# M. balfouri



## Scorpendra (Mar 16, 2007)

i've been doing some research on this species, and i read that they were supposed to have become commercially available in fall 2006 or early 2007. but, alas, no balfouris in sight except in the genus thread. could someone feed a hungry mind and tell me what happened and/or if there's a new date that we should be waiting for?


----------



## mischaaussems (Mar 16, 2007)

I know Metallica owns one or more, he posted a thread a few months ago on the Dutch forum. Maybe you could pm him.


----------



## Hedorah99 (Mar 16, 2007)

Molitor said:


> i've been doing some research on this species, and i read that they were supposed to have become commercially available in fall 2006 or early 2007. but, alas, no balfouris in sight except in the genus thread. could someone feed a hungry mind and tell me what happened and/or if there's a new date that we should be waiting for?


Last I heard some slings came into the country but the price and rarity pretty much sent them straight to breeders. As far as I know, even in Europe these guys have a hefty price tag, I cannot imagine what it would be here. I am eagerly awaiting some news about these bad boys myself.


----------



## Pyst (Mar 16, 2007)

Hedorah99 that's the same info I was given on them. We just have to wait until those slings mature and hopefully produce viable sacs. M.balfouri is another species I'm anxiously awaiting.

Here's an image used with T.Raab's permission.


----------



## Scorpendra (Mar 16, 2007)

same here, Pyst. i know that there's an amount in Europe, but i'm more interested in the US. getting one imported from Europe, that's the price, conversion from dollars to euros, shipping fees, and the paperwork so that the transaction's legal!

http://www.tarantulaspiders.com/pages/history.htm



> Aug. 2006 (?)
> 
> First import into the U.S. hobby of Monocentropus balfouri
> 
> ...


----------



## syndicate (Mar 16, 2007)

yeah only a very small amount of these were imported by frank last year and i dont wanna say how much they were but expensive trust me hehe.im sure if they come more available in europe they will be imported in higher numbers.also
hopefully the few that are here and the ones that made it to canada will be bred so in a couple years time mabey we will have some from these people


----------



## Scorpendra (Mar 16, 2007)

yeah, that's what i'm hoping for


----------



## Pyst (Mar 17, 2007)

After discussing this spider in chat last night makes me want a couple even worse. It's going to be a long couple of years.


----------



## Hedorah99 (Mar 17, 2007)

Pyst said:


> After discussing this spider in chat last night makes me want a couple even worse. It's going to be a long couple of years.


Yea, they are gonna be the next P. metallica. I think they even look more stunning. And people are jonsing for them. I have seen ads where people are offering money for adult females. I won't say how much, but grossly underestimating what the price of a sling would be, let alone an adult female.

Hopefully we see these and some Encyocratella olivacea in the next 5-7 years.


----------



## syndicate (Mar 17, 2007)

Pyst said:


> Hedorah99 that's the same info I was given on them. We just have to wait until those slings mature and hopefully produce viable sacs. M.balfouri is another species I'm anxiously awaiting.
> 
> Here's an image used with T.Raab's permission.


:drool: so nice!the mature males must look quite impressive in person to


----------



## Pyst (Mar 17, 2007)

Hedorah99 said:


> Hopefully we see these and some Encyocratella olivacea in the next 5-7 years.


I'm almost willing to bet we will see the E.olivacea sooner than we will the M.balfouri.


----------



## spider_fan (Mar 17, 2007)

Is M. balfouri only that color in perfect lighting, in every other photo of them I've seen they're a drab brown color. Actually before seeing the pic I thought people only wanted them because they were rare.


----------



## Hedorah99 (Mar 17, 2007)

spider_fan said:


> Is M. balfouri only that color in perfect lighting, in every other photo of them I've seen they're a drab brown color. Actually before seeing the pic I thought people only wanted them because they were rare.


Like all T's, it is probably a combination of lighting and how recently molted it is, and to a lesser extent sex and maturity.


----------



## metallica (Mar 17, 2007)

hi even my spiderlings/ juvs are of better color than in any picture. just like metallica getting this color on photo is allmost impossible.


