Must have Tarantula?

[Scoolman]

Good luck finding a G. pulchra! The only one I've found is on Tbreeders, $120 for a 1.5". Worth it? Probably.

That's about right. Their price is high due to limited availability. They only specimen available are CB, exports out of Brazil were stopped a few years back. There are some German breeders who have a good breeding program going, and Ken the big guy occasionally brings a few over. But over the last couple years the Germans seem to have slowed drastically.
Here in the U.S. a breeder over on another other forum produced 2 sacs 4 years ago. I produced a sac summer 2013 and summer 2014, unfortunately I did not produce this past summer.
I have high hopes to be able to produce multiple sacs spring 2016. So, unless someone else produces, or the Germans get back into the game, I will again be the sole producer.

 

[Scoolman]

I usually see Grammostola pulchra slings for $40-50 but @Scoolman is daddy pulchra so he'd know better. Just wait until he or someone has a sac. I saw your earlier posts, Kymura, so I know your situation. My condolences. Sorry to hear you're in a bad way.

That is for about .75" specimen.

 

[Chubbs]

what is the need..... for speed? Is it defensive to escape their predators or is for catching prey? You'd think with the potent venom they wouldn't need to be fast for the prey.

I would think both actually. Speed definitely helps with catching prey, as in the wild they can't really afford to let their prey escape. It has more to do with the fact that A) They don't have urticating hairs to kick off, therefore no "long range weapons" of any kind. They either have the option to bite or to flee. and B) I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the predator to prey ratio in their natural habitats. As nasty as some Old Worlds can be, just take a look at some of the animals that prey on THEM.

 

[Kymura]

That's about right. Their price is high due to limited availability. They only specimen available are CB, exports out of Brazil were stopped a few years back. There are some German breeders who have a good breeding program going, and Ken the big guy occasionally brings a few over. But over the last couple years the Germans seem to have slowed drastically.
Here in the U.S. a breeder over on another other forum produced 2 sacs 4 years ago. I produced a sac summer 2013 and summer 2014, unfortunately I did not produce this past summer.
I have high hopes to be able to produce multiple sacs spring 2016. So, unless someone else produces, or the Germans get back into the game, I will again be the sole producer.

Damn, how longs the waiting list.....

 

[Scoolman]

No waiting list. I don't take names until I have slings to sell. But I do get a lot of requests.

 

[micheldied]

what is the need..... for speed? Is it defensive to escape their predators or is for catching prey? You'd think with the potent venom they wouldn't need to be fast for the prey.

Could be for many reasons, really. Likely, the type of prey available to them are quick and can fight back, so the need for both speed and venom potency is there. It could also be the predators that hunt them regularly. Heck, for all we know, Poecilotheria venom isn't as potent to the animals around them as they seem to be with us. It's not a very deeply understood, or studied field, unfortunately. I don't recall the animals in India to be particularly different from those in neighboring parts of Asia, and yet their venom is far more potent than many other Asian Ts, including other Indian genera.

 

[kormath]

that makes sense. Thanks Micheldied and Chubbs. I think i'll wait a year or 2 until i'm more comfy with the collection i'm growing before i go OW

 

[BLUE BEAUTY]

Oligoxystre diamantinensis had to have it

 

[Will]

TSS in the UK have 3cm G. pulchra slings for £20. Not sure about delivery to the states though!

Why are these so sought after?

 

[kormath]

for me it's the beautiful black color, docile and large.

 

[eminart]

I'm very tempted to get a B. smithi since it was the first T I owned back in the 80's and haven't had one since. I don't know what is on my MUST have list, probably everything I don't have now.

I have:

G. pulchra ($65 for 1.5" from JR's Invertebrates, since there's some price discussion on them in this thread)
P. irminia
P. regalis
A. metallica (joint ownership with my daughter)

And my 10 year old daughter has:

B. albopilosum
A. geniculata (hidden on a top shelf waiting for xmas)

All of them are still less than 3".

So, there are plenty of T's not in my collection to put on my "must have" list. I just have to narrow it down.

 

[kormath]

OKay so i need help I couldn't make myself wait 1 more day. And that's going to suck cause now i have to wait an extra day for them to arrive.....

 

[Kymura]

OKay so i need help I couldn't make myself wait 1 more day. And that's going to suck cause now i have to wait an extra day for them to arrive.....

View attachment 12505

-chuckles and hugs-
your adorable, we both need Tarantulas anonymous or something, nobody warned me how bad this addiction could be

 

[Kymura]

I'm very tempted to get a B. smithi since it was the first T I owned back in the 80's and haven't had one since. I don't know what is on my MUST have list, probably everything I don't have now.

I have:

G. pulchra ($65 for 1.5" from JR's Invertebrates, since there's some price discussion on them in this thread)
P. irminia
P. regalis
A. metallica (joint ownership with my daughter)

And my 10 year old daughter has:

B. albopilosum
A. geniculata (hidden on a top shelf waiting for xmas)

All of them are still less than 3".

So, there are plenty of T's not in my collection to put on my "must have" list. I just have to narrow it down.

I'm incredibly jealous, no, wait, envious, not jealous of your G pulchra, found some that say they are for sale, just a matter of convincing my family to chip in for x-mas now

 

[eminart]

I'm incredibly jealous, no, wait, envious, not jealous of your G pulchra, found some that say they are for sale, just a matter of convincing my family to chip in for x-mas now

Don't be envious, get one! The g. pulchra was first on my list when I decided I wanted to jump back into T's this past spring. I did some research and decided that's what I wanted. I think I got him/her in Feb. or March at around 1". He's probably 2.75" now. I'm hoping to sex it after the next molt. Cool little guy. Eats everything I put in his enclosure.

 

[Kymura]

Don't be envious, get one! The g. pulchra was first on my list when I decided I wanted to jump back into T's this past spring. I did some research and decided that's what I wanted. I think I got him/her in Feb. or March at around 1". He's probably 2.75" now. I'm hoping to sex it after the next molt. Cool little guy. Eats everything I put in his enclosure.

I'm trying, funds and availability are an issue at the moment lol

 

[Fleas]

I think the must have t's that should be in any collection is a G rosea and a B smithi they are just so iconic in the hobby. How can a keeper not have own one in the time they been keeping t's

 

[kormath]

I think the must have t's that should be in any collection is a G rosea and a B smithi they are just so iconic in the hobby. How can a keeper not have own one in the time they been keeping t's

Personally, I prefer the Boehmei over the Smithi, which is why I haven't gotten a Smithi yet, probably this spring. I'm buying for 2 collectors now so I think we'll have to spread out our purchases a bit now that we have a few each. You can't just buy one with 2 people collecting, the shipping fees kill you that way. So we'll wait until these get settled in and work down our wish lists to get the others later.

That's the plan anyway. You can see how well I waited to get the newest additions lol.

 

[Scoolman]

TSS in the UK have 3cm G. pulchra slings for £20. Not sure about delivery to the states though!

Why are these so sought after?

Exporting is very costly, and not really an option for just a few Ts.

this is why they are sought

 

[Enn49]

SpidersWorld in Poland have 475 of them and they export to the US but orders are suspended because of winter

http://www.spidersworld.eu/en/sklep/tarantulas/grammostola-pulchra-l3/