Keeping exotic pets and tarantulas

[funkychips]

I keep some tarantulas as part of my exotic hobby exodus over the past few years. Had to eventually downsize some due to space and time constraints, but nonetheless the interest is still there. So I just like to find out if there are any petpitcher members here who incidentally has a hobby like I do, who can share their rearing experience here, TIA. FYI I have at the moment, two king baboon tarantulas, a horned baboon tarantula, a Malaysian Earth Tiger, a Vietnamese Earth Tiger, a lazy blue tongue skink named Zach, a tortoise named Herman and a living fossil, the lungfish.

[plantlover]

That's a lot of unusual and weird pets. I only have 2 tortoises, lots of hamsters and 2 birds once. Killed the birds, freed the tortoise after 5-6 years of keeping them, got rid of the hamsters(they gave birth to 2-3 albino once but was stolen)

[sooxiwei]

what is the difference between exotic pets and normal pets? thanks

[paphioboy]

what is the difference between exotic pets and normal pets? thanks

Exotic pets are animals which are not conventionally kept as companions for human beings.. unlike your average dog or cat..

funkychips, you sure have a unique collection. Care to post some pics..? BTW, how much does an 'average' tarantula cost..? Those I've seen in pet shops command rather frightening prices (RM300-800)!! Imagine how many Nep rajahs one can buy with that instead of a single, big, hairy spider.. What's the average lifespan of a tarantula and can they be bred locally.? TIA..

[funkychips]

Originally Posted by paphioboy

Exotic pets are animals which are not conventionally kept as companions for human beings.. unlike your average dog or cat..

funkychips, you sure have a unique collection. Care to post some pics..? BTW, how much does an 'average' tarantula cost..? Those I've seen in pet shops command rather frightening prices (RM300-800)!! Imagine how many Nep rajahs one can buy with that instead of a single, big, hairy spider.. What's the average lifespan of a tarantula and can they be bred locally.? TIA..

Thanks for pointing it out paphioboy . Exotic pets may require extensive knowledge on its care like feeding, housing, and treating of illness depending on the species.

Yes, tarantulas can command a high market value for some species, especially adult female specimens. Normally these are sought after by avid collectors, and breeders, as the females have a longer lifespan than the males by years (males about 3-6 months, females up to 10-20 years). They are primitive spiders, meaning they are the precursors in evolution of the modern tiny jumping spiders and orb weavers that you have kept before. Keeping a collection up and going is both a dream and a nightmare for a collector as there are currently about 900 species (and counting) of tarantula species in the world, ranging from the Texas deserts to the rainforests of Brazil, from India to South East Asia and the Far East. Market prices may vary within a wide range so there is no average price for one given species. So as a rule of thumb, choose your favourite species wisely and limit your collections to those you really like, or moving along species to species by selling and buying as you progress. So far only a handful are bred locally, while the rest are imported from other countries, normally from the UK. Anyway, here are some of my tarantulas, paphioboy. The rest can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/corvinu...7611208942114/


This is an Usambara Golden Baboon Tarantula species from Africa, Pterinochilus murinus. It is an opportunistic species meaning it can inhabit both trees and on the ground.


This species is the African Horned Baboon Tarantula, Ceratogyrus bechuanicus. This one is a rare treasure as it is famous for its 'horn'. Reason why some African species are called 'baboon spiders' is their legs when spread out at the entrance of their 'burrow' will appear like baboon fingers .


This is our local jewel, the Malaysian Earth Tiger, Cyriopagopus schioedtei. Famed for its aggressive nature when cornered, this species inhabits holes in trees as well as crevices in the ground.


The previous species before this pic are Old World Tarantulas, because they come from Asia, Africa and other countries of the Far East. Now this one comes from the New World (the Americas), in this case Brazil, known as the Salmon Pink Birdeater Tarantula, Lasiodora parahybana. This is the third largest species in the world, able to attain legspan sizes of up to 8-9 inches. It can take down prey twice its size.


This is a Poecilotheria regalis, known by its common name of Indian Ornamental Tarantula. This species is highly prized by Western collectors due to its striking patterning and yellow underside of the legs. However, their venom may be medically significant although not life-threatening unless you happen to be allergic to it.

These are just a few species to give you a rough picture of how and where the tarantula family stands. Info on their care can be found in tarantula forums on the web. And yes, I stopped as I ran out of space and money for them, hence plants are better candidates for my wallet from now on.. :D

I will post pics of my other pets when I find them, stashed away somewhere inside my storage box. Happy viewing!!

[kentosaurs]

WOW funky nice collection,................Sad for the males all they are born for are just urhmm...

Ken