----------



## Pyst (Mar 17, 2007)

Here are a few more pictures of balfouri in what appears to be all natural lighting on baboonspiders.de. http://www.baboonspiders.de/galerie.php?theme=3&group=3&lang=en

Is there much color variation between males and females ?


----------



## T.Raab (Mar 20, 2007)

spider_fan said:


> Is M. balfouri only that color in perfect lighting, in every other photo of them I've seen they're a drab brown color. Actually before seeing the pic I thought people only wanted them because they were rare.


Hi,

it depends how big they are. 

Spiderlings and Juveniles are not blue at all. Here you can see a picture of a spiderling:


----------



## Sunar (Mar 20, 2007)

I'd REALLY love an E. olivacea or three but M. balfouri isn't far behind them on my list. That said...i'm so poor I won't be able to afford one even when they do become available...for many years to come. 

Nice pictures, Timo. 

~Fred


----------



## PhilR (Mar 20, 2007)

I've seen some juveniles, and I know people who have them here in the UK, but I would suggest that it's likely to be a while before they become widely available, even in Europe


----------



## GoTerps (Mar 20, 2007)

There's 3 people (including myself) in the U.S. raising _M. balfouri_ that I know of.  

Mine are growing well, but I haven't sexed them yet.

I'm getting 6 _E. olivacea_ in a couple weeks, and my friend will be raising 5... so we'll have a nice group of them.  The one I raised to a mature male died without getting any  

Eric


----------



## syndicate (Mar 20, 2007)

nice one.good news man


----------



## Merfolk (Mar 21, 2007)

I know nothing about this specie.

Max size?
Temperement?
Lifespan?
etc


----------



## ShadowBlade (Mar 21, 2007)

Pyst said:


> Is there much color variation between males and females ?


The male on Rick West's site is not much different- http://www.birdspiders.com/archive/87392B2FG3048G23A9G274E505F90E5FC35.html

-Sean


----------



## fangsalot (Jan 3, 2008)

ok,,im bringin the thread back.as rare as m.balfouri is (and it is very beautiful)p.metallica has to be the most eye catching T. to date.the pepsi blue with the banana yellow,,come on,am i alone on this?


----------



## NevularScorpion (Jan 3, 2008)

The only T that im willing to pay for almost a gran is the Chicken Spider. Chicken spider are communual ts, i heard that they are bigger than the t blondi and also they are velvet black in color and very bulky. they remind me of M Peterklassi


----------



## widowkeeper (Jan 3, 2008)

fangsalot said:


> ok,,im bringin the thread back.as rare as m.balfouri is (and it is very beautiful)p.metallica has to be the most eye catching T. to date.the pepsi blue with the banana yellow,,come on,am i alone on this?


yes you are  

 i would pay gladly 400+ for the m.balfouri and not even half that for a metallica (notice i dont own one  ) balfouri is also on the top of my want list and metallica is about 10 Ts down


----------



## cheetah13mo (Jan 3, 2008)

widowkeeper said:


> yes you are
> 
> i would pay gladly 400+ for the m.balfouri and not even half that for a metallica (notice i dont own one  ) balfouri is also on the top of my want list and metallica is about 10 Ts down


No your not Fangs. I'd rather have a pokie with the colors of the metallica that I get to see more often than any pet hole. Like you said, the M. balfouri is awsome and I'd like to have one but my preferences for any T that is highly desireable has to be one that I can see from time to time.


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 3, 2008)

Genei Ryodan said:


> The only T that im willing to pay for almost a gran is the Chicken Spider. Chicken spider are communual ts, i heard that they are bigger than the t blondi and also they are velvet black in color and very bulky. they remind me of M Peterklassi


I've heard they come equipped with surface to air missiles, too.  

To me, the infamous Chicken spider doesn't hold as much appeal. Most people won't have the means to care for them in a large communal setting, anyways.

No...instead, I find K selected invertebrates (remember...this is being used in a relative sense compared to the rest of the tarantulas) like _M. balfouri_ and _E. olivacea_ fascinating.

