# Where are all my Illinois keepers at??



## Ztesch

Hey!! I'm just wondering how many people on Aboards we have from the Illinois region??  I think it's important to keep in touch with local keepers for breeding purposes and trades ect.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

Looks like I'm located in your neck of the woods! I'm in McHenry. I used to know several arachnoculturalists in Chicagoland, but it seems like a lot have left the hobby, or at least aren't as active as before (I myself recently got back in after some time away). It would be cool to do a meetup with some local folks sometime.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Ztesch

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Looks like I'm located in your neck of the woods! I'm in McHenry. I used to know several arachnoculturalists in Chicagoland, but it seems like a lot have left the hobby, or at least aren't as active as before (I myself recently got back in after some time away). It would be cool to do a meetup with some local folks sometime.


Ya I would be down to get our local T people together.  I know we have more out there lol.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## bluegootty

I’m in north side chicago

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Ztesch

Nice, I'm out in Algonquin. How long have you been in the Hobby and what species are you keeping?


----------



## Amg95

I'm in Peoria area. I just got my first T today. Tliltocatl albopilosus. Definitely looking to get more, so if anyone has some for sale let me know

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## bluegootty

Ztesch said:


> Nice, I'm out in Algonquin. How long have you been in the Hobby and what species are you keeping?


Pokie n pampho.. just got back in the hobby again..

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

Amg95 said:


> I'm in Peoria area. I just got my first T today. Tliltocatl albopilosus. Definitely looking to get more, so if anyone has some for sale let me know


Awesome, that is a great starter Tarantula.  There are plenty of people selling Tarantulas out in the burbs. I'm not sure about central to southern Illinois though.  This site has a great for sale section. I purchased the majority of my collection from here.  If you have any questions about the hobby let us know and we can help you.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## bluegootty

Cool.. mostly into pokie.. if u can show me the directions or know anyone have subfusca for sale .. that would b great .. ty .. or any pokies I don’t have

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

I know a couple vendors from the All Animal Expo in Wheaton.   Webbers Den, they specialize in pokies out of Rockford I think.  Also Evil Arachnids has a good selection.


Do you know of any vendors?


----------



## pannaking22

Bummer, I used to be in Urbana before moving to Texas. There are a few hobbyists I know of there, but I don't know if any are active on AB.

Highly recommend Evil's, I bought from them several times and was always happy. Webber's Den was in Belvidere last I knew, but I admit I haven't kept up much on them.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

pannaking22 said:


> Bummer, I used to be in Urbana before moving to Texas. There are a few hobbyists I know of there, but I don't know if any are active on AB.
> 
> Highly recommend Evil's, I bought from them several times and was always happy. Webber's Den was in Belvidere last I knew, but I admit I haven't kept up much on them.


Ya Randy @ Evil Arachnids is awesome to deal with.  They take really good care of their Tarantulas.  I have never personally bought from Webbers Den. From what I saw they have a big selection more catered to old worlds.  I almost bought a I. Mira from them. It was a really good price . I'm kinda kicking myself for not picking one up lol.


----------



## bluegootty

Ztesch said:


> Ya Randy @ Evil Arachnids is awesome to deal with.  They take really good care of their Tarantulas.  I have never personally bought from Webbers Den. From what I saw they have a big selection more catered to old worlds.  I almost bought a I. Mira from them. It was a really good price . I'm kinda kicking myself for not picking on up lol.


Randy( evil arachnids) n Adrian (Midwest exotics) both r cool... Adrian have awesome price tho


----------



## Ztesch

Ya I am very aware of Adrian's stock.  I was thinking about getting a M. Balfouri communal from him.Just dont tell the wife....


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

Amg95 said:


> I'm in Peoria area. I just got my first T today. Tliltocatl albopilosus. Definitely looking to get more, so if anyone has some for sale let me know


Born and raised north of Peoria, and I went to grad school there briefly at one point. Never did meet any arachnoculturalists down there, but there's got to be a few; probably in BloNo, too. That whole area is tough since it's so isolated. Heck of a drive to the AAE.



pannaking22 said:


> Bummer, I used to be in Urbana before moving to Texas. There are a few hobbyists I know of there, but I don't know if any are active on AB.


Doesn't U of I have a rather well known entomology program? There's got to be a ton of invert geeks down there.

The fact that this thread has picked up a bit tells me there's a bunch of us that think we're isolated. We should plan a meetup sometime, maybe at NARBC in the fall?


