Haplopelma lividum anyone keep them?

[Lee Williams]

Heard so much about this species, I understand this Tarantula has a reputation to be quite "psychotic", being the crazy fool that I am, I would love to own one, as it is one of the most beautiful tarantulas I have ever seen. Are they difficult to obtain? are they really so aggressive?

Cheers

Lee

[mary walters]

I have 2 females, mated them both with a male of my own and both moulted out.
They are a beautiful spider but as you rightly say, skittish and will bite, I don't take my eye off either of mine when I have the top off the tank, they can be a bit quick. I bought my second one from the bts last year for £25, a sub adult.
They do like to burrow a bit, although the young one stays on top most of the time, the older one stays in her burrow.
Hope this helps you to decide to buy one, they are gorgeous spiders.
Mary

[Lee Williams]

Thanks Mary, they do sound like a handfull, I bet it's a pain just trying to change to water bowl

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi Lee I have one of these as well as many other asian tarantulas and they rank as one of the more aggresive ones all thow there not the most aggresive. I would give that to Haplopelma hainana but any way have you ever kept any old worlds before i.e asian/african becouse if you havent I would start of with somthing a little less aggresiave. But then if you realy want one go for it just dont be upset if you never see it. I have a juve at the moment and see it now and then but as they get older you will see even less of it. But the good side is that its a very very nice spider and if your in to asian like me its a must have hope this helps and if you need any more help just ask thanks james. p.s dont get one from a pet shop there a rip off if you are going to the B.T.S.Show waite till then thanks.

[mary walters]

Saphire, my older one has completely hidden her bowl, so I spray the tank sides.
Mary

[Mike Shaw]

Also if you can't make it to the show just check the bts bulletin board someone is bound to be selling some.
I do agree with ornithoctinus, I would never buy from shop's because they are rediculous prices.I recently saw a sub adult King baboon(forgive the lack of scientific name) for £150 what a rip off.They are also selling P.murinus slings for £30.I recently purchased 5 of this species via the bulletin board and paid £4.50 for them(all of them not each) plus £5 p&p.What a brill deal.

I'm looking to buy one at the show myself.Mind you having a few P.murinus already you would think i have enough fast and aggresive T's but what the hey.

Cheers Mike.

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi make how are you I carnt get my head around them selling a King baboon Citharischius crawshayi for £150 I wounder what they would sell my Cyriopagopus sp. blue for £500 my be you know what there like. A funny story for you here about a year ago I sold 3. Chilobrachys huahini and 1. H.minax to a pet shop. All were large juves and I asked for £10 each for them he any way he sead I can give you £20 and becouse I need'ed the money I sead go on then. About a week later I went in there and saw all my spiders for sale for 30 pounds each and I all so sold him a milk snake for £20 which is chep and he was selling it for £120 what a rip off. Any way the funny side to this story is there all still there every one of them becouse his prices are to high. Shame realy becouse I only got rid of them becouse I need'ed some money and room in my house and I was all so going to Malaysia and my mum was looking after everything and I all ready had a room full of animals. Thanks reading this you lot and I hope you have learnd never to by from pet shops thanks.

[Lee Williams]

On the subject of Pet Shops I rarely buy any Spider from Pet Shops apart from my Brachypelma vagans which I purchased last week for £15. They charge ridiculous amounts of money and some have little knowledge on what they are dealing with, they had a B smithi in Paws For Thought near me going for £100 when I went in last week.

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi just thorght I would tell you this I've just seen a small juve Megaphobema robustum for sale in a pet shop for £90 what I rip of. I have one of these and I only paid £17 for mine and that was a small juve as well. Its a very nice spider but thats way to pricey any way just thorght I tell ya thanks. :P

[Adam Smith]

I could go on for ages about the prieces ive seen in pet shops, seen some good deals but in genreal they better to buy online. Online is hobbyist to hobbyist rather than pet shop owener to customer. Ive noticed that prices go up and down over the years, I bought a Juve B Bhoemei near 3 years ago for 40 and that same shop there is an adult male for 50 sdo it varies. Personal recommendation BTS show.

[Mike Shaw]

Hey James,serves the guy right.It'll cost him more in crickets the longer it takes to sell them.Just as well sounds like a rip off artist.I do 100% agree no pet shop's for me.

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi mike we sould start an anti pet shop sight. But like Adam sead I have got some all right deals in other pet shops in the past but thats few a far bettwen. I saw a soth american tarantula in the pet shop I'm telling you about for sale as a new guinea blue fang what a lode of you no what it was £59 and was a small juve pet shops realy dont have a clue what there going on about. But there are that rare few which do but I have'nt found them yet any way speek to ya agian.

[Mike Conabeer]

I feel I now have to jump in & this is in a personal capacity NOT a committee capacity, but as someone who manages a rather large pet shop may I point out a few things to the anti pet shop league -

1) Pet Shops have overheads which they have to cover i.e lighting, heating, wages, rent, rates etc

2) If buying from wholesalers or breeders, they may be paying similar prices to private sales & have to make money on these to cover point 1.

3) Please don't tar all shops with the same brush, ALL my staff keep spiders, reptiles and/or amphibians so can speak from personal experience.

I apologise for any offence this may cause, but I feel it is necessary to bring some reality into this discussion.

Mike.

[ornithoctonus]

Hi

Hi Mike I am sorry if I have offended you but I do not mean all pet shops are bad its just most of the ones I've been to have not been up to scrach. I mean when I sold my snake to a pet shop for £20 and a few days later its in there for £120 you can see why I'm not pro pet shops. I know this is just one pet shop and carnt speek for all of them but were I'm from there is about 6/7 pet shops and most keep there animals in very bad condishons and some have been shut down over the years. as well as that the stress and bad health some of the animals are in is not good. I no they have to make money but when money is mixed with animlas it often spell desaster. But like you sead there are more pet shops out there which are starting to do a lot better and will do if theres people like your self working in them but this is still few and far bettwen. Mike I am not anti pet shops at all I used to work in one a few years back and if it was'nt for pet shops and zoos and my mum I would not be into and keeping all the animals I have to day its just a shame there are so many bad ones out there which gives people like your self and others who are trying to change this a hard time any way I'm sorry if I caused any offence Mike and my be one day those bad pet shops will get there act to geather thanks.

[Adam Smith]

I have no problems with pet shops myself but was just trying to point out the differences on costs online and pet shops and how it varies so much. As I mentioned before I purchased a juvenile for @ 40 and two half years later an adult of same species was 50 so prices have changed over the time due to availability.