Buying my first GBB sling!!!!

[Joanna Pendleton]

Very excited, as this week will see me buying my first GBB, which will also be my first sling, which will also be my first T!!!!

(well, I say mine, my 3 year old daughter's technically!!)

Also want to get a sub-adult for myself, but am still undecided what to get (everyone I talk to seems to recommend a different one, and there are so many beautiful Ts I want. I can see this turning into a collection lol!)

I get paid on friday and there are still many GBB slings left so hoping they are still available on friday!

Update once Ive paid and am actually awaiting the sling!

x

[Joanna Pendleton]

sorry also just wanted to say thanks to Chris who I talked to last night for all his advice!
x

[Peter Lacey]

Where are you buying the GBB from? purely out of interest.

These are great tarantula to have. They're hardy, great eaters and go through quite a change in beautiful colouration. They can be a little skittish but they can also be rather curious. They make excellent display species and love to web. I have a few of these and they've all got a branch in their enclosures so they can web over it and create tube networks. Definitely one of my favourite Ts, closely followed by A. geniculata and a host of pokies

[Joanna Pendleton]

Funny enough chris was trying to tempt me into A. geniculata's last night.

Its a online place called bugs sticks and mantids, but I'm, told the man who does it comes on here sometimes too!

Pokies defo too much for a newbie, but so beautiful, maybe one day! (my list of Ts I would like to own is already in double figures!).

I haven't told my daughter we've managed to find one yet in case something goes wrong but with all going well I assume that if I pay friday, it wont be sent til monday? So by tuesday we'll have him/her with us!

I know they're good eaters I was just going to go for small/micro crickets, but i recently read something about slings sometimes haveing trouble eating even micro crickets and i should be getting some kind or worm or weevil or something? This doesnt sound right to be, as everyone ive spoke to has just said micro crickets are fine, but any advise? Also heard I should leave him/her to settle in the new home for a few days before feeding, again is this right?

And lastly, am thinking about my sub-adult I intend to get for myself being one of:

Grammostola pulchra
Aphonopelma chalcodes
B.Boehmei

and while I do love the A. geniculata, Ive only found slings for sale and fancy something a bit bigger for myself, as we will already be raising my daughters sling!

Anyone got an opinion on which they prefer?

x

[Peter Lacey]

A varied diet is never a bad thing but many people use just crickets. The size of the GBB sling will determine the size of the food items. Generally something no bigger than the abdomen but you'll find many species, including GBB will eat larger insects than that. Micro crickets are only for very small slings, same too of bean weavils. I raised mine (I originally had 20+) on size 1 crickets but an easy food, which will last for ages with just a weetabix and cereals as food, are mealworms or perhaps the smaller variety, the buffalo worms.
Its often good to leave your new Ts to settle down, arriving through the post and into a new enclosure is enough disturbance to deserve a rest. If the abdomen is nice and rounded there won't be a need for immediate food but wetting some of the substrate or providing a shallow bowl of water is worthwhile.

Out of the 3 Ts you've suggested Id go for G. pulchra and A. chalcodes purely because these are such docile species. The Brachypelma genus is renowned for flicking so although these make great additions make sure you take care with your daughter and mind her eyes and throat.

[Joanna Pendleton]

UPDATE!!!!!!

Thank you Peter. We are excited to say that we have now paid for our Ts so expecting them to be posted monday! We have a small pot for my daughter's GBB sling, with some substrate in, but no water bowl, am just planning on misting for humidity. We intend to put this pot next to the heated end of my Ts terranium, hoping this will provide the heat needed for the sling as well.

I decided on a sub-adult A.Chalcodes. It's substrate and terranium have been ordered from the spider shop, along with the T itself, and chose the option where all is sent next day delivery together. I am now worried that the substrate will be too damp, and not have any chance to dry out a but before popping her into the terranium. Any advice you could give me on this would be appreciated!

Thank you

J x

[Colin D Wilson]

Whatever comes from Lee (coir that you make up yourself, or forest type bedding) can be dried out in the oven quite easily, just lay it out on a baking tray, heat it then leave it to cool and dry off.
There's no harm either in leaving the spider in it's travelling tub (or a cricket tub) overnight, just provide ambient heat and a little water. A. chalcodes are very hardy and can withstand the odd drop/high of temp very well. they seen to settle down in a new environmwnt quickly too (as do others of this genus)
Leaving over night will give you a little "relaxed" time to sort out the tank and get it as you want before the spider gets in there and ruins all your hard work
Plenty of substrate to dig and places to hide are beneficial to this species.

Good choice of spider (as Pete says Brachypelma are a bit too flicky and with your young'un it pays to air on the side of caution, obviously still maintaining this caution with the A. chalcodes)
I would have gone for a G. pulchra myself but i'm biased heavily towards the genus so my thoughts are to be ignored

[Joanna Pendleton]

Thanks Colin, don't worry, Ive a feeling that the two coming this week will be the beginning of a collection, so I'm sure a G. pulchra won't be far behind!
Its the coir we're getting, and hopefully Tuesday afternoon will be spent sorting everything out, so our T will be getting introduced to it's new home tuesday night, or wednesday morning.
We have decided to call her Rio (good name for a T from mexico. . . until we realised that mexican blonde is a rubbish nickname for it, as the type we are getting are from Arizona lol. However, the name has stuck now, so Rio it is!)
It's just a waiting game now, so next update will be tuesday, when I will try to post some pics of the tank set up so people can tell me if they think it looks good!
Thank you

J x