Change of Species

[James Box]

Peter's got a point, Richard. i notice you're in North London (no comment!). if you're not far from Camden, i know a shop just up the road a bit from Mornington Crescent that sells some T's...or they did when i last went there, anyways. can't recall the name, but it's just i think a street or so further up than Sainsbury's and on the same side if i remember correctly.

[Oli Dodds]

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.

Very well put, take heed of Peter's advice Richard- for a 'newbie' to the hobby he sure knows his stuff!
I definatley agree with your 'see them face to face' comment also- most spids just dont show their true colouration or beauty in pictures as the lighting, shadows and many other factors can affect what your seeing.

[James Box]

oy, i'm a newbie too

[Peter Lacey]

Very well put, take heed of Peter's advice Richard- for a 'newbie' to the hobby he sure knows his stuff!
I definatley agree with your 'see them face to face' comment also- most spids just dont show their true colouration or beauty in pictures as the lighting, shadows and many other factors can affect what your seeing.

tee-hee, I do make mistakes too. I just read, and read, and read. I'll probably become a full BTS member one day so I can get access to all those journals and other parts of the forum, more reading!
Most of my noobie questions are on other T forums and I've lost count of how many I'm on

Of course if we were to put this thread and another thread together we could come to the same conclusion - a visit to Cold Blooded (or another more convenient well stocked exotic shop) and get the chance to meet the spiders and each other.

[Richard Shah]

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.

Inches, sorry. So ok I have a conntainer ready (from the time I was gonna buy a 1cm Rosea sling, but it'll serve well for the Mexican RK juve.)
Thank you Kate,
Rich.

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

Lol - I don't know if risking it would be wise though.

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.

Gut Loading is something I heard of, though my pet store stocks a commercial food called "Cricket Feed". I sure hope mine isn't a kicker and isn't picky lol, or else I may encounter a few problems. I plan to feed it crickets regularly, and as an adult I may give it mice once a month to keep it happy (or every other month!).
I like RCF GRs, but NCF are just not nice looking at all to me - I think that is quite a crue thing to say though.
Thanks a lot James,
Rich.

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.

Great! Thanks a lot again!

And to everybody;

THANK YOU!

Rich :d

[Richard Shah]

alot of ppl still up late lol

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

Kl - thank you for that.

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

That's pretty crazy lol, I usually have 8 hours sleep on school nights (or less), but I can cope!

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.

I agree. I would love to go, but I cannot spare any time tbh, and all of them are quite far away from me (except this one in Camdem, probably about twenty minutes or less via tube, but I don't know exactly where it is or what it is even called; James can you get the name if poss. for me plz??)
I'll have a think about everything you said,
Cheers!

tee-hee, I do make mistakes too. I just read, and read, and read. I'll probably become a full BTS member one day so I can get access to all those journals and other parts of the forum, more reading!
Most of my noobie questions are on other T forums and I've lost count of how many I'm on

Of course if we were to put this thread and another thread together we could come to the same conclusion - a visit to Cold Blooded (or another more convenient well stocked exotic shop) and get the chance to meet the spiders and each other.

I'll have a think...

Peter's got a point, Richard. i notice you're in North London (no comment!). if you're not far from Camden, i know a shop just up the road a bit from Mornington Crescent that sells some T's...or they did when i last went there, anyways. can't recall the name, but it's just i think a street or so further up than Sainsbury's and on the same side if i remember correctly.

Plz, can you remember the name? I am not too far from Camden, and it might be a very good store to go to!

Cheers everyone,

Rich!

BTW just did a search on yell.com, is the pet shop:
Primrose Hill Pts
or
Kings Aquatic & Reptile World



or neither?

[James Box]

I think it's Kings! could be wrong, it's literally less than 5 minutes north of Mornington Crescent station, on the same side as Sainsbury's but a bit further.

[Richard Shah]

I think it's Kings! could be wrong, it's literally less than 5 minutes north of Mornington Crescent station, on the same side as Sainsbury's but a bit further.