It's good to know that a lot of the first import went straight to breeders (as it should be)...I hate to see rare species snatched up by 'pokemon collectors'.


----------



## ShadowBlade (Jan 3, 2008)

Cheshire said:


> It's good to know that a lot of the first import went straight to breeders (as it should be)...I hate to see rare species snatched up by 'pokemon collectors'.


Yeah, don't worry Joe. Plenty went into experienced breeder's hands before the average hobbyists even got a price.

-Sean


----------



## Moltar (Jan 3, 2008)

Cheshire said:


> It's good to know that a lot of the first import went straight to breeders (as it should be)...I hate to see rare species snatched up by 'pokemon collectors'.


While i agree that rare species should go to breeders first, may i remind you that without us "pokeymon collectors" most breeders wouldn't be selling their slings and the whole hobby as it is today would essentially cease to be. Non-breeding collectors probably make up about 90% of the hobby. Who's going to be shelling out $5000 for ten slings of the latest, greatest species if there's nobody to buy the babies once they've grown and bred?

Did i take that too personally? I hate Pokemon...


----------



## xhexdx (Jan 3, 2008)

Pokemon...never played it, never will.  I played Magic: The Gathering back in my day. 

I have one P. metallica, but he's a MM and on breeding loans.  Assuming there's at least one successful sac, I should be ok with P. metallica for now, so M. balfouri is at the top of my list.  I was on and off for a while about getting one, but they're too pricey for my current financial status, so I'll hold off until I get some breeding success (hopefully) and then I'll get one or two.

And Ethan, I agree with your comments, but I also agree that it's good a bunch of them went to breeders first.  I guess I'm wishy-washy about it.  Eh.

--Joe


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 3, 2008)

etown_411 said:


> While i agree that rare species should go to breeders first, may i remind you that without us "pokeymon collectors" most breeders wouldn't be selling their slings and the whole hobby as it is today would essentially cease to be. Non-breeding collectors probably make up about 90% of the hobby. Who's going to be shelling out $5000 for ten slings of the latest, greatest species if there's nobody to buy the babies once they've grown and bred?


However, if the pokemon collectors buy all the slings and have no intent to breed them those species never get established in the hobby.

This is why we don't have species like _Scolopendra gigantea_ in the US anymore. They went to people who weren't willing to attempt to breed them because they valued the specimen over the species.

With _M. balfouri_, there is a very small amount of slings entering the US at a very slow rate. Their eggsacs aren't all that big, so if one specimen dies because the buyer didn't know how to care for it that's actually a very large loss if you compare it to any of the _Brachypelma ssp_, for example.

For example..._Phlogellius vulpinis_ originally had 9 specimens imported, according to Frank Somma. The only female I know of (Somma's) died. This leaves 8. I have an immature male. This leaves 7. Assuming an even 50/50 split (I personally think tarantulas have more male than female offspring...personal hypothesis nothing more), this leaves 4 females...best case scenario.

What if those three or four females made it into the hands of someone who didn't know how to perform a cooling period or simulate rainy season, but at the same time weren't willing to part with the female out of rarity? What if those males landed into the hands of someone who powerfed the spider until maturity and _then_ started looking for a female, only to realize that females grow at half the rate of males?

You see my problem with it?







Now...I happen to have a _P. vulpinis_. I am currently looking for one of the few females out there. I am not an experienced breeder. I know *how* to do the stuff I mentioned earler, however the only spiders I've mated were _Aphonopelma seemani_ and _Grammostola rosea_. I did not get a sac from either one.

Depending on who has the females, I'm probably going to send them the male...not buy the female. However, if someone has the female and isn't planning on breeding them I'm going to buy the female and still send the male off to someone more experienced than I am. If I find an experienced breeder with a male, I may send them my pair even if I have a female. If I can't find an experienced breeder, but still have the female I'm going to try it myself but only as a last resort...after a lengthy conversation with Steve Nunn or someone else who has bred Australlian species before.

I just don't see this type of mindset from a lot of private collectors and this worries me. Most of them, in fact.

