New tarantula questions

I recently acquired a young female T. blondi from backwater reptiles (maybe not the best place to go but it is what it is). This is my first tarantula, and I have questions about basic care. Firstly, how do I know when it's getting ready to molt? I want to make sure I don't put food in that might backfire and attack the T while it's vulnerable. Also, what's the general on consensus on feeding wild-caught food to it? Will that give it parasites?

So far it's been exciting (I almost got bit already!), and it seems to have acclimated to its new home. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!

If this is your first T all I can say is good luck. I've never kept one but if it is a true T. blondi they require specific humidity and ventilation. From what I hear it's tricky. Their urticating hairs are one of the most irritating out there. Not a beginner T at all.

You know BWR's reputation and you still bought from them You should post a picture of your male T stirmi :laugh: so folks can help ID your species. A clear pic of the top of it's legs and patella will do

Male T stirmi is what I got from them when I ordered a female T apophysis. :wall:

He/she will quit eating and the abdomen will get darker in color during pre-molt.

Feeding wild caught food can risk introducing pesticides and nematodes, both can kill your T.

I don't mean to sound too harsh but shouldn't you have researched this before you bought a tarantula and an "advance" tarantula at that? This is not only for your benefit but it also benefits the healthy life of your tarantula.

For the molting, I'm not too sure on the specific species, but usually Ts get pretty lethargic. Also, with mine, she drank A LOT of water coming up to her molt. It's okay to put food in but the next day if they don't eat it be sure to take it out. If your T is a regular eater that's a pretty good indication they're in premolt. As someone said before they'll get a bald spot on their abdomen, they also might be more defensive.

As for the wild caught food, I personally don't do that (mainly because we spray poison around) but the parasites might also be an issue. Better to be safe than sorry.

I'm a rookie myself, got my first T in June, so this is based on what I've read and personal experience. There's a lot of good sites to read basic T care and specifics for your species. You can never do too much research :biggrin: good luck!

Please post a picture of your new tarantula and its enclosure. Considering their scarcity in the hobby, very doubtful it is a Theraphosa blondi. Because they require more specific husbandry, none in Theraphosa genus are considered beginner tarantulas. Whatever species you have, perhaps pointers can be offered to help you keep it alive.

Please look into acquiring The Tarantula Keeper's Guide by Schultz and Schultz ASAP and read it cover to cover, a couple of times. Perusing this site will also offer a wealth of information.

Good Luck

Almost getting bitten is a bad thing broheim...

This has trouble written all over it.

Oooookkkkaaaaaayyyyy


So let's try to be positive here right guys?

He's already got the animal in his care. Let's not bash him for ordering through BWR or for getting a T. Blondi (which odds are you've got a T. stirmi)

So what you probably have is a Theraphosa stirmi which is the Burgandy Goliath Birdeater if it came from BWR. Which is cool. It's pretty much the same Tarantula and nobody aside from Tarantula enthuses will know the difference. They're advanced species because they require specific humidity conditions to thrive. They live in the swamps in S. America. They also tend to have the worst Urticating hairs of any T around combined with one of the more defensive attitudes of New World Terrestrial Tarantulas. This combined with the fact that the T gets to be almost a foot long with a one inch fang makes for a nasty bite if you get bit. i don't believe the venom is actually much more potent than any other NW T.

But all of this makes the T not usually a "beginner" species. So do yourself a favor and RESEARCH!!!! As much as possible! Buy the Tarantula Keepers Guide and read it cover to cover. Like 3 times. I also reccomend Barons books "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" and Michael Jacobi's "Tarantulas" (available on Kindle)

Whatever made him/her almost bite you.... Don't do that again lol. Tarantulas is a game of patience and LOT's of little mistakes. Learn every time you make one and become more and more prepared after each one.

I'm about 3 months in. I have some advanced species. Not any Goliath Birdeaters. I find them ugly and too much upkeep. I have 2 Salmon Pink birdeaters (Lasiodora parahybanas) but I recently found out they may only really get about 7 or 8" instead of 10 to 11" like people reported. But they are a bit more skittish and less agressive than Goliaths, have less painful urticating hairs, and can be kept bone dry with a water dish. Plus they are super cheap.

