Newbie requiring some clarification on my setup.

[Colin D Wilson]

Some good points and personal opinions made here, just seems to have gone away from the original thread title "Newbie requiring some clarification on my setup." and as always the different levels of experience make for an interesting debate.
Maybe the WC vs CB issue deserves a thread creating in the Advanced discussion forum?





Webmasters note: The Advanced Discussion forum, is accessible as a paid BTS Member only, if you are a BTS Member you can ask me to be place into this user group.

[Peter Lacey]

Some good points and personal opinions made here, just seems to have gone away from the original thread title "Newbie requiring some clarification on my setup." and as always the different levels of experience make for an interesting debate.
Maybe the WC vs CB issue deserves a thread creating in the Advanced discussion forum?

You're right of course but perhaps it might help Andrew when he purchases his T.
I think the discussion WC vs CB definitely deserves a healthy discussion and by doing so it helps educate and refine peoples view points. I note you mention the Advanced forum, I guess that's members only? mmmm! a whole new section, now that's just going to kill off my DIY time (could be worth the money )

[Colin D Wilson]

As Mark has added to my post above the Advanced forum is members only but it was only a guideline from me as to the level of debate (i.e. highly constructive so far)
Moderators / Admin can create a new thread in this section with the already posted on there. no problems.
As for becoming a member, if you'd read the journal i received today i'm sure you'd contemplate it seriously.

[Peter Roach]

Peter, I'll keep an eye out for you especially if I see someone peering over Pauls spiders next time I'm there. I may take a visit tomorrow to see if he has any A. versicolor.

I'm usually there on a Sunday,although not tomorrow as I'm off to check out a cocker spaniel litter. Ask for Peter the cab driver .... thats me

[Andrew Ferguson]

Thanks guys for all the comments and I don't mind when a topic kind off drifts off the original question. Which was "A newbie needing some clarification......" and you've done that, and a bit more

I'm hoping to have the setup bought and completed along with Daisy (why not?!, Fang or Incey seem too obvious) by the end of February, so I'll post pictures then. In the meantime I'll continue to study and lurk in the background.

[Louise~Nichols]

Diversity is always a good thing! lol

I'm sure you'll also find there are a wide variety of spidey names around here too, Andrew! To name but a few of mine...Macros, Miranda, Genevieve & Calypso (all G.Pulchra), Phoebe & Paddy (A. Bicoloratum), Elvira, Myfanwy, Lilith, & Hades (G.Rosea), Harriet, Pod, Flubber, Bubo, Inca & Moomin (B.Vagans), Harlequin, Zebedee & Humbug (A.Geniculata)...and ok...I'll stop there! lol

Anyways...hello from South Lincolnshire!!

[James Box]

i find it difficult to name the little ones. most people suggest names like Bob and Susan...and that's just not me.
sometimes a name leaps out at me, though...one scorp is called Sandy Claws, merely because of his/her reaction when i accidentally collapsed his/her burrow, plus i love Tim Burton's work

[Louise~Nichols]

i find it difficult to name the little ones. most people suggest names like Bob and Susan...

Bob....LMAO!!!! That's a real giggle...and there's more to that joke than I can tell you right now!!
Some of mine had to be renamed (ie Myfanwy...was originally Murphy)...following *gender reassignment*, also known as having a *pregnant male*...LOL

[James Box]

LOL gender re-assignment, that's classic!
that's another reason i don't want to name, especially the slings hehe

[Louise~Nichols]

Hehehehe...my *Paddy* is also female...but I couldn't think of a better name...LOL, she runs away from live food, but will eat pre-killed crickets straight from the tweezers! Ah well...she's been infected with eccentricity.
I'm getting kinda tempted to name one *Bob* though....muahahaha!!

[Colin D Wilson]

Thanks guys for all the comments and I don't mind when a topic kind off drifts off the original question. Which was "A newbie needing some clarification......" and you've done that, and a bit more

Thanks for that Andrew, left "as is" then.

