M. balfouri

[Merfolk]

I know nothing about this specie.

Max size?
Temperement?
Lifespan?
etc

 

[ShadowBlade]

Is there much color variation between males and females ?

The male on Rick West's site is not much different- http://www.birdspiders.com/archive/87392B2FG3048G23A9G274E505F90E5FC35.html

-Sean

 

[fangsalot]

ok,,im bringin the thread back.as rare as m.balfouri is (and it is very beautiful)p.metallica has to be the most eye catching T. to date.the pepsi blue with the banana yellow,,come on,am i alone on this?

 

[NevularScorpion]

The only T that im willing to pay for almost a gran is the Chicken Spider. Chicken spider are communual ts, i heard that they are bigger than the t blondi and also they are velvet black in color and very bulky. they remind me of M Peterklassi

 

[widowkeeper]

ok,,im bringin the thread back.as rare as m.balfouri is (and it is very beautiful)p.metallica has to be the most eye catching T. to date.the pepsi blue with the banana yellow,,come on,am i alone on this?

yes you are

i would pay gladly 400+ for the m.balfouri and not even half that for a metallica (notice i dont own one ) balfouri is also on the top of my want list and metallica is about 10 Ts down

 

[cheetah13mo]

yes you are

i would pay gladly 400+ for the m.balfouri and not even half that for a metallica (notice i dont own one ) balfouri is also on the top of my want list and metallica is about 10 Ts down

No your not Fangs. I'd rather have a pokie with the colors of the metallica that I get to see more often than any pet hole. Like you said, the M. balfouri is awsome and I'd like to have one but my preferences for any T that is highly desireable has to be one that I can see from time to time.

 

[Stylopidae]

The only T that im willing to pay for almost a gran is the Chicken Spider. Chicken spider are communual ts, i heard that they are bigger than the t blondi and also they are velvet black in color and very bulky. they remind me of M Peterklassi

I've heard they come equipped with surface to air missiles, too.

To me, the infamous Chicken spider doesn't hold as much appeal. Most people won't have the means to care for them in a large communal setting, anyways.

No...instead, I find K selected invertebrates (remember...this is being used in a relative sense compared to the rest of the tarantulas) like M. balfouri and E. olivacea fascinating.

It's good to know that a lot of the first import went straight to breeders (as it should be)...I hate to see rare species snatched up by 'pokemon collectors'.

 

[ShadowBlade]

It's good to know that a lot of the first import went straight to breeders (as it should be)...I hate to see rare species snatched up by 'pokemon collectors'.

Yeah, don't worry Joe. Plenty went into experienced breeder's hands before the average hobbyists even got a price.

-Sean

 

[Moltar]

It's good to know that a lot of the first import went straight to breeders (as it should be)...I hate to see rare species snatched up by 'pokemon collectors'.

While i agree that rare species should go to breeders first, may i remind you that without us "pokeymon collectors" most breeders wouldn't be selling their slings and the whole hobby as it is today would essentially cease to be. Non-breeding collectors probably make up about 90% of the hobby. Who's going to be shelling out $5000 for ten slings of the latest, greatest species if there's nobody to buy the babies once they've grown and bred?

Did i take that too personally? I hate Pokemon...

 

[xhexdx]

Pokemon...never played it, never will. I played Magic: The Gathering back in my day.

I have one P. metallica, but he's a MM and on breeding loans. Assuming there's at least one successful sac, I should be ok with P. metallica for now, so M. balfouri is at the top of my list. I was on and off for a while about getting one, but they're too pricey for my current financial status, so I'll hold off until I get some breeding success (hopefully) and then I'll get one or two.

And Ethan, I agree with your comments, but I also agree that it's good a bunch of them went to breeders first. I guess I'm wishy-washy about it. Eh.

--Joe

 

[Stylopidae]

While i agree that rare species should go to breeders first, may i remind you that without us "pokeymon collectors" most breeders wouldn't be selling their slings and the whole hobby as it is today would essentially cease to be. Non-breeding collectors probably make up about 90% of the hobby. Who's going to be shelling out $5000 for ten slings of the latest, greatest species if there's nobody to buy the babies once they've grown and bred?

However, if the pokemon collectors buy all the slings and have no intent to breed them those species never get established in the hobby.

This is why we don't have species like Scolopendra gigantea in the US anymore. They went to people who weren't willing to attempt to breed them because they valued the specimen over the species.

With M. balfouri, there is a very small amount of slings entering the US at a very slow rate. Their eggsacs aren't all that big, so if one specimen dies because the buyer didn't know how to care for it that's actually a very large loss if you compare it to any of the Brachypelma ssp, for example.

For example...Phlogellius vulpinis originally had 9 specimens imported, according to Frank Somma. The only female I know of (Somma's) died. This leaves 8. I have an immature male. This leaves 7. Assuming an even 50/50 split (I personally think tarantulas have more male than female offspring...personal hypothesis nothing more), this leaves 4 females...best case scenario.

What if those three or four females made it into the hands of someone who didn't know how to perform a cooling period or simulate rainy season, but at the same time weren't willing to part with the female out of rarity? What if those males landed into the hands of someone who powerfed the spider until maturity and then started looking for a female, only to realize that females grow at half the rate of males?

