## Aviara

This isn't really "silly" but on the same note as this thread in general. I recently started working at our local Petco. Everyone in the store does an amazing job with the animals, and those who are not knowledgeable about reptiles, invertebrates, etc. will ask others if they can't answer a question. Our tarantulas and everything else in-store are treated much better than is the standard at other stores. 

However, I did hear of a scary (not silly at all) story from the past. A customer had special-ordered a Haplopelma lividum (Cobalt blue) without any warning about their venom or temperament. Of course, at the time there was no one in-store who was knowledgeable about tarantulas. One of our employees was doing routine maintenance and had no idea that this spider was different from the Grammostola rosea we usually carry. The tarantula "teleported" onto her hand and sunk its fangs in - she still has lasting nerve damage from that incident. Ignorance in pet stores can be more than silly - it can be dangerous as well. This story should serve as a warning, because it's bad enough when something like this happens to an employee - but if it were to happen to a customer who innocently bought an old-world tarantula, that's unforgivable on the part of the pet shops. It's not just for the good of the animals themselves that employees should be informed about the animals themselves!!


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## xfemmefatale

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.




Lmao that is so smart. Why not benefit from their ignorance?


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## nick22

Man Im glad that I have more that one specialty store close enough to my house so I never have to go to Pet Ho.  Reading this thread was crazy funny and sad at the same time.  Sounds like my 5 year old nephew is more knowledgeable than most pet store employees.


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## Scuttlebutt

My worst T advice was from someone I know personally when I expressed interest to her about getting one. She had one years ago and said that they love heat lamps that should be on 24/7 so you could see them at night and you have to feed them pinkie mice. Also after showing me a picture of hers it was a B. smithi with a climbing branch instead of a hide. 

I couldn't convince her otherwise


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## alpine

Scuttlebutt said:


> My worst T advice was from someone I know personally when I expressed interest to her about getting one. She had one years ago and said that they love heat lamps that should be on 24/7 so you could see them at night and you have to feed them pinkie mice. Also after showing me a picture of hers it was a B. smithi with a climbing branch instead of a hide.
> 
> I couldn't convince her otherwise


*Facepalm* I have yet to have that kind of run in with people, most of my friends just look at me strange when I say I keep a tarantula. After that I am free to educate them.


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## Scuttlebutt

alpine said:


> *Facepalm* I have yet to have that kind of run in with people, most of my friends just look at me strange when I say I keep a tarantula. After that I am free to educate them.


Yeah I'm not surprised that she only lived for 9 years


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## alpine

Scuttlebutt said:


> Yeah I'm not surprised that she only lived for 9 years


I just find it amazing that people can be so hard headed, especially when they are caring for an animal. I feel the same way with people who keep dogs cats or even hamsters... Sometimes they really ought not to have bought them... >.>


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## singaporesling

paul fleming said:


> I am a BTS member....paid once and all that....lol


 banned
..oops


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## Arachno Wolf

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


dude... were they alive?


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## alpine

Arachno Wolf said:


> dude... were they alive?


They were all flipped upside down and molting, not death curl, which is death.


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## bravesfan

I was thinking of buying a heat pad for my T but after reading this does not seem like a good idea.  I had went into a Petco and they suggested it so I came home and did some research online and it seems to suggest a heat pad is okay.  So should I or shouldn't I get a heat pad?


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## alpine

bravesfan said:


> I was thinking of buying a heat pad for my T but after reading this does not seem like a good idea.  I had went into a Petco and they suggested it so I came home and did some research online and it seems to suggest a heat pad is okay.  So should I or shouldn't I get a heat pad?


Not really needed, as long as you feel comfortable in your house, your T should be too.


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## UralOwl

"You can keep up to 3 tarantulas in the same cage, but if you want to pet them, you have to take them out one at a time."

Reactions: Like 1


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## Moonfall

Not advice but there's an H. lividium with almost no substrate and no way to burrow. Poor dear is very stressed out.


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## prairiepanda

When I got my G rosea from a pet store, I had already done quite a bit of research so I was pretty disappointed when I got to the store. They let me pick whatever I wanted for the enclosure and sent me home with a new pet without asking me any questions or giving me any advice other than "It would be good to get a heat lamp for the winter time." (It's going to be indoors, how would the winter temperature differ from summer at all??) This was here in BC, at a small family-run shop.

Back in Wainwright, AB, the pet store owner won't let anyone take an exotic pet without first being quizzed on their knowledge of the animal and having their enclosure pre-approved. It's irresponsible to sell pets to people who don't know anything about them.

Reactions: Like 1


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## ZergFront

BorisTheSpider said:


> Not a T story but it goes along with the silly pet store thing :
> 
> I once overheard a pet shop person telling someone that they need to be sure to keep their new Green Iguana in a dessert setup since they come from the heart of the dry scrub lands of South America . I pointed out that this was not exactly correct . The girl told me that I was clearly mistaken . Lets not overlook the fact that there is an Iguana care book right there that we could check with . She just looked disgusted and told me to get out of her store . I left with a smirk on my face and a slight chuckle under my breath . I did notice the customer leaving right behind me , sans the Iguana . The customer thanked me for not letting her waste her money on such an knowledgeable clerk .


 Wow, I wish I had as much of a backbone to do that. :-o

 BTW, I think I'm going to make a thread simulator on YouTube with this one. Would be really funny hearing some of these read.


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## pannaking22

LPS had an H. mac and one of the guys working there asked me if I wanted to see it. I was curious, so I said sure. He then proceeded to open up the container and reach in to poke at where it was hiding. I told him not to bother since he was going to get bit. He said he would be fine, it's the rose hair in the cage next to it that you had to watch out for. He told me that that's one of the most aggressive tarantulas you will find. I bought nothing from that store and have never returned.

A friend of mine recently went there and told me they had a 1/2-3/4" curly hair there. He wanted to know if $30 was a fair price for that spider....needless to say he was less that happy to hear my response lol


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## insane247

"yeah you should see him eat a pinkie. it's spectacular". me: "ummm that is really bad to feed a t a pinkie. and secondly i'm pretty sure that is a female". him "dude i work in a pet shop i know what i'm doing" me "please sweety when i come into a pet store most of you don't even know how to sex a t and try to tell me i need heat lamps and whatnot for a rosie"

another one was not in a pet store but i went on chatroulette and had my rosie on my face and this girl was like "OMG DON'T DO THAT HE'S SCARED" *my rosie was sprawled out and relaxed* me "no she's not". her "yes she is. she's not moving. she's petrified!" me "that doesnt mean anything. they spend most of their day not moving. if she was scared she'd be scrunched up or in a threat pose" her "excuse me, i'm a VET. i should know!" me "yeah because vets are TOTALLY trained on arachnids and would totally know what to do if an arachnid needed medical attention. would you know what to do if i brought you my t who was spending extra time on a molt that was not coming off properly?" her "no....". me "ok then what does it mean if she was acting sluggish and had a bald spot" her "she has a fungus" me "WRONG! she's in pre-molt. what is wrong if her abdomen looks wrinkly and shrunken?" her "she's in premolt..." me "WRONG! she's probably dehydrated or injured. sweety get real. if i had a problem with my baby i would go to a breeder, not any vet. goodbye"

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 10:39 PM ----------




BorisTheSpider said:


> Not a T story but it goes along with the silly pet store thing :
> 
> I once overheard a pet shop person telling someone that they need to be sure to keep their new Green Iguana in a dessert setup since they come from the heart of the dry scrub lands of South America . I pointed out that this was not exactly correct . The girl told me that I was clearly mistaken . I went to explain that I was more then sure that Iguanas come from the rain forest and that they need a nice humid enclosure with lush plants , climbing branches and full spectrum lighting . To this the girl told me ( very rudely ) I was wrong and if I could be so kind as mind my own business she could finish helping her customer and complete her sale . Well , I wasn't going to let that go .  I said that this would fine if she could explain why an animal from the deep desert would evolve to be bright green . Normally animals tend to be colors that match their environment . I also pointed out that the bag of jungle substrate has a picture of a Green Iguana very prominently pictured on the bag . I couldn't pass on the opportunity to point out that the desert substrate has "brown lizards" on it . Lets not overlook the fact that there is an Iguana care book right there that we could check with . She just looked disgusted and told me to get out of her store . I left with a smirk on my face and a slight chuckle under my breath . I did notice the customer leaving right behind me , sans the Iguana . The customer thanked me for not letting her waste her money on such an knowledgeable clerk .


i don't know much about the locations of certain species, but i do know that when i was in mexico there were green iguanas running around everywhere. and i'm pretty sure mexico is not south america. (lol)

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 10:57 PM ----------




Ice Cold Milk said:


> No, they are stupid everywhere...
> here in South Africa one store said "Buy it a big tank, and keep more than one in there so they don't get lonely"....
> 
> and the owner of one of the biggest south african tarantula websites sells 2cm legspan OBT's as m/f pairs.


to that i would have replied "yeah you should do the same with betta fish"

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 11:02 PM ----------




ShadowBlade said:


> That they're just invertebrates?? And shouldn't automatically be subjected to the requirements of dogs and cats? Or reptiles??
> 
> -Sean


it's because dogs and cats show emotions like affection and are large so people tend to have more sympathy for them than some t. that might bite and doesn't display sadness when neglected. it's ignorant.

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 11:08 PM ----------




Masurai said:


> Here's one for you. I walk up to the T Tanks, and see one that only has 6 legs, i asked the guy what happened to the other two legs, guy  says " what do you mean, Tarantulas only have 6 legs"


ok that one deserves 1st place on this thread

---------- Post added 02-04-2013 at 11:14 PM ----------

i'm reading a lot about "defanging" and i've been asked if i bought mine this way too. i just say "defanging a tarantula would be the equivilent of ripping out all your teeth and using some kind of device to lock your jaw in place so it's open about half an inch. oh yeah, and you're also not allowed to use your hands" and people have asked why i don't have the stinger removed from my emperor scorpion and i say "1: that is inhumane and for amateur wimps. 2: if i get stung, i probably deserved it"


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## Boatman

At one LPS, they had a HUGE, gravid emperor scorp in a dry sand-filled enclosure.  I told the owner to get her off the sand & that she would much better appreciate a humid jungle-like environment.  He said something like "It's fine...I always keep them like that."  Sure enough I went back in a few weeks later & asked about the scorp & her babies and not surprisingly they had all died.  Thankfully, though, he now keeps all his emps the way you're supposed to.

At another LPS that has a few reptiles, fish, birds & rodents I asked the girl working there if they had any Ts, and she said "No. They're not good pets because you can't train them. All they do is bite, and bite, and bite."  I still laugh about that until this day.


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## Dhaynes

Masurai said:


> Here's another one for you. About a year ago i go into this petstore and was asking about the tarantulas and this woman says that if i really want to make it happy to have half the tank be a little pool cause they love to swin.


What. The. Hell.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Tmobo

I was at petco a few weeks back and I saw they had roseas and I asked the guy working if they ever get in A.Avics and he said "no, they are way too aggressive." I just had to walk away it was so ridiculous. Rofl


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## Greenjewls

There was this one pet store in Tempe, AZ, if you've ever been there you posted on this thread because this dude workin' there, every single thing he said was either mistaken or he was purposefully lying, I have to assume he was a pathological liar because even a fool would get something right once in a while.  One time he explained to  why they had field crickets for sale that day 
"because all house crickets are clones of a man-made species, and there was a virus outbreak that extincted all house crickets.  Now you can only get crickets from people who were smart enough to breed field crickets. "
That's just one example, he said something equally as ridiculous every time i went there, also my friends that went there would bring up crazy stuff he said every time they went.  He is probably just following this thread trying to see how many times he can get on here, that's the only way i can figure makes sense


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## LadySharon

welll... the crickets you typically find in pet stores for food DID suffer from a virus what.. a year ... two years ago.

But the rest is like... wha?  

for one... man can't make anything living.   Oh sure we can breed for certain traits and we can splice dna... but we are using already there materials.  we can alter but we can't *make*.    Wonder if he's more a conspiracy theorist?


