# Tarantulas at petco



## Tarantula Lover (Oct 19, 2002)

hi at petco they have 3 tarantulas, 1 pinktoe under 3" for $20, 2 chilean rose $13.00 each for the rosehairs, which one should i get, i already have one pinktoe now what?:?


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## Al Muoio (Oct 19, 2002)

You may want to consider not getting either. Instead order a B. smithi (Mexican Red Knee) sling thru the mail. They live a long time 25 yrs or so and don't burrow as much as others.


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## galeogirl (Oct 19, 2002)

The only reason I would discourage you buying from Petco is that all of their tarantulas are wild-caught.  Wild-caughts can be fine pets, but there is a risk of them having parasitic infections that shorten their natural lifespans.  If you're going to buy one, ask if it's been seen by a veterinarian and then ask for the vet's number so you can speak to them yourself.  Make a list of questions, such as what kind of experience the vet has with tarantulas.  Only buy if you feel comfortable doing so.

If you don't like the answers that the petstore or the vet give you, take your money elsewhere and buy a captive-bred t from a reputable breeder.


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## Code Monkey (Oct 19, 2002)

Galeogirl: a vet check for a $5 spider (their cost)? What have you been drinking this morning?  

I wouldn't waste money on a vet check for a $100 tarantula or even a $10,000 tarantula. Almost any random person on this board could tell you more about your tarantula than a vet with 20 years professional experience - there are no vet classes, books, or otherwise for a tarantula. My wife's a vet student, there is nothing in their curriculum optional or otherwise that touches inverts - next time you're thinking of spending money for taking an invert to a vet, just send the check to me, it will do you exactly the same amount of good.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## savian (Oct 19, 2002)

Galeogirl
  Hate to be the one to brake it to you but I use to work for Petco and I can tell you that all the one's we got are all CB  that is why the price is so high.  I know this for sure because I did the ordering.

Reactions: Like 1


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## veronyka (Oct 19, 2002)

I hope you're right because I bought my first couple of Ts from petco! I hope they are CB not WB!  But I agree... a vet for a tarantula? I get advice here from a variety of people who know, and most people I know are afraid of spiders anyway, so I don't dare take them to a vet.


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## galeogirl (Oct 19, 2002)

Hmm, I don't drink and I'm not prone to making unfounded claims, either.  What I have been told by the reptile/tarantula people at three different Petco locations locally is that all of their animals, including ts, are checked over by a veterinarian before being put up for sale.  While the clerks did not know exactly what went on at a vet check for ts (and neither do I), they did have a phone number for the vet who had supposedly done the checkup.  I don't think that making a free phone call to a veterinarian who supposedly examined the tarantula is unreasonable, especially when it's been acknowledged that the t is wild caught.  (If nothing else, you could find out exactly what a health check for a t entails).

Also, at two of the local stores, the people who did the ordering told me that most of the ts they got in were wild-caught.  The third didn't know.

Just passing along what I heard straight from the source.


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## Code Monkey (Oct 19, 2002)

I'm not saying someone didn't pass this bit of information onto you (re: vetcheck), but if someone had said it to me I'd have had to withhold the belly laughs. There literally is nothing available in veterinary training to prepare someone to make any sort of assessment about a tarantula's health (at least not any better than one of us) - if there is a vet anywhere competent to examine and treat T's on a professional level he's completely self taught. Nothing wrong with that, but I also doubt said vet would be associated with Petco. The cost thing is also a factor. A vet is professional services and there is no such thing as wholesale for their fees. You couldn't sell a pinktoe that had ever been actually examined by a vet for what it would cost, nor any tarantula seeing as how an exotic examination *starts* at about $80. Now, Petsmart is associated with a veterinary "HMO" (Banfield), and Petco might have a similar relationship with a different company (although I've never heard anything about it), in which case the vets at the store for the day might have "examined" the tarantula and it would have gone something like: "Yup, it ain't dead, sell it".

This is by no means directed at you, Galeogirl, I just think people should be aware that if Petco is feeding lines about "vet examined" tarantulas, they are blowing smoke up people's asses with a Hollywood grade wind machine.