But I also have some aggressive baboon spiders and some pokies. Most of them are 1 inch or under, but I still was able to research, exercise caution, keep my wits about me, and do fine.

If you have common sense, have knowledge, have the equipment needed to care for the animal, and the genuine desire to care for the animal the best you can, then you'll do fine, and I think the people here will help you do so.

That being said I'm not an expert on Goliath Birdeaters. So please take photos for identification and somebody should be able to help you further.

Good luck!

I did research this and sought advice from local pet stores on how to take care of it. However most pet store workers don't seem to know anything about tarantulas, less a theraphosa species. I looked at several care sheets online and prepared my tank using tips from those sheets. So far it's doing fine. In the future, if you don't have any advice to give, then don't reply to my post.

First of all, here are a couple of threads on T. blondi/stirmi care, there are some very informative posts in these by a user called Poec54 among others:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?254778-Care-and-facts-about-T.-apophysis-and-blondi
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?262428-Theraphosa-stirmi

You'll find the search function here very useful considering Theraphosa species care is more advanced than that of a beginner T like G.rosea.

My opinion on wild caught food: Don't bother, it's simply not worth the threat of pesticide exposure.

Blaptica dubia roaches are a good feeder with plenty of meat that would be good for a larger T. They are also generally considered safe should they be in an enclosure with a vulnerable T.

Other users have covered the basic pre moult signs and since I don't have any experience with Theraphosa I'll leave that part of your question to other users/the search function/TKG

I can only parrot others and recommend you get yourself a copy of the Tarantula Keeper's guide by Schultz and Schultz and read the thing to death. Research is your friend.

Good luck to you and your T

Based upon your description, I think it is in premolt. There is definitely a patch missing on its abdomen, and it has been eating a lot lately. I have my own colonies of cockroaches and superworms, so food's not a problem.

lawrencebugboy said:

Based upon your description, I think it is in premolt. There is definitely a patch missing on its abdomen, and it has been eating a lot lately. I have my own colonies of cockroaches and superworms, so food's not a problem.

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Most of the Theraphosas are bottomless pits when it comes to food. Most spiders tend to slack off food as they near a molt and may turn down food for days, weeks and some even months prior to a molt. Missing hair is not a sign of pre-molt. It is a sign that they have been kicking/rubbing hairs. Recently shipped or rehoused or regularly agitated tarantulas with urticating hairs are very likely to have a bald spot. The bald spot will generally be tan to brownish. As they near a molt the bald spot will turn black, blacker, blackest, the spider will be lethargic, perhaps burrow or close off a hide.

As you have found, the majority of pet store employees don't know squat about spiders and some may even have trouble organizing a trip to the bathroom. (I'm a former pet store manager, I know whereof I speak...It's hard to hire competent help for minimum wage.)
Online care sheets should be taken with a grain of salt. Some are spot on, others just plain suck.
Communicating with those who have successfully maintained spiders in this genus for extended time periods will give you the most useful information.

Can you post pictures of your spider and its set up?

lawrencebugboy said:

I did research this and sought advice from local pet stores on how to take care of it. However most pet store workers don't seem to know anything about tarantulas, less a theraphosa species. I looked at several care sheets online and prepared my tank using tips from those sheets.

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First two rules of thumb with regards to info about t's. 1. Advice from pet stores is notoriously poor at best and should be taken with a grain of salt...if that. The only "pet store" I know of that deals in t's and has some basic info (but its still often flawed) with t's that's semi in the area is in Bay view, and if I had to venture a guess it would be Hoffers you searched at. They know next to nothing and what they know if often not right...lol

2. Care sheets are basically worthless, and with many species, actually CAUSE more problems than anything.

Get your info from people experienced with the animals, and through AB, you have access to people all over the globe, many that have been keeping for decades. No matter the species, someone here has one, or has had one. Same thing goes for pet stores, online dealers and breeders. There are pages and pages of reviews on anyone worth buying a t from (or not). 5 minutes researching here and you would probably have a better specimen that will live longer, and probably saved a few bucks as well as learning where NOT to buy from.