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## grayzone

visited Petsmart today for our puppy training class. Afterwards, i got some crickets and went to price some exoterras. 
I took a gaze at their ts and saw G. rosea, B.vagans, and something called venezuelan fire tarantula/tiger tarantula.
Upon looking closely under the log i saw a 3" P. irminia building a web. It was housed the way they house their rosea and under the same half log they use... 

This thing was on about 1-2" of substrate max, and almost bone dry. Also, they wanted 99.99$ for it hahahaha. I played it off like i knew little about tarantulas to a worker in the isle, but that i had some concerns on its set up. i was told that they knew how to keep the tarantulas and that it was just fine. I was literally told that i need to do some research (swear to god they told me that). 

Also, i asked why it was so much more expensive than the rosie they had. They told me that the Venezuelan fire tarantula is very slow growing, and a very rare sp. 

They actually seemed to know a bit about the rosie, but they clearly are way off with anything else. 

I did not let them know that i was knowledgable of this sp, or that im a hobbiest/collector. I probably should have in hind site, but at the time i was just shocked at the info they can give out

Reactions: Like 1


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## Zeezums

Omg. I am going to every pet store in this godforsaken city to help Ts, and maybe pick up a part time job if I need to 

I know one family owned lps that I frequent that has AWFUL conditions. The roseas are kept with no substrate, water dish, or hide. A while back [before I was in the hobby] they had a huge ornamental, not sure what sp because they called it just that, that was in the same conditions and I was also told it was deadly. 

That place will definitely be on my stop tomorrow, hopefully Ill have some funny tales as well!


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## SuzukiSwift

I haven't had any silly advice from my LPS (actually it's more like an animal market than store) because I've never asked them for any, maybe I should to see what they say lol However the way they keep their Ts is terrible. 

Imagine around 50 a.avics all in plastic containers the same width and length as their leg spans and only 3 times their own height when they's standing horizontally. Complete bare plastic, nothing else in there, they can barely move. I'm amazed they're still alive actually, the roseas are also kept the same way


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## Cydaea

Yesterday I got to give an LPS some advice 

They had 1 T, a G.rosea (probably), and they had a sponge in its waterdish. I asked why they put the sponge there, they said it's so the T doesn't drown. 
I informed them that any T over 3-4cm is unlikely to drown, and since this adult T was bigger than the dish there's no way she could drown in it. I gave a small polite lecture about breeding grounds for germs and other nasties, and they promised to remove the sponge. I also asked them to let the enclosure dry out as it was too wet in there (the overall setup was good though, with a hide and no bright lights).

They thanked me for the advice, they said they were told how to care for it by the supplier and he told them to do it this way. They're a store that specialises in reptiles, and they admitted to not knowing a lot about inverts.


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## EulersK

Pretty much 100% of what I was told was wrong, and some of it harmful. I bought my first T (G. rosea) at a pet store specializing in bugs and reptiles (moreso the latter, which should have been my first hint). Here is everything they told me to do, and this is not an exaggeration: mist the tank twice daily, sponge for water, plenty of climbing room, 4-5 large crickets weekly, heat mat under the tank, and communal housing is fine. It's my fault, really. I should have done my own research before starting up in this hobby, but I assumed a store specializing in that type of thing would know what they were talking about. Luckily, I got all that fixed!


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## nolan

I bought my Lp from a pet store she was roughly 5 to 6 inches first they told me it was still a sling then said buy a heat lamp and keeo humidity up by pouring 8 to 16 oz of water into the substrate every day


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## Juno Choi

Instead of having to hear their silly advice, I taught a petco owner the real care routine for a G.rosea since I saw a G.rosea in a wet enclosure. I just mentioned to keep the substrate dry and blahblahblah and other things that came into mind. Then a couple of months later, I came back to the same petco and it seemed like the same G. rosea had new substrate, DRY SUBSTRATE, yay! They took my advice


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## Mello

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


Wow I almost wish I had a pet shop with dummies around here so I could save them for just $1! That's smart!


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## DamonM

I watched a moronic employee get herself bit by a Singapore Blue I was buying from Petland. She was too gutsy, said she handles tarantulas all the time without consequence. I offered to take the spider out myself, since she really didn't know what the hell was going on. But nope. Bam. I lol'd.


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## Bongo Fury

Most Ts for sale around here are housed with 47 crickets and a dish of water crystals. :?
It's sad, but any care advice given by a LPS is good for a laugh and nothing more.




DamonM said:


> I have yet to find a nice person on this forum.


:unhappy::cry:


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## Rhodin

Lurker597 said:


> Most Ts for sale around here are housed with 47 crickets and a dish of water crystals. :?
> It's sad, but any care advice given by a LPS is good for a laugh and nothing more.
> 
> 
> :unhappy::cry:


If you tried explaining to the manager that there are better and cheaper ways to care for them(less crickets=less dead/wasted cricket food, no money wasted on bug gel,etc,etc) they might listen especially if you were to mention your personal experience and possibly references that show that the care regiments they are providing aren't ideal. They might not listen, but it doesn't hurt to try.


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## Bongo Fury

Rhodin said:


> If you tried explaining to the manager that there are better and cheaper ways to care for them(less crickets=less dead/wasted cricket food, no money wasted on bug gel,etc,etc) they might listen especially if you were to mention your personal experience and possibly references that show that the care regiments they are providing aren't ideal. They might not listen, but it doesn't hurt to try.



Thanks, I needed a chuckle this morning.


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## deviance1911

EulersK said:


> Pretty much 100% of what I was told was wrong, and some of it harmful. I bought my first T (G. rosea) at a pet store specializing in bugs and reptiles (moreso the latter, which should have been my first hint). Here is everything they told me to do, and this is not an exaggeration: mist the tank twice daily, sponge for water, plenty of climbing room, 4-5 large crickets weekly, heat mat under the tank, and communal housing is fine. It's my fault, really. I should have done my own research before starting up in this hobby, but I assumed a store specializing in that type of thing would know what they were talking about. Luckily, I got all that fixed!


This is something that TRULY pisses me off beyond belief...... and what caused me to buy 3 different tanks for my T in 1 week due to their bad advice.  Could you imagine if other businesses operated this way?? How the HELL CAN THEY OPERATE?? Imagine going to home depot and asking them how to fix something in your house and they tell you some crap advice and your house burns down.  No legit business should be able to operate like this, their lack of knowledge is BAFFLING.  For christs sake I saw the tarantulas keepers guide in the pet store RIGHT NEXT TO THE CAGES!!! Like wtf and the freaking moron guy who works there had the audacity to say that I needed a heating mat, mist enclosure 2 times a week, and ABSOLUTELY must use a sponge or my T will die without it.  I said you know that book right there says you shouldn't use a sponge.  He said thats just a guide you arent supposed to follow it 100%....... Then if thats true why is it called a GUIDE! I wanted to smash his head into the cages he pissed me off so much.  Before I got the B.smithi he was trying to sell me an OBT saying its a New world T and that its docile lol..... They have a cobalt blue in that store missing 3 and a half legs.


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## Munch

The pet store owner who was "keeping Ts since he was 10 years old" was holding a (now my) g.rosea that was 3.5-4 inches saying it was a baby and when it gets older it can jump 5 feet in front of itself HAHAHA!


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## JonathanSmith

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


This made my day!!! Clever clever person. I'd have done exactly the same


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## Miss Baby Sheep

Our pet store ordered us a "B. Smithi". We were new to the hobby and really wanted the red-knee to start off our collection. 
We went to pick up the Smithi and it was very oddly colored (black and grey) hairy on the legs, definately no sign of banding on the knees.
They assured us it was a Smithi and that it was in pre-molt, the owner told us we could get her out and hold her and he even opened the lid and held the thing.
WELL we took it home and after some research figured out it was an H. MAC!! an old world species!! we decided to keep it and excersize extreme caution when dealing with him. They gave us store credit and we ended up getting a rose hair, and they insisted we needed a sponge for it's water bowl, and to feed her a cricket once a day SMH! We are now up to 7 T's and have learned so much. Yesterday we rescued an A. Avic that had bark chips in the enclosure. tsk tsk.


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## Ziolizard

The worst advice I got from a LPS is when they sold me my Lasiodora parahybana and told me it was a Lasiodora difficilis.

That's about it. I know, it's not even that horrible. Maybe I don't get bad advice because I don't ask those idiots anything.


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## Ronoc360

Quite happy about my LPS, the enclosures are set up decent, no proper hide but, everything else is good. They also have G. rosea care sheets which are spot on!


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## Marijan2

Not advice but... The PetShop here sells adult male euathlus sp. red for young rosea


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## Mariner1

When I bought(rescued) my P. Regalis, the clerk told me that she was a deep burrower and was good with children. I'm thinking about going back and rescuing a G. Pulchripes. I have to say though, 40 bucks for a 4 inch P. Regalis and a medium critter cage and a dozen crickets was a nice deal.


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## fromeasttowes

Here's a good one:


"Treat this Orphnaecus sp. blue just like you do your G. rosea. They're pretty much exactly the same... Except this one is blue."



Lies.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Lividium

When I was 17 I got my first T from the local pet shop, it was a H. Lividum. They had it and an OBT in a critter keeper with no water dish, bone dry on gravel!!
They told me it was perfectly ok to keep them that way >.< (luckily I already knew better having done at least a little research before getting a new pet)

When the dude went to pull my lividum out he puts on this big thick glove, grabs a pen and asks me to stand back. He then lured the OBT away with the gloved hand holding the pen and scooped up my lividum with his bare hand lol!
I figured mine was so docile because of how poorly he was being kept, but it turned out he was just a big pussy cat and was the sweetest thing ever!

Reactions: Like 1


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## PlaidJaguar

Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


That is amazingly devious.  I love it!

Reactions: Like 1


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## pocopelo

I visited a new pet shop yesterday hoping to find mealworms since my regular provider is away from home. 
I happened to see a G. Rosea, on display, with less than 1/2 an inch substrate, and a sponge instead of a water dish. 
I came to the guy and asked about it and he was quite honest, this is the only way they can actually display the T. 
If given space to burrow she'll be out of sight, and that's not good for the store. 
I did encourage the sales guy to remove the sponge and he did it while I was there and got water on her dish. 
Funny thing, the T went and got a sip out of it.
He also admitted he has no idea of T's. The guy who knows (does he??) is in Mo. through Fr. 
Will go back to chat with him to make things easier on that Rosea. (I have two roseas.. not interested in another one, plus, it is pricey, and therefore will not rescue it myself).


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## klawfran3

I had a petco employee cry when he got my G rosea out for me. he thought that all tarantulas were deadly venomous and that he would die from touching it. he actually thought it was the last thing he was gonna do, and he had to stop getting it out halfway through to regain his composure. when he had gotten back and was calm enough to try again, I was holding the rosea up to my face, having the person next to me tell me how cute it was and that it was so fluffy. the employee then lost all color in his face and nearly fainted.

don't worry. I educated him about them and now he enjoys holding the new one they got in stock. but man it was funny to see him so scared!


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## Lividium

Lol, I was just at my local petco a couple days ago and the employees who know me pretty well at this point immediately dragged me back to see their gorgeous new rcf G rosea! She walked right into the girls hand and we all sat around talking about how pretty and nice she was! I am lucky they take fantastic care of their animals and are always open to advice on how to better care for them.
Unlike my other LPS where they have a poor Haplo in a tiny flat critter keeper with maybe a half inch of substrate and a tiny piece of wood to hide behind, they refuse to listen to any advice on better care, they have a bad habit of selling people animals that end up being pregnant and then offer to "re-home" the babies for them. >.>


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## IrishSnow35

I visited PetSmart yesterday and while perusing their small animal cages, didn't notice any tarantulas. I'm completely new to the hobby but have done my research, so I casually asked the attendant if they sold Ts. She said she did, and after locking up the bird cage walked over and pointed me to a locked glass enclosure with two very small KKs in them. One housed a young emperor scorpion, the other a young G. rosea- which caught my attention. The poor thing didn't have a lot of room to move and I can't recall whether there was a hide in it, but the water dish did have a sponge in it...which set off warning signals. Not expecting to buy a T that night but deciding to take the plunge anyway, I bought the T and have named her Georgina. I talked the attendant through what I had learned to make sure I knew and she knew what was going on, and she seemed to agree with most of what I said. 

