I might buy one, but I don't know...

usmc6213

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
5
Hello all. I was doing some research on Tarantulas and found this site. I'm thinking about buying a baby one, but I don't have a clue what kind it is. Pet store salesperson said it's a birdeater. (Because it has a dark butt) :? I am thinking about getting into this because I've always been fascinated with spiders and have always wanted one. I can't ask the breeder what kind it is because apparently he went to jail for one reason or another and all of his (2000+) spiders were siezed. So the pet store has about 10 itty-bitty Tarantulas in little film cases for $6. So my questions are...When will I be able to positively identify it, and how? What kind of care do they need when they start getting too big for the film case? Is the substrate they are in right now going to be fine when they get a little older? How can I tell if it's a female or male? What are the temperature requirements? Do they vary by species of Tarantula or are they pretty much the same? Can I keep it outdoors? (<--Wife doesn't want a spider in the house...I can keep it in my garage, though) I'm sure I have more questions, but I can't think of any right now. I will be getting a book about Tarantulas if I pick this one up, but I want to do some research and find out if this would be a good idea or not first. I don't plan on handling it, just watching it. I do understand that raising a spiderling is a big responsibility and that it is probably recommended to get a more mature spider to start with, but this is what I want. The spiders they have in the store range from $45-$120. I don't want to spend that much money on a spider. If anyone has any advice on this that would be great. Thank you in advance.
 

JColt

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
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Mar 25, 2007
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277
Go to the sale area of board and get one here. Much cheaper, most captive bred and healthy and you'll know what your getting. Find someone you want to buy from and check breeder/seller reviews. Buy from someone with good rep. You'll need to keep in the house. Garages are usually too cold in winter and all those nasty fumes would probably kill it. Get a RoseHair, Curly Hair, Stripe leg or other docile spider first. Getting a "baboon" or "Birdeater" first might turn you off as a first spider because of there defense and speed.
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
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Oct 10, 2006
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2,151
These are all good question that you should keep in mind while searching this site. There are a lot spiders refered to a bird eaters so there no telling what species it is. Since there no telling what species it is, theres no way we can acurately tell you to take care of it. It would not be good you keep most tarantulas in any condition of below 60 degrees for an extended period of time so I would rule out keeping a tarantula outside or in the garage year around. If you can't keep a T in a closet or a room that would be out of your wifes way, I'd say you propably won't be getting a T. Good Luck.
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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it might be fun to get a surprise species tarantula ;) if you aren't worried about anything with nasty dispositions or strong venom that is ;P

i'd say for most species of T's you could keep in a small jar with holes in the lid or a small deli cup. use peat moss for substrate, mist once or twice a week. crush cricket's heads and feed them as much as it will eat.

i don't know about keeping one in the garage, that seems kind of silly. plus it will die if it gets too hot or cold.
 

Mina

Arachnoking
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Oct 4, 2005
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2,136
To start with, anything with birdeater as part of its name is probably not a good choice for a first tarantula.
Read these boards for a while. See what other people have and how they like them. Look at the gallery for some pictures.
You need to decide what you will be comfortable with, there are some tarantulas that can get 10 inches in size or bigger, there are some that are very defensive, some that are very fast, some that climb, some that dig burrows. What do you want from a potential pet?
Think about it, read the boards for a while. Do a search on threads about what is a good first time tarantula. Good luck!!!
 

arrowhd

Arachnolord
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Dec 22, 2006
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656
Do yourself a favor and go to your local library or bookstore. Get a copy of The Tarantula Keepers Guide. Before I stated keeping T's I got this book from the library and it answered many of my questions.
It's going to be hard for anyone here to answer some of your questions. If the slings you want to buy are in film cannisters, it could be several months to a year before they are big enough to positively id. Same goes for the sex of the sling. As mentioned the garage probably won't work unless it is climate controlled in the winter.
This is an interesting and rewarding hobby. To get the most out of it do your homework before you buy any sling or T. You and the T will be glad you did.
 

usmc6213

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
5
Thank you all for the advice. The reason I asked about the type is because the pet store's only reason for calling it a birdeater is because it has a dark butt. I found that to be odd seeing as there are hundreds of species of T and she could tell just by looking at it's "butt"...I'm kinda leaning towards the Chilean Rose if I don't buy one of the babies. I'm not going to keep it in the garage. Thanks to this website I've managed to convince my wife that they aren't as ferocious as the TV portrays them. Either way, I'll keep you all posted on what I get. For the curious out there, here's what I'm looking for:
I want a spider that is active but not jumpy. I want to watch it move in it's habitat. I want one that I can handle occasionally. I want to be able to show my children what they are all about. Oh and I forgot to mention that it doesn't matter to me if I get one that will grow to 3" or 10". It will likely stay in it's habitat most of the time.
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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you might like an avic. i don't think many T's are "active" comparably with other pets, but some are more than others.

