Change of Species

[Richard Shah]

Hey Y'all!
My sister and I do not like the look of the Chile Rose NCF (more specifically my sister, but I agree too), so I have decided to buy a juvenile Mexican Red Knee, or B. Smithi, named 'Ice Cube' (Cheers Matthew Spooner! - I nicked the name off him lol)
Thanks again to everyone who has contributed help to me so far. I was thinking about buying it from "Tarantula-shop" (http://www.tarantula-shop.com/shop/j...a/prod_10.html)
- Can I trust it? Does anyone have good reviews about it?
Also what would you say the differences are between a B. Smithi and a G. Rosea - other than what it eats? I really would like to know as other than that (and its range of accepted temperature is bigger too), I can't find any!
Cheers,
Rich
BTW since this is 3cm approx., do you think it is passed the stage where it is most vulnerable, as opposed to the 1cm sling Rosea I wanted to get originally, but people told me it was really vulnerable ???????

[Oli Dodds]

Hey Y'all!
My sister and I do not like the look of the Chile Rose NCF (more specifically my sister, but I agree too), so I have decided to buy a juvenile Mexican Red Knee, or B. Smithi, named 'Ice Cube' (Cheers Matthew Spooner! - I nicked the name off him lol)
Thanks again to everyone who has contributed help to me so far. I was thinking about buying it from "Tarantula-shop" (http://www.tarantula-shop.com/shop/j...a/prod_10.html)
- Can I trust it? Does anyone have good reviews about it?
Also what would you say the differences are between a B. Smithi and a G. Rosea - other than what it eats? I really would like to know as other than that (and its range of accepted temperature is bigger too), I can't find any!
Cheers,
Rich

Richard,
The main differences between the grammostola species and the brachypelma species are taxonomical, but they can basically be kept as exactly the same spider.
However, on your decision to choose a smithi over a rosea, I must tell you that you should be prepared to encounter MUCH more hair flicking from the smithi.
As for your comment about the look of the rosea, I once read a quote along the lines of "a subtle beauty enhanced by its extremely docile and forgiving nature." I think thats from Lee's site, but too lazy to check
I dont know where you read that grammies and brachys eat diffrent food types though,. thats plain garbage. No two spiders will behave the same, and some may prefer certain foods to others, but it is definatly not the same as 'cats eat cat food, dogs eat dog food' if you get me
Either way, enjoy your new spid, and welcome to the hobby
Oli

[Richard Shah]

Richard,
The main differences between the grammostola species and the brachypelma species are taxonomical, but they can basically be kept as exactly the same spider.
However, on your decision to choose a smithi over a rosea, I must tell you that you should be prepared to encounter MUCH more hair flicking from the smithi.
As for your comment about the look of the rosea, I once read a quote along the lines of "a subtle beauty enhanced by its extremely docile and forgiving nature." I think thats from Lee's site, but too lazy to check
I dont know where you read that grammies and brachys eat diffrent food types though,. thats plain garbage. No two spiders will behave the same, and some may prefer certain foods to others, but it is definatly not the same as 'cats eat cat food, dogs eat dog food' if you get me
Either way, enjoy your new spid, and welcome to the hobby
Oli

Lol kl thank you! What I meant abut the different food types (sorry I wasn't being specific enough) is that a B. Smithi eats more of a variation of prey as opposed to the Rosea - to demonstrate the B. Smithi eats crickets, other large insects, small lizards, pinkie mice, and an occasional fuzzy mouse, whereas a G rosea eats cickets, other large insects, and an occasional pinkie mouse (taken from petbugs.com).
I see what you mean about the G. Rosea being more forgiving,. but I'm going to see what happens!
Cheers,
Rich
BTW gd night - I'm off!

[Tom Forman]

the tarantula-shop is very good.

I can highly recommend it.

3cm is a good size. Not too small to be too delicate but small enough to see all the colour changes happen.
A 3cm spiderling can already attack medium sized crickets and the like and is thus pretty easy to feed.

I have already mentioned this before but I will mention this again: As with any spider when you first get it, don't be tempted to shake it or blow on it every time you are checking on it to see if it is alive or not.
Avoid any stress and your spider will do alot better than if you over worry, overcheck and overstress it. As long as all parameters are good(decent hide, right temp, right humidity) the spider will do best on its own

Gl with the red knee. I thought about getting the red knee too bt decided to go for the flameknee instead, first of all because it has brighter markings but more importantly like already mentioned, the smithy is known for flicking hairs.

Then again it could very well be that the smithy has got this reputation because more often than not in the past a smithy would have been wild caught and thus understandably angry compared to a captive bred one that has accepted you as its keeper and has never known freedom...
Who knows, they might be less agressive spiders if you raise them yourself from an early age...

Edit: well i just checked the desciption of the flameknee on Dan's website and they seem to be hair flickers too lol... I'd still go for the flame knee though. He is selling 2-3cm flame knees for 8 pounds and the 3cm smithy for 12. I know which one I'd buy.

[Richard Shah]

the tarantula-shop is very good.

I can highly recommend it.

3cm is a good size. Not too small to be too delicate but small enough to see all the colour changes happen.
A 3cm spiderling can already attack medium sized crickets and the like and is thus pretty easy to feed.

