Where did all the rose hairs go??

starlight_kitsune

Arachnoknight
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So when I got into the hobby originally, G. Rosea/Rose hairs were EVERYWHERE. I had 2 at one point, but they passed away sadly. I was out of the loop for about 10 years since my life was chaotic and now I can't find one anywhere. What happened to make them seemingly less common?? Like I've been looking for months and the only places I can find them are online. I'm hesitant to ship here because my local fedex contracts out the deliveries to my area to some random guy who delivers in his personal car. And the guy has a bad habit of "forgetting" packages in his vehicle for like a week so I'd be worried about something happening to a T if I shipped it here.
 

CommanderBacon

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Chile stopped exports of tarantulas a few years back (2018 I think-?) so wild caught adults are no longer available.

Edit: This is also why you will no longer find E. sp red aka Homoeomma chilensis easily.

It's my understanding that these species are a little more difficult to breed. I suspect that since it was much easier to obtain wild caught specimens, US breeders likely don't quite have breeding them dialed in. I know several rather experienced breeders who have had difficulty producing a sac from G rosea/porteri and H chilensis (H chilensis much more so than G rosea/porteri tho).
 
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starlight_kitsune

Arachnoknight
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Chile stopped exports of tarantulas a few years back (2018 I think-?) so wild caught adults are no longer available.
Ah okay. That makes sense then why I'm not finding any locally. I'm wanting a sling/juvenile anyways, so I may just finally take the leap and order one or two online. Maybe I'll ship it to my parents place so we don't have to risk dealing with my fedex guy

It's my understanding that these species are a little more difficult to breed. I suspect that since it was much easier to obtain wild caught specimens, US breeders likely don't quite have breeding them dialed in. I know several rather experienced breeders who have had difficulty producing a sac from G rosea/porteri and H chilensis.
Lol well dang. I might have a hard time finding a sling then too. Oh well, I'll keep on trying. I absolutely adored my roseas and want another really badly so its worth the wait.
 

CommanderBacon

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Sorry, friend. They're going to be a bit pricier.

You may also find some adults on classified listings from people who are getting out of the hobby, though. I regularly see G porteri available for low prices on Craigslist.
 

Hellriot

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Wow, I didn't know G. rosea are hard to find there, because where I live, they're abundant and very cheap too, I bought a G. rosea sling a month ago for around $10.
 

Liquifin

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It's my understanding that these species are a little more difficult to breed. I suspect that since it was much easier to obtain wild caught specimens, US breeders likely don't quite have breeding them dialed in. I know several rather experienced breeders who have had difficulty producing a sac from G rosea/porteri and H chilensis (H chilensis much more so than G rosea/porteri tho).
Well, I can't speak for H. chilensis, but the G. rosea/porteri are not the most difficult to breed from what I've been told. I think the real problem is the lack of mature males and the lack of proper ID. I knew someone who've bred the G. porteri and it wasn't hard for them to do so. But I can't say for certain, since it was just someone's words, but they did have slings for sale at $20 a sling.

Wow, I didn't know G. rosea are hard to find there, because where I live, they're abundant and very cheap too, I bought a G. rosea sling a month ago for around $10.
Prices in the US are very much inflated, but it's also determined where you live. People within the west coast of the US have some of the higher inflations compared to the east coast of the US.
 

CommanderBacon

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Well, I can't speak for H. chilensis, but the G. rosea/porteri are not the most difficult to breed from what I've been told. I think the real problem is the lack of mature males and the lack of proper ID. I knew someone who've bred the G. porteri and it wasn't hard for them to do so. But I can't say for certain, since it was just someone's words, but they did have slings for sale at $20 a sling.
That's totally fair, but I don't know anyone who has been able to produce a sac of them so far. Even after cooling, a breeder friend of mine wasn't able to get a sac with any of his six females when I brought him a MM G porteri. The male was 2 months fresh and EXTREMELY EXCITED. That was a few years back.

I would assume that if it was that easy, we'd see a lot more slings for sale than we currently do. Have you seen them?
 

cold blood

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I find it amusing....rose hairs are everywhere...everyone disses the species, people wont pay more than 20 bucks for an adult.....they stop imports, numbers go down, suddenly now that theyre expensive, everyone wants one.

