# I never thought I would... but...



## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

...I picked up a couple of tarantulas at the reptile expo on Sunday.

Both are just "slings" aka "tiny as f*ck".









First, _Grammostola rosea_ aka Chilean Rose Hair:









Second, we have _Brachypelma vagans_ aka Mexican Red Rump:









And yes, they live in those small containers. Weird.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

damn those are really small... when do they get bigger


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I don't know. Apparently it depends on how quick I feed them.

Apparently I can feed them cricket legs. Haha.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

I go to a lot of pet shows.. and I havnt seen those, well considering im not looking for those little fuckers, maybe I pass over them.

still in shock at how small they are .


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Most shows will have a couple of vendors at least who do tarantulas and arachnids of varying types. They're easy to miss if you don't keep an eye out. I got these two for $20. I don't know if that's good or not, but whatever. $20 isn't much at all.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Mettle said:


> Most shows will have a couple of vendors at least who do tarantulas and arachnids of varying types. They're easy to miss if you don't keep an eye out. I got these two for $20. I don't know if that's good or not, but whatever. $20 isn't much at all.


I wouldn't have paid a cent more, but what the hell! You're cutting your teeth on tarantulas, good. They're fascinating if nothing else, and rosea is the hardiest there is.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

SERRAPYGO said:


> Most shows will have a couple of vendors at least who do tarantulas and arachnids of varying types. They're easy to miss if you don't keep an eye out. I got these two for $20. I don't know if that's good or not, but whatever. $20 isn't much at all.


I wouldn't have paid a cent more, but what the hell! You're cutting your teeth on tarantulas, good. They're fascinating if nothing else, and rosea is the hardiest there is.
[/quote]

Keep in mind that a lot of "exotics" tend to be more expensive here in Canada, whether it be arachnids, reptiles, birds, etc. So it does vary for sure. But like I said $20 isn't bad.

I fed them both some cricket legs last night night and those are gone this morning.

Anyone have advice for how often to feed 'em?


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Mettle said:


> Most shows will have a couple of vendors at least who do tarantulas and arachnids of varying types. They're easy to miss if you don't keep an eye out. I got these two for $20. I don't know if that's good or not, but whatever. $20 isn't much at all.


I wouldn't have paid a cent more, but what the hell! You're cutting your teeth on tarantulas, good. They're fascinating if nothing else, and rosea is the hardiest there is.
[/quote]

Keep in mind that a lot of "exotics" tend to be more expensive here in Canada, whether it be arachnids, reptiles, birds, etc. So it does vary for sure. But like I said $20 isn't bad.

I fed them both some cricket legs last night night and those are gone this morning.

Anyone have advice for how often to feed 'em?
[/quote]
Oh yeah, forgot about that.

As slings, feed them as much as they are willing to eat but don't leave any kind of live uneaten food with them. Feed pinhead crickets if you can find them, if not they are easy to raise. All you need is adult crickets with a very fine nylon mesh top and raw potatoes for food and hydration. The adult crickets will do the rest of the work.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I don't know if I'm going to go through the effort to raise pinhead crickets for two tiny little arachnids.









Last night I tore off some cricket legs and dropped them in and they were gone this morning. Tonight I went to do it again with a 1/2" cricket but accidently tore the cricket in half. LOL. So I just divided it between the two of 'em. Seems to work out okay. If for some reason it doesn't work anymore I'll look into finding pinheads.


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

Congrats on getting into the world of creepy crawly's lol

they can be very addicting aswell


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Yeah, I've been told that the arachnids can be super addicting. I've already been lookin' up more "starter" Ts on the web. Maybe at a future show I'll look into getting some more. I wouldn't mind a pink toe or a red-knee. Then again it'd be cool to get something a little less "common". And maybe one day work my way up to one of those monsters like the cobalt blue or the goliath bird eater. Haha... The guy I bought from said he had 150 tarantulas of varying species so far. Insane!