_Monocentropus balfouri_ is a little bit of a different example, because the original stock went to some very experienced breeders...and I know for a fact there's more than 10 of these guys in the US. However, rare species getting into the hands of inexperienced collectors worries me because of the reasons I've laid out above. I don't know how stable the population in Europe is (although I do know they have been captive bred in Europe) and I don't know how soon the next import will be. I do know that it's going to be a small amount that are being imported. They aren't going to be imported by the hundreds like we see from the brachys that are more commonly bred in Europe than the US. My example above is a little bit more extreme than _balfouri_ because it's hardly a trophy spider (_P. vulpinis is a dark brown spider...not a sapphire blue spider)_, I'll give you that however, that's where my opinion comes from.

You're acting like I'm saying that we should keep rare species out of the hands of the general public forever...and this simply isn't the case except for species that are near extinction. I am part of the general public, although some of the projects I'm planning for the near future do involve some rare species. I just don't think extremely rare and high in demand species should be made avalible to the general public until the US has an eggsac or two under it's belt. I think that the dealers should try to sell them to breeders who have a bit more experience with breeding spiders than the average hobbiest. Personal opinion based upon what I think is best for the hobby as a whole.


----------



## Moltar (Jan 3, 2008)

I guess you guys misunderstood my post. I'm a little punchy today from just being thrashed by my new ex-gf. I agree with basically everything you just said. In fact i recently passed on an oppurtunity to buy a MF M robustum for that very reason. I know they're not "balfouri-rare" but they're not exactly abundant either. I figured she'd be better off in the hands of a breeder.

The pokemon comparison makes it sound like collectors like me can't be serious hobbyists and don't deserve respect from experienced breeders. Although i don't breed i do try to advance the hobby where i can. For example there are two petstore in my area that i work closely with to help them improve their arachnid care techniques and selection. One in particular has gone from strictly WC rosea's & avics to carrying CB pampho's, pokeys, lasiadora's, GBB, etc. And they keep them properly (except for their H lividum, they're too scared of it to rehouse the thing). Anywayz, no flaming battle was intended.

Keep up the good work all you serious breeders! Maybe some day some US produced balfouri slings will end up in Noah's Ark here in Easton, MD.


----------



## ChrisNCT (Jan 3, 2008)

Well with the Monocentropus balfouri being one of my newly brought in species.... they def add a nice touch to my collection. I am eagerly awaiting their molts since they are showing a blue hint already in the legs. They are 2" now and should be growing pretty quick as they are on adult crickets already.

I may end up letting one go but I would rather watch them grow and maybe get a sack in the future. Maybe a "beginner" breeder/collector like me can get a sack. 

Time will tell.


----------



## xhexdx (Jan 3, 2008)

etown_411 said:


> I figured she'd be better off in the hands of a breeder.


Sorry to hear about the now ex-girlfriend.

So you passed up the M. robustum, but how do you know she'll end up with an experienced breeder.  Some Joe-Schmoe (here I go using my own name to make a point) might walk in and buy her and not know the first thing about tarantulas.  Kinda doubtful with that particular species, but you never know.

Just my thoughts.

--Joe


----------



## Moltar (Jan 3, 2008)

xhexdx said:


> Sorry to hear about the now ex-girlfriend.
> 
> So you passed up the M. robustum, but how do you know she'll end up with an experienced breeder.  Some Joe-Schmoe (here I go using my own name to make a point) might walk in and buy her and not know the first thing about tarantulas.  Kinda doubtful with that particular species, but you never know.
> 
> ...


She's currently in the hands of an individual, not at a store. I'm sure he'll find the right person for her.


----------



## xhexdx (Jan 3, 2008)

etown_411 said:


> She's currently in the hands of an individual, not at a store. I'm sure he'll find the right person for her.


Ah, well that's good.  Nevermind then.


----------



## izan (Jan 3, 2008)

I managed to pick a couple of 2cm slings just before Christmas and they were 'rationed !'  So they are still very rare indeed.

They are feeding very well so far.

Izan


----------



## Merfolk (Jan 3, 2008)

But still I never heard about temperement, max size, requirements... somebody surely could monitor the behavior of adults, I am pretty sure!!!


