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New Member Here

Tortoise Tom

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
Messages
1,034
Location
Southern CA
Hello all you spider people!
I've been a member of the tortoise forum for many years, and when I recently did a post asking for a good tarantula source, one of the mods recommended I come here and check it out. I liked it so much, I decided to join!

I've been in the reptile/invert trade since the 80s and been keeping tarantulas on a very small scale for most of that time. I've only ever been a casual tarantula keeper and most of my experience has been with a variety of Brachypelma and Grammostola species, but I've had Avicularia and a few others over the years too. I'm hoping to learn a lot from your community here, and I've already been reading a bunch of threads.

I currently have a single female Brazilian Black. She's my avatar over there. I had two males, but they died of old age at around 5 or 6 years old if memory serves. I never took the time to try to breed them, but its something I've always wanted to try, which is what brought me here. I'm looking to buy a few more pulchra slings and raise them up. Please feel free to recommend sellers here, or message me if you have some, or know of someone selling some.

I should have three curly hairs arriving this coming Tuesday, and that will be the second time I've dabbled with that species. I also have some experience with pulchripes, but I was still calling them auriostriata to give you an idea of the time frame. I had Brachypelma back in the old days when we were still getting them from the wild, and quite a few Chilean rose hairs have occupied my reptile rooms over the years.

Also of note, I've been keeping and breeding roaches since the early 90s. At one time I had 18 species in 40+ bins. Now I'm down to only 3 species, but if any one is in the Southern CA area you are welcome to as many free dubia, lateralis, or hissers as you want. I need an outlet for the excess. I feed them to my fish, but I don't have many other insectivores around anymore. All but one of my local pet shops don't seem too interested, and neither did anyone on the chameleon forum. I don't have the time or interest in shipping them, but I'm happy to give them away. I hate crickets for a truck load of reasons. Don't want them around. But I enjoy my roach colonies.

I also breed three species of tortoise. Soon to be four, if I can ever get a male radiata. I've got sulcatas, South African Leopards, and Burmese Stars.

I am an animal trainer by trade, and I make my living providing animals for the entertainment industry. Been doing that since '96. I'm also a falconer, and that takes up all my free time during the hunting season, but there not much to do with that in the off season.

I welcome questions and conversation and look forward to getting to know your forum.
 

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