All my friends already thought I was crazy with so many crested geckos. But at least those are neat/cute lookin' and all that. The tarantulas might be a different story. Some people might stop paying me house visits now that I've got them. But then again, it could also be good relative repellant.









As for the feeding... They both seem to have found their snacks that I dropped in the containers yesterday... Should I be feeding them daily or is a few times a week alright? I'm not so sure with something this tiny.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Mettle said:


> Yeah, I've been told that the arachnids can be super addicting. I've already been lookin' up more "starter" Ts on the web. Maybe at a future show I'll look into getting some more. I wouldn't mind a pink toe or a red-knee. Then again it'd be cool to get something a little less "common". And maybe one day work my way up to one of those monsters like the cobalt blue or the goliath bird eater. Haha... The guy I bought from said he had 150 tarantulas of varying species so far. Insane!
> 
> All my friends already thought I was crazy with so many crested geckos. But at least those are neat/cute lookin' and all that. The tarantulas might be a different story. Some people might stop paying me house visits now that I've got them. But then again, it could also be good relative repellant.:laugh:
> 
> As for the feeding... They both seem to have found their snacks that I dropped in the containers yesterday... Should I be feeding them daily or is a few times a week alright? I'm not so sure with something this tiny.


Pink toes are fast moving T's, and I don't like that, wich is why I don't want one. They rarely bite, but I don't like speedy spiders. The cobalt blues are also speedy and they bite readily! They are also burrowers wich means you'll rarely see them. The mexican red knee, wich I currently have, is super hardy, very handleable, but an untamed one will kick urticating hairs wich leaves you with a rash that can last for a week. Part of the reason I don't handle mine too often. Plus, the MRK (B. Smithi) is only available as captive breds. They are now protected in Mexico from harvesting. Another negative...B. Smithi is a very slow grower. Females can live 15 yrs plus and the males only 5 yrs so the female is the most desired as a pet, and they are tough to sex until they reach mature ages and the males will devope "hooks" on the pedipalps. 
If you really want a nice T that is the total package of nice T's, seek out the Grammastola Pulchra, or the Brazilian Black. It's a drop dead gorgeous velvety black T with an extremely calm demeanor. I had one years ago and I foolishly sold it for dirt cheap. They are now getting tougher to find and are getting pricey.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to look into this Brazilian Black.


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

check out Kelly Swift hes got all the t's you could ever want


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I'm in Canada. So shipping across the border is more hassle than it's worth. Thanks though.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

T canada or hamilton reptiles (formlally next year reptiles) are two good places to but from in ontario. T canada is located in monreal but im not sure how far that would be from ottawa. go to www.tarantulacanada.ca and their pricelist for a pretty big list on availibility and species. G pulchera will be very hard to find (i want one too) so scoop one if you can. I dont bother breeding pinheads but i just buy 2 dozen at a time. I could do more but its not nesssisary since i usually go to lps every week or two. A cool spider is Avic Versicolor. I bought mine for 25$ as a sling from t canada at the september expo. As a juvi it is metallic blue, however adults are red. Similar to aviv avic (pink toe) in habitat. Both are arborial and decently fast, however they dont usually book it unless you spook them so if handling dont do sudden movements and liet it crawl on to you and do not push it. I slo have a p murinus (obt) sling. They are hardy as hell, however they are very fast, agressive and evil. They also have what is said to me a fairly painful bite. They web alot, and are bright organge. You should not handle this species so it is stricklt for display. Generally people will say start with NW species (like avic versi - p murinus is ow) becasue they are less aggressive.

The best thing about them is they take up little space and require little care for the majority of species. Also fairily cheap (unless you are one of those people that have like 100 then 10-20$ a peice really adds up)


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

> males will devope "hooks" on the pedipalps


A brain fart on my part. Not the pedipalps, but the front legs.