----------



## Ztesch

Ya, we can definitely try to get something organized.  We should start up a Illinois breeder and hobbyist group.  I think we can get more people from FB.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## pannaking22

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Doesn't U of I have a rather well known entomology program? There's got to be a ton of invert geeks down there.
> 
> The fact that this thread has picked up a bit tells me there's a bunch of us that think we're isolated. We should plan a meetup sometime, maybe at NARBC in the fall?


Yep, got my Bachelor's and Master's in ento there. Great program. Loads of grad students, but oddly enough most of them aren't keepers. Weirdest thing while I was there. 

Maaannnn, I'd kill to be able to go back for the Tinley show. That was a blast, both the wander through and to help at a table for. The Arlington show is ~6.5 hours away, which isn't terrible for a full weekend trip. Been seriously contemplating it.


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

pannaking22 said:


> Yep, got my Bachelor's and Master's in ento there. Great program. Loads of grad students, but oddly enough most of them aren't keepers. Weirdest thing while I was there.


Huh! Weird. My guess is there were more people into the agricultural stuff?



pannaking22 said:


> Maaannnn, I'd kill to be able to go back for the Tinley show. That was a blast, both the wander through and to help at a table for. The Arlington show is ~6.5 hours away, which isn't terrible for a full weekend trip. Been seriously contemplating it.


The Arlington show is a _lot_ smaller than Tinley, or at least it was the one time I went back in 2015. Still cool to check out, but it's nothing like what I thought it would be. Tinley also seems to be getting bigger and bigger (almost too big), so it's hard to compare. It seems like every year now they're opening more rooms, and people always end up destroying the lawn because there's no parking. Since they just cancelled the one this spring on account of COVID-19, I bet the October one will be huge.

Back in 2014 (I think), Jacobi hosted an "Arachnogathering" at Tinley. What a blast! I'm still sad it was a one-time thing.


----------



## pannaking22

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Huh! Weird. My guess is there were more people into the agricultural stuff?
> 
> 
> 
> The Arlington show is a _lot_ smaller than Tinley, or at least it was the one time I went back in 2015. Still cool to check out, but it's nothing like what I thought it would be. Tinley also seems to be getting bigger and bigger (almost too big), so it's hard to compare. It seems like every year now they're opening more rooms, and people always end up destroying the lawn because there's no parking. Since they just cancelled the one this spring on account of COVID-19, I bet the October one will be huge.
> 
> Back in 2014 (I think), Jacobi hosted an "Arachnogathering" at Tinley. What a blast! I'm still sad it was a one-time thing.



It was actually a pretty wide variety of study areas, but most of the grad students weren't all that interested in keeping live stuff. Ag/IPM, longhorn beetle chemical ecology, medical entomology, Hymenoptera taxonomy and systematics, paleoentomology, genetics, a little bit of ecology. I'm probably missing a few things. 

That's a shame, I was at Tinley in 2014 (couldn't make the Arachnogathering) and helped Roach Crossing vend in 2015. It was almost overwhelming how much they had going on there, but it was really enjoyable. Most stuff I either wasn't interested in or was outside of my price range, but I still loved walking around and looking at everything.


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

pannaking22 said:


> It was almost overwhelming how much they had going on there, but it was really enjoyable. Most stuff I either wasn't interested in or was outside of my price range, but I still loved walking around and looking at everything.


I know the feeling! I have no need for a $5,000 ball python morph, but window-shopping is nice! Just feels good to fully indulge in the hobby for a day.

Needs more invert dealers, though!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tony

Roselle

I have a small variety, nothing like I had 15-20 years ago....

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

Tony said:


> Roselle
> 
> I have a small variety, nothing like I had 15-20 years ago....


Oh ya, what species in particular? I keep primarily a variety of new world terrestrial and arboreal although over the past year I have started picking up some baboons and pokies.


----------



## Tony

hm
right now... albo, emilia, strimi , minatrix...irminia...A horned species....G pulchra, genic...regalis...sazimai

I had 200 at one time 16+ years ago....

oh yea,  one little king baboon, formerly Crawshayi that I never see

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Ztesch

Tony said:


> hm
> right now... albo, emilia, strimi , minatrix...irminia...A horned species....G pulchra, genic...regalis...sazimai
> 
> I had 200 at one time 16+ years ago....
> 
> oh yea,  one little king baboon, formerly Crawshayi that I never see


Awesome group of Tarantulas man.