Good luck and looking forward to the pics.

EDIT: You posted too quick Phoebe (still hilarious), and made me look like a parrot...lol;P

Formerphobe said:

As you have found, the majority of pet store employees don't know squat about spiders

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This times 1 million.

lawrencebugboy said:

I did research this and sought advice from local pet stores on how to take care of it. However most pet store workers don't seem to know anything about tarantulas, less a theraphosa species. I looked at several care sheets online and prepared my tank using tips from those sheets. So far it's doing fine. In the future, if you don't have any advice to give, then don't reply to my post.

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Since I think you are pretty new to the spider world I am glad you came to Arachnoboards but you really do need to lay off the attitude a bit. There is wealth of knowledge and experience in the posts on these boards that is, I'm sure, unsurpassed in many genera. There are people on these boards that have been breeding and learning about Tarantula's since the days where there was only a few species available to the hobby. These pioneers of the hobby are WHY there IS a hobby. When they started out the best things they had to go from were flawed care sheets with misinformation and they have since learned a lot of better husbandry and keeping methods that have prolonged and extended the life expectancy of many species kept in the hobby.

These people are willing to share their vast collection of information, tips, tricks and encouragement IF we, as newb's, take advantage of it. These "pioneers" deserve our respect. When someone replies to your post that they believe you should have done more research, or tell you that you need to research more, or any other seemingly negative feedback remarks they are speaking from experience, and in some cases, concern for your safety and the life of your spider!

TBH, looking at a couple of care sheets online and reading a description of your proposed purchase is NOT research. Care sheets are inherently flawed, often inaccurate and usually outdated. These Forums are the fix for that.

Try not to be so thin-skinned. If you utilize the knowledge base available to you here you will be a top notch keeper in no time. If you're respectful and not take everything personally and negatively, you will probably make a few good friends along the way.

Good luck with you T. stirmi...

Yeah I poked around the pet stores when I got my first T. I found only one that knew anything. He happened to manage a local aquarium and exotic pet shop. He just happened to have bred Ts before and had a few. Now I'm the tarantula liaison to his store. But man in 3 months of reading the boards here I've surpassed him in general knowledge of the hobby. He still has the experience with the animals on me. But you'd be surprised how little most pet stores really know about any animal they carry. And how educated the community here will make you on tarantulas!

And try to take all the answers here constructively. There's a lot of tough love on this site. And it's for good reason. Nobody's going to take your tarantula away from you. Or stop you from getting any more. We only want you to take the best possible care of it and promote the hobby.

Relax and take the opportunity to learn the forum regulars and learn some tarantulas.

Pictures!!! We need some pictures!

We say that because backwater is NOTORIOUS for shipping incorrectly labeled animals on both gender and species. Very commonly with T. blondi. Which looks almost exactly like a T. stirmi

Research would mean you wouldn't have purchased from BWR and possibly have gotten the exact T you wanted. You have to expect to get some grief for that, so take it with a grain of salt. Continue researching and be wise about your sources. Many new keepers research or claim to, but they seriously underestimate the vast amount of knowledge that is out there, and how much research is truly necessary. The experienced keepers on here research diligently, and have spent years raising and breeding Ts, refining their skills through trial and error and ever continuing data. It all adds up to a whole lot of work, which should be respected. You can catch up with their knowledge as long as you can absorb some grief for mistakes and live up to them instead of defending them. The care sheets you went by so far may or may not be good. Don't get upset if you ask for advice here and find out your whole enclosure needs to be adjusted. Just make the changes. Your tarantula will benefit from it. Best of luck to you and welcome to the hobby. T. stirmi is still a great T. You'll surely enjoy it.

Keith B said:

T. stirmi is still a great T. You'll surely enjoy it.

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Bottom line is the spider needed a good home.

Next time when you order from BWR try to buy a T.stirmi. Then you'd get a T.blondi!