I dont think people know what they want, many just want something deemed "hard to find".

I have had rose hairs my whole t keeping life....they are one thing above all else...boring....lol...i am thouroughly amused by the sudden desire for the once (less than 2 yrs ago) undesirable.

JMO


Op, you say you can only find them online....ummm, thats where you should be shopping. If you can find them on line, you can find them.


Hold for pickup is a fed ex option as well
 

Sterls

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Maybe I'll ship it to my parents place so we don't have to risk dealing with my fedex guy
Hold for pickup at a fedex center. Safest way to ship Ts. The animals are stored in a climate controlled room that way - not sitting on a truck, going over potholes, bearing the brunt of the weather.

Anecdotally speaking on rosea/porteri - I feel like I see them online quite a bit actually. They're more desired now, but I wouldn't call them highly desired still. They're notoriously boring and take almost as long as Aphonopelma to grow. The recent surge in popularity is just enough to sell them out.
 
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Liquifin

Arachnoking
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Even after cooling, a breeder friend of mine wasn't able to get a sac
Cooling is not really necessary to producing this species.

I would assume that if it was that easy, we'd see a lot more slings for sale than we currently do. Have you seen them?
Have I seen them? The answer is yes and no. Yes, I see them as people still do breed them. But no as in they always end up being sold out to other people. I don't know how the market is over on your side of the coast, but here on the east it's not too hard to get a good price on them. I've never been interested with G. rosea/porteri as they never been an interest to me. I understand there is no more WC coming in, but that doesn't mean there extinct in the hobby. It's probably just me, but I think the G. rosea/porteri inflation after closing WC imports is a bit over-exaggerated.
 

CommanderBacon

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Have I seen them? The answer is yes and no. Yes, I see them as people still do breed them. But no as in they always end up being sold out to other people. I don't know how the market is over on your side of the coast, but here on the east it's not too hard to get a good price on them. I've never been interested with G. rosea/porteri as they never been an interest to me. I understand there is no more WC coming in, but that doesn't mean there extinct in the hobby. It's probably just me, but I think the G. rosea/porteri inflation after closing WC imports is a bit over-exaggerated.
If they were so easy to breed, I honestly would have expected to see way more slings available than we see right now, especially considering how many are in the hobby. I've seen a fair number of males available, though, so I have never been under the impression that they were all that hard to come by. Meanwhile, G rosea slings are like $40 a piece, and I haven't seen G porteri for sale at all. I would expect that, if they were so easy to breed, my friend would have gotten a sac out of at least one of his six females, but nothing came out of those breeding attempts. And even if cooling wasn't necessary, I can't see how it would have hurt to emulate a season for them alongside his Brachypelma and Aphonopelma breeding projects, but you surely know more than I would about that.

In any case, I haven't heard people having nearly as much difficulty with G porteri/rosea as with H chilensis. I know at least four people who have done their best to breed their female H chilensis, three of them very experienced breeders, and no sac was to be had.
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
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you surely know more than I would about that.
I don't know everything, I'm just told things and I see things of other peoples collection. So even I can't confirm every claim in this situation. All I'm saying is that they're not all the desperation some people would make them out to be. Are they harder to find? Probably, depending on the circumstances. Does it mean they are disappearing in the hobby? Probably not.

In any case, I haven't heard people having nearly as much difficulty with G porteri/rosea as with H chilensis. I know at least four people who have done their best to breed their female H chilensis, three of them very experienced breeders, and no sac was to be had.
H. chilensis is one that I know barely anything about in terms of producing them. Personally, I think they'll come back for a second and disappear again very soon like every other time. Most T. breeders usually get or have a similar list as the next one in terms of import stock. So hopefully more people can afford to import some.

In the US, the H. chilensis suffers from two problems: One, collectors/hobbyists buy them and are not experienced breeders in most cases. Second is the slow growth that takes too long to mature, which is currently the same problem of the G. rosea/porteri at the moment. There are slings out there for H. chilensis, but the slow growth will take years before the next CB US sac is produced unless larger/mature specimen imports come in. And that's about all I know in terms of H. chilensis in the hobby. I hope this gives some insight.
 