----------



## Ztesch

Here is a feeding video I have of some of my collection.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## ccTroi

Suburbs north of Chicago.


----------



## Ztesch

ccTroi said:


> Suburbs north of Chicago.


Yo what up @ccTroi that big female Versi was the one I got from you.  How is everything going bro?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## ccTroi

Ztesch said:


> Yo what up @ccTroi that big female Versi was the one I got from you.  How is everything going bro?


Awesome!! Glad to hear she’s doing great! Everything’s alright. I was away for a while but glad to be back.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## jseng

What’s up, IL peeps? I’m on the north side of Chicago. I’m into and have kept all sorts of predatory inverts, including Ts, true spiders, scorps, whipscorpions, whipspiders, centipedes, mantids, assassin bugs, waterbugs, and predatory beetles, though I’ve also dabbled in isopods and millipedes.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tony

Jseng
Here comes a microburst or something... We just have a taste, high winds, hail..etc. now over elk grove..........


----------



## Ztesch

Ya we had hail out in Algonquin. But nothing too crazy.

@jseng Do you still have some Assassins left or did you sell off the rest you had?  Here's my colony from the group I got from you.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## jseng

Cool vid, @Ztesch! No, I ended up selling off the last of my assassins last summer—they’re so prolific that I was spending tons of money just trying to keep my colony fed, so finally had to make the agonizing decision to stop keeping them after 4 years and 4 huge generations. Super pleased to see they doing great for you, though! They really were one of my favorite species to keep ever, so hopefully folks like you will keep P. horrida going strong in the invert hobby for years to come!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

Ya they can be alot of work when you get a nice sized colony. I have been lucky that I have been able to find local people to take some off my hands when It grew too big.


----------



## Tony

Every time I see Midwest Exotics I got back to 2003


----------



## Ztesch

Tony said:


> Every time I see Midwest Exotics I got back to 2003


@Tony Why what was so good about 03?


----------



## Tony

Art Cerda was Midwest Exotics then  , lol
I feel old


----------



## Ztesch

Tony said:


> Art Cerda was Midwest Exotics then  , lol
> I feel old


Ok gotcha. I wasn't in the hobby then. Although I did dip my toes when I stopped at a reptile swap in Streamwood. I picked up a Juvinile H. Lividum for $10. Then proceeded to lose the damn thing all in the same day .  This was in 04

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tony

good ole streamwood...
Ever go to the Dupage one?


----------



## Ztesch

No I never made it out to DuPage. I was just very curious about these exotic animals being sold.  I went to the streamwood one 2 times. I lived in elgin at the time with my parents and it was like 5 mins away. They had some awesome stuff there.


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

Dang, I should've watched this thread. Definitely got rolling, which is great! Pretty much corroborates our hypothesis that there's a ton of arachnoculturalists in Illinois, we just don't know of one another.

Hey guys, I'm Kyle! I mostly keep baboons, but lately I've been acquiring some Asian arboreals. I've been in the hobby on and off for a while, but I just built an exotics room and started expanding a bit. Would be cool to network with some regional peeps for trades, breeding loans, etc!



Tony said:


> good ole streamwood...
> Ever go to the Dupage one?


Are you talking about the All Animal Expo?



Ztesch said:


> I went to the streamwood one 2 times. I lived in elgin at the time with my parents and it was like 5 mins away. They had some awesome stuff there.


Had no idea Streamwood had a show. Is it still going on?

Also, any of you hit the Chicago Reptile Show at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake? It's super small and mostly the balls/cresties, but last time I was there they had a pretty great invert vendor. Nothing too exotic, but more than your typical regional show selection (at that table, anyway).


----------



## Ztesch

ArachnidSentinl said:


> Dang, I should've watched this thread. Definitely got rolling, which is great! Pretty much corroborates our hypothesis that there's a ton of arachnoculturalists in Illinois, we just don't know of one another.
> 
> Hey guys, I'm Kyle! I mostly keep baboons, but lately I've been acquiring some Asian arboreals. I've been in the hobby on and off for a while, but I just built an exotics room and started expanding a bit. Would be cool to network with some regional peeps for trades, breeding loans, etc!
> 
> 
> 
> Are you talking about the All Animal Expo?
> 
> 
> 
> Had no idea Streamwood had a show. Is it still going on?
> 
> Also, any of you hit the Chicago Reptile Show at the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake? It's super small and mostly the balls/cresties, but last time I was there they had a pretty great invert vendor. Nothing too exotic, but more than your typical regional show selection (at that table, anyway).


