What to look for in a pre-owned tarantula

[J0urney]

I found an LP on craigslist at a reasonable price for "her" size and am going to check her out soon. My problem is is that this is my first tarantula and Im not sure exactly what to look for? Any advice on some potential red flags or things I should consider? Basically Im happy with the price but what should make me say no.

Also if this turns out to be a bust what should I look for in pet stores/with other breeders?

 

[Dovey]

Well first of all, realize that, in spite of the current owner's presumed best intentions, "she" could turn out to be a male.

Now, I have a mature male LP that has been mature for well over a year now, in fact pushing 2 years, and he is in great shape though he doesn't eat very often. But I understand that his days are numbered. He will not shed again and hopefully one day he just won't wake up.

But when you purchase a spider on Craigslist you have to understand that it may not be as advertised in terms of its sex. By the time you found out, it would be far too late to do anything about it.

I mentioned this hypothetically, having never gotten a bad deal on Craigslist for a spider. But the most you can really hope for at this point is "presumed female" unless the owner can provide an old exuvia which you can investigate for female parts. This is not likely.

 

[Teal]

I would ask how they know the sex - Was a molt sexed by someone who knows what they are looking for?

Her enclosure looks like it would need major renovation.

If I were you, I would order from someone reputable and read up on proper enclosure set ups. That T would be a nice pick up for someone who already has the supplies to revamp the enclosure and who wouldn't mind if it ended up being a male.

Also, COMPLETELY IGNORE the part about handling. Do not handle tarantulas.

Pet stores are not good places to get tarantulas... you want to order from a reputable seller/breeder (the Classifieds here are full of them).

 

[J0urney]

Yea, I always knew that there was going to be a risk with the sex. but asides from a potential for a much shortened lifespan, what else should I be on the lookout for? realy just trying to find physical indicators of the spider being in poor health?
Also, thank you so much for your response I hope your LP's days are innumerable and happy!

 

[chanda]

In a pre-owned tarantula, you should look for low mileage, only one previous owner - preferably a little old lady that only took her out for a spin every other Sunday, and make sure it's received all regularly scheduled maintenance and service.

But seriously, I'd want to know how they know it's female. Did they molt sex it? Did someone else tell them it was female? Are they just assuming that it's female, or guessing based on abdomen size, leg proportions, or attempted vent sexing? If she was molt sexed, do they still have the last molt so you can see it to confirm that she's really female? Are you sure it's a great price? How big is she? (The listing doesn't say.) Lp slings are cheap, readily available, pretty easy to care for - and they grow fast. Because this is your first tarantula, my guess is you won't be able to confirm that it's a female just by looking at the spider. (Heck, I've got 20-odd tarantulas and have been keeping them for years - and I still can't tell males from females just by looking at 'em, unless they're mature males.)

My personal Craigslist experience has been that the majority of my "unsexed" juvenile/sub-adult spiders hooked out male within a year or less. Could be coincidence - or could have been unscrupulous owners trying to unload surplus males before that final, tell-tale molt lowered their retail value. On the other hand, the few female spiders I purchased on Craigslist did turn out to be female. (They were also, however, purchased from experience keepers/breeders who were using Craigslist to offload surplus spiders - not from some random person who just didn't want to care for the spider anymore.)

As with any online transaction, caveat emptor - buyer beware. If the price is attractive enough for you to buy the spider - even if it turns out male - then go for it. If it seems a bit on the high side for you, given that there's a chance the spider might turn out male, you might be better off sticking with reputable breeders/sellers - many of which can be found right here on AB in the Classifieds forums. If you are looking for a brick-and-mortar store near you, look at the conditions in which they house their animals. If the animals are housed or cared for inappropriately - wrong substrate, arboreal setup for a terrestrial spider, unnecessary heat pads, dead crickets littering the bottom of the cage, dirty sponge in the water dish, etc. - then you run the risk of the spider being less-than-healthy when you get it.

If you are not in a huge hurry, you could also watch for the next Reptile Expo or similar event in your area. There are usually a bunch of dealers and breeders at these things, with a broad array of reasonably-priced spiders on-hand.

 

[Dovey]

I second the motion about not handling this species of tarantula. If you haven't, you should read the arguments, which are myriad, against handling tarantulas that are available on this site. But you should add to that the fact that LP urticating hairs can be particularly irritating and are probably already scattered all over the habitat. They do that often when laying web to protect their nest against mammalian predators, especially mice. This is not a spider you would ever want to handle for any reason.

 

[J0urney]

@Teal
Thank you for your responce. I know the enclosure needs work its way too little substrate and from the one camera angle looks like a mesh top which I have been advised against at every turn. But other than that and the fact it could be a male any other words of advice?

 

[Dovey]

About the only way you can know an individual tarantula is healthy is to bring it up yourself. I'm not trying to talk you out of the Craigslist tarantula. In fact I love my Craigslist tarantulas! But with cold blooded animals and exoskeleton possessing animals particularly, there is very little physically to check. Perfectly healthy tarantulas can have bald patches on their abdomens. If a leg is damaged terribly, the tarantula can bite it right off and grow a new one within about two sheds! So unfortunately it's not as easy as looking for Bright Eyes, a wet nose, and a waggy tail. Lively movement isn't even a good indicator, as tarantulas generally only exhibit Lively movement when they are insecure in their habitat.

Don't buy a tarantula with a wrinkled abdomen or any obvious wound to the abdomen. That's about all I can think of.

And speaking of bringing it up yourself, if this is your first spider, I might recommend going for a sling and bringing it up yourself. My first spider was an LP sling, which I simply adored. And by raising it myself, I was never intimidated by its size or speed. Mostly though, I knew it had received the best care because it was my care.

 

[boina]

From one of the ventral pics in the ad I'm tempted to say that actually is a female... If you want it, go for it. You can't health check a tarantula, as @Dovey already described, other than the obvious things (like wrinkled abdomen) and from the pics it looks healthy enough. Bringing up a sling is all very well, but if you want a large, impressive tarantula right now I see nothing that would keep me from getting this one.