CommanderBacon

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H. chilensis is one that I know barely anything about in terms of producing them. Personally, I think they'll come back for a second and disappear again very soon like every other time. Most T. breeders usually get or have a similar list as the next one in terms of import stock. So hopefully more people can afford to import some.

In the US, the H. chilensis suffers from two problems: One, collectors/hobbyists buy them and are not experienced breeders in most cases. Second is the slow growth that takes too long to mature, which is currently the same problem of the G. rosea/porteri at the moment. There are slings out there for H. chilensis, but the slow growth will take years before the next CB US sac is produced unless larger/mature specimen imports come in. And that's about all I know in terms of H. chilensis in the hobby. I hope this gives some insight.
I've heard they tend to eat their sacs. I know Vanessa finally was able to produce one and found her girl grooming after polishing off her sac on day 23, which is an awful thing to come home to.

Everyone seems to "know" how they're supposed to get these Ts to drop a sac, but I don't know of a single US breeder who has been able to get one so far. Two males made their way through the group of SoCal breeders I know with females last year, and not one of them seems to be anywhere close to producing a sac. If you know of anyone who has successfully managed to produce one, I'd love to pick their brain.

My subadult male will probably mature with his next molt and I'm honestly not very comfortable with his prospects. I think you're right in noting that a lot of inexperienced keepers have the ones currently in the hobby, and as such, I don't think that many of them will be inclined to try to breed them. If they do, they just throw the Ts together without preparing them and hope for a sac. Is that any worse than an experienced breeder prepping the T environmentally by emulating a climate if the results are the same? I dunno.

I think another important factor may be that many of the mature females currently in the hobby are aging and/or getting old. I have a lead on one that I'm trying to arrange to have sent to me so I can try myself when my male matures out, but I am not very experienced either. I'm terrified of wasting my male on yet another awkward and unsuccessful breeding attempt with a female with an unknown age, only to have nothing come of my effort and the female to die without making a sac.
 

nicodimus22

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I still see adults on craigslist every couple of months, so that might be a place to look.

I bought my slings from a reputable online dealer (2 porteri, 2 rosea.) They are still very small over 2 years later. Pet rocks perhaps, but I think they're cute.
 

starlight_kitsune

Arachnoknight
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Sorry, friend. They're going to be a bit pricier.
When I've seen them online they haven't been bad. $50 at the very most. So not too expensive by far.

Wow, I didn't know G. rosea are hard to find there, because where I live, they're abundant and very cheap too, I bought a G. rosea sling a month ago for around $10.
Maybe I'm just having bad luck lol.

I find it amusing....rose hairs are everywhere...everyone disses the species, people wont pay more than 20 bucks for an adult.....they stop imports, numbers go down, suddenly now that theyre expensive, everyone wants one.
Yeah I don't get this shift either. I used to get a lot of noise from people for the fact I enjoyed them.

Op, you say you can only find them online....ummm, thats where you should be shopping. If you can find them on line, you can find them.
None of my current Ts were bought online just simply because like I said my local FedEx office and guy is iffy. They just "lose" things so often. (9/10 times it shows up in the guys vehicle or it just sits in the backroom for days before moving on.) I'll probably ship it to my mom's address and use her FedEx office for pickup. I wouldn't even trust my local ones to not lose it before pickup tbh.

Back in the day I had some that I'd bought online. This current set I have, 2 were bought at a show, 1 was bought at a chain store as much as they typically suck, and 1 was a gift so I'm not a 100% where they were purchased from.

They are still very small over 2 years later. Pet rocks perhaps, but I think they're cute.
I've always enjoyed them.

Once this semester ends here in 2 weeks, I'm planning on ordering some new Ts. That way I can make sure I'll be available to go pick them up immediately when they come without having to wait for classes to do be done for the day etc.
 

Tim Benzedrine

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I find it amusing....rose hairs are everywhere...everyone disses the species, people wont pay more than 20 bucks for an adult.....they stop imports, numbers go down, suddenly now that theyre expensive, everyone wants one.

I dont think people know what they want, many just want something deemed "hard to find".

I have had rose hairs my whole t keeping life....they are one thing above all else...boring....lol...i am thouroughly amused by the sudden desire for the once (less than 2 yrs ago) undesirable.

