T's in Florida?

[Kodi]

Well thanks for the general area. I did plan to find one and keep it for my collection. I see no harm in it as long as I care for it. I think it would be unique to have a T I caught myself.
Poec you've never caught your own tarantula?

 

[Poec54]

Poec you've never caught your own tarantula?

No, and I have hundreds.

 

[scorpionchaos]

Welcome to arachnoboards, were fellow hobbyist try to kill each other from behind there keyboards in order to help people with questions... great job guys...

I remember hearing about the B.vagans colony in florida a while back but I wasn't sure how it was doing, kind of nice to know that they can hold there own. I agree with python completely Everything in captivity was wild at one point and even though B.vagans flourish in captivity and theres no shortage of them in the hobby taking an invasive animal from a hostile situation in order to keep it contained where it can't hurt anything nor can anything hurt it seems like a win win. so yah go nuts Kodi! I remeber seeing youtube videos of C.gracilis and when later on in life I saw a female with a brood on her back at night in a florida parking lot It felt like nothing I've ever felt before. It was so much cooler than seeing a video or in a cage for me personally to witness this wild animal (granted not the most natural part of its) natural environment was astonishing. It's easy to loose perspective of nature when we contain it as a hobby. But seeing something like that in the wild really open your eyes. I hope you find a new friend out there and keep us updated!

I joined arachnoboards to learn and to help others, I seem to be one of very few......

Huge thanks to everyone who posted an actual answer to the actual question! Those whom poisoned the thread with irrelevant and user targeted comments, you can take i wild guess about how I feel about you...

 

[Poec54]

a non-native/ invasive population of Bracypelma vagans in Florida

There's a fine line between 'native' and 'introduced.' Sometimes it's just the mechanism of transport. Species throughout the Caribbean have been spread from island to island during hurricanes, and all the Gulf states from Florida to Texas have had Caribbean species of plants and animals introduced the same way. I'm sure they disrupt their new territories and compete with the existing species. This is demmed to be fine; they magically become 'native' due to the occasional chance storm and therefore they 'belong there.' If a person does the exact same thing, it's horrible and those plants and animals are invasive and should be removed and/or killed. The logic gets pretty thin.

 

[BobGrill]

No, and I have hundreds.

Congrats.

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Kinkyskink]

Poec, how would him taking one vagans be any different than taking an invasive anole or a veiled chameleon from the populations here in our area? They aren't even supposed to be here, the ecosystem won't tank if one is taken out. And the point has already been stated that the only reason we have this hobby is because a few enthusiasts decided to take a couple home and try to breed then because of their love and fascination of them. It is the same with every spider and reptile in the pet trade.

OP, I would love to be able to say that I caught my own and it would probably be the star of my collection. As long as the spider is kept well and the natural environment is replicated, I see no problem.

 

[Poec54]

I joined arachnoboards to learn and to help others, I seem to be one of very few......

Don't hurt yourself patting yourself on the back. And to think the vast majority of us haven't helped anyone. So glad you're here.

---------- Post added 06-13-2014 at 09:26 PM ----------

Poec, how would him taking one vagans be any different than taking an invasive anole or a veiled chameleon from the populations here in our area? They aren't even supposed to be here, the ecosystem won't tank if one is taken out.

Well then how does taking a few spiders out of their native habitat for captive breeding do any harm? After all, that's how ours got here originally. And that's somehow a terrible thing to do, and yet it's okay for the locals to slash and burn and kill thousands and thousands of tarantulas, without anyone even allowed to relocate them?

 

[BobGrill]

Don't hurt yourself patting yourself on the back. And to think the vast majority of us haven't helped anyone. So glad you're here.

Likewise.

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[elliotulysses]

As I read this I am imagining a T cartel.
"YOU GOT THE B SMITHI MAN, I DON'T MEAN NO ROSEAS!"

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[Kinkyskink]

Don't hurt yourself patting yourself on the back. And to think the vast majority of us haven't helped anyone. So glad you're here.

---------- Post added 06-13-2014 at 09:26 PM ----------



Well then how does taking a few spiders out of their native habitat for captive breeding do any harm? After all, that's how ours got here originally. And that's somehow a terrible thing to do, and yet it's okay for the locals to slash and burn and kill thousands and thousands of tarantulas, without anyone even allowed to relocate them?

The slash and burn is something we can't control. All we can do is educate. People do the same thing with snakes tigers, bears, and all the other animals they are afraid of. We need to be the voices of reason and explain that they need to be respected and not killed just because.

Sorry your thread got hijacked OP. I said my piece and I'm done.

 

[Poec54]

The slash and burn is something we can't control. All we can do is educate. People do the same thing with snakes tigers, bears, and all the other animals they are afraid of. We need to be the voices of reason and explain that they need to be respected and not killed just because.

That's just it, how do we educate them to respect their native plants and animals? That's where most of the damage is done. As we write this, there's acres being burnt down now.

 

[Kodi]

Anywho... It looks like I won't be going it's almost 2 hours from where I'm staying and the rental isn't in my name.

 

[Python]

I've only caught one wild T when I was living in Texas and it was an awesome experience. Coincidentally, it's the only wild one I've ever seen. It was years ago and I didn't keep it. I'm not clear on what the problem is with taking T's out of the wild but I do know that most all of us got into the hobby for the love of the animals and I also know that most, if not all of the people replying to this thread would do whatever they need to in order to keep their animals healthy and happy, no matter the origin. I also know that the people on this particular forum are some of the most knowledgeable people on the planet when it comes to these animals and the most qualified to keep them. I wouldn't be the least bit hesitant to place a wild tarantula in the care of these people. If someone here wanted to collect wild specimens, I would be all for it simply because I know that the people here know more about the natural habitat than anyone else in the world. In fact, it seems to me that if the conservationists had any sense at all, they would check out forums like this one, research it thoroughly and adjust conservation laws to allow people like the experts here to capture, keep and propagate the many species that are threatened with extinction. It seems a waste to shut off access to species because of the limited numbers. Sorry, got off on a bit of a ramble, but my point is, I don't see anything wrong with taking wild T's and keeping them in captivity with the caveat that it's done responsibly.

 

[scorpionchaos]

If we knew the answer to that Poec, Nothing would be endangered or even Extinct for that matter (after dinosaurs.. not much we could have done to save those guys...)

 

[Kodi]

This went from T's in Florida to invasive species, slash and burn, and dinosaurs. Haha great time guys!

 

[MrCrackerpants]

Anywho... It looks like I won't be going it's almost 2 hours from where I'm staying and the rental isn't in my name.

A flame war and then this...LOL!!

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

Anywho... It looks like I won't be going it's almost 2 hours from where I'm staying and the rental isn't in my name.

Go looking for some true spiders then.

 

[Quazgar]

Late to the party here, but I'd like to point out one big issue. Regardless of the right/wrong of collecting wild, introduced animals, the only population of vagans in Florida that I'm aware of (though I could be wrong) is in a privately owned orange grove, and I don't believe they have spread beyond there. Thus your only options for going and looking for them are 1) finding and asking permission from the land owner or 2) illegally trespassing onto private property. Personally, I think we should be respectful enough of other people to not go rummaging around their personal property simply for the excitement of our hobby.

 

[Kodi]

That's exactly why I came to the forums. I wasn't sure if the species had invaded a large or multiple areas making it easy for me to just find the nearest field and start looking, but that isn't the case.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

That's why I suggested trues. Though I still need to go looking myself, we have a number of beautiful true spiders down here. You'll probably find some amazing species.