My boys

[SnakesVsSpiders]

My name is Justin and my family and I live in Montana. We have four beautiful boys 3 of which love spiders, the forth is terrified of anything that moves. Their mom, my wife has been in the hospital since July and everytime we think she is getting better something happens and she takes two steps back. First it started as a bad case of pancreatitis, it got so bad her pancreas started bleeding and parts of it died, any open space in her stomach filled up with blood and secretions from her pancreas. She became anemic and had to have several blood transfusions. Thinking that she wouldn't survive surgery the doctors attempted removing the blood and secretions from her stomach by putting two ports, one on each side but because it had become so thick they had no luck. The Doctors then tried flushing the ports with saline in an attempt to try and liquefy the secretions that had jellified inside her. During this time she developed an ileus which is when an individual's intestines stop functioning and is extremely painful. She then became septic and with still no success they had to perform surgery. The surgeon took a part of one of her ribs inorder to remove all that had built up inside her. She is no longer septic and her intestines started functioning again but now she has hospital-acquired pneumonia. It's like she takes one step forward and then two steps backwards. Due to the severity of her situation she had to go to a specialized facility that is six hours from our home. To be close to her I have been staying in a hotel while my in-laws are watching our kids. We have missed our eight year olds birthday then our 14 year olds birthday. Being a disabled veteran I am on a fixed income and with our savings nearly depleted we have been unable to get either of them a birthday gift. I was hoping maybe you guys might have or know of any affordable Goliath birdeaters. I know after everything they have been through it would blow their minds! I am in no means looking for a handout, I was just hoping maybe you guys could point me in the right direction.
Thank You for your time, Justin

 

[octanejunkie]

Welcome, Justin!
Thank you for your service, and for introducing yourself.

Your story indeed sounds difficult but you seem to be handling it. Will keep an eye out for any "goliath bird eaters" - you might want to check your local Craigslist, there are often folks getting out of the hobby giving away, or selling for a song.
Best of luck to you, your wife and kids.

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

Welcome, Justin!
Thank you for your service, and for introducing yourself.

Your story indeed sounds difficult but you seem to be handling it. Will keep an eye out for any "goliath bird eaters" - you might want to check your local Craigslist, there are often folks getting out of the hobby giving away, or selling for a song.
Best of luck to you, your wife and kids.

Yeah we are surviving so far, my wife has surgery tomorrow and it should be her last. The doctors think she should be able to go home by October 18, two days before my birthday. That would be so awesome, thanks for your message. I don't receive comments very often. I have asked this question a while back on a lot of sites hoping someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction and out of all those sites you are the only one willing to take the time to respond. It really means a lot to me thank you, I was beginning to lose faith in humanity...

 

[Scorp]

Ur doing alot more then I would!!! If your interested in salmon bird eaters, send me a msg. All unsexed slings. You can also pm me or more "personal" contacts.

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

Ur doing alot more then I would!!! If your interested in salmon bird eaters, send me a msg. All unsexed slings. You can also pm me or more "personal" contacts.

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

Is that the same as the Brazilian salmon pink birdeater, they are definitely not picky they just really enjoy the ones that get big! What are you asking for them?

 

[VaporRyder]

Hi Justin,

Sorry to hear about the challenging times. Best wishes to your wife and children.

Although Theraposa species are the largest, hence the name ‘Goliath Birdeater’, they are not ideal for newer keepers due to their specific husbandry requirements - they are a moisture dependent rainforest species and are less forgiving of mistakes than many other tarantulas.

Lasiodora parahybana (Salmon Pink Birdeater) on the other hand are relatively bullet proof, although still a rainforest species, and are a much better option for a first tarantula. They also grow quickly and get to decent sizes, although not as big as the giants. I think you could confidently expect an 8 inch leg span though, and that’s still an impressive spider!

The price of Theraposa is significantly higher here in the UK than that of a Lasidora parahybana. You should be able to get an LP at a very manageable price, but the true cost will be in enclosures over the years.

Best of luck and I hope that you are able to secure a nice spider for the lads!

