My first tarantula - need help!

[Cyanide Goliath]

Ok, well I finally got ...well, what I assume is permission, to get my first tarantula. However I've only ever looked up exotic breeds and now I'm actually looking to buy one in Australia I'm beginning to believe that it's not legal to keep exotic breeds in Aus, but I can't seem to find anywhere that specifically says this. Am I right?
Also, living in Tasmania I'm having trouble finding a place to get one from. I think I want a female sling, if that information helps...

 

[PhilK]

That;s right. You absolutely cannot own exotics inverts or reptiles in Australia.
If you wanna buy a tarantula from someone who knows their stuff (i.e. not a pet shop) join this forum: http://theata.org/

There are 100 people there who are veyr knowledgeable on our 8 legged friends, and you can buy one of someone there. I recommend that 'cause you will know sex, age, species and probably won't get ripped off.

Don't buy from a petshop because they usually sell wild caught ones, and this depletes the wild populations!

My girl, Monkey:

I made the mistake of buying her from a petshop, and she cost me an arm and a leg! And she was sold to me as the wrong species too!

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

Well buying a tarantula from a pet shop in tasmania is pretty much out of the question because they don't even HAVE them in pet shops down here. Do you know what thegreenscorpion.com.au is like for service?

edit: btw, she's a gorgeous T. ^_^

 

[PhilK]

Oh I completely forgot to mention them! I buy all my inverts (scorpions and centipedes) from The Green Scorpion and have never been less than ver, very pleased! They come quickly, are reasonably priced and excellently packaged. Also Greg ('bylo' on this site) is wonderful to deal with.

Give him a PM on posting to Tassie, and ask him if it is legal for Tasmanians to own tarantulas. He'd be your guy I reckon.

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

Cool, thanks a bunch. Everyone on this site is so helpful! I'm pretty sure it IS legal to keep T's in tasmania, but I s'pose you can't be too sure

 

[Radar]

Hey philk, mind posting a pick of monkey's setup?
I can also recommend Bylo from The Green Scorpian, but Im not sure about importing to tassie....they have pretty stick guidlines (and rightly so) about that sort of stuff. You live in a great part of the country, Cyanide.

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

Tasmania is pretty good, I have to admit. I live just outside Hobart and I've just turned old enough to get my L's, which means I'll be doing a lot of driving around the state, which is great fun. Although I'd like to be able to get interstate a bit easier. This is a bit confusing, but my sister's boyfriend's friend has a tarantula, I've never met them though, so as to whether they own it legally or not is still a big if.

 

[PhilK]

Yeah I do love Tassie.
Rednut, here are some setup pics (hope you don't mind Cyanide)

They're the only ones I have of it. With and without flash there. She lives in a toilet-paper roll I added to the corner of the tank, 'cause she isn't burrowing (weird)

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

i don't mind at all! I just emailed parks and wildlife about keeping tarantulas in tasmania, should hopefully get a reply some time this week. Also the only glass tank I have [without fish in it] is four feet long by two feet wide, should I be buying a smaller one?

 

[scorps]

yeah go a bit smaller

 

[PhilK]

Nah a big one is great. Wish I had the room for a bigger one. They can climb glass though so make sure you have a very secure lid with good ventilation (make a flyscreen one and make sure it is impossible to lift off, 'cause they're strong buggers)

 

[Radar]

Thats pretty sweet Philk, are those rocks natural basalt or an exo-terra product?
I'd be interested to know if its legal in Tassie as well. If not, you just busted someone, LOL.
They dont need a tank that big, but I dare say it wouldnt hurt it, lol, as long as its set up right.

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

yeah the lid is in about four sections and has a gap in each corner about one cm squared, i think. I don't know, it's out in my shed atm and I haven't looked at the thing in I don't know how long. Once I hear back from parks and wildlife I'll really start worrying about it, I suppose... Not much point in getting all worked up about it and then parks and wildlife saying I can't have one! Although Bylo said he'd post to tas =DDD

 

[bylo]

I said I have no problems posting if you have permission from your national parks as I have herd you can and you cant .

so we will find out soon

cheers

Greg

 

[PhilK]

Thats pretty sweet Philk, are those rocks natural basalt or an exo-terra product?
I'd be interested to know if its legal in Tassie as well. If not, you just busted someone, LOL.
They dont need a tank that big, but I dare say it wouldnt hurt it, lol, as long as its set up right.

Yeah mate they're natural. They look like lava or something. Real bubbly, but that hole is almost definitlely artificially drilled.

Was hping she'd make a burrow down through the middle of one, but she didn't think it was a good idea apparently. Just got them from my local aquarium.

Cyanide - can't stress how much you need to make sure the lid is completely escape proof, but also good enough for ventilation!

 

[Jen]

why not divide the tank and get 2? or a t and a centipede, or a t and a scorp, the possibilities are endless - AND, you can persuade your parents with the argument that since you would be using the big tank anyway....

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

Sorry if I made that sound like you'd post it whether it was legal or not, bylo - didn't mean it that way at all! :shock: Anyway, I think I said this already, I should hear from Parks & Wildlife within the week and will probably be getting it in writing if it's legal If it isn't legal, I still have the little guy crawling on my wall.

edit: great idea Jen! Plus the tank a sort of 'divider' type thing across the top in the middle anyway [which would make it extra easy to put some meshing on there, PhilK].. Although I had a hard enough time convincing mum to let me at least look into getting a Tarantula. And my dad is still disgusted... even though he only just found out and it's not really up to him, because he doesn't live with us.

 

[PhilK]

why not divide the tank and get 2? or a t and a centipede, or a t and a scorp, the possibilities are endless - AND, you can persuade your parents with the argument that since you would be using the big tank anyway....

Problem with dividing the tank is that any gap between the lid and the divider (which is pretty much impossible to eliminate) will allow the T to climb the divider and get into the neighbours. If a big centipede is in there, both your animals could die.. If a scorpion is in there it will die. If a T is in there you might get babies.. or two dead Ts...

I wouldn't risk it. I know people who have woken up to find one T in the neighbours tank with only a few legs left.

 

[Cyanide Goliath]

Problem with dividing the tank is that any gap between the lid and the divider (which is pretty much impossible to eliminate) will allow the T to climb the divider and get into the neighbours. If a big centipede is in there, both your animals could die.. If a scorpion is in there it will die. If a T is in there you might get babies.. or two dead Ts...

I wouldn't risk it. I know people who have woken up to find one T in the neighbours tank with only a few legs left.

Perhaps not such a great idea... I wouldn't be allowed to anyway

 

[Jen]

hadn't thought of that, though if the tank is like mine - with a horizontal glass panel between the 2 openings on the top - then eliminating any gap between the horizontal and vertical should be easy