JMO
I was thinking along those lines myself as I was reading this thread.

It used to be around these parts that the most commonly seen tarantula was your basic rose-hair. And here on the boards, I can't really recall many threads proclaiming them to be the Caddilacs of tarantulas. Popular, yes but that is probably as much due to the availability as it is to the specie's appeal.

I'm not really knocking them, but there are more interesting spiders available, and more visually attractive ones too. I've had a few over the years, and did not consider them to be exceptional. Well, after the first couple of them, that is. B. (then) smithi, was my first so as far as appearance went, Rose-hairs were a step back visually speaking.
If something happened that I had a vacancy I wanted to fill and a rose-hair became available, I'd probably take it. But, if I spotted one for sale currently, I'd pass.

There is a saying "Familiarity breeds contempt". I think that played a part in regard to rosies as well for some seasoned keepers. They are not the only species to meet that fate. I've noticed that LPs are not viewed as excitingly to many people as they used to be. Some consider them drab, I don't agree with that, but different people have different aesthetic tastes. The point is, I really like mine, so who am I to knock rosies when I held a species (That I now enjoy) in the same sort of disregard? And now that they have become harder to find, their appeal has risen back.

But I too view their sudden seeming popularity due to inavailability to be amusing and a bit ironic.
I'll reiterate, I have nothing against them, nor do I consider those who like them a lot to be lacking in taste.

By the way, I once looked at B. tiltocatl similarly to the way rosies began to become viewed by some. I thought "A popular species, a lot of people keep them, but they are pretty much a rose-hair with a perm. I'll pass." But then, I began looking at images of them more closely and began to see their appeal. So, when I saw a s'ling at at a show for 10 dollars, I decided to get it. It is still small, but I am rather fond of it as I watch its hairdo developing and I no longer consider it a "rose-hair with a perm." I'm sure some degree of snobbery on my part was what caused me to not realize that I would enjoy raising one and keeping it.

I like distinguishing features, Size is one, I've never really developed an interest in dwarf species. For me there isn't much point. They come with many appealing appearances, but to me they are just fancy wolf spiders. Distinguishing features,as I've explained before, was what prompted me to try my hand at OWs and buy horned baboon tarantulas.
 

nicodimus22

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By the way, I once looked at B. tiltocatl similarly to the way rosies began to become viewed by some. I thought "A popular species, a lot of people keep them, but they are pretty much a rose-hair with a perm. I'll pass." But then, I began looking at images of them more closely and began to see their appeal. So, when I saw a s'ling at at a show for 10 dollars, I decided to get it. It is still small, but I am rather fond of it as I watch its hairdo developing and I no longer consider it a "rose-hair with a perm." I'm sure some degree of snobbery on my part was what caused me to not realize that I would enjoy raising one and keeping it.
Do you mean T. albopilosus? B. tliltocatl doesn't exist. :)
 

WolleWolf

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am thouroughly amused by the sudden desire for the once (less than 2 yrs ago) undesirable.
I am always saying, if you want to get a T, dont look at the price (or if its rare). And never overlook common species, they are there for a good reason.
 

Tim Benzedrine

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Do you mean T. albopilosus? B. tliltocatl doesn't exist. :)
Yeah, I did! I was thinking before I submitted "That does not seem right!" Left the computer to go get something to eat, returned and just hit the submit button, having forgotten that I needed to straighten out my nomenclature first.

Oops. :eek:
 

starlight_kitsune

Arachnoknight
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By the way, I once looked at B. tiltocatl similarly to the way rosies began to become viewed by some. I thought "A popular species, a lot of people keep them, but they are pretty much a rose-hair with a perm. I'll pass." But then, I began looking at images of them more closely and began to see their appeal. So, when I saw a s'ling at at a show for 10 dollars, I decided to get it. It is still small, but I am rather fond of it as I watch its hairdo developing and I no longer consider it a "rose-hair with a perm." I'm sure some degree of snobbery on my part was what caused me to not realize that I would enjoy raising one and keeping it.
I also have a T. albopilosus lol. I must have a type. :rofl: He doesn't beat out my B. auratum for the spot of my favorite of this batch, but he's close lol.

Edited because I had a brain fart. I have a auratum not a boehmi.
 
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