That being said, I visited a local Petco today to buy more crickets, and was vastly relieved and impressed with what appeared to be coco-coir substrate, water dishes with no sponges, and a log hide in the cages of a pinktoe and a G. rosea (which was cheaper than what I paid for my rosea). The guy who sold me the crickets also provided me with a betta cup and lid to use as a carrier and ICU unit, free of charge. They were very nice and helpful.

I feel as though I'm going to visit Petco from now on, because I feel they have a better understanding of what a creature really needs.


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## Truffs1178

That tarantulas have to save their venom because they have a limited amount which must last their entire lives.


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## IrishSnow35

Truffs1178 said:


> That tarantulas have to save their venom because they have a limited amount which must last their entire lives.


...(Facepalm)


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## SamuraiSid

About 8-9 months ago I gave my LPS my cell number and email address. Whenever they have people with questions, and new shipments, they ask me to come in and give them a run down on everything. Since Ive shown interest in the king baboon sling, and they arent comfortable selling it to just anyone they offered to give me a great discount on it. $125.00 plus tax. Thats the craziest thing Ive ever heard at my lps.


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## Thistles

I went to a Petco for their dollar-per-gallon sale and stopped to look at their Ts. They had a "Red Rump" and a "Suntiger" next to each other, but the labels were obviously mixed up. The _Psalmopoeus irminia_ was hidden, but in the tank labeled "Suntiger" there was what looked to be a cute little _Brachypelma vagans_. I called an associate over and asked to see the hidden spider in the "Red Rump" tank and the associate reached right in with his bare hands to try to tear down the dirt curtain the T had constructed. I tried to stop him, warning that suntigers have a tendency to bite when threatened but he assured me that none of the tarantulas they get in bite. Ok, your fingers, bro. He also wouldn't change the labels. Ok, also not my problem.

As a PetSmart associate, I want to address what IrishSnow35 said about the KK set up. PetSmart just recently started carrying Ts and scorps and we have corporate standards about what we are and aren't allowed to do. We are forbidden to handle the Ts, we must sell them in the KKs they are kept in rather than transferring them to deli cups (because that would be handling) and we are required to keep a sponge in the water dish. Oh, we also have to make the purchaser fill out a venomous animal waiver. I have written to corporate, but their reply was that the care standards we require are set up by vets and I need to follow policy. It's not that associates don't know better - it's that we have corporate morons dictating how we must keep the animals.

Stores like PetSmart and Petco hire mostly kids in or just out of highschool with little experience to care for their animals. Most think they're gonna be playing with puppies and guinea pigs all day. A few of my associates applied to PetSmart rather than Petco because at the time Petco sold scorps and Ts and PetSmart didn't. What you find is a bunch of scared kids doing their best with bad info handed down from corporate. Your experience will vary by store. I could give a customer good info. The rest of my associates... not so much. The Petco down the street, also not so much.


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## nicodimus22

As long as your Operations Manager does a good job choosing new hires, I rarely see an associate that thinks he or she will be playing with animals all day. Our pet care dept has very high standards...not everyone is a good fit. You have to be very detail-oriented. Some of the rules handed down don't always make sense, or seem like they come from someone who isn't all that familiar with animals, but it's really up to the PCM and leads to educate themselves and find ways to provide the best care while still meeting company standards, as well as communicating that to the 15-20 hour a week part timers.


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## Thistles

nicodimus22 said:


> As long as your Operations Manager does a good job choosing new hires, I rarely see an associate that thinks he or she will be playing with animals all day. Our pet care dept has very high standards...not everyone is a good fit. You have to be very detail-oriented. Some of the rules handed down don't always make sense, or seem like they come from someone who isn't all that familiar with animals, but it's really up to the PCM and leads to educate themselves and find ways to provide the best care while still meeting company standards, as well as communicating that to the 15-20 hour a week part timers.


 I am currently a PCL and I was a PCM at another store. I can hire and train like a boss. I transferred in to this store 2 months ago and the existing team is garbage. Company standard is the extra small KK with a sponge in the water dish.


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## nicodimus22

That sucks. Still, at least you get them. Our (new) store is about half the size of many stores, and we have a lot less enclosures and variety. We don't get any Ts or scorpions. I am a lead as well. I'm the only person that has been in the department since the store opened early last year. The turnover is crazy. I am constantly training new people. No disrespect at all to the PCM that he/she isn't doing lots of training for them, but that person is changing all the time, and they have a lot of other responsibilities in the store at any given time. Leads are actually in that area of the store the most, and usually have the most experience.


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## IrishSnow35

Thistles said:


> As a PetSmart associate, I want to address what IrishSnow35 said about the KK set up. PetSmart just recently started carrying Ts and scorps and we have corporate standards about what we are and aren't allowed to do. We are forbidden to handle the Ts, we must sell them in the KKs they are kept in rather than transferring them to deli cups (because that would be handling) and we are required to keep a sponge in the water dish. Oh, we also have to make the purchaser fill out a venomous animal waiver. I have written to corporate, but their reply was that the care standards we require are set up by vets and I need to follow policy. It's not that associates don't know better - it's that we have corporate morons dictating how we must keep the animals.
> 
> Stores like PetSmart and Petco hire mostly kids in or just out of highschool with little experience to care for their animals. Most think they're gonna be playing with puppies and guinea pigs all day. A few of my associates applied to PetSmart rather than Petco because at the time Petco sold scorps and Ts and PetSmart didn't. What you find is a bunch of scared kids doing their best with bad info handed down from corporate. Your experience will vary by store. I could give a customer good info. The rest of my associates... not so much. The Petco down the street, also not so much.


I understand now...thanks for clarifying. It does seem that incorrect information runs rampant about these misunderstood creatures...you'd think these companies would go to a biologist or someone knowledgeable about these animals, but then again, that person may have the same incorrect info.

Sure, when you tell someone you have a T, they act as if you've got a rattlesnake as a pet and that you've gone nuts. It's a great opportunity to educate folks, because a lot of people see these creatures as nothing more than horror-movie monsters with super-potent venom bent on killing everything they see...and they're far from it!

BTW, no offense to anyone who owns a rattlesnake! It's just a little too dangerous for my taste. ^^

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## JZC

My LPS recently put some emps, an avic sp probablyaviculariabutwhothehellknoes, and a G. rosea in separate display tanks. The rundown: A poor little rosie scrunched up and terrified, in an arboreal cage with half an inch of cypress mulch, an empty waterbowl and teeny tiny hide talking up most of the space, and climbing branches, because you know, a rosie needs that. The avic had half an inch of the mulch, a red light (no heat), a bowl, and a rather prickly fake cactus. It at least didn't look like it wanted you to stomp on it. Oh and the emps. 30 gallon communal, on crushed walnut "sand", no humidity, empty waterbowl, bright light, no heat, one hide. The scorpions there are horrific. They do nothing right. Even told someone I know to set up his rosie in a tall exoterra, keep crickets in there always, and use that aspen hamster bedding. Hate that store.


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## Driller64

Varden said:


> "You know they're dead when they flip over on their backs.  Nothing to do then but flush them."


I am going to find the person who said that, and scalp him/her. They need to pay the price for their ignorance.


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## Driller64

klawfran3 said:


> I had a petco employee cry when he got my G rosea out for me. he thought that all tarantulas were deadly venomous and that he would die from touching it. he actually thought it was the last thing he was gonna do, and he had to stop getting it out halfway through to regain his composure. when he had gotten back and was calm enough to try again, I was holding the rosea up to my face, having the person next to me tell me how cute it was and that it was so fluffy. the employee then lost all color in his face and nearly fainted.
> 
> don't worry. I educated him about them and now he enjoys holding the new one they got in stock. but man it was funny to see him so scared!


Sorry for posting two times in a row, but just LOL! XD

Reading this thread, I think they must only hire victims of brain damage to work at pet stores. 

Sent from my SGH-T589 using Tapatalk 2


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## JZC

My local PetCo had a rosie for adoption, I guess some local fool dropped it off. The thing was in a 10 gallon tank with half an inch of bark, a hide, a water dish and a stick. There was a cricket infestation. Anyway, I see this when I was in the store a few nights ago for crickets. Obviously, I inquired, and long story short the "companion animal manager" and the fish specialist end up telling me I can have it for free. Great. I came back for it a few days later, and there is another guy there who wants 10 bucks for it, and 30 with the setup. I finally was able to get it back to free, but the guy is still asking if I have a set up. I say a small sterilite, and he says it is better with the 10 gal. Me, "no, no it isn't". A rosie a in a 10 gal, when my stirmi that is twic the size barely uses all of a 20 gal. Anyway, I took the poor girl home!


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## Neoza

Varden said:


> "You know they're dead when they flip over on their backs.  Nothing to do then but flush them."


 when i was 8 ive got my first T. My dad give him food and look after him. But me and him just didnt now anything about T's. One day he lay on his back and my father thought he was dead and burrowed him in the yarden. 2 weeks later i arrived and i was very sad. But i wanted to see him again so i went to the yard and i unearth it. The poor thing was still alive and totally strengeld in his molt, we tried to save him but he died (ofcourse) . I still now feel so guilty en bad about it 
And yeah, really nice thread

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## Beary Strange

I looked and I somehow never posted this one? I only thought of it now because of the rescue discussion thread but:

After me explaining to a pet store worker why sponges could not possibly work (ie. tarantula fangs just don't work like that, that they do in fact have actual mouths) and were in fact, really bad the guy said "...we've used sponges for years with great success"...yes guy, that's why the only spiders you have are dying or, oh hey look, a dead M.robustum, -__-

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## Ashton

Their advice is usually not too bad but they like to look at you and talk about their pokies like Brazilian wandering spiders because they can almost kill you.


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## pyro fiend

i was out of town the other day and found a place that said "now sellin eggzotics" oh lord... here we go.. figuring maybe it was a kid and his parents selling corn snakes or something.. i walked in..its an old couple.. well not ancient maybe 60s or so.. i looked around found they had sponges, standard sp. rosea, avicularias and brachy's.. they had a few German roaches all over the place [ig at least we know the T's wont starve] used water crystals and sponges as well as many crix in the cages..gave my advice. and wasnt saying you know "must be... temp ... humidity" just recomended a few more anchor points for avic. more sub for roseas and that they remove the rocks

well i got an earfull.. apparently "tarantulers need those rocks to shed their shell its not dangerous at all, and all tarantulers climb like the dickens, if you put anything in their theyl climb all over it so no ornaments is the best they can be happy wif all that wall room, and boy your a morin if you think they cant drink wif sponges. wev kept them their bugs for many weeks without a fancy dish, and died ones are fed to the crockroaches"

god i hope those T's went molting =\

Reactions: Like 1


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## edgeofthefreak

pyro fiend said:


> ...crockroaches...


Oh wow, I can hear that accent through your words! Reminds of the "words" Libarry and strawbrerry.
I do hope they know what a molting spider looks like... just wow.


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## pyro fiend

edgeofthefreak said:


> Oh wow, I can hear that accent through your words! Reminds of the "words" Libarry and strawbrerry.
> I do hope they know what a molting spider looks like... just wow.


Ohp i mispelled their mospell of "egzotics" but yea thats what i was aiming for lol... these guys where probably those "the animal grows to the size of the tank" people :S  alk seemed full grown kinda hope someone with more guts just buys them all and takes good care of them xS


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## Beary Strange

pyro fiend said:


> well i got an earfull.. apparently "tarantulers need those rocks to shed their shell its not dangerous at all, and all tarantulers climb like the dickens, if you put anything in their theyl climb all over it so no ornaments is the best they can be happy wif all that wall room, and boy your a morin if you think they cant drink wif sponges. wev kept them their bugs for many weeks without a fancy dish, and died ones are fed to the crockroaches"


*blink blink* Tarantulas need rocks to shed...their shell? What in the actual...

I always find it interesting that pet store people are never fazed by dead tarantulas. I've tried to explain a couple of times that they're long-lived creatures and that them dying with such frequency is a sign they're doing something very wrong. Might as well be talking to a wall.

