New T

[Palespider]

On a brighter side of losing my 5" Usambara, I picked up a 2.5" B. smithi last night at a local pet store. Only paid $50 for it! She was climbing the side of the deli container and I had a pretty good look at it's furrow. I'm about 99% sure it's a female
Boy, is she a beauty. People aren't kidding when they talk about how beautiful this species is. But, she is a hair kicking machine! She kicked hairs at me about 20 times yesterday just looking at her! Will she possibly kick (no pun intended) this bad habbit as she gets older? She's kicked more hair at me in the first day than my 2 T. blondi's and 2 L. parahybana's have in their entire life time!

Jim B.

 

[Arachnopuppy]

You know if petshop people will let you pick up the tarantula to sex it? The shop in my area are run by @$$O's who never let you check closely at the animal they have. They're like, "we get it out and you have to buy it." I only get crix and mice from them now.

 

[Palespider]

Yeah, it was the first time I was at that pet store. I picked up a light that was on a snakes cage to get better light to sex her

Sadly, stores like this, atleast around my town, take very poor care of tarantulas. There was a beautiful H. maculata sling that apparently starved to death. It's abdomen was non-existant,
you could barely see it, and had no source of water. I swear if I had the money I would have rescued every T there. (which was my excuse to get my new smithi )

Jim B.

 

[najig21]

I have a story like that B. smithi one. I was in Petco, looking at the tarantulas, and I noticed that they had an unlabeled cage sitting to the side of the G. roseas' cages, and it had a red-knee in it. I figured that they don't know anything about reptiles or arachnids (and most other animals) I'll tell them I want to buy that black and orange rose hair. They said okay, sold it to me for $17.99. Mine, which I'm pretty sure is a female, is also hair-kick happy. I gently prodded her into a container to switch her to another cage, and I saw all of this dust like stuff fly out the top of the container. I put the lid on, and when I opened it, the rim was COVERED in urticating hairs.

 

[Palespider]

Sounds like you got a good deal there

As an update on my smithi it doesn't kick hairs at all anymore. It seems it became used to me. Which is a relief, I was itching like crazy!

Oh and to the "99% it's a female", I'm now 100% sure it's a male

I do think I have this sexing thing down now. I correctly sexed 2 of my regalis slings and my
B. angustum. The arboreals are definitely a little trickier.

Jim B.