My first tarantula, having a lot of trouble!

[tarantulanewbie]

Hello Arachnoboards!
As you can see from my username, i'm new to this hobby and have been searching for the right fuzzy pet. I'm also new to forums, so please be critical, but not too critical..
Anyway, I've been to a few Reptile Stores since they often have arachnids. They all have the usual, G. Roseas, and this one little shop had a B. Boehemi sling for 80 dollars! I don't know much about pricing, but that seems to be a bit pricey to me, especially when i'm just starting out. And I have a pretty tight budget..
So I figured, okay whatever i'll get a Rosie, so I ask him how old they are, there were two, he did not know.
Yes, they are often caught in the wild, but I thought he'd have some idea. He also had sponges in their dishes!
Breeding ground for bacteria..::
He also didn't seem to have much knowledge with tarantulas, so I went to another shop, same G. Roseas.. They're too common and I want something a little more colorful.
I apologize for running on and on, but any help would be appreciated! Any ideas, suggestions, or whatever are welcome!

 

[paassatt]

Instead of worrying about the age of the spider, concern yourself more with its instar (instars are periods in between molts) or legspan size. Try and get yourself out of the mindset of more common domesticated pets...saying a tarantula is 2 years old really doesn't carry much weight.

 

[tarantulanewbie]

You're correct, but I'd like to have a sling and watch it grow through it's life cycle, until slowly it becomes a big furry adult. And what do you mean by carrying weight?

 

[catfishrod69]

my suggestion is to get to know some people in your area that are here on the boards. and maybe you will find someone within driving range that has a tarantula you would be interested in. also research on different tarantula species. maybe look at Grammostola pulchripes. and yes $80 for a boehemi sling is way too much.

 

[paassatt]

You're correct, but I'd like to have a sling and watch it grow through it's life cycle, until slowly it becomes a big furry adult. And what do you mean by carrying weight?

By not carrying weight, I mean it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Someone can tell you a spider is X amount of years old, but even if they truly know for sure how old it is and aren't lying to you, it's preferable to go by instars. For example, you can get a 3rd or 4th instar spiderling and watch it grow from tiny spider to big spider.

 

[tarantulanewbie]

That's a nice spider there, and yes I think I might look for local breeders because at the moment, I have nothing to do online orders with. Which kind of diminishes my choices. And I also need to find the tank which no shop in my area seems to have. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[catfishrod69]

well if you want to start with a sling, then dont worry about a tank. just find a plastic tupperware tub, or deli cup, vial, condoment cup. anything of those sorts will be fine for a small sling. then once you are ready to rehouse it into something larger, you can go to walmart and get a sterilite tub. thats what i do for most of mine anyways. the tubs are stackable, cheap, and rugged.

 

[tarantulanewbie]

By not carrying weight, I mean it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Someone can tell you a spider is X amount of years old, but even if they truly know for sure how old it is and aren't lying to you, it's preferable to go by instars. For example, you can get a 3rd or 4th instar spiderling and watch it grow from tiny spider to big spider.

Yes I understand you, but what I meant by age is I want to have it as long as possible. I'm sort of picky it seems, but i'd like to know what it was fed and how it was treated so it can live as long as possible, and that's why i'd prefer a really young sling.

---------- Post added 01-31-2012 at 06:58 PM ----------

Actually there's a very slim chance, very slim, that I might be able to order off online dealers. Any you guys would recommend? And thanks for all of the help!

 

[Anonymity82]

Tarantulas often grow at different rates (besides genus/species) depending on their environment. Kept warmer and over fed, they are likely to grow faster and molt more often because they will metabolize at a faster pace than kept cooler and fed less. They also can just grow at different speeds for any unknown reason. That's why keeping their instar (molts) carries more weight than months or years.

If you want a sling, your best bet would be to research the sling(s) you want and then search for online dealers who have them if you can't find any local stores that have them. My LPS says they will get me anything I ask but I have no idea how much they would charge, but it's an option if you don't want to order online. There's a nice online dealer review section on this forum too.

 

[toast4nat]

You might also want to check your local craigslist postings. I got my beautiful G. rosea female via craigslist and sometimes those listings are advantageous because the seller usually wants to get rid of the spider's enclosure as well. A good craigslist sale is few and far between when it comes to tarantulas, but I just did a search in the Los Angeles area and got a few hits. It's worth a shot. Otherwise, I second what the others have said before me; nothing beats a reputable breeder in your area.

