The same day I got the other very similar T from the chain store, this one had recently been surrendered, and was up for adoption. This specimen was EXTREMELY stressed, but has since rebounded notably since rescue.
I was told by the pet store employee that this specimen had "laid eggs," and that the previous owner no longer wanted the spider. This specimen was returned to the pet store (not sure if that's where it was initially purchased) in a Kritter Keeper on bone-dry aspen chips, and was huddled with all its legs tucked in closely to its body, and almost completely unresponsive. Since rehousing (in a 10 gallon tank with about 8" of substrate consisting of about a 60% Reptisoil 40% sand mix, a water dish, and a substrate moisture gradient generated by overflowing the water dish so that moisture reaches the lowest levels of substrate on the water dish side), it has been exploratory and active, and has recently taken to its log hide, pushing substrate to block off one end.
I was told by the pet store employee that this specimen had "laid eggs," and that the previous owner no longer wanted the spider. This specimen was returned to the pet store (not sure if that's where it was initially purchased) in a Kritter Keeper on bone-dry aspen chips, and was huddled with all its legs tucked in closely to its body, and almost completely unresponsive. Since rehousing (in a 10 gallon tank with about 8" of substrate consisting of about a 60% Reptisoil 40% sand mix, a water dish, and a substrate moisture gradient generated by overflowing the water dish so that moisture reaches the lowest levels of substrate on the water dish side), it has been exploratory and active, and has recently taken to its log hide, pushing substrate to block off one end.
I also thought about B. albiceps. I'm glad that despite the uncertainty in genus and species, the care is very similar...and am SUPER glad I rescued this sweet baby. I couldn't not adopt this one when I saw what horrible conditions it was in. I named them "Mercy," because the pose it was in in the enclosure it was surrendered in very much felt like a cry for mercy. Seeing them active and stretching their legs, climbing the glass, and exploring the new habitat made me very happy. I'll try to get more pictures of them soon, as well.
I also thought about B. albiceps. I'm glad that despite the uncertainty in genus and species, the care is very similar...and am SUPER glad I rescued this sweet baby. I couldn't not adopt this one when I saw what horrible conditions it was in. I named them "Mercy," because the pose it was in in the enclosure it was surrendered in very much felt like a cry for mercy. Seeing them active and stretching their legs, climbing the glass, and exploring the new habitat made me very happy. I'll try to get more pictures of them soon, as well.
It’s always a difficult decision to make.. You want to get the animal out of there, but by doing it we end up helping the store, that will have another one for sale tomorrow living in the same conditions :/
I would do the same for sure :/
The carapace on the albiceps seems rather lighter than that of the T in your image; it's almost a cream colour. I'm less inclined towards B albiceps, largely for that reason.
That's my take, at least, though I appreciate that different specimens will look different under different lights and at different stages of life / moult cycles.
You have a pretty T, whatever it is! I hope you can sort your identification issues soon
It’s always a difficult decision to make.. You want to get the animal out of there, but by doing it we end up helping the store, that will have another one for sale tomorrow living in the same conditions :/
I would do the same for sure :/
This poor T was just relinquished in extremely poor condition, with clearly NO care given to its well-being from the start. I have no way of proving where the original owner got them, but the fact that they were returned on bone-dry aspen chips was a huge red flag. Luckily, the local branch of the chain store has some good employees that mean well, at the very least. They took it on principle, and couldn't get it out on the floor due to space issues, and gave me the option to adopt. The adoption fee was $20, but they gave me a 75% discount to get it in better conditions ASAP, which I immediately took them up on. Still not 100% on ID, but knew (despite my limited experience) it was almost certainly some species of Brachypelma or Tliltocatl, and adjusted care/habitat accordingly. They are thriving so far, have already eaten a large Dubia, and have already thoroughly explored the new habitat and pushed substrate to one end of the hide for privacy. Still a ton of progress above shell-shocked, likely dehydrated, and reluctant to even move, which was the state in which I got them. They even came out of the hide for a bit today and hung out in the open for a while. I'd call this a win?
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