This is really good advice! Also do you know how to find vendors then? I’m new to the hobby but am ready to expand!I like to look on Craigslist to find spiders that people are getting rid of. Sometimes people who don't know what they have or are getting out of the hobby will have good prices on their spiders.
Other than that, just establishing good relationships with your vendors that you buy with often will frequently lead to freebies and gifts. I think a solid 1/3rd of my collection were freebies. I mean, the B smithi in my profile pic was a gift to me from a vendor I am friends with. It works out to be nice
I recommend going to your local reptile shows, where there will typically be tarantula vendors or reptile vendors who also sell tarantulas. Speak with the vendors there, look them up, see how their reviews are. Once you find a vendor or two that you like, you can follow their social medias and email them before the shows to ask them for their species list (do this a few days to a week in advance, because right before a show, vendors are getting ready to pack up and set up a booth, and might not have time to check their email). That way, you can ask to pay in advance and get the best pick of what they'll have at the show, or at least save money on shipping.
When you “rescue“ a neglected animal, your just helping the seller to see its a bargain, and so he gets more animals to neglect even if you saved some Ts.
This was from a person who had lost interest in the hobby and was getting out , not a "seller" / store. so......
Thats the kind of seller than gives em cheap and good.
Beautiful T’s and that sounds good plus, yeah the wild caught thing is odd
Yeah, then you hear about people getting these WC adults and they drop a sac, which makes me a little sad because that sac of spiderlings could have really helped maintain the local population where they were collected from, but on the other hand if the buyer properly cares/ raises them then more slings available to the hobby which here in the US we really need to step up our breeding game, Europeans are lightyears ahead of us when it comes to captive breeding Ts.
Do you have no private breeders and / or clubs in the States? This is how we get our animals in Europe; usually at a fraction of the price!
We do have a few breeders and a few- but far between clubs, but like I mentioned it isn't even a fraction compared to what you folks in Europe enjoy.
It's a shame, it can be so easy. But here too human greed will destroy everything sooner or later!
Sustainability and environmental conciousness has a lot to do with it I believe, for instance in your country there are strict laws regarding recycling, where as here in America the majority of the population dont bother to recycle at all.
For me it is nice to hear that from the "mouth" of an American.