----------



## TTstinger (Jan 4, 2008)

someone said it I don't remember who it was. but they said "I would buy the P. metallica over the M. balfouri because the metallica will hold it's value."

Sad but true, M. balfouri from what I hear breed easily and put out much larger sac's. No one has yet perfected metallica breeding. Just a thought.


----------



## fartkowski (Jan 4, 2008)

I think I saw it on here a while ago that the M. balfouri's produce very small eggsacks.
Is there anyone who can clear this up?
Is there anyone on the boards that has bred them?


----------



## sick4x4 (Jan 4, 2008)

i think if im not mistaken, it was a few European dealers that were stating to their easiness...from what i understand, they are much easier to breed than pokies and produce a larger sac then we think....think of it kinda like a blue OBT....personally, i think most the info on them is hearsay anyway or just word of mouth, traveled down thru many different people..so until someone puts out a breeding report..i'd take most of it with a grain of salt...only thing i'd listen to is the husbandry issues...

wayne


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

TTstinger said:


> someone said it I don't remember who it was. but they said "I would buy the P. metallica over the M. balfouri because the metallica will hold it's value."
> 
> Sad but true, M. balfouri from what I hear breed easily and put out much larger sac's. No one has yet perfected metallica breeding. Just a thought.



Wait...what?

_Monocentropus balfouri_ from what little I've heard aren't that easy to breed.

Even if they are, the biggest sac on record was *35* slings.

_Poecilotheria metallica_ is one of the easier pokies to breed (according to the pokie breeders themselves) and regularly have sacs of about 100 slings.

From what I've been told, _P. metallica_ just about matches _P. regalis_ in growth rate.

The price of _P. metallica_ is gonna drop like a bar skank after a roofie colada.

The price of _balfouri_ should stay somewhat stable (same price teir) for at least a decade.


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

etown_411 said:


> I guess you guys misunderstood my post./
> 
> /The pokemon comparison makes it sound like collectors like me can't be serious hobbyists and don't deserve respect from experienced breeders.


I don't think you understood by what I meant by 'pokemon collectors'.

Pokemon collectors is a term I've invented to describe the type of hobbiest I think is detrimental to the hobby as a whole.

They are collectors who are in this hobby for reasons other than love of arachnids...they strive to have large collections of rare species, but at the same time don't strive to learn more than they need to make themselves *seem* knowledgeable and/or try to inflate their reputation by making blatantly false claims about their knowledge or accomplishments.

If you drop $300 on a spider, then start a thread asking how to care for it...you meet this description.

If you claim yourself to be an expert on anything spider related and then honestly believe that a _Monocentropus balfouri_ would be mislabeled as a _Haplopelma lividium_ in a petstore...and then claim you've seen them in the common trade before...you fit this description.

If you claim to produce an amount of slings for a moderately priced species in two years that happens to be equal to roughly 1/4the amount of _Grammostola rosea_ exported from chile in one year...you fit this description.

If you claim to be one of the most experienced breeders on these boards but send other members PMs asking if an eggsac is dead, you fit this description.

What you said about hobbiests being the backbone of the hobby is entirely true, however that's not where my problem lies. In my opinion, there is an entire gulf of difference between 'hobbiests' and 'pokemon collectors'. It all has to do with motivations.

Hope you can see the difference and I sincerely apologize for any confusion.


----------



## Moltar (Jan 4, 2008)

Cheshire, i think you and i are on the same page here. In retrospect i must've just been looking for a fight yesterday... There are other forums for that. I'll just refer to myself as a "comicbook collector" because i like to read up on my sheeyat! Anyway, i'm crossing my fingers for the balfouri breeding projects in the states. I hope we can get their numbers up and prices down so i can lay my hands on one guilt free and for somewhere way south of frikkin' $500!

Btw: "The price of P. metallica is gonna drop like a bar skank after a roofie colada."   <-- Funny!!


----------



## UrbanJungles (Jan 4, 2008)

I just don't think that many semi serious hobbyists would even shell out 200 bucks for a metallic sling.  The majority of people willing to spend more than 125 bucks on a spider are somewhat more dedicated methinks.