The show in Streamwood is from like 04-05. I dont even remember the name. Just a sign for a reptile swap in a barn.
They had cool <edit>.  I remember them having baby alligators. 

I went to the Crystal lake expo last year. It was pretty small.  They had exo's for cheap, so I picked up a couple of them.


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

Ztesch said:


> The show in Streamwood is from like 04-05. I dont even remember the name.


I just did some googling, and it was called "Watson's Reptile Swap." Apparently he sold his property and it merged with the AAE at some point.

On a more hilarious note, the first hit in google is a kingsnake.com thread titled "Streamwood swap busted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tony

awesome.. I was there that day...
I went out for food and passed a CONVOY of DNR and other vehicles...When I got back, the place was locked down...Quite the mess..
The guy with the snake, a copperhead iirc... I just looked him up, hasn't been on here in 9 years

For decades the swap  was in the middle of nowhere, and then people moved in, on all sides, built big homes and complained about Lee's operation. Lee sold the property at a high point I think, because it took years for it to get developed... .
But I think he made out in the end.

Reactions: Like 1 | Wow 1


----------



## ArachnidSentinl

Wow, dude. That's a pretty wild story. Occasionally I see some sketchy stuff at the AAE (e.g. phasmids) and I've always wondered when some hick would bring in a hot under the table; I guess lessons were learned!


----------



## RJ2

Hi all! Jeremy from Humbolt park.


----------



## Ztesch

RJ2 said:


> Hi all! Jeremy from Humbolt park.


What's up man


----------



## RJ2

just chillin, <edit> Anyone working on some breeding projects? im trying to breed my L.nigerrimum, and a H.himalayana.


----------



## Tony

Humboldt?  I grew up near Cali and augusta

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RJ2

awww yeah augusta and campbell! 40+ yrs!!


----------



## liquidfluidity

I don't do FB and I'm not seeing anything for Iowa yet so I am making contact with a couple of the surrounding states. After 20 years, just getting back into it

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Almadabes

Hi guys,

I'm local to Tinley - thought I'd drop a post for any future breeding projects or discussion.

I've also gone to the all pets expo a few times

I've bought a few things from Evil's Arachnids - when I go to this show I am mostly going for their booth since they post their inventory online frequently and I often want to check something specific out.
I've bought 1 E. uatuman sling from The Webbers Den.

Both do a good job of taking care of their spiders from what I've seen, prices are good, nice selection.

Evil's are more of your Instagram-ready kinda guys.
Webbers den feels very simple/homemade in comparison - you'll see alot of soda cups lol.

You can see most of Evil's stock out - Webber's setups give them more resources to hide with, and as a result, a lot of their stock is burrowed or hidden. The uatuman we bought was completely hidden and we didn't see it at the time of purchase, but the little dude is doing great and I'm sure he was more comfortable at the show. 

Both vendors have encouraged me to give them a call with any questions after my purchase - not needed for me, but it's good to hear that they want to help someone take care of their spider even after they've gotten their money.

I would avoid most herp dealers at this show like the plague - You will see sponges, woodchip substrate, uneaten prey, and desert species in swampy conditions. I have also overheard incorrect husbandry information being given to new keepers. Most of those guys only sell T. albo and A. seemanni anyway.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

Almadabes said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm local to Tinley - thought I'd drop a post for any future breeding projects or discussion.
> 
> I've also gone to the all pets expo a few times
> 
> I've bought a few things from Evil's Arachnids - when I go to this show I am mostly going for their booth since they post their inventory online frequently and I often want to check something specific out.
> I've bought 1 E. uatuman sling from The Webbers Den.
> 
> Both do a good job of taking care of their spiders from what I've seen, prices are good, nice selection.
> 
> Evil's are more of your Instagram-ready kinda guys.
> Webbers den feels very simple/homemade in comparison - you'll see alot of soda cups lol.
> 
> You can see most of Evil's stock out - Webber's setups give them more resources to hide with, and as a result, a lot of their stock is burrowed or hidden. The uatuman we bought was completely hidden and we didn't see it at the time of purchase, but the little dude is doing great and I'm sure he was more comfortable at the show.
> 
> Both vendors have encouraged me to give them a call with any questions after my purchase - not needed for me, but it's good to hear that they want to help someone take care of their spider even after they've gotten their money.
> 
> I would avoid most herp dealers at this show like the plague - You will see sponges, woodchip substrate, uneaten prey, and desert species in swampy conditions. I have also overheard incorrect husbandry information being given to new keepers. Most of those guys only sell T. albo and A. seemanni anyway.