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## Driller64

Here is an experience I had at a pet store a while ago. Having already heard many people make negative comments about the Ts there "look at this ugly animal", I went and looked over in the T section to find a mature male Brachypelma albopilosum, an Avicularia avicularia, a Rosie, and *drum roll* a Mexican Red Knee! You know the kinds that go for $200 online and at shows. It had a lot of hair missing from its abdomen. I knew I didn't have any more room for Ts, but I also didn't want some idiot buying this treasure, so I decided "what the heck" and went to ask the price. One of the pet store employees said it was about $30 . Then out of nowhere, the other employee who was sitting with him exclaimed, "You want a Charanchula?!" And I said, "Well I already have four." Looking stunned, the employee asked what kinds. I told him the common names of the Ts that I had. Looking even more stunned, he said something like "You don't play with them or anything?" I kindly replied no. My sister walked by and added that most of them were babies. Unfortunately, due to lack of money I didn't buy the B smithi, so I can only hope that someone with some knowledge bought it.

---------- Post added 07-10-2014 at 06:19 AM ----------




Varden said:


> True, it is very sad.  I'm usually a very honest person, but I didn't feel all that badly about not educating them.  I asked if I could buy all their 'dead' ones for dissection.  I pay $1 each and have bought 9 Ts like this: 2 P. murinus, 1. H. lividum, 3 A. avicularia, 1 G. rosea, 1. M. robustum, and 1 T. blondi.


I should try this sometime. Amazing scheme for acquiring more Ts you have there! The only problem is: how do you take them home while they are molting?


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## Micrathena

Belle Fury said:


> *blink blink* Tarantulas need rocks to shed...their shell? What in the actual...
> 
> I always find it interesting that pet store people are never fazed by dead tarantulas. I've tried to explain a couple of times that they're long-lived creatures and that them dying with such frequency is a sign they're doing something very wrong. Might as well be talking to a wall.


 Oh, they're just bugs. No need to cry or anything.


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## gobey

*Tarantula dorm roommates*

I bought a large reptile ranch (long horizontal kritter keeper) while returning the medium one explaining that the 3 1/2" T I'm about to get and put in there could be 5" in just one molt. So I figured I'll just get the big one instead of having to upgrade. I chit chat that I'm getting 2 LPs coming about 3 1/2" and 4" and that's why I needed big cages. To which he says well they'll outgrow this one too. While I know that, it's  hopefully not until I'm moved and have more room for an actual "critter room". Again I explain that these spiders will still take a couple of years before they are total monsters.

And he goes well if they're small enough to keep them in there together then go for it.

I thought. Wait.... he thinks I'm gonna put 2 immature giant tarantulas together in one cage? Sure I'll throw the rose hair and the pinktoe in there too and they can all play poker and smoke blunts... ::

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## timisimaginary

Driller64 said:


> Here is an experience I had at a pet store a while ago. Having already heard many people make negative comments about the Ts there "look at this ugly animal", I went and looked over in the T section to find a mature male Brachypelma albopilosum, an Avicularia avicularia, a Rosie, and *drum roll* a Mexican Red Knee! You know the kinds that go for $200 online and at shows. It had a lot of hair missing from its abdomen. I knew I didn't have any more room for Ts, but I also didn't want some idiot buying this treasure, so I decided "what the heck" and went to ask the price. One of the pet store employees said it was about $30 .


where is this store? that might be worthy of a road trip.

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## Driller64

timisimaginary said:


> where is this store? that might be worthy of a road trip.


Here you go:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/zimmers-pets-boyertown


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## Beary Strange

Micrathena said:


> Oh, they're just bugs. No need to cry or anything.


Oh don't even get me started. I was a mess after selling an extremely beloved spider out of necessity, to say nothing of my state when my Euathlus sp.red died last week (I'm currently in denial, I like denial, it works for me). People who call them "just bugs" catch major shade from me.

---------- Post added 07-10-2014 at 11:15 PM ----------




gobey said:


> I bought a large reptile ranch (long horizontal kritter keeper) while returning the medium one explaining that the 3 1/2" T I'm about to get and put in there could be 5" in just one molt. So I figured I'll just get the big one instead of having to upgrade. I chit chat that I'm getting 2 LPs coming about 3 1/2" and 4" and that's why I needed big cages. To which he says well they'll outgrow this one too. While I know that, it's  hopefully not until I'm moved and have more room for an actual "critter room". Again I explain that these spiders will still take a couple of years before they are total monsters.
> 
> And he goes well if they're small enough to keep them in there together then go for it.
> 
> I thought. Wait.... he thinks I'm gonna put 2 immature giant tarantulas together in one cage? Sure I'll throw the rose hair and the pinktoe in there too and they can all play poker and smoke blunts... ::


Well kudos on recognizing this as bad advice. That's impressive for a beginner. 
Reminds me of the craigslist thread. Someone came across a guy selling a group of Ts all supposedly living in one tank, like 4 or 5 and I think even a mix of Old and New World. I don't remember who found it, but I'm sure if they see this they can explain it better.


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## gobey

Belle Fury said:


> Oh don't even get me started. I was a mess after selling an extremely beloved spider out of necessity, to say nothing of my state when my Euathlus sp.red died last week (I'm currently in denial, I like denial, it works for me). People who call them "just bugs" catch major shade from me.
> 
> ---------- Post added 07-10-2014 at 11:15 PM ----------
> 
> 
> Well kudos on recognizing this as bad advice. That's impressive for a beginner.
> Reminds me of the craigslist thread. Someone came across a guy selling a group of Ts all supposedly living in one tank, like 4 or 5 and I think even a mix of Old and New World. I don't remember who found it, but I'm sure if they see this they can explain it better.


I may be a beginner, and I may be making my few beginner mistakes. (Really pissed off my rose hair tonight rehousing her and she could've been hurt too.)

BUT! I'll say this when I start something, I don't half heart it. Even if I jump in blind I do my homework. The last 8 week's have been tarantula videos, documentaries, books, e books, care sheets, websites, forums.... I have the TKG (2nd edition tho). Michael Jacobi's Tarantulas, I've watched TONS of Jon3800s videos.... I may only have 4.... But I talk like I have 40....

Turns out when a personal trainer/ powerlifter who's a supplement addict, suffers a torn shoulder rotator; will collects tarantulas while he heals.


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## kellixo

While I was checking out the OBTs a local store had, to choose which one I was going to buy, the guy asked if I would like to hold any of them to "get a better feel of their personality before settling on one" 
I laughed at first thinking it was a joke and sarcastically replied "be my guest". The guy (who was in his 50s atleast so i stupidly assumed he knew his stuff) actually went to open one of the tanks. 
I almost hit the floor in shock. Turned out he was the brother of the owner and had been instructed not to handle any of the animals they where selling without asking his brother first. 
Couldn't believe how irresponsible the owner had been,  even allowing his brother to deal with customers with no apparent knowledge of the animals. Havent been back since,  it makes me feel very uneasy about purchasing anything from someone who would allow their customers to be exposed to a potential bite. Just glad I knew what i was looking at. 
He hadn't even asked if I had any experience with tarantulas, was just gona let me stick my hand on in there lol I laugh now but a lot of people with little knowledge wouldnt of questioned the guy and just assumed he wouldn't allow someone to hold an animal which poses a risk to them. 


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## TLover007

kellixo said:


> While I was checking out the OBTs a local store had, to choose which one I was going to buy, the guy asked if I would like to hold any of them to "get a better feel of their personality before settling on one"
> I laughed at first thinking it was a joke and sarcastically replied "be my guest". The guy (who was in his 50s atleast so i stupidly assumed he knew his stuff) actually went to open one of the tanks.
> I almost hit the floor in shock. Turned out he was the brother of the owner and had been instructed not to handle any of the animals they where selling without asking his brother first.
> Couldn't believe how irresponsible the owner had been,  even allowing his brother to deal with customers with no apparent knowledge of the animals. Havent been back since,  it makes me feel very uneasy about purchasing anything from someone who would allow their customers to be exposed to a potential bite. Just glad I knew what i was looking at.
> He hadn't even asked if I had any experience with tarantulas, was just gona let me stick my hand on in there lol I laugh now but a lot of people with little knowledge wouldnt of questioned the guy and just assumed he wouldn't allow someone to hold an animal which poses a risk to them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Imagine the field day the media would have with this if some child had been bitten due to the dumbassness of this guy!! I dont even want to!!


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## kellixo

TLover007 said:


> Imagine the field day the media would have with this if some child had been bitten due to the dumbassness of this guy!! I dont even want to!!


I'm just glad it was me and not some unfortunate soul who thought they where gona get to try before they buy


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## TLover007

kellixo said:


> I'm just glad it was me and not some unfortunate soul who thought they where gona get to try before they buy
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Did you tell him what that was and that he was a crzy old fool?


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## kellixo

TLover007 said:


> Did you tell him what that was and that he was a crzy old fool?


Yeah that's how it came about that it was his brothers store. What makes it worse is that his brother was in the back room the whole time so really there was no reason the situation ever had to happen. Ridiculous 


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## LythSalicaria

Not exactly related to T's, but still in the category of inverts:

I was at my favorite LPS recently to get more seed crickets for my colony, and noticed that they still had the Pandinus imperator that had been there the day I got Ginger. I asked if I could handle her, and the "Fish Expert Guy" proceeded to spin me a yarn about how one sting from said scorpion and I could lose a limb to its necrotic venom. I was tempted to ask if he had ever been stung in the head. :: :bomb:

I would have liked to educate him, but while I suspected he was talking pap, I didn't know enough about scorps at that point to confidently refute him - especially when I didn't have any literature to reference.


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## Beary Strange

LythSalicaria said:


> Not exactly related to T's, but still in the category of inverts:
> 
> I was at my favorite LPS recently to get more seed crickets for my colony, and noticed that they still had the Pandinus imperator that had been there the day I got Ginger. I asked if I could handle her, and the "Fish Expert Guy" proceeded to spin me a yarn about how one sting from said scorpion and I could lose a limb to its necrotic venom. I was tempted to ask if he had ever been stung in the head. :: :bomb:
> 
> I would have liked to educate him, but while I suspected he was talking pap, I didn't know enough about scorps at that point to confidently refute him - especially when I didn't have any literature to reference.


The way the guy who sold me my P.imperator scorpling won me over to buy it was by putting it in my hand. Just asked me to hold out my hand and put a scorpling in it o-o; luckily for him I was overcome by cuteness instead of freaking out. I wonder what this Fish Expert would have thought of that. XD

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## Micrathena

kellixo said:


> While I was checking out the OBTs a local store had, to choose which one I was going to buy, the guy asked if I would like to hold any of them to "get a better feel of their personality before settling on one"
> I laughed at first thinking it was a joke and sarcastically replied "be my guest". The guy (who was in his 50s atleast so i stupidly assumed he knew his stuff) actually went to open one of the tanks.
> I almost hit the floor in shock. Turned out he was the brother of the owner and had been instructed not to handle any of the animals they where selling without asking his brother first.
> Couldn't believe how irresponsible the owner had been,  even allowing his brother to deal with customers with no apparent knowledge of the animals. Havent been back since,  it makes me feel very uneasy about purchasing anything from someone who would allow their customers to be exposed to a potential bite. Just glad I knew what i was looking at.
> He hadn't even asked if I had any experience with tarantulas, was just gona let me stick my hand on in there lol I laugh now but a lot of people with little knowledge wouldnt of questioned the guy and just assumed he wouldn't allow someone to hold an animal which poses a risk to them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 <Facepalm>
Some people. Really, now.