I had some M balfouri slings in my hand last week and turned my nose up at them for metallica.  I guess personally I don't care if metallica prices go down to what regalis sell for, I'll probably still have a bunch because it's such a striking animal.  

The balfouri are nice, but you have to hot glue gun them to a slab of corkbark for them to become arboreal and to my liking...personal preference I guess.


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

etown_411 said:


> Cheshire, i think you and i are on the same page here. In retrospect i must've just been looking for a fight yesterday...


Don't worry about it. It's cool. Only the very most extreme examples annoy me, and I've met only two or three people who fit the description textbook. Most folks do these types of things every once and awhile (either intentionally or unintentionally), so I find most things along these lines pretty forgivable. It's only those who make their entire reputations by doing those things that I mentioned earlier who I look down upon.

What people do, sell and and buy is their business and theirs alone...I'm just an arm-chair quarterback who likes to toss his coins in the ring every once and awhile to keep things interesting, whether or not anyone really cares. I'm an idealist and very few things in reality live up to my standards, which I've ultimately learned to begrudgingly accept.

It's great that folks are bringing them in...and even greater that people are interested. I just place sustainability of the species in the hobby on a higher teir than avalibility any day...especially when the introduction of shiny new species into the hobby is a relatively short term endeavor.

A lot of people I've talked to seem to agree that what annoys me also annoys them...I just happen to have a really bad head cold at the moment so I have the time to explain what I think in complete detail, and nothing better to do to boot. I'm also hopped up on cold medicine, which is always a fun experience for whoever happens to be around me. Maybe I'm just mindlessly ranting. *shrug*

So...yeah. Small books from me today in terms of posting. Yay, right?

Good luck with your ex GF, dude...she sounds like a winner. You're better off single. 



			
				UrbanJungles said:
			
		

> I just don't think that many semi serious hobbyists would even shell out 200 bucks for a metallic sling. The majority of people willing to spend more than 125 bucks on a spider are somewhat more dedicated methinks.


Tax return season is right around the corner. Besides...you'd be surprised what people do with spending money.



> I had some M balfouri slings in my hand last week and turned my nose up at them for metallica. I guess personally I don't care if metallica prices go down to what regalis sell for, I'll probably still have a bunch because it's such a striking animal.
> 
> The balfouri are nice, but you have to hot glue gun them to a slab of corkbark for them to become arboreal and to my liking...personal preference I guess.


You'll soon have a shiny new PM from me


----------



## widowkeeper (Jan 4, 2008)

UrbanJungles said:


> The balfouri are nice, but you have to hot glue gun them to a slab of corkbark for them to become arboreal and to my liking...personal preference I guess.


lol thats what it comes down to personal preference i dont care much for arboreal Ts they look awsome but i prefer pet holes. to me the balfouri is every thing i like in Ts look wise.  from the little info ive read it is my ideal T in almost every way add to that the cost , sack sizes,number in the us...hell the number anywhere makes this the ultimate T  for me . given the  chance to be one of the first to help establish them in the us would kick ass  for me thats what its all about and the only reason im here ,if it were up to me noone who did not intend to breed them and do what they could to establish them in the us would get within 20 feet on one 

just my 2 cents


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

widowkeeper said:


> lol thats what it comes down to personal preference i dont care much for arboreal Ts they look awsome but i prefer pet holes. to me the balfouri is every thing i like in Ts look wise.  from the little info ive read it is my ideal T in almost every way add to that the cost , sack sizes,number in the us...hell the number anywhere makes this the ultimate T  for me . given the  chance to be one of the first to help establish them in the us would kick ass  for me thats what its all about and the only reason im here ,if it were up to me noone who did not intend to breed them and do what they could to establish them in the us would get within 20 feet on one
> 
> just my 2 cents


See?

