4 questions, one thread, i apologize in advance

[JoshDM020]

Ive been reading and studying and trying to learn as much as i can while saving money for my first T. Ive learned quite a bit I feel, but ive also developed a lot of questions and curiosity. Hear are the four burning in my mind currently.
1. I understand why not enough space is bad for a larger tarantula. But what happens if I put, say, a 1.5" sling in an adult sized enclosure?
2. Crickets or roaches? Why? Can crickets be raised/bred/farmed the way roaches can? How would I go about that for either?
3. Whats the deal with hybrids? They seem to be sort of a taboo topic and I'm curious as to why.
4. How in the world do i find conventions/conferences in my area? It took an hour to find one two months from now.
Thank you in advance for all the information!
(P.s. I realize one of the questions kindof turned into 3. Sorry. Just wanna be as prepared as I can be.)

 

[BobBarley]

1. I understand why not enough space is bad for a larger tarantula. But what happens if I put, say, a 1.5" sling in an adult sized enclosure?

You could, as long as the sling can find its food. Keep in mind, that some species max out at 2".

2. Crickets or roaches? Why? Can crickets be raised/bred/farmed the way roaches can? How would I go about that for either?

Crickets elicit more feeding responses across the board, some t's won't take roaches. However, crickets are smelly and die randomly. Roaches don't smell and don't die randomly lol.

3. Whats the deal with hybrids? They seem to be sort of a taboo topic and I'm curious as to why.

If a t is hybridized and labeled "Brachypelma smithi x emilia" or something like that, many will not buy. It may force the seller to sell it as either a smithi or an emilia, and its impossible to tell the difference until its an adult/subadult. Then it mixes everything up and things can get very confusing,

4. How in the world do i find conventions/conferences in my area? It took an hour to find one two months from now.

Lol, I use Google... something like "reptile show in _____ (enter large city near you)".

 

[cold blood]

1. I understand why not enough space is bad for a larger tarantula. But what happens if I put, say, a 1.5" sling in an adult sized enclosure?

It may have trouble finding prey, prey also has a lot of place to hide. It also may hide more. It's basically just a monsterous waste of space.

2. Crickets or roaches? Why? Can crickets be raised/bred/farmed the way roaches can? How would I go about that for either?

Unless you have a large collection, you shouldn't be worried about breeding feeders. If you really want to, roaches are the way to go...they're easier, much hardier and smell less...not to mention the lack of chirping. Mealworms are another option to breed, as they're supposed to be really easy.

3. Whats the deal with hybrids? They seem to be sort of a taboo topic and I'm curious as to why.

Hybrids bad!

Our hobby is reliant on captive bred species, hybridization destroys bloodlines forever, and the lines of every subsequent relative continue to dilute. Ts aren't breeds, like dogs, which are all variations of the same species. Ts are all each their own separate species, with their own unique characteristics.

4. How in the world do i find conventions/conferences in my area? It took an hour to find one two months from now.

Not all areas have them...looking online or inquiring at local pet stores.

 

[JoshDM020]

Lol, I use Google... something like "reptile show in _____ (enter large city near you)".

I did exactly that and it still messed me up. Maybe if i try to get rid of some of the things that customize my searches automatically I'll have better luck...

 

[JoshDM020]

It may have trouble finding prey, prey also has a lot of place to hide. It also may hide more. It's basically just a monsterous waste of space.

I was mostly asking because I have a very limited budget and I'm trying to spend as little as reasonably possible. But I may just run by hobby lobby and grab one of those display cases i keep seeing around here.

Unless you have a large collection, you shouldn't be worried about breeding feeders. If you really want to, roaches are the way to go...they're easier, much hardier and smell less...not to mention the lack of chirping. Mealworms are another option to breed, as they're supposed to be really easy.

Also asking because limited budget and growing my own food seems cheaper. Plus, i do plan on expanding my collection and it'll be nice having the practice before i absolutely need it, I think.
Thank you!

 

[cold blood]

I was mostly asking because I have a very limited budget and I'm trying to spend as little as reasonably possible. But I may just run by hobby lobby and grab one of those display cases i keep seeing around here.