i don't really like holding any of my tarantulas, thats what my pet rats are for ;P

as far as T's being monsterous, even the T's with the nastiest dispositions of all can't do anything but throw a hissy fit when they're locked safe in their critter keepers ;)
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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I want a spider that is active but not jumpy. I want to watch it move in it's habitat. I want one that I can handle occasionally. I want to be able to show my children what they are all about. Oh and I forgot to mention that it doesn't matter to me if I get one that will grow to 3" or 10". It will likely stay in it's habitat most of the time.

A G auriostriata (Chaco Golden Knee) is a nice terrestrial T that fits all these requirements. They are a pretty dark brown-black with golden striping on the legs and gold fuzzies on the abdomen. Chaco's are known for rearranging their substrate constantly, they're pretty gentle and spend a decent amount of time out in the open. Also they grow pretty large (8" or so) and relatively quickly. They're also not too expensive - maybe $20-$30 for a 1"-2" sling. You might want to start out with one that size rather than a tiny baby, it's more rewarding that way in my opinion.

There are better, calmer handlers (G. rosea) Better displayers (B. smithi or any brachypelma) and more industrious workers (P. murinus-evil) but Chacos have a nice combination of all these traits. Plus they eat a LOT so your kids can watch her feed often.

That's my $.02. Have fun with the hobby and don't hesitate to post questions here. We all like to help when we can.
 

usmc6213

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
5
Ok so I just called the local pet store and they have 3 large ones and 8 slings. The large ones are :King Baboon, Mexican Fire Leg, and Columbian Red Leg. The Mexican is $100 and the other two are $60. Is that a good deal or a rip-off? I'm going to do a search for this, but can you tell me if any of those even kinda meet my requirements. (Those requirements aren't set in stone)
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
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Oct 14, 2005
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Ok so I just called the local pet store and they have 3 large ones and 8 slings. The large ones are :King Baboon, Mexican Fire Leg, and Columbian Red Leg. The Mexican is $100 and the other two are $60. Is that a good deal or a rip-off? I'm going to do a search for this, but can you tell me if any of those even kinda meet my requirements. (Those requirements aren't set in stone)
A hint: common (ie, English) names could be just about anything. Pet stores mislabel and completely make these up just for kicks. Heck, like you said, some dumb woman at the store thinks it's a birdeater just because it has a dark butt??? Pet stores are terrible, and they could be selling you pretty much anything.

They also WAY overcharge compared to private breeders or other owners selling their stuff in the buying/selling/trading forum here. My advice, don't even bother buying from the pet store.

(BTW, the King Baboon is going to be a whirlwind of aggression and hate, the Mexican is *probably* a Brachypelma which are known to be big nervous hair kickers, and I have no idea what that last one might be.)

etown up there gave you the best advice so far. My suggestion, go here: http://www.swiftinverts.com/ and grab one of those $25 1-inch G. aureostriata. Because it's over 20 bucks, he'll also send you a freebie baby off the list. And if you tell him you're a complete noob and ask for something docile, he'll help you pick your freebie.
 

xBurntBytheSunx

Arachnoprince
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an adult king baboon for $60 is a fantastic price regardless of sex. i've seen adults go for $300 b/c they're such slow growers. as beautiful as they are, they're also pet holes, venomous, and aggressive. so maybe not what you're looking for.

if mexican fire-leg is labled correctly ( one of these http://www.swiftinverts.com/pix/Bboeh1.jpg ) $100 is a very good price for an adult female.
 

Sheazy

Arachnoknight
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Apr 19, 2007
Messages
155
Thank you all for the advice. The reason I asked about the type is because the pet store's only reason for calling it a birdeater is because it has a dark butt. I found that to be odd seeing as there are hundreds of species of T and she could tell just by looking at it's "butt"...I'm kinda leaning towards the Chilean Rose if I don't buy one of the babies. I'm not going to keep it in the garage. Thanks to this website I've managed to convince my wife that they aren't as ferocious as the TV portrays them. Either way, I'll keep you all posted on what I get. For the curious out there, here's what I'm looking for:
I want a spider that is active but not jumpy. I want to watch it move in it's habitat. I want one that I can handle occasionally. I want to be able to show my children what they are all about. Oh and I forgot to mention that it doesn't matter to me if I get one that will grow to 3" or 10". It will likely stay in it's habitat most of the time.

