Does anyone else remember when B. smithi were the G. rosies???

Eclipse

Arachnobaron
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I remember back when I was in 2nd grade B. smithi's filled every pet shop here in SoCal and were sold from $20-$50. They were like the G. rosies of today. B. smithi was my first tarantula and that's where my love of tarantulas began. I had never seen a tarantula in real life and we used to have many other pets before when I was younger like hamsters, iguanas, frogs, puppies, cats, exotic fishes, etc... and it wasn't until my dad bought a B. smithi, it was the most impressive creature I had ever seen. Anyways we would go to different petshops to pick up crickets and B. smithis were the only tarantulas I seen available up until around when I was in middle school. Thats when they started to sell G. rosea's here. So I was just wondering if anyone else remembered this B. smithi era or was it just me?
 
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coldvaper

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was that in the 70s? I didn't get my first T until the mid 80s, and she is a Rosea.
 

Eclipse

Arachnobaron
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This was during the 90's. T's and inverts weren't really popular here so I didn't see anything impressive until B. smithi's started to sell like hot cakes.
 

Transient

Arachnosquire
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If 19 is old, then I need to be in a nursing home.

I saw B. smithi in pet stores before I ever saw G. rosea.
 
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JOE P

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i do remember, but it was the 80's....i expected to pay 20-50 dollars for a smithi when i first walked into Bryant Capiz's store(Arachnocentric)in the mid 90's. when he showed me a .4th of an inch big spiderling i was like "you have to kidding!" think i walked out with a 3 inch curly hair for 25 dollars or something like that
 

JadeWilliamson

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If 19 is old, then I need to be in a nursing home.

I saw B. smithi in pet stores before I ever saw G. rosea.
Bahaha me too!

I've never seen a B smithi in person other than the .75" specimen that I have. I'm going to Repticon on November fifth, so hopefully I can see/pick up some crazy stuff :D
The only pet store around here that carries them consistently has G rosea (<--plural) and I bought an A avicularia from there (he's now a mature male and a father-to-be!). They can order some of the other Ts..but to answer your question, nope.
 

Eclipse

Arachnobaron
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If 19 is old, then I need to be in a nursing home.

I saw B. smithi in pet stores before I ever saw G. rosea.
I knew I wasn't the only one!!! I haven't seen a B. smithi around in a long long time though and when I do its like $80+ for 2" nowadays. The first one I ever bought was $19.99 for a 2" B.smithi at a local pet shop in the 90's and I was obsessed with it haha. I thought I was some kind of badass because every other kid would want to come to my apt just to see it and everytime it moved they would be like "OHHHHHHH AWESOMEE!!! ITS MOVING!" everyone else had like a hamster or a fish if they didn't already have a dog or a cat.
 

coldvaper

Arachnosquire
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I guess Roesas were first? In the 80s the only thing I saw were roseas in pet stores where I got mine.
 

k2power

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No, G. roseas were not the first. The B. smithis were. Iremember in the 80s we had a pet store in the mall (Doctor Pet Shop) that had a smithi at all times. I always wanted one but my mom said no...due to allergies I had as a kid (or her dislike of them more so). anyways my first was a red rump that was left at work in 1994 that I eventually adopted. roseas were definitely on the scene big time in 1994 about when de Vosjoli's books started appearing and the world opened up. All the TFH books seem to have mostly smithis in them but no idea of proper care. We didn't learn much in the 70s and 80s I guess. Once te 90s hit the Pandoras box of spiders opened and it has opened wider since. I have 2 now and one just molted this weekend and is a pretty as ever. I never remembered the prices but 20 sounds right. I can still remember seeing them in the locked room with the other exotics and drool coming out of my mouth.

Eventually Chile or CITES will clamp down on the G. roseas and Avics like the smithis and emperor scorpions are now restricted.

---------- Post added 10-26-2011 at 07:32 PM ----------

Ugh. An old people thread. I plead the 5th. :eek:

At least old people threads are more interesting to read than another kiddie
"My mommy won't let me have any tarantulas, what should I do?" thread.
 

drgonzo

Arachnosquire
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Eventually Chile or CITES will clamp down on the G. roseas and Avics like the smithis and emperor scorpions are now restricted.
I heard a couple months ago it's in the works for G.rosea and CITES
Don't know how true it is,or if anything came out of it.
 

k2power

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I heard a couple months ago it's in the works for G.rosea and CITES
Don't know how true it is,or if anything came out of it.
I think it is probably a good idea considering how many are exported. Such slow growing species aren't given a chance to replenish populations that quickly and exports have been ongoing for 15-20 years now in huge numbers.
 

drgonzo

Arachnosquire
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You would think local populations would be hurting.I have been keeping them for about 15 yrs and should have my first CBB 2nd generation sac this year.And I'll be lucky if I can give them away lol.Hope they do make them CITES.Then all the G.rosea haters will be camped in my yard for some of them free "pet rocks"
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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Old-timer chiming in here... In the 1970s the most common tarantulas in the pet store trade in the mid-atlantic region were marketed as Mexican Red Leg (B. smithi the most common, but other Brachy species also sold under same common name), Pink Toe Tarantula (usually A. avic), and the occasional Giant Bird-eater (Lord knows what species that was). I didn't hear of the Chilean Rose till years later.
 

Transient

Arachnosquire
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I actually had no idea what a Chilean Rosehair was until this year. NO SHAME
 

Eclipse

Arachnobaron
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I can still remember seeing them in the locked room with the other exotics and drool coming out of my mouth.

....emperor scorpions are now restricted.

---------- Post added 10-26-2011 at 07:32 PM ----------




At least old people threads are more interesting to read than another kiddie
"My mommy won't let me have any tarantulas, what should I do?" thread.
You bought back memories! I TOTALLY remember that the local petshops I went to would have "regular pets" usually mammals and common lizards and then they had an "exotics" room with tanks of snakes and expensive reptiles and of course ALL the tarantulas and scorpions, but mostly B.smithi's. They used to have more of a variety of T's back then too...

And I may be only 19 but I laughed and I agree with your 2nd post :eek:
 
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