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## LythSalicaria

Belle Fury said:


> The way the guy who sold me my P.imperator scorpling won me over to buy it was by putting it in my hand. Just asked me to hold out my hand and put a scorpling in it o-o; luckily for him I was overcome by cuteness instead of freaking out. I wonder what this Fish Expert would have thought of that. XD


LOL! I know right? I briefly weighed the pros and cons of just handing over cash, buying the darned thing and handling it immediately out of principal, but that would have been stupid for many obvious reasons. It was fun to fantasize about though. :biggrin:

Now that I've educated myself on them a bit more I really do want to buy one. The specimen they've got does look nice - quite a big one. That being said, if I "rescue" that scorp they're just going to order in another one, and watching Fish Expert Guy talk himself out of a sale can be pretty entertaining. So for the time being at least I will leave that P. imperator where it is. :laugh: He doesn't just do it with inverts, either. One day I heard him plainly dissuading a young mother from buying a pink parakeet. From what I hear that's not a bad thing though - not wanting to initiate a dyed/tattooed animals debate but I prefer not to support the practice and try to discourage people I know from doing it as well. What's wrong with an animal's natural colors? 

I will say one thing for my LPS though: what they lack in knowledge of inverts and birds they seem to more than make up for in their knowledge of fishkeeping and reptiles. They always have an amazing selection of freshwater fish to choose from, they're always healthy and in the 4 years I've dealt with them for my aquarium needs, I've only ever had to return one fish. Also, the aquariums are always pristine. There's another older guy and a middle-aged woman who work there. The woman is the manager from what I understand - I get the impression that she's one of those idiots with good intentions. "Loves" animals, just can't be arsed to learn much about them. The older guy is all about herps, but when I talk to him about my Ts he seems very interested. Whenever I go in these days he grins at me and says, "What have you added to your collection?" Add to this, their reptiles are well-maintained, look gorgeous and are always captive bred. So yeah, they're not completely useless.


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## Tarantula24

Today I had a pet store employee tell me that T. blondi was by far the most long lived T and that it would grow 2-3 feet in legspan.:sarcasm: I just nodded politely.


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## Beary Strange

Tarantula24 said:


> Today I had a pet store employee tell me that T. blondi was by far the most long lived T and that it would grow 2-3 feet in legspan.:sarcasm: I just nodded politely.


Which was probably a T.stirmi. This sounds like the kind of place that would call a 7" T a baby.

---------- Post added 07-14-2014 at 08:28 PM ----------




LythSalicaria said:


> LOL! I know right? I briefly weighed the pros and cons of just handing over cash, buying the darned thing and handling it immediately out of principal, but that would have been stupid for many obvious reasons. It was fun to fantasize about though. :biggrin:
> 
> Now that I've educated myself on them a bit more I really do want to buy one. The specimen they've got does look nice - quite a big one. That being said, if I "rescue" that scorp they're just going to order in another one, and watching Fish Expert Guy talk himself out of a sale can be pretty entertaining. So for the time being at least I will leave that P. imperator where it is. :laugh: He doesn't just do it with inverts, either. One day I heard him plainly dissuading a young mother from buying a pink parakeet. From what I hear that's not a bad thing though - not wanting to initiate a dyed/tattooed animals debate but I prefer not to support the practice and try to discourage people I know from doing it as well. What's wrong with an animal's natural colors?
> 
> I will say one thing for my LPS though: what they lack in knowledge of inverts and birds they seem to more than make up for in their knowledge of fishkeeping and reptiles. They always have an amazing selection of freshwater fish to choose from, they're always healthy and in the 4 years I've dealt with them for my aquarium needs, I've only ever had to return one fish. Also, the aquariums are always pristine. There's another older guy and a middle-aged woman who work there. The woman is the manager from what I understand - I get the impression that she's one of those idiots with good intentions. "Loves" animals, just can't be arsed to learn much about them. The older guy is all about herps, but when I talk to him about my Ts he seems very interested. Whenever I go in these days he grins at me and says, "What have you added to your collection?" Add to this, their reptiles are well-maintained, look gorgeous and are always captive bred. So yeah, they're not completely useless.


It's Anti-Sales Man. 8D 
I mean, I totally agree with well-informed sales people dissuading uninformed, spontaneous would-be buyers but an under-informed sales person dissuading with nonsense is...interesting. I think you need to get this guy on video, he sounds hilarious.

Reactions: Like 1


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## remainpositive

Went to the Petco closest to me and I asked to see their little rosie and the ladie acting like she knew everything there is to know about Ts said "You know these bite, right?" I kindly replied with "OHHHH, is that why they have fangs?"

Reactions: Like 1


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## pyro fiend

remainpositive said:


> Went to the Petco closest to me and I asked to see their little rosie and the ladie acting like she knew everything there is to know about Ts said "You know these bite, right?" I kindly replied with "OHHHH, is that why they have fangs?"


i had a new lady at petsmart the other day when i whent to get some frozen bloodworms for my fish. i was eyeballing an avic looked kinda versi and shes like "oh you like those creepy crawlies huh?" i kindly replied "oh i have myself a little zoo" she laughed and asked what i had.. i told her "well if it has a quadroped had scales or a tail and is legal to own its been threw my house one time or another" her jaw dropped and she asked if i kept T's i told her "oh yea i have 8.."  i thinbk she peed a little in fear.. she litteraly jumped... she said her bf has been wanting one but it has to be defanged and be leash trained.... i looked at her with the most serious annoyed look iv EVER look [LOL] i told her that defanging is considered animal abuse [shes dumb how should she know better] and that if she got a tarantula to walk on a leash.. id like a video i know 20k+ ppl [AB ofcourse] who would like to see it sit and heel... 
:3


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## ratluvr76

Belle Fury said:


> ---------- Post added 07-14-2014 at 08:28 PM ----------
> 
> 
> It's Anti-Sales Man. 8D
> I mean, I totally agree with well-informed sales people dissuading uninformed, spontaneous would-be buyers but an under-informed sales person dissuading with nonsense is...interesting. I think you need to get this guy on video, he sounds hilarious.


I almost think I'd pay for a video of that. LOL


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## Driller64

pyro fiend said:


> she said her bf has been wanting one but it has to be defanged and be leash trained


http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb...es_this_look_unsure_to_you_Squidward_talk.jpg

WHAT?!

I think this reaches a new level of stupidity. I mean, defanging is understandable, because it is frequently said to be a legitimate method of "neutralizing" Ts so to speak, but LEASH TRAINING?! I cringe up with disgust just reading it. Would this woman and her BF happen to failed subjects in an experiment testing new forms of brain surgery? Cause it would not surprise me in the least if they were.


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## pyro fiend

oh a coworker just told me something [within 5mins of this being posted]... so not personally been told. but iv been labled as the workplaces' Dr. Dolittle so if anything comes up with any animal im asked...

apparently my T addiction has rubbed off on someone [have a P. sp purple i drew along with a M. belfouri on desk everyone asks about lol] and somone talked to me about what they think they can handle in a T and what they want. i wrote down a few with their ups and downs [ups being large size calm good eater etc downs being skittish. fast and pet hole etc] and they started a lil google image search. they decided they wanted a chaco. they visited a few stores looking for it not wanting to pay shipping and they was told by a petstore to always keep fresh veg in the enclosure tarantulas are opportunistic herbivores... *STOP LAUGHING THE STORIES NOT OVER YET lol*... apparently the choco golden knee [G. Pulchripes for those of you who dont know] is an arboreal which originates from a tropical island somewhere in the Indian ocean near south america where it lives in the cocoa trees[which is apparently where we get choco], eating its fruits along with insects that may run by and bananas.. its from a family of birdeater genus but only gets about 5inches....


now.. after youv stopped scratching your head and laughing.. and just plain wondering where the sam flip these facts came from...id like to state i ended up giving this young lady every piece of information i could think of about this sp. along with this sites address and she was sooo happy. shes going to have me inspect the T before purchase as well as make sure its home adequate.  tho i am a beginner myself im sure once i give a few tips on the 5 or 10g the 4" Grammostola will be as happy as can be for the rest of his/her days 

still trying to find out what islands in the indian ocean near south america  that has cocoa and banana trees thats got a birdeating pulchripes LMAO some pet store people.. just..wow...

---------- Post added 07-22-2014 at 05:52 AM ----------




Driller64 said:


> http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb...es_this_look_unsure_to_you_Squidward_talk.jpg
> 
> WHAT?!
> 
> I think this reaches a new level of stupidity. I mean, defanging is understandable, because it is frequently said to be a legitimate method of "neutralizing" Ts so to speak, but LEASH TRAINING?! I cringe up with disgust just reading it. Would this woman and her BF happen to failed subjects in an experiment testing new forms of brain surgery? Cause it would not surprise me in the least if they were.


oh yea.. i told her the fangs will just grow back and it cant eat properly she just replied "well keep cutting them off" thats when i hit them with the animal crualty line [which it should be imho but idiots dont know better] she told me of the leash training.. *facepalm*

Reactions: Like 1


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## Gpappy31

Asked a local Petco employee why there were large cricketS inside of the pink toe's terrarium but a small crickeT inside of the Burgandy Birdeater Cage (which they had labeled wrong by the way) The employee said, oh that's how they eat. 

I felt so bad for the Burgandy I purchased him. And I know I shouldn't feed into it and support them but I got the T for a great price after they had it marked for $150 :biggrin:


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## remainpositive

Putting dozens of crickets in a T's enclosure and making them live together is basically like making a human sleep next to a couple anthills. Not going to be pretty sight.


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## lagomorphette

This is so embarrassing... years ago (2007), back when I was a brand-new pet store employee (who was afraid of spiders, mind you), I remember a particular customer coming in to buy a G. rosea. She wanted to house him in KK or something similar, and I was SO concerned for "the poor thing." She said she'd done her research, & that roseas should not have a 10 gallon tank, which was what I was recommending. I was sincerely so worried & so uncomfortable about sending an animal into a home that was "too small..." I called the animals manager over to back me up (which she did). _Clearly_, a _10 gallon tank _was the _appropriate_ housing. *palmface* I was ready to refuse the sale because the customer wasn't going to house the tarantula "properly," but the frustrated customer politely left. I honestly thought I had saved the tarantula from a miserable life. Although Ts freaked me out back then, I didn't want any animal to suffer because someone didn't want to care for them right. The irony is truly sickening.

Seven years later, in some ways, I'm still trying to make amends for my former mistakes. I work in a different pet shop part time, and I make a point to educate customers & my coworkers about the tarantulas (we only get rosies & A. avics), scorps, hermit crabs, etc. I make sure ppl understand what inverts need & why... Sometimes it can be tough to do it in a way that sounds friendly--especially with customers that are stubborn or defensive. At least now I can refuse a sale for the right reasons... I wish I'd had someone to teach me about inverts years ago!! The more polite educating we can do, the better!!


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## vespers

remainpositive said:


> Putting dozens of crickets in a T's enclosure and making them live together is basically like making a human sleep next to a couple anthills. Not going to be pretty sight.


Do you eat ants? ::


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## Twentytwenty

This isn't about Ts, but it is still great advice.
My mom and I were going to pick up rats and mice for my brother's snakes. I was telling her how I'll put it in the bag to eat, when this one idiot worker came up to us to tell us that you can feed snakes in their tank every time. He said it was just a myth that they'll associate your hand with food.
Oddly enough, this is coming from a worker at one of the best pet stores (afaik) on Long Island. 
And by the way, he won't be there long, everyone else wants to fire him.

Reactions: Lollipop 1


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## ARPotts

TwentyTwenty - Completely unrelated to Ts, and hate to steal the thread. But do you even own snakes? Ive had them for 5+ years and ALWAYS fed in the tank with no problems whatso ever. Not even been bit. Its down to preference if you want to feed in enclosure or not, but no negative effects come from them in my enclosures!
You make this sound like its a frowned upon practice among rep keepers. Infact. I would say it is prefered as you dont need to handle them or stress them moving from enclosure to enclosure during meal times

Reactions: Like 4 | Award 1


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## remainpositive

vespers said:


> Do you eat ants? ::


Obviously, formic acid is vital to my health didn't you know? T'was a metaphor my friend (or a simile I guess you can say).


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## vespers

remainpositive said:


> T'was a metaphor my friend (or a simile I guess you can say).


I know what your intentions were.:laugh: I was just jokingly poking a hole in your comparison.


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## laurenkane

Drachenjager said:


> hmmm how about to mist a G. rosea container daily lol
> she said you can tell they like it because they dance and do head stands lol


Hahaha! Are you kidding me? All these stories are hilarious by the way!