Enclosures are only expensive if you want them to be. It can also be as cheap as you want it to be. For a terrestrial sling for instance...start it in a condiment cup, like you put ketchup in last time you ate at a burger joint...basically free...

IMG_0472

• cold blood
• Feb 7, 2017

Keep your small terrestrial slings like this.

At an inch or so, you can put it in a 16oz deli cup....most delis, grocery stores and many restaurants have them and many places will give you them for free.

Deli Cup Setup for Terrestrial Slings 1-3"

• cold blood
• Mar 13, 2017
• 6
• enclosure

Deli cup set up for terrestrial slings 1-3"

. From there you can either go to a small Kritter Keeper or a sterilite tub...both cost about $3.50

Resized952016112095153437

• cold blood
• Nov 20, 2016
• 2

P. cancerides 3.5"

1108140016 (1)

• cold blood
• Jan 28, 2016
• 5

Adult housing would be a larger sterilite tub. Cost about $6

2017031095222350

• cold blood
• Mar 30, 2017
• 6

On top of that, you can use top soil which costs about $1.37 for a 40lb bag...dirt cheap.


Driftwood can be collected, cleaned and baked and used for free.

Also asking because limited budget and growing my own food seems cheaper. Plus, i do plan on expanding my collection and it'll be nice having the practice before i absolutely need it, I think.

When you only have a few, feeders are super cheap. Crickets are like a dime a piece...you could find that....mealworms can be bought by the 50 or 100 count for 2-5 bucks and can be kept in the fridge for like 6 months....that's like 6 months worth of food for 2-3 bucks (50 count) and you still wouldn't have used them all. View attachment 235438

 

[Ungoliant]

Mealworms are another option to breed, as they're supposed to be really easy.

Mealworms are stupid easy to breed. The only downsides I've found are 1) they don't elicit a strong prey response from all tarantulas (not enough movement) and 2) the adult (beetle) stage are not great to use as feeders (they are for laying eggs).

If you just have a few tarantulas, it's probably more economical to buy mealworms as needed (and keep them cool to prevent them from maturing into beetles).

 

[johnny quango]

Ive been reading and studying and trying to learn as much as i can while saving money for my first T. Ive learned quite a bit I feel, but ive also developed a lot of questions and curiosity. Hear are the four burning in my mind currently.
1. I understand why not enough space is bad for a larger tarantula. But what happens if I put, say, a 1.5" sling in an adult sized enclosure?
2. Crickets or roaches? Why? Can crickets be raised/bred/farmed the way roaches can? How would I go about that for either?
3. Whats the deal with hybrids? They seem to be sort of a taboo topic and I'm curious as to why.
4. How in the world do i find conventions/conferences in my area? It took an hour to find one two months from now.
Thank you in advance for all the information!
(P.s. I realize one of the questions kindof turned into 3. Sorry. Just wanna be as prepared as I can be.)

As some other members have stated a large enclosure isn't a major issue but it can become one, again though this depends on the species. Let's say you put a 1.5" Brachypelma in a 12" enclosure Brachys don't have the best feeding response sometimes so you'll have to use pre killed prey or pay more attention to where the tarantula spends alot of time. If however you house say a Pamphobeteus or Acanthoscurria sp of some kind the same way it wouldn't be an issue because they will actively hunt prey.

As far as feeders the other members have given you great advice why you only need a colony if you have a large collection.
I'll add this though not all tarantula will eat roaches ime so you will probably end up with crickets aswell because I've never had an hungry tarantula refuse crickets but I've had them refuses roaches.

Hybrids are bad for purity it's that simple as @cold blood says they are different species not breeds but if you use dogs as an example think like this if every female German shepherd was bred with a random dog then eventually they no longer exist it's the same with tarantulas @BobBarley had a great point about smithi x emilia you're starting to dilute 2 individual species that can't or shouldn't be sold or bred and as these are covered by cites then no more of our hobby favourites.

As for shows and expos it's simply use google and hope you get lucky. Also I've found some dealers or breeders will advertise certain shows as they may be attending.

As a side note if you have a certain tarantula in mind as your 1st why not search the classifieds on here I'm pretty sure other members on here would help, I know I would but unfortunately I live a few miles (4000) away from you and 2 my breeding projects are 18-24 months away