Is 4" Grn. Bottle Blue worth....

[VoodooFuneral]

$180 (guaranteed Female), or should I look into the little 1/2" guy for $40. Are these prices average?

Thanks,
~Brenna

 

[maxamillian]

Female Tarantulas tend to cost much more than their male counterparts. Because of the females long life span they tend to be more desireable. But when it comes to a Green Bottle Blue (GBB) it isn't necessary to pay triple digit numbers just to purchase one. GBB's grow so quickly that purchasing one at 1 inch will result in one that can be around 3 to 4 inches in a year. It is fun to watch them grow and grow they do.

I would recommend that you take your money to a reputable online dealer who can offer you a little Green Bottle Blue and some other wonderful tarantulas at the same price of that $180 dollar female.

good luck

 

[Lopez]

I sold a 4" female for £25 (about $50)

 

[darkeye]

I think the real question is :

Is a 4" GBB Female worth $180 to YOU, or would you rather have 4 slings (maybe no females at all, maybe 4 females)?

It really boils down to a personal decision.

 

[GoTerps]

Disregard the european prices, as it has no bearing on your situation.

I've bred this species and have multiple adult females. If I were going to sell one it would be for somewhere b/t $125-$150. But $40 is too steep for a 1/2" sling. If the spider was 1.5-2" then I could see that price.

 

[bonesmama]

I recently got a GBB sling <edit>--- $22.00. So, the choice is yours, if you want to pay that much for a guaranteed female, OR --you could get 8 slings for that price! ;P OR you could get 4 GBB's and some others...lol!!

 

[Fenris]

I paid $56 for a then unsexed 3.25" GBB. She is now about 3.75-4" (and stunningly beautiful). I don't think it was too bad of a price for her. But $180 for a 4" female. That's a little steep. I say to do what bonesmama suggested; it's fun to watch them grow.

 

[FryLock]

I sold a 4" female for £25 (about $50)

Funny how they have kept there price over here tho Leon i remeber seeing Les Fox selling them for £7.50 a juv in 95 or 96 but i found a add from 93 the other day for them at £5 a sling (also Les), i wonder if it's due to demand or there alleged male munching :?.

 

[shogun804]

i dont think its that unreasonable, and personally i think it is worth it and not to mention that the GBB's are probably one of the most incredible looking/facsinating T's in the hobby today IMO.

 

[VoodooFuneral]

Thanks for all the opinions.
I think I'll sleep on it a night or 2. I have 5 T's now, and even though they're no trouble at all to keep....my husband's getting nervous that my T collection might eventually exceed my Living Dead Doll collection.
Not that I ever listen to anyone anyway! I am just wary of slings because I had an adorable 1/2" Avic. Versicolor that dried out (MY FAULT)
and died on me.
Any tips for sling-care of the GBB variety?

~Brenna (the Arachnophobic) :8o

 

[cacoseraph]

GBB slings are probably tougher than average

i've raised one from ~3/4" to about 3-4" now... and that took about 6 months!

and they don't hide *that* much

 

[Jasonic]

Not unreasonable at all IMHO.

IF she came from a reputable seller/breeder that is. Still seem outragous? Factor in that they have overhead and a buisness to consider. Personally, I believe you should charge what the market will bear. If there are few CB GBB adult females out there for sale right now (which is the case atm), that could easily drive a price up. Its all about availability and desirablility when it comes to buisness. Another example...Rare $4 beanie babies went up to $1000 in some cases at the hight of its collectable phase. Why? There were only 100 made, and everyone wanted one.

Using this rule, its easy to see why prices fluctuate. Also, a country of origin might close its borders to livestock collecting/exporting. Look whats happened to B.Smithi over the past many years. Interesting to think that one day our adult rosies might bring over 300 ea.

All that said, I actually just paid 185 for an additional "breed ready" CB female GBB not 3 weeks ago. This might have been an outragous price at say 5+ years ago when there were WC for 50 all over the place. See what I mean


My 2cents

-jasonic

 

[bagheera]

An adult spider took time to mature. They don't happen overnight. Add to that the fact not all turn into females, I can believe that price*. It may be on the high end, but you get a ready made adult animal that is an instant display. By the time it reached that size, it out-survived the other slings that "failed to thrive" . That girl will be with you for many years!

Slings can be fun to raise, but, it is different than recieving a full grown specimen.

*I have seen adult spiders list online at over $1000--and they were not blue!

 

[Fred]

i dont think its that unreasonable, and personally i think it is worth it and not to mention that the GBB's are probably one of the most incredible looking/facsinating T's in the hobby today IMO.

I agree with Shogun

 

[Mattyb]

All i know is i wouldn't pay $180 for no female, when i can go order 2 or 3 slings <edit> for around $30 each and have a good chance of one of them being female.




-Mattyb

 

[Rabid Flea]

I have to agree with Matty on this one, seems like the more logical side to me, that way you would be getting slings that with proper care will be with you longer than an already fully grown female.

 

[Botar]

Price debates are always interesting, but a couple of you have touched on something that I'd like to comment on. I get lots of calls/e-mails from people looking for larger guaranteed female stock and for the most part it is unnecessary. Unless you are in possession of a male you know will be mature soon, or is already mature, go with the multiple slings and save your money. You can usually buy three or more spiderlings for less than the cost of a guaranteed female. That way you'll get at least one female and you can sell off your other female(s) or send away the male(s) on breeding loans. About the only exceptions would be for those who aren't comfortable with raising slings yet or those with current breeding projects.

Botar

 

[GoTerps]

Everyone may not want 3 or 4 of the same species (Gasp, everyone may not want to breed their spiders!!??) Also, everyone may not want to wait 1-2 years for the slings to grow). If your and individual who wants a large female GBB, it doesn't really matter how many slings you could buy for the same price.

 

[P.P.'s Mom]

First let me say that my GBB is my ultimate favorite T! But (shhh) let's be carefull about bragging about them. Dealers are going to read these GBB-glorification threads and jack up the price! JK, definately get one, though.

 

[stonemantis]

I agree with Botar. Save your money and buy a sling or two. The odds of it or them being female are better if you buy multiple slings. It's all personal opinion at this point because it's really up to you on how much you're willing to spend on a T.