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## pyro fiend

ARPotts said:


> TwentyTwenty - Completely unrelated to Ts, and hate to steal the thread. But do you even own snakes? Ive had them for 5+ years and ALWAYS fed in the tank with no problems whatso ever. Not even been bit. Its down to preference if you want to feed in enclosure or not, but no negative effects come from them in my enclosures!
> You make this sound like its a frowned upon practice among rep keepers. Infact. I would say it is prefered as you dont need to handle them or stress them moving from enclosure to enclosure during meal times


I must agree here the only times iv been bit is by very hungry and defensive rescues.. one of the 20+ft burms i work with is a WILD CAUGHT[field collected at aprox 3mons] and is always fed in cage and shes about as friendly as they get. shell even gently grab the rabbit from your hand and wait for you to drop it.. never been bit by a snake on feed day excluding starved rescues (6ft girl pushing 800g and a 4ft girl whos ribs i could count both from teenagers-adults wanting a scary pet and cant afford to feed)


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## cold blood

Gpappy31 said:


> I felt so bad for the Burgandy I purchased him. And I know I shouldn't feed into it and support them but I got the T for a great price after they had it marked for $150 :biggrin:


Nice rescue, glad he now has a good home, but $150 is not a "great price", in fact that's about 50-70 bucks more than I generally see them sold for.  My LPS had a real dandy for $80 last time I was in.


@lagomorphette....mad props to you for educating yourself as well as admitting your past shortcomings.  I don't know how many would be willing to tell that story on a forum.   Thanks for correcting your past mistakes as well as your compassion, even if it were misplaced at the time.  Glad to hear you're passing that education to other LPS employees.

Entertaining stories people, keep em coming.


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## laurenkane

spydrhunter1 said:


> OK I know this is about tarantulas, but here's one about pedes. i went into a petstore which had a giant centipede which was labeled as a giant millipede. I was informed that they were entirely perfect to be handled.


Oh wow. Another potential threat to the hobby!


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## Kron

These stories are sickening  they need to be sorted out


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## Tasp

Hi, I live in Finland, and I have never seen any Ts that have been kept incorrectly (I haven't been to so many, but anyway). My local pet store has about 5 Ts. All of them have a decent amount of substrate, hide, water dish with a rock, and they are not under- or over fed. One of the people who are working there has over 50 Ts himself, and he is very helpful, and always interested in my own spiders (I have 3). We often have a nice 10 minute talk about tarantulas every time I go buy some crickets from them. All the spiders there have a light (don't know if it's a heat lamp, or not) and their B. boehmei (ls about 13cm or so) likes to stand on top of his/her hide and bask in the light. :biggrin: They also have a very nice B. vagans, which has dug an impressive hide for himself, and webbed the hole place up. But, as always, their Ts cost about 70-150€... (ls= 8cm-15cm)


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## ForeverTHC

Yeah I think the real problem here are the large franchise pet shops. I go to a local one that is pretty small and they do amazing business. I have never seen a dead fish in any of their aquariums and they always have a variety of exotics. All of their animals seem healthy and the woman who sold me my first tarantula fed me all good advice really. She even made sure to overemphasize the fact that they molt and to just leave them alone when they do and told me the feeding schedule she has them on and how many crickets they usually eat. But forget about advice and healthy animals from petco or petsmart.


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## ratluvr76

I'm actually lucky enough to have an awesome herper guy as the assistant manager at my local Petco. He's the one that does all the stuff in the store and calls all the shots, the actual manager doesn't come in very much and generally leaves it to my friend.  Not all Petco's are bad.


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## pyro fiend

ratluvr76 said:


> I'm actually lucky enough to have an awesome herper guy as the assistant manager at my local Petco. He's the one that does all the stuff in the store and calls all the shots, the actual manager doesn't come in very much and generally leaves it to my friend.  Not all Petco's are bad.


but those care sheets they give out are  my local petco has a great fish guy he'll talk with you about nitrates nitrites amonia etc etc.. their reptile guy as well as small animals.. forget about it. their reptile guy told me to keep my leos with my ausy pythons "because their from about the same area"


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## ForeverTHC

ratluvr76 said:


> Not all Petco's are bad.


That is true, there are some good ones, but in my experience, any store that labels inverts as reptiles is probably pretty worthless.


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## ratluvr76

pyro fiend said:


> but those care sheets they give out are  my local petco has a great fish guy he'll talk with you about nitrates nitrites amonia etc etc.. their reptile guy as well as small animals.. forget about it. their reptile guy told me to keep my leos with my ausy pythons "because their from about the same area"


oh wow.. LOL that's not a really good reptile guy then.. haha!



ForeverTHC said:


> That is true, there are some good ones, but in my experience, any store that labels inverts as reptiles is probably pretty worthless.


I don't think they label the inverts as reptiles.. I was just saying my friend is a herp guy.. he doesn't generally deal with spiders himself personally but he does the research to house them and take care of them properly. lol


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## ForeverTHC

ratluvr76 said:


> I don't think they label the inverts as reptiles


I don't know about your local petco, but when I called mine to ask if they had any tarantulas, the woman put me on hold for 5 minutes before deciding to transfer me to reptiles.


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## ratluvr76

Oh maybe, IDK. I know petco and pet smart both have the inverts on the same wall. I think they are in the same area just because they don't deal with inverts as much. Maybe the inverts are more of an additional interest thing. Herps and invert people have a lot of crossover between the hobbies I think. I know of a LOT of people that have herps and inverts.


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## ForeverTHC

ratluvr76 said:


> Oh maybe, IDK. I know petco and pet smart both have the inverts on the same wall. I think they are in the same area just because they don't deal with inverts as much. Maybe the inverts are more of an additional interest thing. Herps and invert people have a lot of crossover between the hobbies I think. I know of a LOT of people that have herps and inverts.


Yeah that and not all petcos and petsmarts are the same. It's really nice to see franchises that actually care about their animals.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Bipolar Spider

How a tiny area is best for a tarantula who naturally has the world as it's oyster, I don't subscribe to that bs


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## jigalojey

I kid you not this was 2+ years ago and we drove past this scroungy little pet store on the outer layers of the city and the word "Tarantulas" caught my eye so I just decided to go on for a look  (didn't plan on buying anything) so I went in and the tarantulas were in these crummy little critter keepers with saw dust for substrate (These are aussie tarantulas so they NEED medium-high humidity) so at that stage I was already shaking my head and he has a bunch of arid species and a few from the tropics of Queensland and shock horror they were all named "Whistling spider" and he comes up to me and says how ya goin mate and starts giving me all this crap info and I just sat there and fake nodded in agreement and he directs me over to the arids and says "Now these are the tarantulas that you can handle but not the tropical ones" I almost died of shock when I heard that considering the arid ones are even more bad tempered than the tropical ones which already have a reputation of being real mean and fast, anyway I just said thanks but I'm not into tarantulas and left.


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## ForeverTHC

This is not poor advice, but it is related. A few hours ago I was in town and we decided to check out the local petco for the first time since I've gotten my tarantula. Well, they had one T in stock. All it said was "Pink toe" . I do not remember what substrate they had it on, and to be honest, off the top of my head I think it may have been that carpet stuff you see in some reptile enclosures... Anyways, it was in a typical terrestrial setup with a water dish (props for no sponge *clap clap*) and a half log. which bugged me because it was obvious the T was uncomfortable and needed something to climb on. The poor gal was in the corner with nearly the ENTIRE abdomen free of hair. I'm not sure where it all went considering pink toes don't flick hairs, but instead they rub them off into skin.. But this is not even all of it. Since we were already there and feeding day is coming up for my one and only G. rosea, I decided to pick up a few crickets. I made my way to their crappy "Take out crickets" which are 30-something crickets packed into a small plastic container with a clipping of egg carton. I kid you not, every single one of the containers expired on "9/2" ... That is 20 days ago.. Every single cricket was dead. I looked at 3 containers filled with decomposing insect corpses until I decided that it was safe to say I wasn't going to find any live, let alone healthy crickets there.


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## pyro fiend

ForeverTHC said:


> This is not poor advice, but it is related. A few hours ago I was in town and we decided to check out the local petco for the first time since I've gotten my tarantula. Well, they had one T in stock. All it said was "Pink toe" . I do not remember what substrate they had it on, and to be honest, off the top of my head I think it may have been that carpet stuff you see in some reptile enclosures... Anyways, it was in a typical terrestrial setup with a water dish (props for no sponge *clap clap*) and a half log. which bugged me because it was obvious the T was uncomfortable and needed something to climb on. The poor gal was in the corner with nearly the ENTIRE abdomen free of hair. I'm not sure where it all went considering pink toes don't flick hairs, but instead they rub them off into skin.. But this is not even all of it. Since we were already there and feeding day is coming up for my one and only G. rosea, I decided to pick up a few crickets. I made my way to their crappy "Take out crickets" which are 30-something crickets packed into a small plastic container with a clipping of egg carton. I kid you not, every single one of the containers expired on "9/2" ... That is 20 days ago.. Every single cricket was dead. I looked at 3 containers filled with decomposing insect corpses until I decided that it was safe to say I wasn't going to find any live, let alone healthy crickets there.


does your store not have crickets in the back for big orders? iv gone in and ordered up to 500 cricks at a time  [huge overcount was awesome lmao]


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## ForeverTHC

pyro fiend said:


> does your store not have crickets in the back for big orders? iv gone in and ordered up to 500 cricks at a time  [huge overcount was awesome lmao]


Ha, they probably do. I was just too disgusted by the rotting ones to ask. Plus when i notified the woman that her entire stock of crickets were dead and expired, she snapped back at me "We know... We are taking car e of it." 
Like, if you know about it then why arent you just throwing them away? T_T
Plus I didn't have to feed my crickets until this wednesday (tomorrow) and I just ended up stopping by the local small pet shop because I know their crickets are fine


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## kellysaxez

I think one of the most depressing statements I've ever heard was told to me by a manager, I repeat a MANAGER of a PetLand store. I walked in to buy some crickets for my critters, one Rose Hair, one GBB, one LP (Brazillian Pink Bird Eater raised from sling to adulthood-female) and three Asian Forest Scorps. In a tank was a sad little Pink Toe at the top of the tank with more webbing around her than I've ever seen and a 100watt REGULAR LIGHT BULB shining down directly into her little tank, the floor covered in bark and a dirty sponge in a bowl. I asked the MANAGER if she knew her T didn't really like the light and all that heat. Her answer to me was, well, if she didn't like it, she wouldn't web so much! I informed her that all the webbing is because she is trying desperately to BLOCK THE LIGHT. She says she's had this store in business and tells all her customers exactly how to take care of the T's she sells them and has only had, in 7 years, 3 people come back with a dead T. ???????? Shoot me now


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## Hopeful T Owner

I have a few stories like this although some of them aren't tarantula related - so I will put the tarantula related ones first and the others afterwards

1. I went to Canada to visit my brother and his wife and naturally the question was asked about my Corn Snake 'Inca'. I said yes she was still a stubborn thing, but she's fine...(and then I stupidly said)...Mystery is fine as well....cue the question "Who and what is Mystery?" When I said that Mystery was a tarantula...Vanessa (my brother's wife) and Robert's jaws pretty much fell to the floor....and of course the question was asked "Has it been de-fanged and the poison taken out from it?"...Needless to say that I rolled my eyes and said "If I wanted a dead tarantula then I would have bought one." I kind of felt for my brother though as he has been arachnophobic for years - so it was a bit of a shock for him....but he has finally said that he's never going into my bedroom again when he visits us in England...but it was brilliant to see their reaction!

2. I was talking to a 'friend' of mine about Mystery a few months ago. It was good to know that he had an interest in her, but when I said about the fact that she eats live crickets...he quickly decided he didn't want a tarantula (or any live eating reptile or animal)...because he felt sorry for the crickets being eaten. This guy is also an apparent 'vegan' and even tries to get his cat to eat vegetables instead of the cat food she needs.

