B. baumgarteni care?

Exoskeleton Invertebrates

Arachnoprince
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Jun 17, 2007
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Thank you - Excellent information!

I definitely want to wait before I buy any slings in this case. As a new person to this hobby I am still struggling on the sources of slings that I see show up at online retailers. I know there are people in this forum who sell that are trustworthy, but it is sometimes hard to know who has what species for sale in the current Classifieds section.
Yes it is, it's very hard to trust sellers these days. So when I asked @Stella Maris who she purchased from I simply wanted to know if she truly has the true Brachypelma baumgarteni 1" inch sling. The batch that some of my friends and I received from the Mexico import my slings are just about to reach the 1" inch mark. So if she purchased a sling that was from the Canada inbred stock I would have to say that the sling would be a bit bigger, depending how well it was fed. Also the two specimens from the inbred stock that was imported out of Europe are immature males, one of those males is 3.75" inches.

@Stella Maris I am just trying to help for you to understand that these is a species that has been muddled with through the years, and that there are only a few people that imported this species in the last couple of years. I know your original post is not in question, I just thought you should know that you should know and seek where your sling originated from, I don't know if the seller told you that he or she bred baumgarteni and if that's the case you ask for photos of the breeding and of the parents.

This is a species that I'm highly passion of...............and that is making a comeback to our hobby.
 
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metallica

Arachnoking
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Aug 18, 2003
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Does any one have any experience caring for Brachypelma baumgarteni slings (less than 2 inches in this case)? Is this species' care any different than other Brachypelma species? Any important things I should be aware of?
Small Brachypelma require a bit more moist then larger specimens. In nature spiderlings will "burrow" in fallen trees. So even in the dry season the small ones are well protected. once they are juvenile (when they get a little color) you can keep them perfectly well on dry substrate provided you add a water dish.

To give you a taste of how they live in the wild, see my website: http://www.mantid.nl/tarantula/baumgarteni.html

Enjoy your little jewel!
 

Andrea82

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Yes it is, it's very hard to trust sellers these days. So when I asked @Stella Maris who she purchased from I simply wanted to know if she truly has the true Brachypelma baumgarteni 1" inch sling. The batch that some of my friends and I received from the Mexico import my slings are just about to reach the 1" inch mark. So if she purchased a sling that was from the Canada inbred stock I would have to say that the sling would be a bit bigger, depending how well it was fed. Also my two specimens from the inbred stock that was imported out of Europe are immature maleles, one of those males is 3.75" inches.

@Stella Maris I am just trying to help for you to understand that these is a species that has been muddled with through the years, and that there are only a few people that imported this species in the last couple of years. I know your original post is not in question, I just thought you should know that you should know and seek where your sling originated from, I don't know if the seller told you that he or she bred baumgarteni and if that's the case you ask for photos of the breeding and of the parents.

This is a species that I'm highly passion of...............and that is making a comeback to our hobby.
If she doesn't want to share the info on where she got it, then that's that...;) no need to keep tagging her.
 

Jeff23

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Jul 27, 2016
Messages
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Small Brachypelma require a bit more moist then larger specimens. In nature spiderlings will "burrow" in fallen trees. So even in the dry season the small ones are well protected. once they are juvenile (when they get a little color) you can keep them perfectly well on dry substrate provided you add a water dish.

To give you a taste of how they live in the wild, see my website: http://www.mantid.nl/tarantula/baumgarteni.html

Enjoy your little jewel!
I really like your website. I love to see pictures of our tarantulas in their natural habitats.
 

metallica

Arachnoking
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Aug 18, 2003
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I really like your website. I love to see pictures of our tarantulas in their natural habitats.
CHEERS! And with the Brachypelma part now complete, I can work on other genera now....... But where to start? Bonnetina? Psalmopoeus?
 

Stella Maris

Arachnoknight
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Jan 28, 2017
Messages
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If she doesn't want to share the info on where she got it, then that's that...;) no need to keep tagging her.
Yes I've had inquiries from other posters asking me where I live and where I got my sling. I have absolutely NO intention of stating where I live, who I am, etc. and it's definitely creeping me out.
 

Jeff23

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Yes I've had inquiries from other posters asking me where I live and where I got my sling. I have absolutely NO intention of stating where I live, who I am, etc. and it's definitely creeping me out.
I don't think you need to get concerned about it. People ask each other where we buy things on this forum all the time. We are all looking for good deals and trying to figure out the best place to purchase items. But it is your right to choose not to answer.

EDIT* There is also great concern on people ruining our hobby here in the USA with garbage breeding that corrupts the purity of the species.
 

Andrea82

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Yes I've had inquiries from other posters asking me where I live and where I got my sling. I have absolutely NO intention of stating where I live, who I am, etc. and it's definitely creeping me out.
You don't need to feel creeped out. It is just that this species is very much sought after. So it is not you, but your sling's seller that they're after ;)
 

Rob1985

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Temperament always vary from specimen to specimen but (talking in general) I say that among genus Brachypelma IMO the only bit of 'attitude' T's are B.vagans.
I had a female B. vagans up until a few years ago. She was super skittish and kicked like crazy!
 

