What should I ask?

Katy

Arachnosquire
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Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
68
I was offered a tarantula, complete with tank and everything. I was offered it through a grapevine sort of system, and I'm asking a few questions about it since I didn't get much information on it when I was told about it. So far I have:

1. What species is it? If you don't know exactly, do you have a guess?
2. How big is the tank?
3. How big is the tarantula?
4. What is it's temperment like?
5. How much $?
6. Is it male or female?
7. How old is it?

The person who told me about it said it's "pinkish brown and freaking big" that doesn't narrow it down too much as to what species it is! This is only my second T, what else should I be asking before I buy? The price is supposed to be really low since the owner has to get rid of it right away.
 

Bjorgly

Arachnodemon
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Aug 7, 2002
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It's probably a Rosehair, Salmon Pink Birdeater, or a Pink Zebra Beauty. It depends what his definition of big is...to most people a regular 5" tarantula is MASSIVE but to other people big would be like a 11" Salmon Pink or Goliath Birdeater.

Mark
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
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Jul 17, 2002
Messages
3,952
Katy,
first off, welcome :)
second, good questions, but I doubt most people would know the answer to question 7, unless it's captive bred, and they raised it themselves. They probably don't even know the answer to #6, since it's only when males have their maturing molt, and look quite different (in some cases) then the female. Even so, if you only have 1, there is nothing for comparison.
Sounds to me like G rosea, Chilean rose. It's a very common spider sold in pet shops. They are very hardy, and there is a great post about their care that Mark (Bjorgly) just posted.
However, without a pic, and sometimes even with one...that is just a wild guess!
Holley

PS- Mark! You just posted Stan's message, how DARE you call it a rosehair?! LOL!!!! :D
 

Bjorgly

Arachnodemon
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Aug 7, 2002
Messages
729
Holley - I hadn't really read the message myself until after i posted, but Stan says straight out it is not a Rosehair and I put it in the title hehe. Either way, most people probabaly identify the spider as a Rosehair anyways, so the maximum people will be attracted to the thread to better care for their pets :D

Mark
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
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Originally posted by Bjorgly
Holley - I hadn't really read the message myself until after i posted, but Stan says straight out it is not a Rosehair and I put it in the title hehe. Either way, most people probabaly identify the spider as a Rosehair anyways, so the maximum people will be attracted to the thread to better care for their pets :D

Mark
Mark...I'm just messing with your head :)
 

Katy

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
68
Thanks for the help, I already have a Chilean rose sling, and that's the kind I've done the majority of reading about, so I'm hoping this one is too. The last two questions are just out of curiosity, I'd take it no matter what the age or sex. I just read that post that Mark put on by the way. I haven't talked to the owner directly, his stepsister told me about it, so I'm trying to get her to get him to get in touch with me. It's a bit of a roundabout way to go... I did ask about a picture, but she didn't think there was one. If I can't figure out what it is by the time I get it I'll just keep it in the same conditions that the owner is now.
 
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