thinking of getting a t.blondi

PapaSmurf

Arachnodemon
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well it seems like most people like them really well and seems like they eat well, so i thought i would get one some time in the future and was wondering if any one had some pointers and advice on this speices:confused: i have read up on them 80% humidity, deep soil/peat moss some fourm of hide out log ect large open water any thing im missing here??? i think when i get one ill go smalll,
 

Botar

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I think if you've read up on them in past posts on this forum, you'll be in good shape. As for going small, it's going to be a balancing act between size and money. Your best bet is going to be captive bred but go as big as you can afford. Good luck.

Botar
 

rosehaired1979

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Our T.Blondi is around 4" we got it when it was 2.5" and it is now showing some aggression. They are good and healthy eaters as well. :)
 

Aviculariinae

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just think big,and also you will have no food in your house cos this guys eat everything,remember the computer game pac man well they are like that LOL,

Just keep it warm and humid and the spider will be fine;)
 

arachnopunks

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We got our first T. blondi at 1" and it was probably best. They are very good eaters. Buying at a smaller size is good for a couple of reasons-1) they are more inexpensive and 2) raising a T. blondi from a s'ling or juvi gives you the chance to get used to their temperment and speed as they mature. Deep substrate is a must. We gave our s'ing deep substrate with a shelter in a ten gallon aquarium and he made good use of it. He dug pretty deep for a little guy and piled all of his escavation in front of the entrance of the shelter. Our T. blondi was mature in a year and a half. Funny thing is when you feed crickets to them as s'lings it makes sense but when they are bigger crickets are like popcorn.
 

freetosting

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There big, there bad and they know it. They eat everything you throw at them. They get a little aggressive around 5-6 inches. You must keep it the humidity really high. Other then that they are great. The best thing is watching people's jaw's drop as they look in the cage and see a huge dinner plate size spider . That right there is worth the price alone. lol. =D Peace
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by freetosting
You must keep it the humidity really high. Other then that they are great.
The humidity and blondis business is not cut and dried. Experienced keepers have had good success keeping adults bone dry so I remain very skeptical on the common advice that they need high humidity.

I've never kept one and never will, so I'm just going on second hand reports, but I figure if Darrin Vernier can keep them dry in the middle of Arizona, the humidity requirements are probably very overstated.
 

freetosting

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Every Blondi will be different. I don't think experience has anything to do with their humidity requirement's. It depends on the T you have. I live in the middle of Arizona and if I go without misting my Blondi's cage one day he sit's by his water dish and doesn't move untill I mist again. Experience doesn't have anything to do with it. Every T is different. Them needing high humidity isn't hear say, it is proven fact. It all depends. That's all. Peace.
 

PapaSmurf

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well i think im gonna get one around 3-5" so i can also get a b.smithi, been wanting one for awhile and if i get a huge t.blondi then i have to get a small b.smithi, and i want to get the b.smthi bout the same size the bird eater is about 45 bucks i seen and the redKnee is about 55bucks around 2-3" that is...
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by freetosting
Every T is different. Them needing high humidity isn't hear say, it is proven fact. It all depends. That's all. Peace.
Now that is a load of crap, and no more need be said. If you think there's much of anything *proven* in regards to T husbandry, you need to go research what "proven" actually means.

As a researcher, I can say with authority it isn't even a mildly tested hypothesis whether they need high humidity or not.
 
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freetosting

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lol, a load of crap, ok, well I guess them living in the rain forest has nothing to do with it. How bout since you are a researcher why don't you do a little experiement, why don't you go out release some Blondi's into the desert of Arizona where I live, not you, and see how many Blondi's make it. You probally know more about T's then me, in fact I know you do. It may not be proven fact, that Blondi's need high humidity, it's just common sense. :}
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by freetosting
lol, a load of crap, ok, well I guess them living in the rain forest has nothing to do with it.
Exactly. Just because they are adapted to the rainforest doens't begin to mean they require the environment of a rainforest.