Onto the other stories now

1. A few years ago, my parents and I were in a garden centre which had an animal section. My parents were by the cash desk, whilst I went to go and get some food for my hamster (now R.I.P). The next thing I know was my Mum was yelling for me...so I went to the cash desk. The woman behind the desk was 'trying' and 'failing' to capture about 6 large hoppers for another customers order. The reason why Mum called me...I didn't have a fear of crickets like the cashier did lol. The woman said I was really brave...I just said "I don't fear an animal...I respect them." 

Funny thing was - I had just applied for a job working in the animal section...didn't get the job though...it ended up being the woman's best friend....and needless to say - The animal section has now gone from the garden centre lol....I wonder why lol

2. My corn snake Inca was in need of a bigger vivarium, so after several searches for a decent sized viv for her, the store website that I had originally purchased Inca from had some really nice vivariums in stock. So my friend and I went over to the store to enquire about them. Now when I originally purchase Inca about 2 years ago...everything went fine and pretty much all the information to look after her was correct (from the several books/forums I had researched before getting Inca). So I was majorly surprised (and **** off) when the same guy who sold me Inca then proceeded to tell me that I needed a heat lamp, hot rocks, sand and pretty much everything that a corn snake should never have...I didn't say anything, but my friend saw how tense I was getting and then told the guy that we will think about it and get back to him...before we walked out of the store lol. 

I actually ended up in my local P@H store and came out with a brilliant vivarium and the correct equipment for the corn snake needs...and a couple of days after that - I got Aztec from there and he's a real little cutie lol.

Anyway - that's pretty much my essay done for now - hope you enjoy

Julz xx


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## MatthewM1

"that horned baboon is a sweet heart, she'd make a great addition to your collection, I think she'd be great for handling."


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## BobGrill

MatthewM1 said:


> "that horned baboon is a sweet heart, she'd make a great addition to your collection, I think she'd be great for handling."


I'd punch whoever said that.


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## MatthewM1

If it was just some random LPS I probably would have felt the same way. But its my regular store and an employee I like and has a general knowledge of how to keep herps, fish and furry critters, but admittedly knows nothing about T's and has come to me with questions about them a few times, and lets me sex the T's that molt while they are at the store, if female I can get them for the same price they were marked as unsexed.

I explained to her why that was a very bad idea, talked about the general difference between OW and NW venom. They haven't stocked an OW since.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Methal

DrAce said:


> In the UK:
> *The Pet Animals Act 1951 *
> The Pet Animals Act 1951 (as amended in 1983) protects the welfare of animals sold as pets. The Act requires any person keeping a pet shop to be licensed by the local authority. Before granting a licence the local authority must be satisfied that the animals are kept in accommodation that is both suitable and clean; that they are supplied with appropriate food and drink; and are adequately protected from disease and fire. The local authority may attach any conditions to the licence, may inspect the licensed premises at all reasonable times and may refuse a licence if the conditions at the premises are unsatisfactory or if the terms of the licence are not being complied with.
> 
> Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the law in this area and anyone who has reason to believe that a pet shop is keeping animals in inadequate conditions should raise the matter with the local authority who will decide what action to take within the range of its powers.
> 
> Under s.2 pets cannot be sold in the street, including on barrows and markets.
> 
> In the USA:
> http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ddusretailpetstores.htm#II
> ...Currently, there is no federal law which covers all retail pet stores. The Animal Welfare Act (“AWA”) is a federal law which specifies who may possess and sell certain types of animals and the minimum standards of care for these regulated animals. *The AWA does not cover *birds, rats, mice, and *cold-blooded animals* such as reptiles, fish, and amphibians. Furthermore, the AWA specifically excludes retail pet stores from its purview of protection.
> 
> ...There are fifteen states that do not have any laws regulating retail pet stores...For example, Alabama does not regulate retail pet stores. Yet, if a retail pet store employee in Alabama “intentionally or recklessly subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment or subjects any animal in his custody to cruel neglect” and is found guilty of such an act, she would be charged with a Class B Misdemeanor.
> 
> Etc.
> 
> Basically, Phil, both countries have dealt with it in the same way.  The central government has pushed the job to a lower level.  In the UK, it's gone to the city.  In the USA, the job has gone to the state.  Certainly, the S.P.C.A. are active in the US.  Also, it's not clear in the UK if a tarantula breeder would be considered a pet seller.  Or if the RSPCA would get involved.
> 
> Does that give you a little more info?  BOTH countries have similar regulations, but neither seems to out-law bad advice.



"The Act requires any person keeping a pet shop to be licensed by the local authority. " 

Doesn't guarantee that the local "authority" isn't also an idiot.
and with government 99 times out of 100 they are stupid enough to question their own ability to feed themselves.  

A government stamp of approval means less than nothing. In fact all it means that the prices will be higher for the same neglectful shit.

---------- Post added 12-08-2014 at 12:32 PM ----------




Transylvania said:


> I hate it so much when people ask me if my Ts are "de-fanged" or "de-venomed" It sounds like some made-up fantasy thing. Even if you could do it without harm to the T, I wouldn't. Why take away part of their natural beauty and the only weapon they've been equipped with (other than u.hairs, for NWs) for defense? (Unless you consider Avic. poo-shooting to be another alternative...)  If someone's uncomfortable with the fangs then they need to find a new pet.


I've only been asked this once. I offended the hell out of the lady that asked me by saying "i'd sooner de-jaw a cat than defang my Tarantula!" When she made this stupid little gasp of shock I mimiced her and said "yeah same thing."


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## MatthewM1

Methal said:


> I've only been asked this once. I offended the hell out of the lady that asked me by saying "i'd sooner de-jaw a cat than defang my Tarantula!" When she made this stupid little gasp of shock I mimiced her and said "yeah same thing."




that's a great response, ill have to keep that in mind. 



I had a particularly nasty old lady over heard me talking about T's at a pet store and made a comment about wanting to squash them all, I told her Id love your kick her little dog so I guess were even

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mina

The worst I ever heard was some teenager telling a mom and her 7 or 8 year old son that a mature male H. Lividum was a good pet for her son to handle and that it would live a long time and it just needed to moult and then it would be blue.  (They had it advertised as a blue baboon)


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## MrsHaas

"Make sure you tear down the spiders web ever few days so you can see them."

... My jaw hit the ground


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## PanzoN88

At times i think pet store workers (not all workers) do not even care about the condition the tarantulas are in or the security
if their jobs for that matter, OR they have not been educated yet.


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## Tarantula20

When I was picking up super worms at my local petco, I noticed a 5 inch female H.lividum in a mini kritter keeper (6in-4in-4in). When I asked the clerk why it was being kept in such a small cage she replied " we keep them in small cages because they dont like to walk". They also had about 5-10 dead crickets in there with the poor thing.


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## Ultum4Spiderz

MrsHaas said:


> "Make sure you tear down the spiders web ever few days so you can see them."
> 
> ... My jaw hit the ground


Sounds like the best way to kill a T.


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## MrsHaas

It was inbelievable



--J.Haas


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## Ultum4Spiderz

MrsHaas said:


> It was inbelievable
> 
> 
> 
> --J.Haas


I asked if Ts eat waxworms as a joke once( I knew they do), And they were scrambling for caresheets. In the end I put waxworms back because superworms were the same price $5 for 50 waxworms is a joke.

I also asked what a waxworm was, lots of employees think they are giant maggots.... total idiots.
I then told them they were moth larvae...


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## Micrathena

MrsHaas said:


> "Make sure you tear down the spiders web ever few days so you can see them."
> 
> ... My jaw hit the ground


 Everyone knows that spiders love to show off to humans, you can help by cleaning out that pesky webbing every so often!


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## MrsHaas

Loool !!!



--J.Haas


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## Bipolar Spider

MatthewM1 said:


> "that horned baboon is a sweet heart, she'd make a great addition to your collection, I think she'd be great for handling."


haha! should ask them to demonstrate


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## Methal

had to share this one, it JUST happened. 
Went to an Animal Ark store here in Utah. They were selling a ton of Rosies, with 1 "chilean fire knee" for 79 bucks. I looked into the enclosure and see a (not kidding) a MOLT sitting in small hole with webbing all around it. No T in site. This was a small KK so I could easily tell that te T was not in there. 

I say to the lady who manages the store "um I think you have an escaped Tarantula" She says "Nah, its in there, see you can see its legs," I say "thats looks to me like just the molt." "nah its the fireknee it just sleeps all the time." I tell here "lady I'll buy it for twice the listed price if that is the T." she rolls her eyes, opens the thing up and pokes it with her pen. 
of course the molt doesn't move. 
"uh....oh i hope its not dead..." and pokes it again. She then sees that it is infact the molt, all the blood drains from her face and she says "shit...its really is gone...." 
I say "need help finding it?" 
"Oh no its fine...Its around here somewhere. i'll be back."
Goes into the back and I don't see her again. 

They keep their Ts right next to their snakes/larger lizards, I'm thinking the little guy climbed out, went down, and right onto the lunch menu of one of their reptiles. 

the expression on her face was priceless though. I swear she was about to freak out. It was obvious that she is a bit nervous around the tarantulas

Reactions: Like 4 | Funny 1


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## MatthewM1

This isn't a T one but, I was looking at the herps at a petco. And noticed a poor little albino pacman frog recently dead. You could tell just by looking at it the poor thing died from being impacted. The tank was full of moss and wood chips, and there was a HUGE lump on the side of the frog. It also had a nasty bacterial infection in one eye, and a cricket eating its other eye. 

I told one of the staff they had a dead Pac with its eye being eaten by a cricket. Her response "ugh again"


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## nick55michell

ChrisNCT said:


> Here in CT we hear this rule Tarantulas are not legal here. Not advice but still stupid!  :wall:


where is CT? thats real unfortunate


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## z32upgrader

nick55michell said:


> where is CT? thats real unfortunate


CT is short for Connecticut


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## Rowdy Hotel

"Be sure to pick up some calcium powder to dust your crickets for your tarantula on occasion" - Told to me more than once by employees looking for add-on sales.


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## pyro fiend

hah went to go find some mapogony wood or some grape wood for my arboreal cages in the making . and someone labeled "groomer" asked if i kept reptiles.. i told them oh yea im down a little bit from my peak but im at 8 snakes. 5 geckos 20 tarantulas and like 20 scorpions. "wow all of that in one cage"   uhm no! "oh well thats what your supposed to do.. keeping them together keeps them happier" im like uhm no they are all solitude animals with exception of leopard geckos females can be communal.. "oh no your no expert! i know my animals"  i snipped back with iv studied herpetology for over 12 yr and marine biology for just as long.. how do they know more then me "im a profecional" i snipped back oh yes maybe at giving a poodle a fade, or my shi-tzu look like a lil lion but you do not know anything about herps or inverts XD at this time the fish guy [who shockingly knows his fishfacts] and reptile guy who iv been teaching pop around the corner trying not to laugh hysterically

Reactions: Like 2


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## PanzoN88

I've got nothing to post here, i just thought someone needed to revive this thread

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2


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## cold blood

A new member posted the other day that the pet store told her that her t had molted twice in 2 days....they claimed it was rare but it happens....so stupid.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Chris11

Ok, i read absolutely nothing before posting but mine was; "this one LOVES to held and petted. She also likes to sit on her sponge in the water dish, shes there all the time." The spider in question was Ephebopus murinus (most likely) with an inch of wood chip strate completely dry with about 10 crix jumping around.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Tenevanica

Time to revive this thread again!

The other day I had my first bad experience with a pet shop employee. I'll give the conversation to you in script format.

I'm in this pet shop (I think the name of the place was just "Pets") that I hadn't ever been to before, and I noticed they had one tarantula for sale. Here was the conversation with the nearest employee:
Me: What species of tarantula is that?
Employee: Tarantula!
Me: I know that, I was asking for the species.
Employee *with a confused look on his face* It's a tarantula. It's a type of giant spider.
Me: Oh. So what's the _breed_? 
Employee: Chilean red rose!

