Stopped by the LPS to pick up some crickets, and a full set of body armor...

...for when I need to go into my OBT's enclosure to get out a pupating beetle larva....and saw this:

" Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica 200.00 for a 3/4th inch sling" :: 200.00 for a sling?! Most I've heard of was 150 for a 2 inch P Metallica...(LOL then again my dumbA paid 140 for a GBB...I aint mad =)

I'm pretty new in the hobby, so I came home and googled the unpronounceable name. Turns out that according to some sources there are less than 500 in the wild...?
I dont doubt it....but still find that hard to believe, considering how difficult/expensive they would be to hunt down and number, but if they are that rare, there has to be some people out there who collect them, sell them, and know something about them....and some people that need a swift kick to the brain for smuggling them out of India =(

IF they are that rare, for the love of all that is holy breed some more. Bring those numbers up! Protect and study! breaks my heart to see such beautiful creatures just disappear! 10s of millions of years ends because some stupid government wants to build some cheap condo's....:cry:

What is the chance that this LPS actually is selling what they think they are selling? or have been duped into paying a ton for a P Regalis/Fasciata/Miranda or something more common, or a Pokie Mutt but similar looking?

It wouldn't surprise me if there were 500 or less in the wild..they are an insular species with a small population on the mainland also..there livable habitat is a bout 6-8 kilometers..habitat destruction,fractured habitat and loss of suitable living environment is to blame for the low numbers..what's worse is as far as I know there not even protected on the island of rameshwaram...they are bred sporadically and the price has come down a lot..I have seen them for $500 as slings a while back..I wouldn't pay more than 175 for a sling tho..there really not that high on my list other than for there rarity.who knows it could be some guy trying to pass of fasciata for humanavillasumica...o BTW..sound it out..hu-mana-villa-su-mica...I still screw it up so don't feel bad!

Hanuma is very similar to striata, and except for that, you can easily tell it apart from every other Poec species. $200 for a sling is absurd, you can get them for far less. The population of hanuma is small, but part of it's on protected land, owned by a religious organization (I think) and not going to be developed. It's being bred in Europe and slings are imported here. Buy some and support the cause.

Poec54 said:

Hanuma is very similar to striata, and except for that, you can easily tell it apart from every other Poec species. $200 for a sling is absurd, you can get them for far less. The population of hanuma is small, but part of it's on protected land, owned by a religious organization (I think) and not going to be developed. It's being bred in Europe and slings are imported here. Buy some and support the cause.

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its knd of off topic but what would you say fair price is right now? I almost never see them on pricelist and when I did it was 160-180 I can't remember.

You paid 140 for a GBB?? I hope you got a female, Pet-stores smuggle a lot of Ts I bet, then rob buyers by huge markups. Beats the Ts being killed by deforestation though.::

Right now a good deal on unsexed slings would be under $80. Any hanumavilasumica over 1" and the price starts to go up.

Poec54 said:

Hanuma is very similar to striata, and except for that, you can easily tell it apart from every other Poec species. $200 for a sling is absurd, you can get them for far less. The population of hanuma is small, but part of it's on protected land, owned by a religious organization (I think) and not going to be developed. It's being bred in Europe and slings are imported here. Buy some and support the cause.

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humanavillasumica differs from striata mostly on the femurs and lower on the undersides of the back legs the back legs have a purplish hue to them...

I just purchased two P. humanavillasumica slings (@1.5") for $55 and plan to get a couple more after Christmas. I was honestly expecting to pay more, so I couldn't pass them up. $200 is a bit ridiculous, even for LPS prices.

14pokies said:

humanavillasumica differs from striata mostly on the femurs and lower on the undersides of the back legs the back legs have a purplish hue to them...

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Colors vary within Poec species, so it's not reliable. To non-taxonomists, hanuma differs from striata in the width of the black dorsal bands on the front legs. It's subtle.

They are available right now on the classifieds.Why not just check there first?

shawno821 said:

They are available right now on the classifieds.Why not just check there first?

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I was just curious,this species is pretty close to the last on my wishlist..thanks tho

shawno821 said:

They are available right now on the classifieds.Why not just check there first?

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as for me I'm still unsure about the classifieds. Though If I see a good price on a P metallica there i'd not pass it up. Or a B Ablicepts.

Methal said:

as for me I'm still unsure about the classifieds. Though If I see a good price on a P metallica there i'd not pass it up. Or a B Ablicepts.

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I've only bought once from the classifed but I can say it was an excellent experience and I saved a lot of money that way. I would go look on big websites, make a wishlist and then check here to see if anyone is selling them. I could have bought 10 T.ockerti slings for $120 dollars if I would have checked before going to my local exotics expo, I am really kicking myself now.

Methal said:

as for me I'm still unsure about the classifieds. Though If I see a good price on a P metallica there i'd not pass it up. Or a B Ablicepts.

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What are you unsure about? There is a corresponding reviews section to take the worry out of buying. Still not sure, message a few people that ordered from the person. Pretty easy to determine good sellers.

I've ordered from 7 different people in the classifieds, every one was a great experience. I find communication to be much easier and more reliable than the bigger stores....and when it comes to pricing, you can't beat buying directly from breeders.

There are frequently good prices available on albiceps.

Methal said:

as for me I'm still unsure about the classifieds. Though If I see a good price on a P metallica there i'd not pass it up. Or a B Ablicepts.

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Its good to be cautious I was too and still am..but that's what the reviews are for. I think as a whole if the person is on this site and has mostly good reviews(mistakes happen and some people will always find something to complain about) there intentions are pretty pure..I check the classifieds before I look anywhere else...

---------- Post added 12-19-2014 at 09:11 PM ----------

shawno821 said:

They are available right now on the classifieds.Why not just check there first?

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I didnt see any!!!! Can you pm me the seller please..I got a nice unexpected Xmas bonus from work and am thinking about picking up some "stuff"