You see my problem with it?

Now...I happen to have a P. vulpinis. I am currently looking for one of the few females out there. I am not an experienced breeder. I know *how* to do the stuff I mentioned earler, however the only spiders I've mated were Aphonopelma seemani and Grammostola rosea. I did not get a sac from either one.

Depending on who has the females, I'm probably going to send them the male...not buy the female. However, if someone has the female and isn't planning on breeding them I'm going to buy the female and still send the male off to someone more experienced than I am. If I find an experienced breeder with a male, I may send them my pair even if I have a female. If I can't find an experienced breeder, but still have the female I'm going to try it myself but only as a last resort...after a lengthy conversation with Steve Nunn or someone else who has bred Australlian species before.

I just don't see this type of mindset from a lot of private collectors and this worries me. Most of them, in fact.

Monocentropus balfouri is a little bit of a different example, because the original stock went to some very experienced breeders...and I know for a fact there's more than 10 of these guys in the US. However, rare species getting into the hands of inexperienced collectors worries me because of the reasons I've laid out above. I don't know how stable the population in Europe is (although I do know they have been captive bred in Europe) and I don't know how soon the next import will be. I do know that it's going to be a small amount that are being imported. They aren't going to be imported by the hundreds like we see from the brachys that are more commonly bred in Europe than the US. My example above is a little bit more extreme than balfouri because it's hardly a trophy spider (P. vulpinis is a dark brown spider...not a sapphire blue spider), I'll give you that however, that's where my opinion comes from.

You're acting like I'm saying that we should keep rare species out of the hands of the general public forever...and this simply isn't the case except for species that are near extinction. I am part of the general public, although some of the projects I'm planning for the near future do involve some rare species. I just don't think extremely rare and high in demand species should be made avalible to the general public until the US has an eggsac or two under it's belt. I think that the dealers should try to sell them to breeders who have a bit more experience with breeding spiders than the average hobbiest. Personal opinion based upon what I think is best for the hobby as a whole.

 

[Moltar]

I guess you guys misunderstood my post. I'm a little punchy today from just being thrashed by my new ex-gf. I agree with basically everything you just said. In fact i recently passed on an oppurtunity to buy a MF M robustum for that very reason. I know they're not "balfouri-rare" but they're not exactly abundant either. I figured she'd be better off in the hands of a breeder.

The pokemon comparison makes it sound like collectors like me can't be serious hobbyists and don't deserve respect from experienced breeders. Although i don't breed i do try to advance the hobby where i can. For example there are two petstore in my area that i work closely with to help them improve their arachnid care techniques and selection. One in particular has gone from strictly WC rosea's & avics to carrying CB pampho's, pokeys, lasiadora's, GBB, etc. And they keep them properly (except for their H lividum, they're too scared of it to rehouse the thing). Anywayz, no flaming battle was intended.

Keep up the good work all you serious breeders! Maybe some day some US produced balfouri slings will end up in Noah's Ark here in Easton, MD.

 

[ChrisNCT]

Well with the Monocentropus balfouri being one of my newly brought in species.... they def add a nice touch to my collection. I am eagerly awaiting their molts since they are showing a blue hint already in the legs. They are 2" now and should be growing pretty quick as they are on adult crickets already.

I may end up letting one go but I would rather watch them grow and maybe get a sack in the future. Maybe a "beginner" breeder/collector like me can get a sack.

Time will tell.

 

[xhexdx]

I figured she'd be better off in the hands of a breeder.

Sorry to hear about the now ex-girlfriend.

So you passed up the M. robustum, but how do you know she'll end up with an experienced breeder. Some Joe-Schmoe (here I go using my own name to make a point) might walk in and buy her and not know the first thing about tarantulas. Kinda doubtful with that particular species, but you never know.

Just my thoughts.

--Joe

 

[Moltar]

Sorry to hear about the now ex-girlfriend.

So you passed up the M. robustum, but how do you know she'll end up with an experienced breeder. Some Joe-Schmoe (here I go using my own name to make a point) might walk in and buy her and not know the first thing about tarantulas. Kinda doubtful with that particular species, but you never know.

Just my thoughts.

--Joe

She's currently in the hands of an individual, not at a store. I'm sure he'll find the right person for her.

 

[xhexdx]

She's currently in the hands of an individual, not at a store. I'm sure he'll find the right person for her.

Ah, well that's good. Nevermind then.

 

[izan]

I managed to pick a couple of 2cm slings just before Christmas and they were 'rationed !' So they are still very rare indeed.

They are feeding very well so far.

Izan

 

[Merfolk]

But still I never heard about temperement, max size, requirements... somebody surely could monitor the behavior of adults, I am pretty sure!!!

 

[TTstinger]

someone said it I don't remember who it was. but they said "I would buy the P. metallica over the M. balfouri because the metallica will hold it's value."

Sad but true, M. balfouri from what I hear breed easily and put out much larger sac's. No one has yet perfected metallica breeding. Just a thought.

 

[fartkowski]

I think I saw it on here a while ago that the M. balfouri's produce very small eggsacks.
Is there anyone who can clear this up?
Is there anyone on the boards that has bred them?