T-less in NYC; Help, please!

[IguanaMama]

I've wanted a BHS (big hairy spider) for a long time. I did some research on them a couple of years ago but caved in to the protestations of my family and didn't get one. It's time.

Firstly, I'm in NYC and I know that there are "rules" about Ts. Does anyone know if it's against the law to own one or just to buy or sell them or what? Do you think someone out there in the more animal tolerant world would mail one to me in NYC or will I have to travel to get one? Do you think it's a bad idea to even get one, since they are so frowned upon in my city?

Next question is which one should I get? If I do get one, is getting the G. Rosea the best idea? I really like the GBB, but since this is my first should I just keep it simple stupid? I'm not looking for love and affection from it, I'm overloaded as it is with warm and fuzzy's in my home. I would probably just keep it on my desk to look at and not handle it more than need be. However, I do have three young boys (that would be instructed not to touch) and so I don't want any escape artists or one that is very aggressive, venomous (sp?), etc. just in case it would get loose.

I read somewhere that Avicularia avicularia can be kept communially. Have people had success doing this? Will I be going way over my head to attempt this?

I would like to keep the spider in one of those pretty glass conservatories (sometimes called wardian cases). Good idea or bad idea? How large does it have to be? Please answer in linear measure rather than liquid.

Since I'm in no short supply of those cockroaches that NYC is famous for, could I feed them to the T or would I have to buy crickets?

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!!!!

Jodi

PS: If you are in NYC and would like to email me privately so as not to implicate yourself, I'm at Jagcbw on aol.

 

[Professor T]

They are against the law to own in NYC. You have to go into Nassau or Suffolk County on Long Island, or NJ or WhitePlains to purchase one. Be careful when you bring it home, if it starts barking and the neighbors' complain, you could get busted.


Grammostola is a great starter genus. G. pulchra the Brazilian Black is one of my personal favorites.

 

[Brian S]

Keeping any spider communally is a risk. If I was you I would start off with 1 spider to see how you like it then expand if you feel the uh addiction.

Oh, and a Greenbottle Blue is also a very easy one to take care of if you would rather have it instead of a rosea or Pink toe.

 

[metzgerzoo]

I don't live in NYC, but I do know that they are illegal there and I don't think any pet stores there can or will sell them. As for feeding them the roaches around there, I would say NO NO NO! The pesticide ratio is probably quite high and if it's not, then the general toxiins are and you could end up killing your T by giving it a Raid tainted roach. Buy or raise your own feeders so you know they are clean.

Starter T.....IMHO, I think the G. rosea is WAY over rated, now don't get me wrong, they are a good T to start with campared to an H. lividum, but there are a lot of real good Ts you can start with. The grammostola species in general is usually good. I'm with professior T, G. pulchra is very good. I also agree that you should not try keeping any T communially until you have become more familiar with them as a whole. Oh, and the GBB is a wonderful T but they are kind of skittish (but then again I'm not an advocate for handling Ts, I think it's a dumb, unnecessary and dangerous thing to do on a recreational basis). If you want to stay away from the venom, stick to the New Worlders, although then you have the urticiating hair to deal with.

As far as the "hands off" theroy, I have 3 kids, ages 5, 3, and 20 months, all of whom know and respect that the Ts are a "look, don't touch" thing. Honestly, I'd be more conserned about the other "fuzzies" in your home than your kids.

The general rule of thumb for housing Ts is 2X their width and 3X their length. I have no idea what a wardian case is, but deli cups, pill bottles, kritter keepers and glass tanks work well, after all, you do have to have an easy way to feed them, do maintence and they do have to have fresh air.

 

[Xanzo]

I have a GBB sling which I got as my first T, They are skittish but not agressive. I handle mine semi frequently and it is getting habituated to me and less nervous over time. If you have no desire to handle it A GBB is still a great choice, they are gorgeous as slings and as adults. They are fast as heck though.

 

[Mattyb]

i wonder how much the fine woiuld be if u were to get caught? and what would they do? take it from u? most people wouldn't touch Ts.


-Mattyb

 

[Sterlingspider]

From a fellow NY-er. Just remember that drugs ferrets and tattoos have been illegal in manhattan for a long time too (though tats at least was repealed a couple of years ago). That doesnt seem to stop people much.

Most of those livestock laws are based on a) protection of others from "dangerous creatures" or b) protection of an ecological niche. Just FYI, here are the statutes in question. (and BOY are they inclusive!)
http://afarnyc.org/laws.shtml
Search for the word tarantula and the applicable section pops right out.

Considering that the typical Ny-er is far more danger to a new world T then it would be to them I dont think that will be a problem, and I honestly doubt one tarantula is going to make any significant dent on the "delicate ecological balance" of the average sewer unless you take up breeding them en masse in your heating ducts or somthing.

Worst comes to worst, take a drive over a bridge and as someone said above, dont let the barking keep the neighbors up *grins*

i wonder how much the fine woiuld be if u were to get caught? and what would they do? take it from u? most people wouldn't touch Ts.


-Mattyb

Unfortunately... yes they might very well take it away.

