My new friends!

[Catch Smiley]

I'm pretty new to the hobby, I bought my first T about two months ago (and Chaco Golden Knee sling I call SJ39). It's really cool, I very much enjoy it. Yesterday I was at a reptile show that's held in St Louis every few months. While there I picked up a Mexican Red Hair I call CC29, and an Asian Forest Scorpion I call AM2. I'm pretty excited, they both look really cool! The Mexican Red Knee I can tell is a little nervous, while moving it into it's new container it wanted to kick hairs often. The scorpion is super calm, more than I ever thought a scorpion would be, I can pick it up with no problem anytime. I've read many care sheets about all three species, but I'm always willing to listen to any tips from people that have more experience.


thanks,
-Scott

 

[Rhodin]

Does this "mexican red knee" look like a b.auratum to anyone else or am I just daft? lol
May I also ask how your naming system works? Is it some kind of reference that I'm just not getting?

 

[rob0t]

Looks like a smithi to me. Will be easier to tell as it gets bigger though.

I'd get rid of the wood chips for the smithi and add soem coco fiber, potting soil, peat etc.

 

[Catch Smiley]

My naming system is a way I combine two of my favorite things, sports and sci-fi. I name them after popular athletes for St. Louis teams I watched in my youth. I give them the initials and number to give it kind of a sci-fi feel.

 

[Rhodin]

Looks like a smithi to me. Will be easier to tell as it gets bigger though.

I'd get rid of the wood chips for the smithi and add soem coco fiber, potting soil, peat etc.

My naming system is a way I combine two of my favorite things, sports and sci-fi. I name them after popular athletes for St. Louis teams I watched in my youth. I give them the initials and number to give it kind of a sci-fi feel.

Oh I see, well if it was sold as a smithi and you think it looks like one it likely is. I just didn't know that they had less distinct markings as juveniles. As for the substrate it appears to be coconut fiber to me, just much less ground up than you find with the sort sold as bricks. The brand I've seen sell coco fiber the way it looks in his picture is called kritters crumble.

---------- Post added 05-21-2013 at 03:11 PM ----------

My naming system is a way I combine two of my favorite things, sports and sci-fi. I name them after popular athletes for St. Louis teams I watched in my youth. I give them the initials and number to give it kind of a sci-fi feel.

Reminds me of names for droids in starwars, very cool

 

[Catch Smiley]

The substrate is hermit crab bedding. It's looks like wood chips, but it's actually very soft. The crumble easy, I'll probably move it into top soil soon

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

I agree that doesn't look like a B. smithi. Was it simply labeled "Mexican Red Knee"?

 

[Catch Smiley]

I'm pretty sure it had both "B Smithi" and "Mexican Fire Leg" but don't remember 100%. I actually didn't get the tarantula from the reptile show, only the scorpion. I picked up CC29 from a tropical pet store, same place I bought SJ39. They sell several different species of Ts and breed most of them themselves, so I think I should trust them? I just did some research on auratums, doesn't seem like there's much difference between them and the smithis, is there?

 

[Rhodin]

I'm pretty sure it had both "B Smithi" and "Mexican Fire Leg" but don't remember 100%. I actually didn't get the tarantula from the reptile show, only the scorpion. I picked up CC29 from a tropical pet store, same place I bought SJ39. They sell several different species of Ts and breed most of them themselves, so I think I should trust them? I just did some research on auratums, doesn't seem like there's much difference between them and the smithis, is there?

Nope, to my knowledge they are very very similar both in care and overall size/build. I think arautums look prettier but many prefer smithi's because they are "classics". Fire leg would be something else entirely, b.boehmei which we can be sure you don't have.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

I'm pretty sure it had both "B Smithi" and "Mexican Fire Leg" but don't remember 100%. I actually didn't get the tarantula from the reptile show, only the scorpion. I picked up CC29 from a tropical pet store, same place I bought SJ39. They sell several different species of Ts and breed most of them themselves, so I think I should trust them? I just did some research on auratums, doesn't seem like there's much difference between them and the smithis, is there?

Aside from aesthetics, no. Care will be exactly the same.

 

[Spiderkyle]

Gorgeous scorp! I've always been so tempted but the girlfriend draws the line on spiders haha, also I thought b.smithis had a darker carapace? I could be mistaken as most of my experience lies in ow, also a triangle is visible which smithis I thought didn't have as well? Again I could be completely wrong

 

[BrettG]

That is not auratum.

 

[LadySharon]

Ok ran took a few quick pics with my good cam. Ok - they are too big to upload so I stuck them in photobucket. I hope they don't render too large.



B. SMITHI



B. AURATUM



B. EMILIA

The emilia has the triangle. But the legs don't quite match. This emilia is I think 1.5" which may be similar to yours. My smithi above is my smallest smithi and is about 2.5-3? the auratum is larger. I can't recall if the smithi started with a triangle as a smaller sling. I believe that B. annitha may also have a triangle when young. I recall seeing threads on them with two different looks. I bought some in Nov but they are itty bitty slings that don't have any color to them yet.

Anyway - all Brachys are kept the same.
(and boy shreaded itty bitty coco bark - eco-earth in bags to be exact - looks way bigger when zoomed.)

 

[C007BOND]

I also think this is B.auratum.

 

[Catch Smiley]

Thanks for the pictures, I did some quick research, seems like it very well could be a B Annitha. Seems to be the same thing as a smithi, other than the triangle

 

[Catch Smiley]

CC29 (the T in question here) molted the other day, here's some pictures. Anyone have a clear idea of what species it actually is. Also, can anyone tell the sex of it?

 

[LadySharon]

I have no new info other then what I already posted. (leaning toward the B Annitha)

You need to take a picture of the molt open - hairy side down- or a picture of the underside of the T in order to do a sexing. (or did you already post pics in the sexing forum?)