heat sources & terrible pet store story

Sheri

Arachnoking
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Dec 29, 2003
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I have a zebra, white knee and pink toe which I now rotate int he evenings close to or over my heat registers to ensure they are warm enough, and get some extra heat (although my house temp never goes below 22 celcius)... This seems to be working well. However, my birdeater (who I am convinced is close to death - despite the store owner telling he He was a female, and only a year old) has a 30 glalon tank, too heavy to move frequently. I will be buying a heater next month when I can afford it BUT are there any cheap alternative sources of heat I can use?
I tried for the first time today a warming gel pad which is heated up int he microwave. I placed it next to his large habi-hut.
has anyone tried this?
All sugestions welcomed.
Also, do I have a case against the store owner based on his lies to get the sale. The spider was also WAy overpriced, and he also told me that the Birdeater was rarely for sale since it came on and off the endangered list.
I have done a ton of research since my purchase, but want to know if anyone thinks there is any recourse for this.
I paid $300 for a sexually mature male.
 

Immortal_sin

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yikes...that is alot of money, even in USD. I have UTH (under tank heaters) on the SIDES of my glass aquariums. I have found them to be quite useful, and they aren't expensive. It should keep at least one side of your tank fairly comfy for him. You can get them in any pet store
 

MrT

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Which T is it?
I'd say you have to try to get at least a store credit.
What a jackass he must be.
I'd call the BBB.
And anyone else who might be able to help you.


Ernie
 

Jeff_C

ArachnoAddicted
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Apr 10, 2003
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sheri,

If what you have is truly a mature male that was sold to you as a female then you should get back your money immediately. Failing that you should try to get that guy over to someone with a mature female asap and try for some slings.

How long have you had it?

Jeff
 

oxbaker

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Nov 19, 2003
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I dunno if you're gonna but before you take any legal action I would first check your city's bylaws regarding exotic animals. I live in a small city in Ontario and it's legal for our pet store to sell exotics (all tarantulas fall under exotics by our law's definitions) but it's illegal to keep them within the city limits. I know a couple of people that have gotten fined and had their animals seized because of this. Just a suggestion coz I wouldn't want to see you incriminate yourself in the quest for justice.
 

Sheri

Arachnoking
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First off, I knwo it was stupid to buy it before doing any research. However, I had never seen a spider so large, and determined that I needed it - right then.
That being said, I now know ALOT more, hence being able to sex the T Blondi.
This guy is simply out to make a sale, no matter how he has to do it.
I think I will write a letter, send it by registered mail, and then give him 30 days to respond before going to small claims.
I ahve had my T Blondi since October. A pet store I deal with now can order one in for $179, same size, but not sexed.

So basically it was my stupidity that got me in the situation which is why I am hesititing to try and be reimbursed. As for breeding, I don't know anyone locally that collects t's, much less a T Blondi.

Thanks for all the advice, and certainly, buyer be ware.

His talk about the endangered list is total crap - a species never comes on and off the list like he described.

Anyway, inc ase there are any Winnipeggers on here, e-mail me and I will let you know which store it was.
 

da_illest

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mrT what's the BBB?? and 300$ canadian is A LOT for that t... i can get a guarentee female 8-9 inches big here in toronto for a little over 100 canadian dollars... the guy has it right now... i say you go and tell the store you got lied to and that you want to return the T.. Tell them you took it to a tarantula expert (this site if you like) when you get your money back if u still want the t you can have it shipped from here and it will cheaper! good luck!
ps. i bought a chilean rose hair for 30$ (really expensive i think) canadian and the guy told me that it was a male when in fact it was a female, he also told me it was 7 months old when in fact a t breeder i know said it's probably over 10-15 years old and that it looked wild caught!! i never bothered causing trouble with it because it was only 30 bucks and i kind of like the fact that i have a t that's almost my age, she could be my sisters age!.... :D
 

da_illest

Arachnoprince
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actually i think it was around 150 for the t. blondi that size! no taxes!
 

MrT

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Hey sheri,
We all pay too much for a T at sometime or another.
I paided 100.00 for a 1 1/2" B.smithi a couple years ago.
It's the lying part that hurts ALL pet shops.


