b. albopilosum piling dirt in front of hide

[Bhickman]

hi i'm new to the forum and tarantulas. never really been a spider person but my son loves them and we just got him this one. it has been awesome and has got me and my wife thinking about getting one. any ways we rehoused early in the week from the container we purchased her in. she finally went into her hid on Wednesday i believe. Thursday morning we noticed a mound of dirt not blocking hide but right in front of it. we leveled it off and come home last night and she had pushed a ton more out right in front of hide. its not completely sealed off id say she could probably squeeze out if she wanted. she has eaten 2 times this week i believe Tuesday and then this morning cricket ran into hide and she devoured it. she does have a bare spot on top of abdomen which i just read in another post is just a bald spot from where shes rubbed hairs. had it since we got here a week ago. its still a tan color so i don't think shes molting??? was told she was 3-4 years old id say shes probably close to 4" around there. wasn't sure if this was normal or not. thanks

 

[Moakmeister]

Perfectly normal. Right now she's just making the inside of her burrow larger so she has more room. They tend to leave clumps of dirt outside the entrance until they're done, then they clear the surrounding area. It's fun to watch. I made a time lapse of my G. pulchripes doing it.

 

[mconnachan]

This is perfectly normal spider behaviour it obviously felt the hide was a bit big so it decided to do some interior designing, get used to it, tomorrow it will probably look totally different, just a tarantula being a tarantula.[EDIT] Lovely looking
B. Albopylosum, they're great T's to keep and care for.

 

[Bhickman]

Perfectly normal. Right now she's just making the inside of her burrow larger so she has more room. They tend to leave clumps of dirt outside the entrance until they're done, then they clear the surrounding area. It's fun to watch. I made a time lapse of my G. pulchripes doing it.

ok thanks shes actually pushed more out since that picture. my wife is worried about the hide falling in. i really packed the substrate when we filled it. I had read to so when they burrow reduces chance of substrate falling in. the front of the hide seems to still be planted firmly on substrate. just the back portion shes digging out from under.

 

[Moakmeister]

ok thanks shes actually pushed more out since that picture. my wife is worried about the hide falling in. i really packed the substrate when we filled it. I had read to so when they burrow reduces chance of substrate falling in. the front of the hide seems to still be planted firmly on substrate. just the back portion shes digging out from under.

Don't worry about it

 

[Bhickman]

Don't worry about it

thanks everyone for reponses. ive been reading up on other species. my wife really likes the b. smithi and from what ive read and seen im looking at maybe a euathlas sp red. their just so expensive as adults. slings ive found are all around a 1/4" and alot cheaper so i dont know. really do want one but may go with a g. pulchripes instead for now. gonna look around for now i guess and see. thanks again everyone

 

[Moakmeister]

thanks everyone for reponses. ive been reading up on other species. my wife really likes the b. smithi and from what ive read and seen im looking at maybe a euathlas sp red. their just so expensive as adults. slings ive found are all around a 1/4" and alot cheaper so i dont know. really do want one but may go with a g. pulchripes instead for now. gonna look around for now i guess and see. thanks again everyone

Go with the G. pulchripes. Ridiculously cheap, the fastest growing Grammostola, amazing colors, and they can get to be over 8 inches in legspan. Go for a 2-3 inch confirmed female.

 

[Bhickman]

Go with the G. pulchripes. Ridiculously cheap, the fastest growing Grammostola, amazing colors, and they can get to be over 8 inches in legspan. Go for a 2-3 inch confirmed female.

only thing holding me back on the g. pulchripes is i've read the grammostolas can be moody i guess is the way to put it. and im not sure about a 8" spider with an attitude lol. which with anything there not always the same from one to another. i found a post in classifeds sarnac i believe was his name had super good prices but is over seas but reading reviews people ordering here in U.S. had really good experience with him just long ship times which worries me. but could get 3 spiders shipped for what this b. albopilosum cost lol actually a bit cheaper. drove about 45 minutes to a pet shop paid 85 plus tax for her. then all the exrtas. but figured by the time we paid 15-30 plus shipping for a sling would be close to the same.

 

[Moakmeister]

only thing holding me back on the g. pulchripes is i've read the grammostolas can be moody i guess is the way to put it. and im not sure about a 8" spider with an attitude lol. which with anything there not always the same from one to another. i found a post in classifeds sarnac i believe was his name had super good prices but is over seas but reading reviews people ordering here in U.S. had really good experience with him just long ship times which worries me. but could get 3 spiders shipped for what this b. albopilosum cost lol actually a bit cheaper. drove about 45 minutes to a pet shop paid 85 plus tax for her. then all the exrtas. but figured by the time we paid 15-30 plus shipping for a sling would be close to the same.

All spiders are moody. When people say Grammostolas are moody, they really mean that Grammostolas are slightly more prone to it than Brachypelmas. The G. pulchripes may be the fastest growing Grammostola, but that's not saying much. It's still like a glacier with drying paint on it. And larger tarantulas are much easier to deal with than smaller ones because they're tougher and have a much greater ability to climb into a new enclosure and whatnot.

 

[Bhickman]

All spiders are moody. When people say Grammostolas are moody, they really mean that Grammostolas are slightly more prone to it than Brachypelmas. The G. pulchripes may be the fastest growing Grammostola, but that's not saying much. It's still like a glacier with drying paint on it. And larger tarantulas are much easier to deal with than smaller ones because they're tougher and have a much greater ability to climb into a new enclosure and whatnot.

ok thanks for all the advice its been really helpful.