Hmm...sounds to me like the people at the pet store have no idea what it is...lol.

Some species of tarantula's abdomens darken and turn black before they molt. This could be the case or it could just be one of the T's that is naturally just dark as slings. Some slings are complete opposite of how they will look when they start to get adult colors. For instance...an A. avicularia has pinkish legs with black toes as slings, and adults can be blue to black with pink toes. There are probably much better examples...but that's the first one that comes to mind.

Did you get to see the slings? I know it is a long shot, but depending on size you may be able to check some breeders sites that provide photo's of the slings. You might find one that looks like it, but maybe not. At least you will get to see a bunch of tiny slings and narrow it down a little. One specific breeder that comes to mind who seems to always have slings pictured is Krazy 8's

Like mentioned it could be a year or two before someone could positively ID, or sex it just because of the size, and color changes they go through while maturing into adulthood.

To get a good idea of some active tarantula's you can see different keepers opinions here...

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=96795&highlight=Most+active+T

Since you want to occasionally handle it, I would recommend something docile of course, there are several good starter T's mentioned in the above link. The biggest thing like everyone mentioned is just research. The more you know, the better off you and the T will be. The Tarantula Keepers Guide is an excellent source of info, and covers everything from basics to advanced keeping and more. This place has TONS of info, and lots of people are very helpful. Get a few idea's of what you might want to start with and just start searching the scientific name on here and you will find lots of info and loads of people and their experiences with those T's. It helps alot reading about peoples real world experiences and opinions, plus you can often pick up tips, or tricks that you may not have otherwise come across or known through normal reading, or google searches.

You can always find something great for sale in the for sale section, and maybe even someone local to you. This would obviously be better since you will know the exact species and thus allowing you to focus on finding out and maintaining the appropriate habitat for it.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. You never know...you may get one and then feel the addiction like so many others have and end up with many!
 

usmc6213

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
5
I can't tell you how much all of you have helped me today. I think I've learned more today than I ever have. Whatever I choose I'm not just going to jump into it. I've been doing research all day (while I'm supposed to be working). I called the other local pet store and they have what they call a "wolf tarantula". I managed to find a "Lycosa narbonensis", but when I Google that it comes up with what I always thought was a wolf spider and it also comes up with a wolf tarantula. They have those for $8. He also said he has a "Rose" for $29. I'm thinking because of the lack of knowledge/experience I might end up getting one from a breeder and not some kid who gets paid minimum wage to sweep up bird crap.
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
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Oct 14, 2005
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I called the other local pet store and they have what they call a "wolf tarantula". I managed to find a "Lycosa narbonensis", but when I Google that it comes up with what I always thought was a wolf spider and it also comes up with a wolf tarantula.
This is that problem with English names in action. {D It's a mess. You're correct to want to look elsewhere.
 

usmc6213

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
5
Is there a way to find out where a breeder is from without looking at every single post?
 

Sheazy

Arachnoknight
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Apr 19, 2007
Messages
155
Is there a way to find out where a breeder is from without looking at every single post?
I haven't seen anything that has them separated by location. You might get some results by searching for breeders in your city or state on both here and/or google.
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
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Is there a way to find out where a breeder is from without looking at every single post?
It doesn't really matter where a breeder is from, shipping tarantulas is perfectly safe and good, so long as you get it overnight. :)
 

Sheazy

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
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Apr 19, 2007
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It doesn't really matter where a breeder is from, shipping tarantulas is perfectly safe and good, so long as you get it overnight. :)
Yes, but in his case he was looking at a $10 sling, and then it would be at least $25 or possible higher for shipping. I think this plays into the part I mentioned about possibly finding someone local. I know I have seen listings from NC, but I dont remember where. Just keep looking man, and you will find someone local to you. However, if you do go with just any other breeder, you might want to get the Chaco Golden Knee, as it is very active, likes to dig and rearrange things alot...plus relatively cheap...order from swift and your guaranteed a freebie like previously mentioned.
 

dragonblade71

Arachnobaron
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Jul 1, 2007
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“Thanks to this website I've managed to convince my wife that they aren't as ferocious as the TV portrays them.”

That is unbelievable that people actually believe what they see in horror movies! Films of this genre have really given the tarantula a bad reputation...
 
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