How bout since you are a researcher why don't you do a little experiement, why don't you go out release some Blondi's into the desert of Arizona where I live, not you, and see how many Blondi's make it.
Why? We know that answer. Now, try the real experiment: someone keeps them bone dry for years with plenty of drinking water available in Arizona while you keep yours under conditions of high humidity with plenty of drinking water available. If you're correct, more kept at high humidity will survive than those kept dry.

This experiment has been done. Darrin Vernier has probably kept more T. blondis than you have tarantulas in total. His *all* did fine, not a select number, *all*. Guess what the scientific method says about your 'common sense? It's wrong.

Now, this is just one quantifiable comparison, and to be certain we'd need to repeat these sort of comparisons into at least a few dozen trials, but it is strongly suggestive that keepers should be considering that the standard way of rearing blondis may be wrong, or at least not so necessary as was believed. Considering the health benefits of keeping Ts dry (avoiding mites and mold) versus moist (none), it shouldn't be dismissed out of hand so quickly.

People can do something which is completely neutral or even slightly negative for ages under the belief that it's beneficial (e.g. not going swimming after eating, bleeding to treat illnesses), we're stubborn that way. It's only when you compare what happens when you keep doing your "beneficial" act and compare it to what happens when you don't do it that you learn its unnecessary.
 

freetosting

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And I agree with you in some respect, but your look at it like it's black and white. Like o, take care of your T's however you want. For example, if one were to keep a usambra orange. they require little humidity, now what's to say someone keeps a couple with high humidity and they live, how does that prove that they all need high humidity it doesn't. It proves that conditions were different that allowed that species to thrive. The MAJORITY of species are going to thrive under the conditions that they are accustomed to in the wild. If a Blondi was meant to live under little humidity, then they would be a desert species. Why are they in the rainforest, did god screw up and stick them in the wrong part of the world. No. Thier there because that is how they are supposed to live. If what yout saying is true then what is the point of believing anything we read or see or research about. There wouldn't be any point to it. Keeping T's is common sense and knowledge. You gotta have both. And THAT Is the bottom line. Peace>out.
 

PapaSmurf

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thanks for the info i got some books on all differnt T's and i got a set up for the it says T.blondi are burrowers and should have deep soil peat moss ect, so the can burrow humidity should be keep some what higher than normal Trantulas humidity would cage should also have a log or rock to hide in/behind when when not burrowing says they are very deffensive cage size should be a 15-20 gallon tank.. depending on its size...Oh yeah herd they are real bad on kicking hairs well i was hit with a few from my stripeknee and had bumps like posion ivy on my wrist and foreArm area, and inbetween my fingers.... so kinda not looking foward to getting hit with his hairs:(
 

arachnopunks

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My daddy can beat up your daddy. Living in Florida and having a relative humidity of greater than 80% for most of the year we really cant relate to the humidity questions. In the years Ive been keeping I haven't been one to humidify. I would raise the humidity when I suspected a molt, but that meant overflowing the water dish with an occasional misting. I found that molts go alot smoother with a higher humidity. Humidity issues can be a problem because some people take the notion to far. You can bump up humidity just dont let condensation develop. I had read some theories of thought on the topic of temp and humidity and what i got out of it is unless you live in extremely arid summers and extremely cold winters then temp and humidity are not so much a concern.
 

PapaSmurf

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wow your dad can beat up my dad? thats amazing.... sigh..... well anyways i have decided to hold off on the b.smithi and get 2" T.blondi, anthor a.avic.,h.lividum and maybe a pink zebra beauty(i got the most the cash just need a little more)=D
 

arachnopunks

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biting sarcastic wit not your thing? It was said in regard to the argument that was going on in previous posts, not directed to you. You will definitely like the T. blondi though they are very worth the time and money.
 

PapaSmurf

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lol i was makeing a joke i no you were just saying that lol thought id add on;P yeah been wanting T.blondi since i got my rosea
 

arachnopunks

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10-4 a 2" will give you plenty of time to get used to a T blondis behaviour. When they are adults though they command alot of respect. I have to force myself to remember this species doesn't like me, because you can get a bit comfortable with care and feeding.
 

hillie16

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My only question is, how do you move that dinner plate sized spider, and what do you move it to when you need to change it's substrate, or something?:?
 
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