T. blondi temper

[Beans N Fijo]

Howdy just wanna hear about you guy's T. blondis.... Recommendations on care and enclosure.... and just some cool stories on their nasty temper!!! Thanks!

 

[Beary Strange]

Well luckily they aren't that easy to find. These are advanced keeper Ts and rare; there are people who've kept tarantulas for years, that have huge collections, and don't own a blondi. Either due to the difficulty in finding a true blondi or because they don't feel up to or like dealing with their care requirements. Kept in even their required standards of high "humidity" and warmth, you hear stories of stirmi and blondi dying.

 

[Poec54]

Stirmi are what's available now, and what most of us have. Considering the two look VERY similar, and stirmi is the hardier of the two, there's no reaso for the majority of us to have blondi. Why struggle with it? I got over a dozen w/c stirmi last year, juveniles to adults, and all are doing well with moist substrate and plenty of ventilation, most have molted. I also keep their water bowls full. Tempements of the adults and subadults are fairly mellow, never had a threat pose. The juveniles are more nervous, but again, never any aggression towards me. They show no mercy for their prey however. Occasionally they'll kick hairs.

They do get big. I just had a 9" stirmi molt, which I assumed was an adult, become a 10" mature male.

W/c specimens are usually thin from a lack of food and water, but if promptly given proper conditions, usually quickly rebound. They're not a spider for everyone, but for an experienced keeper, they're great.

 

[Beans N Fijo]

Thank you two for your responses.... T. blondi is one of my favorite species due to their size, apparent aggression, and theyre just badass lol. Im not lloking to get one anytime soon as we are really new to collecting t's, but I would really want one someday. There's a pet shop near my house that had two blondis once, but they were kept in small deli cups athat were smaller than their legspan and they were both PIIIIISSED. one appeared to be near mature and the other was way smaller but still big. didn't get them out tho bc I didn't want something terrible to happen. is it common for pet stores to keep them in small containers?

-Chris

They also sadly had some Avicularia Versicolor slings and Horned Baboon slings (among many other interesting species Togo Star Burst, Skelton Leg, ect.) which I whitnessed get completely knocked over and just treated like no big deal. Is their any way to report the mis treatment of Ts? When I tried to stress my concern to the shop clerk they just kind of laughed like "their just spiders,chick" . Maybe I'm just over thinking it but none of these spiders had proper ventilation and/or proper amount of room for their size. as Chris mentioned, the two Blondis were kept in deli containers WAY smaller than their leg span.....how are they aloud to sell them to just any old joe when they are obviously not in the right conditions and are extrememly pissed off....
the worker not knowing us what so ever even tried to get us to take out the bigger of the blondis...which I might add not informing us at all of their temperament or anything about them...actually kind of happened vise versa...

-Katie

btw, also were attempting to sell dead slings.....

 

[Osmo]

t.strimi was my first T. I jumped in guns blazing. It was about 3" when i got it. I think it was wc.

Of all my T's he wasnt even the one i feared the most. Sure it is defensive and big. But my OBT is what scared the jesus out of me.

That said my strimi is healthy and over 8" now.

 

[Poec54]

Thank you two for your responses.... T. blondi is one of my favorite species due to their size, apparent aggression, and theyre just badass lol. Im not lloking to get one anytime soon as we are really new to collecting t's, but I would really want one someday. There's a pet shop near my house that had two blondis once, but they were kept in small deli cups athat were smaller than their legspan and they were both PIIIIISSED. one appeared to be near mature and the other was way smaller but still big. didn't get them out tho bc I didn't want something terrible to happen. is it common for pet stores to keep them in small containers?

Strimi gets as big as blondi, and they're what's been imported for the last few years, so it's very unlikely pet stores have any these days. Mind you, that doesn't stop them from labeling their stirmi as 'blondi.' They're huge spiders and all too often are in containers that are too small. When I've gotten mine, I've picked the skinniest ones, so I could give them some TLC (and mice).

 

[LordWaffle]

I have a single CB stirmi. I'm new to it, and it's only 3rd instar so I haven't seen it get huge yet. When you do eventually get ready, save yourself the headache and nab a stirmi. Odds are you'll end up paying for a blondi and ending up with a stirmi anyway. So far, it's pretty skittish, but at this stage all Ts are.

 

[herpguy]

Theraphosa in general aren't the same kind of aggressive as the OW aggressive species. I've found that they will quite readily rear up but they definitely don't chase after you.
Here was an old female of mine (she was 10" same side length) rearing up like usual:

She was a big'un, definitely my favorite T I've ever had.

 

[Beans N Fijo]

ok so we just watched a video title how to tell the diffence between t.stirmi and t.blondi. They were most definately T.Stirmis because of the lack of hair on the patella. Still, not ok living conditions. I guess they were just trying to make a extra buck or were misinformed... Thank you everyone for the feedback, much appreciated.

Have a peaceful night people and Ts,
-Katie and Chris

 

[Beary Strange]

ok so we just watched a video title how to tell the diffence between t.stirmi and t.blondi. They were most definately T.Stirmis because of the lack of hair on the patella. Still, not ok living conditions. I guess they were just trying to make a extra buck or were misinformed... Thank you everyone for the feedback, much appreciated.

Have a peaceful night people and Ts,
-Katie and Chris

Not to derail the point of the thread but...There is also, sadly, the possibility that they just don't care. As far as they're concerned, it fits in there, so who cares. A lot of people don't think of spiders as animals and thus don't feel any sort of compassion towards them, they don't consider for even a moment that they're abusing an animal. There have been stories on the boards about what other people have done to members' Ts that had they done the same to a dog, they would have been arrested. And unfortunately animal welfare laws do not cover spiders, in fact in looking up this info myself I found they don't cover an array of exotic pets that they most definitely should. I've had pet store workers laugh in my face when I tried to help them take better care of their spiders, as if it were absurd to think that the spider might be suffering. I would suggest rescuing those that you can, and can afford. I've been tempted to rescue a few T.stirmi at my LPS but $150 is a lot to pay for an animal I may not be able successfully nurse back to health.

 

[Poec54]

Theraphosa in general aren't the same kind of aggressive as the OW aggressive species. I've found that they will quite readily rear up

I don't think any of my Theraphosa have reared up. They'll kick hairs or go in their retreats instead.