I dont know if you've used any other forums but i've noticed that when a question is posted the first couple of replies are reasonably valid but after that the original poster has to trawl through endless posts of other (off topic) posts to find other replies relevant to their original question.
On this forum the "tangents" stay relevant to the hobby, which is good!

Colin.

p.s. as far as naming spiders...all mine usually get called...
"no...don't come out...get back in there you....look there's a cricket in your tank...what do you need to come out for?"
I think that goes for nearly all of them too!!

[Andrew Ferguson]

Hi Colin,

I've used other forums and they often go off at a tangent of about 90 - 180 degrees, often to the annoyance of the moderators. But when it does drift off but still remains topic specific, it is easy to drift the posts back, or as is often the case, just go with it as you can often learn something you may never have thought of asking.

It's a great forum and I've learned a lot by just going through some of the posts. Some of the more advanced ones do go over my head a bit as do some of the less common scientific names. But I guess that's just all part of the learning process.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... I've been wanting a tarantula for some time, well over a year or two, and finally my wife has let me get one. ...

Welcome to the hobby! Welcome to this forum!

... I've decided on G.rosea rather than B.smithi as my wife's mild asthma gets affected by cat and dog hairs, and I don't want to take the risk with a spider than readily flicks it hairs as the B.smithi can from the info I have read. ...

I can't ever remember hearing of anyone whose asthma was bothered by tarantula bristles. (I spent a 20+ year career in respiratory research and the last 40 years keeping tarantulas, so I'm pretty sure I'd remember.)

Basically, the bristles are too large to be able to get down far enough to effect the lungs. Besides, I'm sure there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people out there with asthma who are keeping all sorts of tarantulas. I don't think you'd need to worry.

Next, visit this posting:

http://atshq.org/forum/showpost.php?p=96780&postcount=9

It'll give you the bare essentials of setting up a proper cage for your newfound buddy. It was written for someone with a smithi, but it'll basically work for a rose as well, especially if your rose is still quite small. If it's larger than about a 2" (5 cm) leg span you can follow the instructions in

www.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/roses.html

Someone else has already given you that link, but it looks strange to me. So, I've repeated it in a different form in case the other link doesn't work for you. Anyway, for spiderling/juvenile/adult roses, use the basic info in the first link, but make a slight course correction with the information given in the second.

Keep in mind that neither of the tarantulas (in fact NO tarantulas) need be kept like canaries. They can go long, Long, LONG, LONG periods of time without attention or pampering as long as they're given water.

Neither are they tropical fish that require absolutely stable, perfect conditions or they'll come down with little white spots or grow mold out of every orifice! They're very resilient, adaptable creatures who've seen it all and survived quite handily, thank you very much!

Sit back, relax, enjoy!

[Mark Pennell]

I have to agree with Stan here, as an asthma suffer and long term keeper of all things flicky and red kneed (24 years) I have had no ill effects as a direct result of urticating hairs.

The top lung Doctor at the hospital asked if I kept pets, cats, dogs, wife etc. I told him about the tarantulas and he was unconcerned.

One other thing I would like to point out is this the BTS site has 4 excellent beginner guides.

They can be found from entering the main site;

http://www.thebts.co.uk

click on main site and
then clicking on beginners guides, on the left hand menu, this will drop down and give you links to these 4 guides.

There is also a very good questions and answers matrix which covers pretty much all the questions new keepers have.

Of course the links Stan give above are also extremely useful and worth visiting.

regards
Mark

[Andrew Ferguson]

Once again, let me say thank you to you all for your fantastic help. I had read the beginners guide and all q&a matrix. As well as guides on about a dozen or so other sites.
I start a new job next week after a month in between jobs so to speak, so hopefully by the end of February when a bit more disposable income comes in, I should be all set up and ready to go.

I promise pictures as soon as possible


Kindest regards

Andrew