 

[catfishrod69]

well if you get a young sling, and are able to raise it to adulthood successfully, depending on species it might live for 30 years. so you should be fine. try sukai94 on here. she is in california. also she has a website. JamiesTarantulas

 

[Anonymity82]

Yes I understand you, but what I meant by age is I want to have it as long as possible. I'm sort of picky it seems, but i'd like to know what it was fed and how it was treated so it can live as long as possible, and that's why i'd prefer a really young sling.

---------- Post added 01-31-2012 at 06:58 PM ----------

Actually there's a very slim chance, very slim, that I might be able to order off online dealers. Any you guys would recommend? And thanks for all of the help!

Different species live for differing amount of times. B. smithis can live for 40+ years! You also want to look at how long it's going to take your T to grow to a full size. It might take 10-15 years for you T to mature depending on the species.

As far as recommendations their is a Online dealer review section on the forum. Scroll down, you'll see it.

 

[tarantulanewbie]

well if you get a young sling, and are able to raise it to adulthood successfully, depending on species it might live for 30 years. so you should be fine. try sukai94 on here. she is in california. also she has a website. JamiesTarantulas

Wow! Thanks for the suggestion! She's having specials with kits! Thanks a lot. But she has some I haven't heard of and I doubt they're good for beginners, i'm going to keep looking through it.

---------- Post added 01-31-2012 at 07:07 PM ----------

D'oh. Another question, what do I feed the slings? There are no crickets small enough, it would kill my sling! Do I have to crush it or something of the sort?

 

[catfishrod69]

your welcome. and the B. albopilosum, B. vagans, C. cyaneopubescens would all be good to start with. also you could order one of the tarantulas from the tarantulas list, then a kit seperate.

 

[Anonymity82]

Wow! Thanks for the suggestion! She's having specials with kits! Thanks a lot. But she has some I haven't heard of and I doubt they're good for beginners, i'm going to keep looking through it.

---------- Post added 01-31-2012 at 07:07 PM ----------

D'oh. Another question, what do I feed the slings? There are no crickets small enough, it would kill my sling! Do I have to crush it or something of the sort?

I actually just ordered the B. vagans sling kit from her! I'm so excited and can't wait to get it! You can feed your slings cricket parts or pinhead crickets if you can get them.

 

[tarantulanewbie]

I actually just ordered the B. vagans sling kit from her! I'm so excited and can't wait to get it! You can feed your slings cricket parts or pinhead crickets if you can get them.

Oh cool! I was looking at a A. Veriscolor but I heard those can have problems molting. Can you prove this claim?

 

[Anonymity82]

Different species live for differing amount of times. B. smithis can live for 40+ years! You also want to look at how long it's going to take your T to grow to a full size. It might take 10-15 years for you T to mature depending on the species.

As far as recommendations their is a Online dealer review section on the forum. Scroll down, you'll see it.

EDIT: I just looked it up in the TKG and there is a possibility the B. emilia (not B. smithi) can live up to and past 35 years.

---------- Post added 01-31-2012 at 10:25 PM ----------

Oh cool! I was looking at a A. Veriscolor but I heard those can have problems molting. Can you prove this claim?

No I can not. Sorry. They look really cool and I do want to own some avics sp. one day but I don't like the fact they need higher humidity to thrive. On the other hand, Avicularia sp. is very popular so you can find a lot of helpful information on this forum if you use the search function and do decide on A. versicolor. .

 

[tarantulanewbie]

Yeah, I was thinking about getting the B. Vagans but I read they can be kind of skittish, i'm afraid i'll hurt the fella if it surprises me. And i've held a tarantula before and know what to do, but you never know. I could breathe on it wrong and bam, no more spider.

 

[Anonymity82]

Yeah, I was thinking about getting the B. Vagans but I read they can be kind of skittish, i'm afraid i'll hurt the fella if it surprises me. And i've held a tarantula before and know what to do, but you never know. I could breathe on it wrong and bam, no more spider.

I've read a lot of good stuff about the G. pulchripes. Same genus as a Chilean rose but they are supposed to be pretty docile and hardy. I've seen some slings for pretty cheap too. Like catfish said you can buy the T separate and get the kit as well. If you're going to get the sling enclosure you can ask her if she can place it in the same box because it's so small. Deli cups work too or you can even use a small dunkin doughnuts (unused) plastic cup too. Endless options for cheap enclosures. Jon3800 has some basic care sling videos on youtube. I love that guy.

 

[Jeepergirl1992]

I'm relatively new to T keeping too and my first spider was a WC G. rosea. Lots of people bash on them for this or that, but I think it was a great first T. Shortly after that, I got a little B. smithi sling. I think it's nice to have the combo of a sling and an adult T.

You'll be surprised how much you'll worry about your first T! I sit and watch my sling molt through the whole process cause I'm so nervous about it going well!