B. vagans the new Rose hair?

[Tindalos]

Ive noticed that B. Vagans is getting pretty popular now
im going to get one now.

you think its possible within the next two
years that everyone is going to have a B. vagans
just like the G.rosea?

would of turned this into a poll
but cant figure it out how to work it.

 

[Exo]

I don't have a Rosie or a vagans, so I don't know what to say. :?

 

[Redneck]

I got G. roseas and I will be getting my B. vagens really soon.. I only have 2 on the way.. But I would be happy to get 3 or 4 more...

 

[jayefbe]

unless vagans start being imported in the numbers G. rosea are, they will never gain the title of most common pet tarantula.

 

[Harmony67]

We just got 2 vagans slings from xhexdx and already have 2 roseas. I'm thinking that for the price I see vagans going for they will become more popular, especially if lots of people start breeding them.

 

[killy]

Ive noticed that B. Vagans is getting pretty popular now
im going to get one now.

you think its possible within the next two
years that everyone is going to have a B. vagans
just like the G.rosea?

If I have anything to do with it, the answer is YES! When I ponder on how I was offered mine as a freebie and I almost turned it down, I SHUDDER at the thought! Just where would I be today if it weren't for this beautiful, feisty, thirsty, ravenous, hair-flicking, furniture moving, substrate-piling, in-my-face hellcat-bundle of unrequited love !?!?!? My life would be so empty! Can you tell I'm SMITTEN ?!?! And of course I want to spread the gospel: oh ye people, ye T-keepers of great faith, get thee a vagans, and get thee one post-haste!

(don't get me started ) ...

 

[vvx]

No, because they're not being imported. The thing that has made the G. rosea so common is the huge numbers of wild caught tarantulas that are imported into the pet trade here. You can go buy a 5" G. rosea easily at a lot of pet stores. Naturally, these are all wild caught.

B. vagans however doesn't get imported, primarily being in Mexico. So the ones we have are generally captive bred. They are cheap, so you'll see them given out as freebies often. They grow much faster than G. rosea, so you can realistically buy one and raise it in a couple years whereas you're probably looking at 5-10 years for a rosea to get to a decent size. So B. vagans are common, but they're not going to be the next G. rosea.

 

[Falk]

No, because they're not being imported. The thing that has made the G. rosea so common is the huge numbers of wild caught tarantulas that are imported into the pet trade here. You can go buy a 5" G. rosea easily at a lot of pet stores. Naturally, these are all wild caught.

B. vagans however doesn't get imported, primarily being in Mexico. So the ones we have are generally captive bred. They are cheap, so you'll see them given out as freebies often. They grow much faster than G. rosea, so you can realistically buy one and raise it in a couple years whereas you're probably looking at 5-10 years for a rosea to get to a decent size. So B. vagans are common, but they're not going to be the next G. rosea.

And in Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala
Brachypelma vagans is one of the easiest species of theraphosidae to breed so it should not be a problem to expand them in the hobby.

 

[gvfarns]

Rose hairs can't be imported forever. When they aren't it will come down to what breeders can actually breed fast enough for people to buy.

That puts vagans near the top of the list, along with some other brachypelmas. They all just take a long time to grow (rose hair are easy to breed too but again grow very slowly). Probably avicularia will become more common. And actually it may open up a niche for really fast growing tarantulas like LP's.

All in all, tarantulas will be more interesting when rose hairs aren't imported any more. People will still have rose hairs, but they won't be so cheap and they will get more respect.

Or maybe when we stop importing rose hairs we'll import other tarantulas, or people will hunt down the north american ones more.

 

[Falk]

Stop calling them Rose hairs:evil:

 

[Mack&Cass]

I can see it happening...we've got 7 G. rosea and 6 B. vagans...one of our roseas is a mature female, and the other is a penultimate female, but the 5 slings we have aren't nearly as cool as our 6 B. vagans slings. The vagans grow faster, eat better, and are all around better. I'm partial to the whole Brachypelma genus though, and our rosea slings anger me because whenever we do maintenance in their little enclosures, they try to walk out Jerks.

Cassandra

 

[Steve Calceatum]

I do not own a B. vagans yet (though I'm almost convinced), but nothing will take the place of rosies. Rosies are most people's gateway into the hobby, and are rampantly sold at pet stores for CHEAP!!!! You couldn't say that about a freebie tarantula like the B. vagans


Now for the reply.....
As soon as I saw this, I had to be the cynic:

Stop calling them Rose hairs:evil:

No....

 

[x Mr Awesome x]

I have a vagans. My only gripe is that it seems there's an overwhelming abundance of hybrids in the hobby, or is it just me? When they're represented correctly they are deep velvet black with a red abdomen. Too often the ones I see on the boards have deep velvet legs and rose colored carapaces. I know one user that id'd his positively as a hybrid, probably crossed with a B. albiceps. I think the vagans is a very underrated T with a great personality and an appetite like a dumpster and grows very quickly. It's just not worth it to me if the colors are all jacked up. I'm giving mine one more molt to be black or I'm selling it and probably will give up on vagans because of this reason.


-ben

 

[saltyscissors]

They'll never be the new Rose hairs. Those Rose hairs are so pretty! Nothing can replace those super-duper-cuddly-wuddly ROSE HAIRS. Gotta love those Rose hairs!

Stop calling them Rose hairs:evil:

 

[Ariel]

They'll never be the new Rose hairs. Those Rose hairs are so pretty! Nothing can replace those super-duper-cuddly-wuddly ROSE HAIRS. Gotta love those Rose hairs!

Hey now, play nice.

 

[x Mr Awesome x]

^^^ Anyone care to chime in on my tangeant from earlier? I'd honestly like to hear thoughts on this. If it makes no difference to anyone then paypal me some money and you can have what is potentially a knock-off brand vagans.

 

[jayefbe]

^^^ Anyone care to chime in on my tangeant from earlier? I'd honestly like to hear thoughts on this. If it makes no difference to anyone then paypal me some money and you can have what is potentially a knock-off brand vagans.

The whole red rump is awfully annoying to me too, but as far as I can tell, there's arguments as to what species the native populations are as well. It's also totally possible that ranges may overlap and there may be gene flow between species like vagans and sabulosum, in which case the picture would be very muddled. You can always try to find some Florida offspring, just refer to them as Brachypelma sp. Florida.

 

[Moltar]

Until B. vagans adults are being dug up and exported into the pet trade by the tens of thousands every year I'd say B. vagans isn't really a substitute. It seems to me that, if, anything, G. rosea is on track to be the next B. smithi.

I do take your point though. B. vagans is a great starter and all. IMO B. albopilosum is really the perfect starter and makes a great "everyman's tarantula".

 

[jebbewocky]

I think you mean, is B. vagans the new B.smithi?

 

[Kuro]

i kinda feel the same way Killy does about his Vagans. don't know what i'd do with out my fiesty little hellcat. he flicks hairs often, tries to bite me, and likes to try and chase me out of his home but i really like him and would miss him and his fiesty attitude if he were gone. i got him as a freebie with some other T's i bought and i'm glad i got him he's one of my faves



i think B. Vagans are like G. Rosea and B. Smithi...you need atleast one in your collection otherwise you collection isn't quite complete or thats what i think anyway.