I have already mentioned this before but I will mention this again: As with any spider when you first get it, don't be tempted to shake it or blow on it every time you are checking on it to see if it is alive or not.
Avoid any stress and your spider will do alot better than if you over worry, overcheck and overstress it. As long as all parameters are good(decent hide, right temp, right humidity) the spider will do best on its own

Gl with the red knee. I thought about getting the red knee too bt decided to go for the flameknee instead, first of all because it has brighter markings but more importantly like already mentioned, the smithy is known for flicking hairs.

Then again it could very well be that the smithy has got this reputation because more often than not in the past a smithy would have been wild caught and thus understandably angry compared to a captive bred one that has accepted you as its keeper and has never known freedom...
Who knows, they might be less agressive spiders if you raise them yourself from an early age...

Edit: well i just checked the desciption of the flameknee on Dan's website and they seem to be hair flickers too lol... I'd still go for the flame knee though. He is selling 2-3cm flame knees for 8 pounds and the 3cm smithy for 12. I know which one I'd buy.

Very good - I didn't know it could attack medium sized crickets at that stage, so thank you.
I def. won't be shaking or blowing it at all lol! I'm guessing I should keep it in a small container, or would a large tank be fine at this stage (8Wx24L")?
Ithink I'll stay with the Smithy, though I'll sleep on it!

Thank you very much!

Rich

BTW what is the P&P like from the Tarantula shop?? Thanks!

[Oli Dodds]

Then again it could very well be that the smithy has got this reputation because more often than not in the past a smithy would have been wild caught and thus understandably angry compared to a captive bred one that has accepted you as its keeper and has never known freedom...
Who knows, they might be less agressive spiders if you raise them yourself from an early age...

There is no physical or mental difference from WC or CB specimins Tom, as a posted in another thread, a spiders brain is the size of a grain of sand- it wouldnt remember what happened 10 minutes ago let alone remember being free in the wild.
A tarantula cannot 'learn', they can however become acustom too repeated behavioral influences ie brushing every day lightly with a paintbrush (a guy *forgot his name* 'trained' one of his pokies over a period of months with this method to assertain a very impressive 'relationship' where he could free-handle the specimin with unbelievable control).
Oli

[Oli Dodds]

I'm guessing I should keep it in a small container, or would a large tank be fine at this stage (8Wx24L")?

There has been a theory, and a small amount of testing on putting smaller Ts into large cages. I wont go into it, but the general theory is that it can 'slow' the Ts growth rate and make it more nervous- I however do not condone or agree with this theory, but thought I'd post it anyway as I'm bored
oli

[Kate Arbon]

B. smithi was my first tarantula, and now I have 7 of them. They are a cool species. Compared to G. rosea I don't really find them any different, they are both slow growers and a bit nervous. My smithis eat more regularly than my rosie. Both are very easy to look after and I keep them in identical conditions.

At 3cm I don't think you need to worry about it being delicate. 6 of mine are only 1cm and they are very easy going, hardy spiders. Regarding the tank, do you mean 8Wx24L in inches or cm? For a 3cm spider I think a tank 8x24 inches would be way too big. You could easily keep it in a 10cm diameter deli cup at that size, or if you wanted to use a tank then I'd suggest something pretty small.

[James Box]

hmm everyone and their dog gets a B smithi first it seems (except me and a tiny few others, apparently!) oh well.
G rosea's are amazing, and they are absolutely beautiful, the way they catch the light. but it's your choice, and i'm sure you'll love it whatever you get.
i've gone out on a "limb" and bought "brown" spiders a couple times, and ended up falling in love with them despite not being brightly coloured. each species has beauty, in my opinion!
you may be lucky and get a smithi that doesn't kick at all...my rosea's don't kick, but i've heard of people being threatened and jumped by theirs! no two spiders are the same, even if a species may act somewhat similarly.
so i hope you don't get a bad tempered or skittish spider! whatever its personality, though...i'm sure you'll love it.

Richard, those diets you mentioned would probably work for any species...but all species do fine with crickets or roaches as their only food...at least as far as i've ever heard. just make sure the crickets have been fed a healthy diet (called "gut loading", and some shops do this) and your T will have a good solid diet. they don't really get bored of food like us humans do...
that being said, i do mix things up with superworms or maggots etc...but that's my personal choice, and definitely not required.
as Oli wisely said, though some T's have different "taste"...if your T refuses food and isn't near a moult (or just finished one), you may have a picky T...and it might be worth trying something new in its diet.

[James Box]

oh forgot to mention, the Tarantula Shop gets my full seal of approval as well!
have bought from them mainly at shows, but they've treated me well.

[Tom Forman]

alot of ppl still up late lol

P & P was 6-7 pounds , 9 pounds with a heatpack.

[Oli Dodds]

alot of ppl still up late lol

I just got off work thats why
I dont normally go to sleep until 4am anyway, and then get up at 8 (Ive never needed much sleep)
Oli

[James Box]

i'm just going to bed. but i am a nighthawk anyway lol

[Oli Dodds]

'Nighthawk' LOL

[Peter Lacey]

So the definitely getting a sling, getting a rosea, getting it from the SS is erm, not definite any more. Oh what it is to be young. LOL
I really think you'd do yourself a lot of favours if you visited a shop where they sell Ts, a shop that has a variety of Ts for you to look at and make your mind up on the individual. Most terrestrials will eat the same food, require the same environment, and are subject to the same probs caused by inappropriate care.
I'd have a look at the T store guide (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.tar...re-species.htm), decide on a number of Ts which you like and then take yourself down to the exotic pet shop to see whats available from your choice. Nothing against the online distributors but nothing beats seeing them face to face and I recon it will strengthen your opinion on which to finally choose.