That's the spirit


----------



## james (Jan 4, 2008)

*M balfouri*

I think there is some bad information out there. There are only two people who have bred these spiders to date and only one who has hatched out slings. ( I believe the second person will be hatching them soon). The person who has bred them has been keeping them for over eight years and has several bloodlines of them. In the past he had only traded them for other very rare spiders which is why there are so few out there. I recently worked out a deal and brought in 35 of them. I did bring in 3 females and I will tell you they look much like the pictures. There is another gentleman in the US that has imported 30 or so over the past 2 years which still means there is less than 100 in the US. This species creates a huge amount of webbing and loves to make burrows. However with that said I find both the slings and females are out on the surface or on the sides of there containers more often that not. The only reason I don't have pics is they run and hide when I open the lids and I don't feel like digging them out just for a photo that already exists. I will say that I also have several metallica and the are a very striking spider. There are many people breeding metallica and many more out there than people realize. With that said they typically produce 50 to 100 slings sometimes more so you don't get huge sacs and although the price may decrease some it won't be rapid. With Balfouri sacs are usually even smaller. I don't know the exact number but I think around 75 is one of the biggest with 50 being more average. When you look at how long metallica have been available and how many there are I don't think M balfouri are very expensive. $350 is a lot of money but compaired to what people paid in the early days for metallica it's actually very cheap. Species like E.olivacea are available ( I could have brought these in as well) but the US market is just not as big as in Europe and there are very few people willing to spend the money for these rare spiders. Now I can breed my rare aussie geckos and sell them for thousands of dollars all day but that is because the reptile market here is much much larger. Anyway, they are my favorite spider and I look forward to trying to breed them someday.
James


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

james said:


> I think there is some bad information out there. There are only two people who have bred these spiders to date and only one who has hatched out slings. ( I believe the second person will be hatching them soon). The person who has bred them has been keeping them for over eight years and has several bloodlines of them. In the past he had only traded them for other very rare spiders which is why there are so few out there. I recently worked out a deal and brought in 35 of them. I did bring in 3 females and I will tell you they look much like the pictures. There is another gentleman in the US that has imported 30 or so over the past 2 years which still means there is less than 100 in the US. This species creates a huge amount of webbing and loves to make burrows. However with that said I find both the slings and females are out on the surface or on the sides of there containers more often that not. The only reason I don't have pics is they run and hide when I open the lids and I don't feel like digging them out just for a photo that already exists. I will say that I also have several metallica and the are a very striking spider. There are many people breeding metallica and many more out there than people realize. With that said they typically produce 50 to 100 slings sometimes more so you don't get huge sacs and although the price may decrease some it won't be rapid. With Balfouri sacs are usually even smaller. I don't know the exact number but I think around 75 is one of the biggest with 50 being more average. When you look at how long metallica have been available and how many there are I don't think M balfouri are very expensive. $350 is a lot of money but compaired to what people paid in the early days for metallica it's actually very cheap. Species like E.olivacea are available ( I could have brought these in as well) but the US market is just not as big as in Europe and there are very few people willing to spend the money for these rare spiders. Now I can breed my rare aussie geckos and sell them for thousands of dollars all day but that is because the reptile market here is much much larger. Anyway, they are my favorite spider and I look forward to trying to breed them someday.
> James


See? One of the many things I love about this forum. If you have bad information, folks are usually kind enough to clear you right up. I guess balfouri numbers are a bit greater than I originally thought. Guess I'll be doing more research when I get the chance.

I was under the impression there were somewhere around ~50 in the US.

Just out of curiosity, how much would E. olivacea be if sold to the general public?


----------



## UrbanJungles (Jan 4, 2008)

...No disrespect to _balfouri_ fans.  They are beautiful no doubt, I can definitely appreciate them.  There are very few T's I would coin as "ugly" and balfouri is certainly not one of them.

It's just that behaviorally and for display purposes...I love POKIES!!!
I'm a bit biased as you can see.

I am also a bit OCD in that since I work on living displays all day long at work, I like to have my animals very well displayed at home too.  I won't even use opaque tupperware containers in my room and most of the containers are uniform in size and shape (about 4-5 different types) and crystal clear so I can see my beauties.  

My name is Danny and I have a problem....