 

[PanzoN88]

B. albopilosum are constantly rearranging, especially as slings they are like little bulldozers. As already stated, it is perfectly normal.

 

[Ellenantula]

my wife is worried about the hide falling in. i really packed the substrate when we filled it.

One of mine did that (not sure if it was B albo or G pulchripes) but it was not like a sudden 4" drop, just a slow descent as dirt was excavated from underneath. No harm done.

 

[Ungoliant]

only thing holding me back on the g. pulchripes is i've read the grammostolas can be moody i guess is the way to put it. and im not sure about a 8" spider with an attitude lol.

If you want the black lab of tarantulas, try Grammostola pulchra. They are generally more expensive than Grammostola pulchripes, and they are slow growers, but their velvety black coloring is gorgeous. (They don't get quite as big either if size is intimidating.)

The Watering Hole (♀ Grammostola pulchra 3.5")

• Ungoliant
• Feb 21, 2017
• 2
• brazilian black tarantula bulldozer female grammostola grammostola pulchra juvenile juvenile female pulchra

Bulldozer, my 3.5" female Grammostola pulchra.

I have two juvenile female pulchras. One is brave and easygoing; the other is timid.

If you like Brachypelma but want something that is likely to be docile, you might consider Brachypelma emilia. They have really gorgeous coloring (with a striking triangle on the carapace), but they grow at a glacial rate.

but figured by the time we paid 15-30 plus shipping for a sling would be close to the same.

The cost of shipping can be prohibitive when ordering one sling. You might also look to see if any reptile or other exotic pet shows will be in your area. There is often at least one vendor with tarantulas.

You can also look to see if there are any members who live within driving distance.

 

[Andrea82]

only thing holding me back on the g. pulchripes is i've read the grammostolas can be moody i guess is the way to put it. and im not sure about a 8" spider with an attitude lol. which with anything there not always the same from one to another. i found a post in classifeds sarnac i believe was his name had super good prices but is over seas but reading reviews people ordering here in U.S. had really good experience with him just long ship times which worries me. but could get 3 spiders shipped for what this b. albopilosum cost lol actually a bit cheaper. drove about 45 minutes to a pet shop paid 85 plus tax for her. then all the exrtas. but figured by the time we paid 15-30 plus shipping for a sling would be close to the same.

I would not order from sarnac unless you are willing to pay import taxes that can amount to 500-1000 dollars. The US has very strict rules and regulations on importing foreign animals.

 

[viper69]

thanks everyone for reponses. ive been reading up on other species. my wife really likes the b. smithi and from what ive read and seen im looking at maybe a euathlas sp red. their just so expensive as adults. slings ive found are all around a 1/4" and alot cheaper so i dont know. really do want one but may go with a g. pulchripes instead for now. gonna look around for now i guess and see. thanks again everyone

I would get a G. pulchripes because you are new to Ts, and appears you have not raised a tarantula from a sling. Though E sp Red's are pretty hardy species actually. If you pay a lot of attention to it, you might be able to do it.

AF E. sp. Red, Post-Molt

• viper69
• Aug 29, 2016

E. sp. Red, Adult Female eating 2 of 2.

• viper69
• Aug 29, 2016

E. sp. Red, Adult Female- Recent Molt

• viper69
• Aug 29, 2016
• 1
• chilensis euathlus sp. "red" female homoeomma homoeomma chilensis

 

[joseoro11]

I just recently purchased a B. albo as well and it's very interesting to watch her grab dirt with her pedipalps and move it out the hide!!

 

[mconnachan]

I would not order from sarnac unless you are willing to pay import taxes that can amount to 500-1000 dollars. The US has very strict rules and regulations on importing foreign animals.

Wow really, you would have to pay up to 1000$ import tax for a T, that's scandalous, here in the U.K. don't have to pay anything like that if any at all, never ordered from outside the U.K. so I'm not sure how import taxes work here, but that's really interesting albeit ridiculous.

 

[mconnachan]

I just recently purchased a B. albo as well and it's very interesting to watch her grab dirt with her pedipalps and move it out the hide!!

What size is the T, I'm waiting on two new arrivals, Nicaraguan B. Albopilosum slings, can't wait to get these guys, they're stunning with their white/golden setae.

 

[Andrea82]

Wow really, you would have to pay up to 1000$ import tax for a T, that's scandalous, here in the U.K. don't have to pay anything like that if any at all, never ordered from outside the U.K. so I'm not sure how import taxes work here, but that's really interesting albeit ridiculous.

This is also one of the reasons why Theraphosidae in the US are so much more expensive. Breeders need to import species to set up new projects and have to pay the customs and import fees.

 

[Bhickman]

I would not order from sarnac unless you are willing to pay import taxes that can amount to 500-1000 dollars. The US has very strict rules and regulations on importing foreign animals.

I found out about the import issue after I posted. wasn't aware of cost but I don't believe I'm any where near a port. which apparently you have to pick up from. I've found a g. Pulchra 1 3/4" shipped for 83-93 depending on shipping option I use. Still looking, I like the g. Pulchra and the eualthlas sp red but with the e. Sp red all slings I've found are only 1/4" so Im thinking of the pulchripes or pulchra for now depending on what I find and price and what not. I do like the pulchra over the pulchripes but not dead set on one or the other right now. And FYI after 3 days in her hide she finally came out today. She moved some dirt out of the way but not a lot. And I believe brought more out lol. She's dug down probably 5 inches or so then started going sideways she hit glass and can't go farther. That direction anyways my son keeps asking when is "harley" gonna come out. So he's excited now she's back out and he can see her better now