Look into the other Mexican species as well, such as the Mexican Red Leg, or fire leg (not red knee). Gorgeous critter! I want one.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Thanks Sean. I actually got my two slings from Hamilton Reptile. And I sent Tarantula Canada an email about the G. Pulchera. Actually, I think I sent one to Hamilton Reptile as well. We'll see what they say.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Mettle said:


> Thanks Sean. I actually got my two slings from Hamilton Reptile. And I sent Tarantula Canada an email about the G. Pulchera. Actually, I think I sent one to Hamilton Reptile as well. We'll see what they say.


They'll say, "gimme lotsa money!"


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## nataz (Mar 31, 2006)

Man your crazy. They look kewl as h*ll and very interesting, but I would never own one.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

"Man your crazy. They look kewl as h*ll and very interesting, but I would never own one"
thats what i said and im sure what Mettle thought too.

t canada doesnt have any g pulchera
i dont think hamilton reptiles does either. They used to have an adult pair for 700$ but i think it was sold and im assuming its way out of your range. I may be going to hamilton reptiles store so ill see what they have and ask about any g pulchera.

i would just look through t canada's list since they have lot of pics with the names so just see what appeals to you then research more into it. 
What type are you looking for? arborial, burrower, terestrial?


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## Red Eyes (Nov 25, 2003)

Haha! Never say never! You start with two and then ...


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

I heard back from Tarantula Canada. They don't currently have any G. pulchera in at the moment but one of their suppliers has some available and they may be making a final import before year's end that will include some. They'll run $70-$80 for 2cm leg span spiderlings I was told. Is this a fair price? Because I'm interested in this species now that it has been talked up so much. And is it worth getting maybe 2 or 3? It's a lot more than what I paid for the other two, haha, but we'll see.

As for other types... not sure yet what I'm interested in. They all seem to have some different, interesting qualities/looks about them. I would definitely like some of the calmer and more placid ones to start with for sure. But wouldn't mind working my way to something with a bit more attitude later. Don't know if I could ever do a GBE though for example, haha.



Red Eyes said:


> Haha! Never say never! You start with two and then ...


Yeah, two. That was the number of crested geckos I started with last December... and now, well... uh... I breed them. Haha.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

This is the list I derrived from Tarantula Canada's website, along with sizes and prices, of what looks interesting to me:

Aphonopelma seemanni - $10, 1/2"
Brachypelma smithi - $35, 1/2"
Paraphysa pulcherimaklaasi "green form" - $45, 1/4"
Nhandu chromatus - $10, 1/4"
Grammostola rosea (from red phase mother) - $10, 1/2"
Grammostola aureostriata - $10, 1/2"


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

70-80 isnt bad for a pulchera since it is canada so the prices are higher then americans pay. I would wait mayby 6 months just to got some experiecne under your belt with spiders before buying a g pulchera. Its not that its difficult to care for, but it would just be a costly mistake.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

It's "pulchra", not pulchera you illiterate spider people!







G. Pulchra is a cool spider, it has everything to offer the begginer, it's calm, slow moving, reluctant to bite or kick hairs, plus it's virtually the only T that is all jet black. BUT!, there are so many more that can be had more readily at a cheaper price. The Brachypelmas (sp?) such as the Mexican blood or red leg (Emilia, I think) is a dropdead gorgeous spider with the same demeanor and it doesn't require the humidity the Pulchra does. Not to mention B. Smithi... Even your rose hairs are pretty much the ultimate arachnid pet...extremely hardy and gorgeous in their own right.
I'd stick and be happy with your rosies, then, venture out with extreme caution to the "Theraphosa" group. The birdeaters! Minax (known as the Thai Bird Eater but not a Theraphosa), Geniculata, Blondi...they are quite the rush to own. Just becareful!


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## mdrs (May 1, 2006)

you won't regret it, mettle. i never understood arachnids until i got my two emperors. then it was a rose and soon to be a few more Ts.


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