----------



## james (Jan 4, 2008)

*prices*

Most likely in the same range of $350. The hard thing for people to realize is these spiders are not cheap to buy in Europe. My last import was only 60 spiders and my shipping and paperwork cost alone where aorund $1,000. Then the US dollar is very weak against the Euro so really if I wanted to make money I would have to sell them for $450-$500 each. Personally I just want to make a little money to keep a few for myself and let other people get some and enjoy them.
James


----------



## james (Jan 4, 2008)

*M balfouri*

I know you like the pokies but I see my balfouri more than I see my pokies. Then again with my cork bark and plants in the pokies cages they have many places to go. lol They are all awesome T's!!!!!!!!!!!!
James


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

james said:


> Most likely in the same range of $350. The hard thing for people to realize is these spiders are not cheap to buy in Europe. My last import was only 60 spiders and my shipping and paperwork cost alone where aorund $1,000. Then the US dollar is very weak against the Euro so really if I wanted to make money I would have to sell them for $450-$500 each. Personally I just want to make a little money to keep a few for myself and let other people get some and enjoy them.
> James


That's kind of what I thought. Fortunately the critters from Europe that I'm interested in are much cheaper there than they are here, even when you factor in the exchange rate.

I'm just biding my time and making sure I have a complete line of research before I shell out the $3,000 for an import...otherwise the import is in vain.

At the risk of this turning into a political/economic thread best reserved for TWH, I really hope the political situation changes soon...the dollar VS Euro thing is really killing the hobby ATM.


----------



## ShadowBlade (Jan 4, 2008)

_E. olivacea _I believe are the species you're thinking of Joe with extremely small eggsacs. ~20 eggs a sac I believe.

-Sean


----------



## metallica (Jan 4, 2008)

james said:


> I think there is some bad information out there. There are only two people who have bred these spiders to date and only one who has hatched out slings. ( I believe the second person will be hatching them soon).
> James


i believe your info is a bit out-dated. last december i got some *spiderlings* from a breeding other then from David.

Eddy


----------



## james (Jan 4, 2008)

*good news then*

That is why we have this place. Good to know. I have heard of a guy in Spain but never confirmed and I new a guy in France was breeding them. I'm sure there will be more each year as I have seen more for sale recently in Germany. Where are you located?
James


----------



## Stylopidae (Jan 4, 2008)

ShadowBlade said:


> _E. olivacea _I believe are the species you're thinking of Joe with extremely small eggsacs. ~20 eggs a sac I believe.
> 
> -Sean


Nah...I think I'm just operating on old info. I'm getting more into the aussie species, anyways.

I'd love to see an _E. olivacea_ sac here in the US.


----------



## metallica (Jan 4, 2008)

i'm from Holland. the spiderlings came from france.


----------



## GoTerps (Jan 4, 2008)

You can see one of JMV's breedings HERE.

That was his second one, I believe.

Eric


----------



## tarcan (Jan 4, 2008)

Someone else also bred this species in France a while back, but very few babies unfortunatly...

Martin


----------



## james (Jan 4, 2008)

*pictures*

See, I suck at taking pictures. Man the ones on this thread are insane. Check out the pictures on the last page.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=68228
James


----------



## izan (Jan 6, 2008)

Blimey. The mere mention of this species on this forum and it goes nuts with responses !  The more interest the better IMO. Fantastic. 

Izan


----------



## IrishKnight (Feb 18, 2009)

how much are M.balfouris going for now??have they become more common at all since last year?


----------



## xchondrox (Feb 18, 2009)

Doubt it, from what I've heard they have pretty small sacs and if there were afew produced someone would be on here boasting, i know i would


----------



## Tapahtyn (May 10, 2009)

Pyst said:


> Hedorah99 that's the same info I was given on them. We just have to wait until those slings mature and hopefully produce viable sacs. M.balfouri is another species I'm anxiously awaiting.
> 
> Here's an image used with T.Raab's permission.


this is an absolutely beautiful species.  I hope to keep tabs on this one


----------



## kido (May 10, 2009)

these species are burrowers right? gorgeous spiders


----------



## BCscorp (May 12, 2009)

check this out
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=151104


----------