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## savian (Oct 20, 2002)

I talk to my old store manager and she said that you should call the main office and report these stores.  Petco policy is the same in any of it's stores.  They can not guarantee the animal if it didn't come from a breeder.  That was also why I was telling you that they didn't due wc.  Petco goes back to the breeder if the animal dies and holds them for it.  Money money money.


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## The_Phantom (Oct 20, 2002)

How long do pink toes live ???????????


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## Vys (Oct 20, 2002)

> _Originally posted by savian _
> *They can not guarantee the animal if it didn't come from a breeder.  That was also why I was telling you that they didn't due wc.  Petco goes back to the breeder if the animal dies and holds them for it.  Money money money. *


So Petco is guaranteed the animals are ..healthy enough to live, so to speak? And if they die all of a sudden, like because someone puts a T in a fishtank, the breeder gets to cough up the money? Those breeders must get paid alot / trust Petco gooood


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## mebebraz (Oct 20, 2002)

I suggest everyone just boycott them like i have for the past year just for the sights that I have seen at one of the local Petco stores, would make you want to cry.


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## King_Looey (Oct 20, 2002)

I am lucky, the petshop that is sells them near me looks after them well, the guy who looks after them knows his stuff. Although they are a little over priced.


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## savian (Oct 20, 2002)

Vys that was how it was explained to me.  I don't think Petco wants to take a big loss say 5,000 ball pythons all of a sudden die.  They would not be in the busniess for long would they.


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## Vys (Oct 21, 2002)

..If Petco managed to kill 5000 ball pythons, they most certainly wouldn't be in the business for long.. 

But yeah, I see your point, although as I said previously, the supplier/dealer/breader would certainly have to trust petco / get payed lots by petco.


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## savian (Oct 21, 2002)

No trust need they are all counted.  Every Petco has a frezzer were all the dead are kept.   Once every month or so it is all bagged up and sent to some company that goes and looks at everything.  I don't know what this company does with them.  I never was interesed enough to ask.


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## soopa1 (Oct 21, 2002)

whats up with petco? we dont have em in nc ,and from all the things i hear im glad!


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## Mister Internet (Oct 21, 2002)

> _Originally posted by savian _
> *No trust need they are all counted.  Every Petco has a frezzer were all the dead are kept.   Once every month or so it is all bagged up and sent to some company that goes and looks at everything.  I don't know what this company does with them.  I never was interesed enough to ask. *


Depending on who you listen to, those freezers are both euthanism device and storage on wrapped up into one.


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## veronyka (Oct 21, 2002)

I found that not only do the people at Petco know little to nothing about tarantulas, they always carry the same ol' thing, not to say I don't love Chilean Rosehairs, but that is always the one tarantula I can find there.  And they are a bit overpriced in my opinion. For a place that can't tell you the age, sex, or care of a tarantula they sell, I think that paying $14 for a $4 Rosehair and $32 for a $10 zebra is a bit ridiculous! And there were times when they had the two switched. I could have bought the zebra for the $14 and they wouldn't been the wiser. Anyway, they need to start selling more varied tarantulas to get my attention. Which I know they won't because they cater to cats dogs fish and birds, and to those who just want a starter tarantula.


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## Code Monkey (Oct 22, 2002)

> _Originally posted by veronyka _
> *Anyway, they need to start selling more varied tarantulas to get my attention. Which I know they won't because they cater to cats dogs fish and birds, and to those who just want a starter tarantula. *


Think of it from their perspective: An animal, any animal, is just a vehicle to sell accessories and food/feeders. Pet stores really don't make squat off of live animals for them to be profitable in and of themselves. Things like feeder goldfish, crickets, dogfood, and kitty litter are paying the bills while fishtanks, kritter keepers, and dog leashes are putting the occasional ribeye on the table.
So, from Petco's perspective, a G. rosea is worth exactly the same to them as a X. immanis. That they can buy adults for $2 wholesale and mark them up 1500% is just gravy, they could never get that sort of markup on a "exotic" species of T, and if their high school geniuses succeeded in killing it, the loss to the bottom line is much higher than with the G. rosea. If someone kills a rosea, they sell 2 dozen crickets to someone they already sold one to and the damage is fixed from a business point of view.
Further, they know that the best money to be made off of a T is to the clueless newbie buyer, not the T-nut who probably has his own supply of kritter keepers, isn't going to believe that he needs to buy a heating mat, and will get $2 worth of peat from Home Depot instead of $5 worth of Jungle Bedding from them. And not only that, but we're whacky enough to do things like buy them online - why even try to compete with someone like John Hoke or Pat Kane who can provide us with a far greater variety at prices they simply could not match.


