Petstore cobalt sick? should I buy?

[The Juice]

On my quest to find a "pretty" cobalt I found 2 at a local petstore but first one I looked at was curled up, but it was moving it's legs. Then I looked at the other one and it was beautiful but it's abdomen was a little small, but I thought I read that this is common in asian species? But in the sides of the abdomen look alittle sunken in dehidrated? Both were bone bone dry I think these are the same ones they had this summer but I didn't buy because they were missing a leg. They both are about 5" and $30 but I have a coupon so it will be about $25 is this a good price for a cobalt? are males blue too?

 

[KoRn]

thats cheap as hell for a cobalt. I would take them both and care for them.
males are blue too yes.

 

[The Juice]

$30 is what cobalts are going for at petstores around here. I just have to wait for my girlfriend to leave so I can sneak it in.

 

[MizM]

I would wait for a week or two and keep an eye on them. Lately, almost every single time I buy a WC T from a pet store, it's ended up being infected with some parasite or another!

My last purchase was an adult female a. seemani that I needed because my male is ready to mature. I left her in the pet store for a month before taking her home.

Keep an eye on them and see how the fare in the store. Or, buy BOTH as Korn suggested! That way if one dies, you will have one left!!

 

[The Juice]

The other one looks sick it is all curled up, and it isn't very pretty. I just hope I get lucky and get one that comes out of hiding every now and then

 

[JBoyer]

Good luck with your decision!

Jennifer

 

[MizM]

"Curled up" could mean the death curl. I would DEFINITELY speak with the manager, explain to him you fears about WC individuals being parasitic, and ask him if he would offer some sort of guarantee.

 

[Lycanthrope]

if you buy it it tells the shop theres a market for their mistreated and poorly cared for t's. they will buy three to replace the one you buy. it sounds bad, but its better you let them die there, they will be less likely to buy another "bad investment". spend a few more dollars and get one from an arachnodealer. then you get a healthy captive bred t, and you support someone going lengths to supply us with tarantulas.

 

[Frostbyte]

I paid $15 for my Cobalt at a show. Id express your concerns to the petstore .. most petshops buy Cobalts and sit on them. They arent an average T and are nasty too. Id make sure they have a replacement offer ( incase it dies ) and maybe try to see if the owner would take a lesser price. Good Luck !

 

[MizM]

I tend to agree with buying it. Or at least let them know what's up with it. If you let them know you are knowledgable about Ts and express your concern about their health, they just might clean up their act and start taking proper care of them... maybe even stop buying WC and get CBs instead!

 

[The Juice]

I will go back tuesday and tell them they have a pretty good selection of slings more than wc, I bought my 1" haitian brown from there for $7

 

[metzgerzoo]

I agree whole heartedly with the others in talking to the shop manager, however, if it were me, I'd be having a few "words" with them about their lack of care and consern for the animals and would tell them how to properly care for them. Also, if it were me, I would not buy either, as I can't see spending the money on a T that may be too ill or weak to pull through, but you might have a chance with the dehydrated one. In their condition, I would not EVER pay that price for them, especially if they are WC. If they were healthy, I'd say great price but not if they are sick or alling.....Just my opintion

 

[The Juice]

Well one just looked sick the other one I am thinking about getting looks fine. It's enclosure was just dry, well it's abdomen looked a little sunken in on the sides, but I might be mistaken I will look again.

 

[MrFeexit]

Water.....get them water

 

[Earth Tiger]

dirtyduck:
$25 is definitely a bad price for a Cobalt Blue with missing
legs and a dehydrated body, because unlike other genus, a
dehydrated Haplopelma may very well die. A dehydrated
Haplopelma will almost never recover, and it will just sit
there waiting for the eternal doom. Expect to see it dead
every morning and it will just become more dead than alive.
Its painful suffering can last from a few days to 1 year, but
unless you are an experienced Haplopelma keeper, it
almost certainly never take food nor drink again.

Many WC golden morphs of Haplopelma schmidti also
suffer from dehydrated conditions and those looking for
so called discount/good prices of Haplopelma schmidti
will almost definitely end up with a Haplopelma schmidti
on its long way to pass away. Those Chinese collectors
actually house the tigers in dry recycled tiny soap boxes
and pool them up until someone ordered. Some tigers
caught at earlier time may have been imprisioned for
6 or more months ...

 

[MizM]

Sadly, that just happened to me. My $40 female WC h. schmidti passed away this weekend. She was 7" of pure gold. She looked pretty beat up, but I just couldn't resist trying to revive her. She drank gallons of water, and ate well, albiet sluggishly, but never fully came out of the partial death curl. When I submersed her in alcohol to prep her for R.I.E.S.M., a little brown wormy thing floated to the top. Just as I had feared, she was carrying vermin!

But, I tried and that's what counts. Her last days were spent in a nice, warm, moist burrow rather than a cold deli containter on hard bark with no water. I made the choice to spend the money on her knowing full well she could die. Ultimately, it's your choice... do what you feel is right and best of luck.

 

[Crotalus]

I would leave the spiders in the shop, and tell them not to sell halfdead animals.

/Lelle

 

[MizM]

AND beat 'em with Sam's Tarantula Beater!!!!=D

 

[DnKslr]

Hey, I'll be going down to Manhattan tomorrow or Friday to get my PZB and maybe a Chaco, I'll make a stop at Pet's~N~Stuff to check out the cobalt. If it doesn't look too bad I might pick it up too(maybe I can get the manager to lower the price). I've been there several times and all the T's looked good. I'm surprized they would let a T get like that. I would say if you have the time to have them throw in a warm, wet paper towel near the Cobalt, wait a few minutes to see if it looks better. Mine recovered almost instantly when I accidently dried it out. I think she is still plotting against me for that mistake. Geez~ she sure holds a grudge!

 

[Earth Tiger]

One reason shop dealers treat T's so poorly is because T's are in general very hardy, at least far much more hardy than all your vertebrate friends and other insects. Even if they are critically dehydrated or starved to an extent that they will never recover, they will only die perhaps 6 months later and by that time they will very likely be sold out.

Not only Haplopelma, I think critically dehydrated Avicularia species will also die within a year but perhaps it is harder for a beginner to tell whether the countdown has begun due to their active nature. In Hong Kong there are lots of A. a. die in this way.