No, you are right. It would take me 40 minutes by tube to go down there, but I probably will when I get more money (I'm saving up for this T. and buying bit by bit for it, but right now I haven't got much money saved up for it since I just bought a plastic tank for the crickets and I spent a lot of my money on c**p recently before I decided I ever wanted a T.. I'm going to start doing what I did as a child, and save lots of money without spending it on rubbish!! Lol!)
Thanks
Rich

[James Box]

No, you are right. It would take me 40 minutes by tube to go down there, but I probably will when I get more money (I'm saving up for this T. and buying bit by bit for it, but right now I haven't got much money saved up for it since I just bought a plastic tank for the crickets and I spent a lot of my money on c**p recently before I decided I ever wanted a T.. I'm going to start doing what I did as a child, and save lots of money without spending it on rubbish!! Lol!)
Thanks
Rich

man i completely understand! i spend money on rubbish too lol

[SylviRigden]

You could always buy both slings, the rosie is only £2 from 'The Spider shop' ( you can blow that much on a bar of chocolate from Tesco ) and I would think the postage will cost no more for 2 slings. They are both going to grow slowly so you won't have to worry about space for some time. Both are worth getting I wouldn't part with either of mine and they are a nice contrasting pair to have if any one wants to see your T's. My Smithi doesn't flick much now she is older, my Rosie doesn't flick at all.

I have bought lots of T's from the Spider Shop and I recomend them. Also your slings won't need posh tanks. Chinese take away tubs or similar do fine. Crickets aren't fussy either, it's one of those hobbys where you can spend alot of money if you want or not much and have the same enjoyment.

[James Box]

You could always buy both slings, the rosie is only £2 from 'The Spider shop' ( you can blow that much on a bar of chocolate from Tesco ) and I would think the postage will cost no more for 2 slings. They are both going to grow slowly so you won't have to worry about space for some time. Both are worth getting I wouldn't part with either of mine and they are a nice contrasting pair to have if any one wants to see your T's. My Smithi doesn't flick much now she is older, my Rosie doesn't flick at all.

I have bought lots of T's from the Spider Shop and I recomend them. Also your slings won't need posh tanks. Chinese take away tubs or similar do fine. Crickets aren't fussy either, it's one of those hobbys where you can spend alot of money if you want or not much and have the same enjoyment.

i think the issue is his mum might have a problem with more than one to start with! and it's definitely not a good idea for him to start with slings as he's agreed lol
incidentally, one of my rosea's did actually flick at me the other day...and i feel like a pincushion now!

[Richard Shah]

man i completely understand! i spend money on rubbish too lol

Lol! Well now I have a lot I need to buy but I have no money, whereas two months ago I had lots of money and no idea on what to spend it on (other than crap, except for one occasion).That sucks!!

You could always buy both slings, the rosie is only £2 from 'The Spider shop' ( you can blow that much on a bar of chocolate from Tesco ) and I would think the postage will cost no more for 2 slings. They are both going to grow slowly so you won't have to worry about space for some time. Both are worth getting I wouldn't part with either of mine and they are a nice contrasting pair to have if any one wants to see your T's. My Smithi doesn't flick much now she is older, my Rosie doesn't flick at all.

I have bought lots of T's from the Spider Shop and I recomend them. Also your slings won't need posh tanks. Chinese take away tubs or similar do fine. Crickets aren't fussy either, it's one of those hobbys where you can spend alot of money if you want or not much and have the same enjoyment.

It doesn't cost any more for two slings, but I have already established that slings are not for me yet, in the future is when they are! I know definitely that all I am getting, for now, is a Smithi. I sure hope mine doesn't flick hairs that much though lol!

Cheers to all,

Rich!

[Andrew Ferguson]

I've just bought a B.smithi juvenile from the same website and should expect it within the next few days. I read somewhere that the box Ferrero Rocher come in make an ideal starter home. So guess what I'm going to scoff all by myself tomorrow!?

I decided to opt for the smithi over a rosea mainly for the colouration. I understood they were more prone to hair flicking, but I plan on leaving the tarantula to its own devices and should therefore limit any urticating hair showers to an absolute minimum.

[Richard Shah]

I've just bought a B.smithi juvenile from the same website and should expect it within the next few days. I read somewhere that the box Ferrero Rocher come in make an ideal starter home. So guess what I'm going to scoff all by myself tomorrow!?

I read that too... what an excuse lol! I think I will too! However, bare in mind that hers was a sling, I think a juve. might need something bigger.

BTW can adult Smithis eat hamsters as opposed to mice?

[Andrew Ferguson]

I've seen some pet shops keeping numerous adults in boxes no bigger than a Ferrero Rocher box. All stacked up inside a tank. The spider may not have expressive faces, but they did look sad to me.