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## Vayu Son (Oct 22, 2002)

*><*

Not to mention the sheer amount of traffic that goes through petstores. All we need is some 14 yr old convincing his parents to let him by a  selenocosmia or stromatopelma, have him put the T under his sisters pillow as a practical joke, and then wake up with a dead 7 yr old girl. Wed call it terrorism and launch nukes at africa/australia/and india, depose their rulers and create a cycle of mutually assured destruction.


 -V


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## Wade (Oct 22, 2002)

Any petstore that's selling adult G. rosea's and claiming they're captive bred is either lying or been ripped off by their supplier.  This species is one of the slowest-growing T's around, it takes YEARS to raise them to maturity. I bred them in 1998, and the male offspring (of the slings I kept) matured only last year, while the females still have quite a way to go. Would you even consider selling an animal for $4-$5 dollars that took you as many years to raise??? I think not!

Although there are exceptions, nearly all ADULT T's you see in pet stores are wild caught.  Occasionally, when someone liquidates their collection, captive bred adult T's may end up in stores, but this is rare.

Wade


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## Code Monkey (Oct 22, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Wade _
> *Although there are exceptions, nearly all ADULT T's you see in pet stores are wild caught.  Occasionally, when someone liquidates their collection, captive bred adult T's may end up in stores, but this is rare.*


I've been trying to figure out where all these 3"+ A. bicoloratum's that are "CB" are coming from, granted, they generally cost $50 or more, but as slow growing as they're supposed to be (and the fact that most hatchlings sell for $20 and up), makes you go, "Hmmm..."


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## Vayu Son (Oct 22, 2002)

*><*

hmmm...


 -V


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## Lolth62 (Sep 24, 2019)

galeogirl said:


> The only reason I would discourage you buying from Petco is that all of their tarantulas are wild-caught.  Wild-caughts can be fine pets, but there is a risk of them having parasitic infections that shorten their natural lifespans.  If you're going to buy one, ask if it's been seen by a veterinarian and then ask for the vet's number so you can speak to them yourself.  Make a list of questions, such as what kind of experience the vet has with tarantulas.  Only buy if you feel comfortable doing so.
> 
> If you don't like the answers that the petstore or the vet give you, take your money elsewhere and buy a captive-bred t from a reputable breeder.


How do you know that theirs are all wild caught?

Reactions: Funny 2 | Lollipop 1


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## Lolth62 (Sep 24, 2019)

savian said:


> Galeogirl
> Hate to be the one to brake it to you but I use to work for Petco and I can tell you that all the one's we got are all CB  that is why the price is so high.  I know this for sure because I did the ordering.


I bought a juvie there for 40 dollars, which I don't consider to be expensive, when you ordered them did it say they were wild caught? Just wondering as I was told they came from a reptile show


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## Thekla (Sep 24, 2019)

Please, stop with necromancy! 

This thread is from 2002! It's 17 years old! Back then, it could be very well that most of the specimen were wild caught.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Lolth62 (Sep 24, 2019)

I looked into the claim that Petco was selling wild caught tarantulas, and found the article from 2016 when they were going to start selling them. It clearly states that all will be captive bred,


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## Lolth62 (Sep 24, 2019)

Thekla said:


> Please, stop with necromancy!
> 
> This thread is from 2002! It's 17 years old! Back then, it could be very well that most of the specimen were wild caught.


I was told when posting a thread to read all old posts so I was very concerned sorry to upset you,I guess you didn't notice the 2016 care sheet is wrong, just worried about me posting right?


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## Thekla (Sep 24, 2019)

You didn't upset me.  It's just this thread holds no value whatsoever concerning your question whether a T is wild-caught or not because it's sooooooo old.  Times have changed since then. 
And of course, I didn't notice the article from 2016 when I answered because you posted it *after *I posted.


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