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/new...City-Takes.Away.Mans.Exotic.Pets-631594.shtml :8o

 

[cricket54]

So if you live in NY city and you have someone turn you in because you have a tarantula or ferret, they could take them away. My daughter had to move from VA to CA and took her ferrets with her. Been there several yrs now and she still has the ferrets. All of the pet stores out there sell ferret food and cages so lots of people have them in hiding. Tarantulas and scorps are illegal to have in a lot of places, but people still buy them. They are a quiet pet that you can hide when someone comes over. You can get into trouble if you rent though and your landlord finds out. Or if the kids or their friends tell someone. Its a gamble. A Green Bottle Blue tarantula is a wonderfull pet spider to watch grow if you get one as a sling or juvenile and watch him grow up. I don't think it would be difficult for a person new to tarantulas to keep especially if you start with a sling. Can you buy real small crickets at a pet store close to you? I wouldn't trust any roaches or insects you can find running lose in the city there. They have been exposed to yrs and yrs of insecticides. GBB's are somewhat skittish, but usually not inclined to bite. I don't handle ours much. An Avicularia versicolor could also be a good pet.
The "rosehairs" they sell in pet stores are not always "handleable" either depending on the spider's personality. If the people in the store can pick it up and hold it for you and show you it is a calm one, then maybe it would be one you might like to have. Have you looked at any of the on line dealers here on the Arachnoboards sites? You must have if you have heard of GBB's.
They would make a good source for pet tarantulas if you want to order one.
They also are great for giving you advice as well. Good luck with making your decision!

Sharon

 

[IguanaMama]

Thanks!

Thanks to everyone that replied. I've been reading the threads and really enjoying the lively discussions. I'm a little nervous, though, as it seems that Ts are addictive and I have a collector's personality. I will have to congure up some real willpower somehow as not to end up with hundreds.

Thanks especially for the G. pulchra recommendation. I looked it up and I really like it. Nice and shiny black, real pretty--I prefer its looks to the rosea.

My action plan is to read up, prepare for three new arrivals and then go to the Reptile Expo in White Plains. It's November 21, I hope I could wait until then. I also hope that I don't get drawn to any reps. I'd be keeping some now, except with three young boys, I don't really have the time for the care they require.

I think that I'll start with one G. pulchra, one pink-toe and one GBB. I might change my mind when I see them in hand (so to speak), but I think three is the right number for me. I don't want just one, as I think that part of what makes them interesting to me would be comparing the likenesses and differences between them. Hopefully I'll be able to get an adult G. pulchra for instant gratification and babies for the others so I could watch them grow.

I was glad that they made iguana keeping in NY illegal, as I thought that since they were so cheap, a lot of people were buying them, and not caring for them properly. However, I think it would make a lot more sense that if someone wants to keep a certain animal then they should be able to obtain a license to keep it. My iguanas were my heart when I was young and single and it bemuses me to think that I would be a criminal if I where to keep them or Ts.

Regarding the roaches, we do not use any insecticides in my home as I have other animals to protect.

Jodi

 

[Greg Wolfe]

Dear T-less...

If no one knows you own a tarantula then I wouldn't really worry about it.
You can be clandestine about your T and enjoy her for years.
For your first T may I suggest a Pink Zebra Beauty. They are sweet and docile.

 

[pitbulllady]

If you do end up getting a G. pulchra, make sure you know its personality first, which means preferably buying it from someone who can tell you what it is like. I've had my share of really aggressive G. pulchras, and seen quite a few others that were every bit as quick to bite as any Old World species. I'd actually recommend this with any first-time T, since even with so-called "docile" species, there are exceptions to the rule.

The problem with you being in a "Tarantula-Free Zone" is that one of your kids might tell another kid that he/she has a tarantula at home, and that kid will end up telling the wrong person. This is how a lot of illegal animals get discovered and taken from their owners, by an innocent child simply telling about his/her pets. I'd like to say just tell your children not to mention the spider, but then you get into the whole ethics of instructing children to lie. They'll figure if it's OK to lie about the tarantula, it'll be OK to lie about anything else, too.

I'm just really glad I live in one of the few places left where I can have any breed of dog I want, still breed and sell puppies, keep exotics like reptiles(including venomous)and tarantulas, and not worry about going to jail, being fined, or having my animals taken away and destroyed simply because they are the wrong species or breed. I often speak badly of the "backwardness" of my homestate of SC, but if banning everything that could possibly cause harm to someone is "progress", I'll stick with "backwards" any day!

pitbulllady

 

[IguanaMama]

Thanks for bringing up the ethics issue. I'm going to have to give it a real think-through as to how to explain this to the kids. Funny thing is that DH and I are real joe-citizen types, pta and all but I always wanted a tarantula and the time is finally right. So I become a law-breaker. Some laws are just so stupid.

I'm still trying to figure out what Bloomberg was thinking when he banned smoking in bars. I don't smoke (used to smoke) and I wish no one smoked, but what are bars for other than catching a drink and a smoke? But that's a question for another BB.

Jodi

PS: My 3 y/o got bit by a 2 y/o human in the playground last week. I sure hope they don't start banning children in NY too.

 

[Brian S]

You could keep a herd of spiders and unless you advertised say with a big banner on the side of your house no one will even know you have them. That's the beauty of keeping tarantulas. They just don't take up much room (unless you have hundreds) make no noise and relatively easy to care for compared to most pets.

Good Luck, and Happy tarantula keeping in the future