Ya Evil Arachnids has good stock to choose from . He can be a little pricy though. I got some steals from webbers den about a month ago. I picked up a P. Vitatta and I. Mira @ super low prices.  However the holes on the cups he had were a little big. I didnt want to risk it and rehoused.  He also has alot of good stock. Mostly old worlds and more specifically pokies.

Hey if you want to network with the locals for breeding purposes, check out our facebook page.  Search Chicagoland Tarantula Hobbyists. We have 40+ members and most of the major breeders in the area in this group.


----------



## Almadabes

Ztesch said:


> Ya Evil Arachnids has good stock to choose from . He can be a little pricy though. I got some steals from webbers den about a month ago. I picked up a P. Vitatta and I. Mira @ super low prices.  However the holes on the cups he had were a little big. I didnt want to risk it and rehoused.  He also has alot of good stock. Mostly old worlds and more specifically pokies.
> 
> Hey if you want to network with the locals for breeding purposes, check out our facebook page.  Search Chicagoland Tarantula Hobbyists. We have 40+ members and most of the major breeders in the area in this group.


Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check out that group. Always looking for local breeders to pick up from, shipping can make me anxious sometimes. 

Yup - we've decided when we get a pokie we will probably go to him, the prices are very appealing. 
We live in an apartment right now - so I'm just minimizing risk to my neighbors. I don't expect any escapes, I've done well to prevent them, and I do have OWs already - but god forbid one gets out, a kid starts bugging it, it retaliates, and I get evicted/sued. 
I'm pretty comfortable with the OW I already keep, but only cause they never leave the burrow.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ztesch

Almadabes said:


> Thanks for the suggestion! I'll check out that group. Always looking for local breeders to pick up from, shipping can make me anxious sometimes.
> 
> Yup - we've decided when we get a pokie we will probably go to him, the prices are very appealing.
> We live in an apartment right now - so I'm just minimizing risk to my neighbors. I don't expect any escapes, I've done well to prevent them, and I do have OWs already - but god forbid one gets out, a kid starts bugging it, it retaliates, and I get evicted/sued.
> I'm pretty comfortable with the OW I already keep, but only cause they never leave the burrow.


Ya pokies can definitely be really quick. Most of them would rather hide but when they want to bolt they are lightning fast. I agree better safe then sorry. Although if you take proper precautions while rehousing and feeding you should be ok.


----------



## neens

Hey all! 

Been lurking on the AB for a little while now. I just moved to IL from Florida 2 months ago. Not a fan of the cold haha. I'm in south IL 30 minutes from St Louis. 

I only have two T's at the moment. An adult female Lasiodora parahybana, she was my first and a gift from a family friend, I've had her for maybe 2-3 years. Just got my second T maybe a week or 2 ago. Unsexed Tliltocatl albopilosus, looks to be a juvenile not quite full grown, I'm so in love though! I'm really interested in getting more T's in the near future and one day growing a collection on top of all my other pets that I own.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## USNGunner

Hey All.  Just found this one.

I'm by the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River Adjacent to Davenport and Bettendorf Iowa.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## antinous

Originally from the Chicago suburbs, went to undergrad at UIUC, just finished my masters at Loyola, and now I’m in central Illinois (Peoria) for a while until I land a job.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## IamNick

Sup?
Haven't been on Aboards in a while, and just saw this, figured I'd throw myself out here. I'm Nick, from the NW side of the city (Go Taft!), but now I'm out in Crystal Lake. I got into Ts slowly a few years ago, started off with a G Pulchra from Evils at the AAE, and within the past year and a half, 2 years, I've delved deeper into the hobby and am up to 8 Ts now, I believe.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## liams98

Hey! I have just started getting into the hobby finally in ‘21. I currently have 3 T’s. A p. machala, t. Verdezi, and an a. Seemaani. I’m in Elk Grove. <edit>

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Tony

liams98 said:


> Hey! I have just started getting into the hobby finally in ‘21. I currently have 3 T’s. A p. machala, t. Verdezi, and an a. Seemaani. I’m in Elk Grove. <edit>


roselle checking in!


----------



## andreajablonski

Chicago here. And following.  Thanks for starting this thread 
Would be great to have more local sourcing and peeps!



Ztesch said:


> What's up man


east garfield here =)

Reactions: Like 1


----------