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

Hi Justin,

Sorry to hear about the challenging times. Best wishes to your wife and children.

Although Theraposa species are the largest, hence the name ‘Goliath Birdeater’, they are not ideal for newer keepers due to their specific husbandry requirements - they are a moisture dependent rainforest species and are less forgiving of mistakes than many other tarantulas.

Lasiodora parahybana (Salmon Pink Birdeater) on the other hand are relatively bullet proof, although still a rainforest species, and are a much better option for a first tarantula. They also grow quickly and get to decent sizes, although not as big as the giants. I think you could confidently expect an 8 inch leg span though, and that’s still an impressive spider!

The price of Theraposa is significantly higher here in the UK than that of a Lasidora parahybana. You should be able to get an LP at a very manageable price, but the true cost will be in enclosures over the years.

Best of luck and I hope that you are able to secure a nice spider for the lads!

Lol, how did you know I was a beginner? Just curious as to what gave it away. I am at the hospital now, my wife is currently in surgery. Luçkily it should be her last, and doc says she should be home by the 18th. My birthday is on the 20th and that would be the greatest gift ever! As for my boys, they are also improving so everything is falling in to place! Thank you for your kind words. We did have a Goliath for a few years but my son fed it a mill worm. Since the worm burrows so quickly he decided to tie a piece of floss around it and the Goliath ate it, string and all so she had a piece of floss hanging out of her mouth. I pulled it out but I'm not sure how deep it got before I found her. After that she stopped eating. It sucked because she was bad ass. We have always wanted another one since. I will definitely keep an out for the salmon pink birdeater as well! Thanks again, Justin

 

[VaporRyder]

Lol, how did you know I was a beginner? Just curious as to what gave it away. I am at the hospital now, my wife is currently in surgery. Luçkily it should be her last, and doc says she should be home by the 18th. My birthday is on the 20th and that would be the greatest gift ever! As for my boys, they are also improving so everything is falling in to place! Thank you for your kind words. We did have a Goliath for a few years but my son fed it a mill worm. Since the worm burrows so quickly he decided to tie a piece of floss around it and the Goliath ate it, string and all so she had a piece of floss hanging out of her mouth. I pulled it out but I'm not sure how deep it got before I found her. After that she stopped eating. It sucked because she was bad ass. We have always wanted another one since. I will definitely keep an out for the salmon pink birdeater as well! Thanks again, Justin

Here’s to a happy homecoming and a wonderful birthday!

I guess I didn’t know your level of experience at all, but the ‘blow their minds’ comment made me think it might be your families’ first spider, or at least first big spider!

I currently keep both L. parahybana and T. apophysis, and both are great! You can’t really lose with either.

 

[Oursapoil]

Here’s to a happy homecoming and a wonderful birthday!

I guess I didn’t know your level of experience at all, but the ‘blow their minds’ comment made me think it might be your families’ first spider, or at least first big spider!

I currently keep both L. parahybana and T. apophysis, and both are great! You can’t really lose with either.

I agree with VaporRyder on many level but would like to point out that the T. apophysis has the worst uricating hair of the tarantula word and I would most definitely avoid this species with children at all cost. Having the 4 largest Ts (T. Blondi, apophysis, stirmi and LP) I would most definitely consider the LP as you best and most cost effective option.
When it comes to prices, you have to decide if you would like to raise the T from an unsexed sling (a little bit more difficult and fragile than a juvenile or adult, finding very small prey items might also be tricky) or a sexed Juvenile to adult. A juvenile or adult sexed female will cost a lot more than a sling (LP slings are usually quite inexpensive considering the size of their egg sacs). First thing first I would set a budget (do you still have the enclosure from the "floss" T you previously had?) and look at place like Fearnottarantulas: https://fearnottarantulas.com/
They are friendly and a great place for people fairly new to the hobby as they have kits with your sling and everything you'll need to get it started including enclosure, substrate and food to last you a couple of months. The complete package for a LP is at $54. Getting one for each of your spider loving boys, plus shipping should cost you around $200 (I am sure you can reach out to them and ask for a small discount if you are taking 3 packages).
Hoping this helps, sending you, your boys and especially your wife tons of positive vibes.