Jeff23

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I have just learned information that has made me remove my support for that website. I can not support anyone who wants the USA hobby to fail.
 

metallica

Arachnoking
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P.S. Eddie...your going to change the annitha you have listed on your website very soon.
You make it sound like I should be surprised ..... I Have collected tarantula in Mexico since 2008. These specimens are in the national collection. I have been on field trips collecting with Jorge and other colleagues from the UNAM. I would not be surprised if you will read my name in the revision.
 
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Andrea82

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How on earth can you hold one person accountable for all the US tarantula hobby to fail?
Even if it was possible (which I think is not), how would Europe achieve that without creating a severe backlash to its hobby?
More and more countries are closing their exports, effectively making Europe and the US interdependent on each other for fresh bloodlines and species continuance. By 'ruining the US hobby', Europe would be cutting its own fingers.

I wish Europe and US breeders could just work together. That would be way better for the Theraphosidae and keepers worldwide. But nope.
 

Stella Maris

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So I have a couple additional questions regarding my sling:

Is a 5.5 oz deli cup too big for a 1 inch sling?

I've been leaving my sling alone but I'm sort of worried because he keeps resting on the walls of the deli cup right at the very top where the lid would come off. I never-if rarely-see him on the substrate (Eco Earth). He will not eat live prey for me period; I crushed the head of a small cricket (the size of his abdomen) and laid it in there. Doesn't look like he has come down to feed on it though. I don't think he's in pre-molt, because his abdomen hasn't darkened.

Is this anything to worry about or should I just continue to leave him alone? I've read that some terrestrial slings burrow but this sling has made no visible burrows that I can see.
 

Jeff23

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Messages
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So I have a couple additional questions regarding my sling:

Is a 5.5 oz deli cup too big for a 1 inch sling?

I've been leaving my sling alone but I'm sort of worried because he keeps resting on the walls of the deli cup right at the very top where the lid would come off. I never-if rarely-see him on the substrate (Eco Earth). He will not eat live prey for me period; I crushed the head of a small cricket (the size of his abdomen) and laid it in there. Doesn't look like he has come down to feed on it though. I don't think he's in pre-molt, because his abdomen hasn't darkened.

Is this anything to worry about or should I just continue to leave him alone? I've read that some terrestrial slings burrow but this sling has made no visible burrows that I can see.
All of my small slings 1/4" and up to that size are either in 5.5 oz deli cups or Hobby Lobby Baseball cases. I have fallen in love with the baseball cases because they do not flex when you hold the container. They also are very clear. They are a little more work for ventilation holes however (small tipped soldering iron or drill bit). Make sure you don't make the holes too large (escape).

If you over size your container which is what I am doing it is more work to feed your tarantula. I end up making sure I drop a few pieces of pre-killed cricket into each container to insure it can find food when it searches for it. Based on this situation your sling will grow slower because it takes more work for it to find food.

The nice things about the over-sized choices:
1) Regulation of moisture. I moisten a majority but not all of the substrate. That way the sling can regulate its own access to moisture without drown or drought.
2) Ability to easily setup a burrow and piece of cork bark next to the plastic so that you make it easier for the sling to feel at home and be monitored when it disappears from the surface for long time periods. I make a liftable flap out of 3M blue painters tape to give the sling darkness in the burrow. I can lift the flap to peek on occasion.

EDIT*
Do not get the Ultra Pro case if you go that route. Get this one.
http://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Model-Kits/Display-Cases/Clear-Baseball-Display-Case/p/910

Walmart sells the 5.5 oz deli cups with lids.
 

Andrea82

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The substrate might be too wet if it refuses to walk on it. But it also can just be a quirky sling. I would keep providing it with pre killed food. Make sure even the pre killed food is not too big, some slings will even shy away from too big pieces of dead food. Has it a leaf or something to hide under? It could help it make it feel more comfortable.
 

Stella Maris

Arachnoknight
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Jan 28, 2017
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Are there any hides small enough that you can suggest that fit into a 5.5 oz deli cup? I'll do what Jeff said and offer more than 1 pre-killed carcass on the substrate. I haven't been able to find any of the fake leaves that are small enough to fit in his house; where can you find them?
 

Jeff23

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Messages
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Are there any hides small enough that you can suggest that fit into a 5.5 oz deli cup? I'll do what Jeff said and offer more than 1 pre-killed carcass on the substrate. I haven't been able to find any of the fake leaves that are small enough to fit in his house; where can you find them?
If you have a Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JoAnn store, all of them have fake plants though you will have to buy a full stem with multiple leaves because of packaging. These stores also have all kinds of small plastic objects that can be used or converted into a hide. You might have something at home made of plastic that can be converted to become a hide - Bottle caps, plastic thimbles, a piece from a large diameter straw, etc.

The substrate might be too wet if it refuses to walk on it. But it also can just be a quirky sling. I would keep providing it with pre killed food. Make sure even the pre killed food is not too big, some slings will even shy away from too big pieces of dead food. Has it a leaf or something to hide under? It could help it make it feel more comfortable.
^^^^ You might also verify you don't have too much moisture as mentioned by Andrea82 if you prefer the current size enclosure. Usually they will try to get out if something is not to their liking on their current home. I stopped using the very small containers right after trying them because I would accidentally flex the plastic too easily which would upset the tarantula making it want to escape.
 
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