The Journey Begins

[cold blood]

u_u indeed, man.

One day you will end with a beauty WC Scolopendra subspinipes: I've tried to feed her just before a male B.dubia (with one of my cats near, btw) to mine... she was like "no, thanks" and me again, trying and she "no, thanks" until she disappeared into the substrate

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

...and I know of at least one possum and one cat he's killed.

Heyyyy!

I guess it should be pointed out that when it comes to ordering on-line being desirable but you are daunted by overnight shipping costs for a single spider, there is another option. But you have to willing to gamble. You find a vendor known for their packing skills and order 2nd day. You forfeit the LAG, but if the vendor is good at packing the odds are in your favour. Variables need to be taken into account in regard to weather conditions, I would not risk it during a heat wave or the opposite. Good vendors take measures against those possibilities, but let's face it, once the package leaves them, it is out of their control. Also, the closer the vendor is, the more the odds are raised towards you, probably. But if you roll the dice and crap out it is a blow, naturally.

I've gotten two shipments 2nd day from Swifty, one in mid-spring the other on the fall and there were no issues at all. Of course, the order-in-multiples economic strategy still applies when it comes to overnight and is really the most sensible way, probably.

 

[cold blood]

Many places give LAG with 2 day under desirable shipping conditions.

 

[dokpm0]

She seems to be acting like a typical rehoused T so far. I put her in her new enclosure right in front of her hide and she went right in. I haven't seen her come out of her hide yet, though her posterior is half way out of it at the moment. So I suspect she did some exploring and went half way back in.

She's making progress. She's out beside her hide with me in the room with the light on. I guess she's getting a little more comfortable in her new surroundings.

 

[dokpm0]

She's making progress. She's out beside her hide with me in the room with the light on. I guess she's getting a little more comfortable in her new surroundings.

She's definitely settling in. She's settled in enough to start complaining to management about the slightly damp substrate. Another strike against Eco Earth. Having to use water to transform it from brick form to usable substrate isn't appreciated by species who prefer dry substrate. I wrung it out as thoroughly as I could, then left it "fluffed up" and uncovered to dry out some overnight before moving her to the new enclosure. I shifted it around a few times before going to bed to aid in the drying process. For future reference, does anyone have any tips for drying this stuff out more thoroughly? I'd hoped it was dry enough today that she's find it tolerable. She took up about 1/4 of the deli cup she came in, and that was with her legs drawn in close to her body. There was no room for a hide or water dish in there. She just had a sponge cube for water. So I wanted to get her into her new home sooner rather than later.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

My local shop is pretty good to me and fortunately enough the owners son is a T person too. That being said not everyone is so lucky. Online retailers are great and weather permitting shipping Ts is not as risky as other animals. Welcome to the hobby. As far as the eco earth you can always throw it on a cookie sheet and bake it for a bit to dry it out

 

[Kayis]

For future reference, does anyone have any tips for drying this stuff out more thoroughly?

I just get it ready ahead of time and pack it away in a tub for future use.

My local shop is pretty good to me and fortunately enough the owners son is a T person too.

The one i'm near is okay. They bring in a lot of beginner T's but as usual the knowledge isn't really there. I only buy when they have something on my "list" and price isn't that much different from purchasing online. If they ever bring in more G. Pulchras....I'll be taking all of them home with me

 

[dokpm0]

She's definitely settling in. She's settled in enough to start complaining to management about the slightly damp substrate.

She's happier with the substrate moisture level now. She stayed on top of her hide over the weekend until things dried out a bit. She was down on the substrate when I got home from work today. She's been pretty active for a G. rosea, alternating between pet rock imitations and exploring her new surroundings. She's happily working on a cricket as I type.

 

[Kayis]

No one is home at my place to sign for deliveries while I'm at work

There's always the option of having it held at a FedEx hub or w/e is being used for shipment. The signature is mostly so the T's aren't left outside exposed to hot/cold weather. Most will LAG it as long as it's picked up from the hub within a timeframe and not left overnight.

 

[Moakmeister]

90 miles? That's nothing! I've driven further than that (one way) to pick up a Craigslist spider, to attend a reptile expo, to take my kids to the zoo or beach - heck, in college I used to drive that far just to go to the movies! (Rocky Horror Picture Show, every weekend)

There will be a Repticon in Dallas on August 19-20: http://repticon.com/texas/dallas/

There's also the NARBC Conference in Arlington (which I believe is near Dallas?) on February 18-19: http://narbc.com/Arlington/show_info_narbc_arlington.html
(I'm not sure how many vendors at that one will have tarantulas, but it might be worth looking into. The vendor list is available on the website. You could check out a few of the vendors and see if they'll be bringing spiders or if that one is strictly reptiles.)

There's also the Lone Star Reptile Expo in Arlington on March 18-19: http://www.lonestarreptileexpos.com/

Vendor lists for events are generally available on the website. While these events are mainly reptile-oriented, you can look up the vendors and see if there are any that deal in inverts in addition to their reptiles. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the Texas vendors so I don't know who sells what.

There will also be a Repticon in Houston on February 25-26. Might want to look into it.

 

[Paiige]

Congrats on your new pet rock!

In all seriousness, my rosie was my first T as well and I love her dearly. When she's not fasting she has a wonderful feeding response, she's always webbing her floor and even though she's not bright blue and doesn't have any crazy markings, I still think she's beautiful and she may be my favorite of my Ts to this day (I call her The Dinosaur). She's been with me for almost a decade. Never gotten a threat pose and I did a lot of poking and prodding many years ago when I first brought her home.

I've acquired my last few Ts from a LPS and even though they're not terribly knowledgeable and are a little overpriced, they take care of their animals and I can't beat the convenience of driving 15 minutes down the street. The Ts have all been healthy and relatively well-adjusted, and they make no guarantee on gender and will openly admit they have no idea how to sex them (or what their scientific names are)

 

[dokpm0]

There will also be a Repticon in Houston on February 25-26. Might want to look into it.

Houston is about 230 miles away. Granted, in Texas that might still be considered right down the road.

 

[dokpm0]

I've acquired my last few Ts from a LPS and even though they're not terribly knowledgeable and are a little overpriced, they take care of their animals and I can't beat the convenience of driving 15 minutes down the street.

Local convenience is a definite plus. While the LPS I got my G. rosea from is about 25 miles from where I live, it's only about a 1/4 mile from where I work.

 

[Moakmeister]

Houston is about 230 miles away. Granted, in Texas that might still be considered right down the road.

I was talking to the guy who posted that message initially. Was also hoping you might be close to Houston as well. And no lol that's about a five hour drive. Not "down the road" at all.