I don't even know why I asked that, as it was clearly _Grammostola rosea. _It was set up in a small KK with about 1/2 an inch of soaking wet coconut fiber substrate. There was a half log hide, no water dish, and about 150 crickets running around in there. From the condensation on the walls, I'd also say it had just been misted very heavily. The poor thing was in a stress pose! I would have bought it if it weren't for the $50 price tag, and the fact that I'd have to sign a "Poisonous Animal Release Form," and wait ten days while they evaluated if it was safe to let me keep something so "dangerous." "The bite from this spider will kill a small cat or dog, and hospitalize a fully grown man."

Reactions: Dislike 1 | Informative 1 | Funny 2


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## Red Eunice

Tenevanica said:


> Time to revive this thread
> 
> I don't even know why I asked that, as it was clearly _Grammostola rosea. _It was set up in a small KK with about 1/2 an inch of soaking wet coconut fiber substrate. There was a half log hide, no water dish, and about 150 crickets running around in there. From the condensation on the walls, I'd also say it had just been misted very heavily. The poor thing was in a stress pose! I would have bought it if it weren't for the $50 price tag, and the fact that I'd have to sign a "Poisonous Animal Release Form," and wait ten days while they evaluated if it was safe to let me keep something so "dangerous." "The bite from this spider will kill a small cat or dog, and hospitalize a fully grown man."


 Seriously!!! Should have told her, "I'm not buying a handgun, just the tarantula." 
 In CO its necessary to sign a waiver and a 10 waiting period? Do you have a minimum age requirement, like 18 or 21? Here its 18, parent/guardian must be present if you're younger.


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## Tenevanica

Red Eunice said:


> Seriously!!! Should have told her, "I'm not buying a handgun, just the tarantula."
> In CO its necessary to sign a waiver and a 10 waiting period? Do you have a minimum age requirement, like 18 or 21? Here its 18, parent/guardian must be present if you're younger.


I'm not sure they would have let me have it if I were under 18. I bet some uninformed lawyer who knows absolutely nothing about tarantulas made them do that. Better safe than sorry, right?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Venom1080

"make sure to contact your local vet to remove the venom sacs when you get home! else it will be mean all its life!" oh my gosh, its frustrating!


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## bryverine

I really love seeing the employees offer to giver me a closer look at... I don't know... say H. maculata, any pokie, or their OBTs... by removing the lid and digging around a little... 

I got my regalis fresh molted with 4 large crickets in there and they knew it had just molted! 

Some of these brighten my day by giving me a good laugh, most of them make me sad to know that as the hobby has progressed exponentially, the pet store employees remained the same...

Reactions: Like 1


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## beaker41

When I bought my first t, a peaceful rose hair the pet store employee handed me the thickest leather glove you've ever seen and said "good luck in not touching that thing !"

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Draketeeth

My lps had a MM with seven legs for sale and no idea of when it molted. The manager informed me the leg would grow back next molt.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Tygarys

Tenevanica said:


> and wait ten days while they evaluated if it was safe to let me keep something so "dangerous."


10 day waiting period? Must have been one of those assault roseas! Did this one have full-auto fangs? 

I was told once to only use the water gel, no liquid water, and if the gel dried out to just spray it with water to refresh it, no need to replace the gel.


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## gypsy cola

OBT's are actually true spiders and not tarantulas. The same guy was able to explain the difference between a g.porteri and g.rosea and whatever the "new one" is very accurately.


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## Spidermolt

I have heard so much ridiculous stuff that I don't even know where to begin but the most common I have come across is that everybody swears that G. roseas live in soaking wet substrate... like pick up a handful and you will see it dripping without even squeezing it soaked.


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## parthicus

I went to a local box chain pet store near me this past weekend and saw an a. avic for sale. A representative comes up to me and asks if I need any help and I asked if they knew if the tarantula was wild caught or captive bred. I suspected it was wild caught but I was just curious. The rep then tells me that it came from some other supplier which farm bred them. That was the first time I ever heard of tarantulas being "farm-bred". Then the employee goes on and talks about the care requirements for the avic. This is where it gets funny or sad in a way. They tell me that you can just house them in a tub with coco fiber as the substrate(got the substrate right at least) and that it did not need any cork bark/branches for the avic to climb on. Here is the part where I just could not take it any longer. They told me I could feed it crickets and occasionally give it vegetables. This is the point where I just said thank you for your advice and left. I did not want to embarrass that rep but the big chain stores seriously need to train their reps on this or hire reps that truly know and understand the animals that they sell.

Reactions: Like 1


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## cold blood

parthicus said:


> This is the point where I just said thank you for your advice and left. I did not want to embarrass that rep but the big chain stores seriously need to train their reps on this or hire reps that truly know and understand the animals that they sell.


Every time these people give this info and are not corrected, it only serves to reinforce in their minds that the info is correct.   IMO one should *always* at least *attempt* to correct bad information...walking away quietly serves no one well.   JMO


I enjoyed the story, just not the end

Reactions: Agree 3 | Love 1


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## parthicus

cold blood said:


> Every time these people give this info and are not corrected, it only serves to reinforce in their minds that the info is correct.   IMO one should *always* at least *attempt* to correct bad information...walking away quietly serves no one well.   JMO
> 
> 
> I enjoyed the story, just not the end


Now that I think about it, I wish I could go back and correct them like you mentioned. That would have at least would have helped the rep provide correct information along to other customers.

Reactions: Like 1


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## AshLee

Not quite advice, but one Petco employee a few years back had been telling everyone that males only have shorter lifespans than females in the wild because the females attack and kill them. In captivity, males live just as long. They'd said a number of other things that I happened to forget, and did not take kindly to having their information challenged at all.


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## bryverine

Again, I encountered a LPS employee that schooled me on spider keeping. 

I'm looking for some cheap critter keepers and unfortunately petco has some for very cheap online. I asked if they have it in store and the guy thought he could make recommendations for a different housing depending on the critter it was to keep. Sure, why not... I told him it was for a 3" tarantula and, wouldn't you know it, he had "just the thing" - a 10 gallon, glass tank.

I told him I can't drill holes in glass and he replied with "You don't need to! I have a screen top right here!"

I explained that tarsal claws get caught and with enough time, it can actually be chewed through. He responded in an increasingly rude manner "I have spiders and I've never seen or even heard of that! Besides, the mesh is metal." It went down hill from there and I left. 

It's not that he was wrong, he's entitled to be wrong... it was the sheer arrogance and accusatory tone that I was actually an idiot, you know because he's the "aquatic expert" at the store... 

I'm no expert by any stretch, but why must they always be the "expert" and if someone can even proove them wrong (I can even show pictures) they just bear down and become hostile? I was very polite too!

I worked at a pet store many moons ago; I was the "expert" at the time, but if someone corrected me, I would at least consider that I was wrong...

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Abyss

Hmmmm silliest as in worst advice ever????

Mine is easily when i bought my first T, and the pet store owner sold me a GIANT heat rock explaining it was from a desert and needed the extra heat


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## Kymura

Heard the manager at pet supermarket tell a woman he could trim the fangs for a fee, I stepped up and explained it to this woman, holding my hand up every time he opened his mouth. Showed her my pictures of my T's etc etc. Then told him to do some research or consider another line of work.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Funny 1 | Award 1


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## Abyss

Kymura said:


> Heard the manager at pet supermarket tell a woman he could trim the fangs for a fee, I stepped up and explained it to this woman, holding my hand up every time he opened his mouth. Showed her my pictures of my T's etc etc. Then told him to do some research or consider another line of work.


Hmmmm nice fang trimming...... Sounds lovely smh


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## Blackout14

Kymura said:


> Heard the manager at pet supermarket tell a woman he could trim the fangs for a fee, I stepped up and explained it to this woman, holding my hand up every time he opened his mouth. Showed her my pictures of my T's etc etc. Then told him to do some research or consider another line of work.


Hope it was an obt he wanted to try to trim

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Kymura

Blackout14 said:


> Hope it was an obt he wanted to try to trim


That would have been perfect. I'd have paid him to try then bought the OBT and set her up like a queen.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Blackout14

Kymura said:


> That would have been perfect. I'd have paid him to try then bought the OBT and set her up like a queen.


Some peoples children worry me sometimes lol

Reactions: Agree 1


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## cold blood

Kymura said:


> Heard the manager at pet supermarket tell a woman he could trim the fangs for a fee, I stepped up and explained it to this woman, holding my hand up every time he opened his mouth. Showed her my pictures of my T's etc etc. Then told him to do some research or consider another line of work.


Recently I ran into a shop to pick up some quick t housing.   WHen the subject of use came up, I told her that I needed to re-house a t...she was very interested...then she asked if it or they had to have their fangs removed...I laughed and explained that they were a critical part of a spider's survival...to my dismay she kept arguing, all the while giving me the look like she knew better than me....too funny, pack the crap into a bag, give me my change and stop with the random animal advice that's not based on reality, pretty please.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 4


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## bryverine

cold blood said:


> Recently I ran into a shop to pick up some quick t housing.   WHen the subject of use came up, I told her that I needed to re-house a t...she was very interested...then she asked if it or they had to have their fangs removed...I laughed and explained that they were a critical part of a spider's survival...to my dismay she kept arguing, all the while giving me the look like she knew better than me....too funny, pack the crap into a bag, give me my change and stop with the random animal advice that's not based on reality, pretty please.


What I want to know is if these people have seriously trimmed fangs or have seen someone trim them before. Besides being so cruel, don't you think they'd get the hint with dead tarantulas all around? 

Then again, maybe they would just blame the buyer because they let their tarantula get too cold with only one heat mat for the 30 gallon long tank...

Reactions: Agree 3


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## OliverWhatever

A pet store worker once told me to leave a slice of apple in the enclosure, as tarantulas are actually omnivorous, and _will_ eat fruit. I was just a little kid, and had taken over a G.rosea from my sisters friend, so for the next year or so I tried feeding my spider apples, until I figured out how to use the internet and learned better from experienced hobbyists.

That same pet store still exists, and I am about fed up about arguing with the workers there. Spiders are kept on a thin layer of substrate with nothing to hide under except some fake plants hanging from the walls, with heating lamps not giving a spot of shade. The waterdishes are filled with water crystals, and after pointing out that spiders and scorpions can't get any moisture from it, I was told that it's actually better to use water crystals, as they tend to poop in the water. Juvenile spiders are sold for three times the amount you would have to spend for a spider from a breeder, including shipping.

I have given up. Now I just try my hardest to ignore the poor tarantulas they got, and to keep my mouth shut.

Reactions: Sad 1


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## Andrea82

OliverWhatever said:


> A pet store worker once told me to leave a slice of apple in the enclosure, as tarantulas are actually omnivorous, and _will_ eat fruit. I was just a little kid, and had taken over a G.rosea from my sisters friend, so for the next year or so I tried feeding my spider apples, until I figured out how to use the internet and learned better from experienced hobbyists.
> 
> That same pet store still exists, and I am about fed up about arguing with the workers there. Spiders are kept on a thin layer of substrate with nothing to hide under except some fake plants hanging from the walls, with heating lamps not giving a spot of shade. The waterdishes are filled with water crystals, and after pointing out that spiders and scorpions can't get any moisture from it, I was told that it's actually better to use water crystals, as they tend to poop in the water. Juvenile spiders are sold for three times the amount you would have to spend for a spider from a breeder, including shipping.
> 
> I have given up. Now I just try my hardest to ignore the poor tarantulas they got, and to keep my mouth shut.


I hate it when those so called employees act like that. There are hundreds of threads about LPS, Petco, Petsmart and more garbage like that treating their animals like that.


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## tristan4033

Put in a self heating rock


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## Magenta

Oh, good lord... several years ago, I went into a local pet store to see what Ts they might have. The kid who worked there said that he would handle all the Ts, including an H. maculata. I was just starting to learn about tarantulas at the time, but this seemed like a bad idea, with obnoxious brats running around and such. It could get scared and bolt/lost. Of course he recommended a heat mat and a sponge in the water dish. 

Sort of related: I was at the local reptile fest. I went up to a booth with a few Ts in Critter Keepers with a dusting of substrate. None of the enclosures had labels so I pointed to one, looked like G. rosea, and asked what species it was. The lady looked around and said "um, rose hair?" I asked about another T, which looked like A. seemanni. The lady said "same as the other one".


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