Wild Caught VS Captive Bred?

Kat Maehl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2017
Messages
19
Hey,

So on Reddit, I had posted some pics of my babes, and someone gave me mild grief about having wild caught.

Now, before you put your two cents in, I just want to justify why I have wild caught vs captive bred.
I've looked online for a breeder, but there aren't any here in this country as far as I can tell. If there are they're few and far between. I have a 38-acre farm with millions of tarantulas. So, my only option, if I'm going to keep any, is that, catch.

HOWEVER. I recently got a male who's got large sperm filled pedipalps. I'll be releasing him once I find another to put in his place.
I'm not sure the species, but he's docile as all hell. Won't even attack my feeder tweezers. Unlike Celeste.
Celeste I'll be keeping, she's a prize, large, well fed, healthy and I have to say digging for her like an archeologist had its appeal. She's a feisty one!
My arboreal one, whom I named Blueness I'll be releasing once I find one to take her place too. My parents and I have agreed three are enough.

But, hey. If anyone can legally send a tarantula to Costa Rica. I'd be more than willing to consider having captive bred.

Now... I don't know why wild aren't as desirable as captive bred. I'd have thought having a wild, without any chance of cross breeding or whatnot would be nice. Though, again. I'm a recent convert...
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
hey, if i could build my collection for free, i would. i dont know of any dealers down there but do you even really need any?

i would release the MM asap and give him the best chance to pass on his genes. post a pic of the "blue" one, sounds like a Avic, and those die easily if not properly set up.
buying CB means enjoying the hobby without helping ruin wild populations. WC buys should be avoided because of this reason, and the fact you dont know age or if theres parasites that will kill it in a few months.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Hey,

So on Reddit, I had posted some pics of my babes, and someone gave me mild grief about having wild caught.

Now, before you put your two cents in, I just want to justify why I have wild caught vs captive bred.
Well, Lady... let me tell you that, one moment, to state that someone has a WC invert at home isn't a tragedy, ah ah. Altough I prefer CB, my Scolopendra subspinipes is a WC, and arrived gravid.
WC like, more or less, the other 99% of 'pedes in the trade.

TSS (The Spider Shop) often sells WC Theraphosidae specimens as well :)

But, hey. If anyone can legally send a tarantula to Costa Rica. I'd be more than willing to consider having captive bred.
I think that, if you can legally (by Costa Rica laws, I mean) receive arachnids/inverts via the normal mail route, you wouldn't have an hard time finding, especially in Europe, online dealers that ship internationally.
 

AZ Tom

Arachnoholic
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Messages
7
I think the real issue is those that over collect and decimate the species in the area. Aren't all T's wild caught at some point?
 

Kat Maehl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2017
Messages
19
hey, if i could build my collection for free, i would. i dont know of any dealers down there but do you even really need any?

i would release the MM asap and give him the best chance to pass on his genes. post a pic of the "blue" one, sounds like a Avic, and those die easily if not properly set up.
buying CB means enjoying the hobby without helping ruin wild populations. WC buys should be avoided because of this reason, and the fact you dont know age or if theres parasites that will kill it in a few months.
Which blue one? I have two, I have the arboreal named Blueness, and my unknown big girl Celeste. And yes. Both are basically named blue. xD
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
Which blue one? I have two, I have the arboreal named Blueness, and my unknown big girl Celeste. And yes. Both are basically named blue. xD
i meant the arboreal, but post a pic of both and their enclosures.
 

johnny quango

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 17, 2013
Messages
260
For me as long as you aren't taking them in their thousands like some dealers then I don't see a problem.

A lot of keepers may at some point have owned or purchased a wild caught tarantula if they have had a slow growing adult like a G rosea. Sometimes it's unavoidable and I suppose in the long run it's for the good of the hobby as the more captive bred we have the less likely we are to take them from their natural habitat.
 

Ran

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 16, 2011
Messages
282
I know that not all species are available as captive bred but if one has a choice between the two then...it is up to you to decide knowing this hobby/trade.
 

AntlerAlchemist

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Messages
102
My thoughts on the subject is, well if you are personally finding one or two for your own enjoyment in the wild. Then you really aren't say hurting the environment too much. The problem is buying commercially collected wild caught specimens. Which is most certainly degrading the environment for capital gains. So when purchasing a tarantula I would certainly look for CB. That being said. I have one WC A. chalcodes. It is a juvenile female, while going out in the wilds I see them everywhere so I wouldn't say the environment has been degraded because I collected a single Tarantula.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
The small one is Blueness arboreal, Celeste is the big girl. Quarter for scale.
2nd one really looks like an avic. its cage looks like the perfect death trap, they need high vent cages. they have no moisture requirements beyond their water dish.
no clue on the other. cage looks good though.
@Arachnomaniac19 ?
 
Last edited:

GingerC

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 10, 2017
Messages
117
I think it's bad to take away from wild populations if a species is already well established as pets (as in CB specimens are readily available), but I think all responsible and sustainable animal ownership is perfectly fine.

I'd say what your doing is sustainable, and I don't have a problem with it. At least you aren't giving your money to the dealers who collect wild Ts by the hundreds. :)
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
All of those enclosures are dripping with condensation.. :vomit:
nope. second one is fairly dry, its mist. ;)

@Kat Maehl yeah, dont mist. pouring water into the substrate is far superior for boosting humidity. also, look for a better cage for that Avic. preferably something plastic you can add alot of vent holes to.
 

Kat Maehl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 18, 2017
Messages
19
nope. second one is fairly dry, its mist. ;)

@Kat Maehl yeah, dont mist. also, look for a better cage for that Avic. preferably something plastic you can add alot of vent holes to.
I would love to, but sources for such things are hard to find for anything less than ten to twenty bucks.. Being that I'm relatively poor off financially.

And Amazon costs a butload to ship. Half the stuff gets taxed too. :(
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
I would love to, but sources for such things are hard to find for anything less than ten to twenty bucks.. Being that I'm relatively poor off financially.

And Amazon costs a butload to ship. Half the stuff gets taxed too. :(
The best enclosures can be the cheapest...sterilite or other kinds of plastic tubs are cheap and generally available world wide...even if its not local, they can be shipped (order with the cheapest shipping option). Tubs themselves run from 1-8 dollars, dirt is, well, dirt cheap and hides can be made out of broken ceramics (cup,mug, vase, flower pot, etc) and wood can be collected for free...you couldn't ask for a hobby with cheaper housing options outside of a goldfish.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
I would love to, but sources for such things are hard to find for anything less than ten to twenty bucks.. Being that I'm relatively poor off financially.

And Amazon costs a butload to ship. Half the stuff gets taxed too. :(
new cage, or dead spider... ;)
 
Top