BBB= Better Business Bureau, Its kind of a watchdog group.
They keep records of complaints on file, and people can call them to checkup on a business.

E
 

James M.

Arachnoknight
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Jan 3, 2004
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You should try the Cobra heat pads. Thay look like real good ones. I have the Zoomed UTHs on my gecko tanks and don,t like them much.
 

Sheri

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bad pet store owner

Yes, I was totally ripped off. I will do the registered letter first, and then wait to see what happens. I will also try and without a doubt have this one sexed by someone that knows a lot more than I do.
But now I always want a T Blondi in the house, that's for sure. Among others, of course.

How does one have a spider mailed and how are they packed, what does it cost, and how do you ensure the temp. is ok for them?
 

SkyeSpider

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Re: bad pet store owner

Originally posted by sheri
Yes, I was totally ripped off. I will do the registered letter first, and then wait to see what happens. I will also try and without a doubt have this one sexed by someone that knows a lot more than I do.
But now I always want a T Blondi in the house, that's for sure. Among others, of course.
Can you take a resonably clear picture of the spider (not to hard with one this size)? If I can get a picture of the pedipalps and ventral opening (the harder shot of the two), I can probably sex him for you :)

I hear you on always wanting to have a blondi in your house. I've had mine two years now, and I love her to death. She's my favorite tarantula :D

-Bryan
 

Sheri

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pic coming soon

I will do that asap, tomorrow prob, and I hope I get a good enough shot for you. Thanks so much!
 

Sheri

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Can you take a resonably clear picture of the spider (not to hard with one this size)? If I can get a picture of the pedipalps and ventral opening (the harder shot of the two), I can probably sex him for you

I hear you on always wanting to have a blondi in your house. I've had mine two years now, and I love her to death. She's my favorite tarantula

-Bryan



Do you have pics fo your t blondi?
 

SkyeSpider

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Countless :) Here's a resonably recent one. She's grown another 2" since this photo (and is full grown now). I still haven't gotten her out of the hide for a current photo, though. All in time.

-Bryan
 

whoami?

Arachnoknight
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Jul 27, 2002
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Originally posted by oxbaker
I dunno if you're gonna but before you take any legal action I would first check your city's bylaws regarding exotic animals. I live in a small city in Ontario and it's legal for our pet store to sell exotics (all tarantulas fall under exotics by our law's definitions) but it's illegal to keep them within the city limits. I know a couple of people that have gotten fined and had their animals seized because of this. Just a suggestion coz I wouldn't want to see you incriminate yourself in the quest for justice.
Wait a minute here. It's legal to sell them, but it's illegal to own them? What kind of sense does that make?

:confused:

Stupid laws suck.
 

Kristen

Arachnosquire
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Apr 26, 2003
Messages
82
heat/humidity

Hey Sheri, I just e-mailed you back, but I forgot to comment about this. Our T room now has it's own thermostat, however in our old house we just turned up the heat and opened some windows in the other rooms! (luckily it was the end of winter and rent was all inclusive :) ) We have used small floor heaters before to boost the temperature a bit. For humidity we keep a small humidifier in the room. It runs pretty much 24hrs a day and does a great job. Good luck pursuing action with the pet store owner. I agree with reporting him to the better business bureau. You can contact the Ontario Better Business Bureau here.

Kristen
 

Joy

Priestess of Pulchra-tude
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Oct 12, 2002
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Originally posted by sheri
I will be buying a heater next month when I can afford it BUT are there any cheap alternative sources of heat I can use?
Do you have just a regular electric heating pad? Turned on low and laid against the side of the tank, they work quite well in this application.

A low wattage red light bulb (25W or lower) in a desk lamp or dome lamp placed so it shines on the vivarium will also work. Just make sure that:

1) your lid can withstand heat. Some of the plastic mesh ones can't. These aren't very suitable for tarantulas anyway (a determined tarantula can chew through them!), but pet stores will recommend them sometimes

2) the bulb shouldn't be close enough or hot enough to crack the glass of your aquarium

3) you should ensure adequate humidity with a large water dish and/or restricted ventilation. I'd also recommend placing the lamp at one end of the vivarium, so your spider can retreat to the cooler side if it desires.

Good luck!

Joy
 
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