Cheers.

 

[m0lsx]

Welcome to the forum. I hope your wife recovers soon.

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

How many tarantulas do you have all together? I have only had two so yeah I am not a spider guru by any means. I have always been fascinated by them though. I especially suck with scientific names, lol.

 

[m0lsx]

Having the 4 largest Ts (T. Blondi, apophysis, stirmi and LP) I would most definitely consider the LP as you best and most cost effective option.

Me too, all four & LP's are great. My big girl, 8.5 inches at her last molt, climbed up onto my hand last night when I put it in her way to stop her climbing out of the enclosure.

LP's hair is bad enough. But blondies & stirmi's can cause me to need to wash my hands & fore arms just by feeding them. My apophysis are currently small, but I know they are worse than blondi's & stirmi's. AlsoI find the general temperament of LP's to be better too. I have 6 LP's of varying sizes & all are gentle & calm. The same cannot be said of my blondi's & a couple of my smaller stirmi's.

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

What does LP stand for?

 

[Tarantulafeets]

What does LP stand for?

Lasiodora parahybana

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

What does LP stand for?

 

[Oursapoil]

How many tarantulas do you have all together? I have only had two so yeah I am not a spider guru by any means. I have always been fascinated by them though. I especially suck with scientific names, lol.

My son and I have close to 80, we have been fine tuning our collection from over a hundred. Scientific names (Lasidoria parahybana or LP) are very important to learn and use as nicknames (bird eaters, red legs....) can be used for many different species. Although not as impressive in size as a LP, I would recommend a Tliltocatl alpobilosus for your boys. They are extremely easy to find here in the US and are quite inexpensive. They are solid little buggers, rarely defensive and very easy going.
Cheers.

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

Do

Lasiodora parahybana

My son and I have close to 80, we have been fine tuning our collection from over a hundred. Scientific names (Lasidoria parahybana or LP) are very important to learn and use as nicknames (bird eaters, red legs....) can be used for many different species. Although not as impressive in size as a LP, I would recommend a Tliltocatl alpobilosus for your boys. They are extremely easy to find here in the US and are quite inexpensive. They are solid little buggers, rarely defensive and very easy going.
Cheers.
View attachment 60023

I agree with VaporRyder on many level but would like to point out that the T. apophysis has the worst uricating hair of the tarantula word and I would most definitely avoid this species with children at all cost. Having the 4 largest Ts (T. Blondi, apophysis, stirmi and LP) I would most definitely consider the LP as you best and most cost effective option.
When it comes to prices, you have to decide if you would like to raise the T from an unsexed sling (a little bit more difficult and fragile than a juvenile or adult, finding very small prey items might also be tricky) or a sexed Juvenile to adult. A juvenile or adult sexed female will cost a lot more than a sling (LP slings are usually quite inexpensive considering the size of their egg sacs). First thing first I would set a budget (do you still have the enclosure from the "floss" T you previously had?) and look at place like Fearnottarantulas: https://fearnottarantulas.com/
They are friendly and a great place for people fairly new to the hobby as they have kits with your sling and everything you'll need to get it started including enclosure, substrate and food to last you a couple of months. The complete package for a LP is at $54. Getting one for each of your spider loving boys, plus shipping should cost you around $200 (I am sure you can reach out to them and ask for a small discount if you are taking 3 packages).
Hoping this helps, sending you, your boys and especially your wife tons of positive vibes.

Cheers.

Sorry I just noticed your message. That's funny you mentioned fear not tarantulas, I have been corresponding with Tanya. She seems very nice and is very helpful! Where are you from? P.s. I love the pic. How old is your son, he looks about the same age as my 8 year old?

 

[Oursapoil]

Do





Sorry I just noticed your message. That's funny you mentioned fear not tarantulas, I have been corresponding with Tanya. She seems very nice and is very helpful! Where are you from? P.s. I love the pic. How old is your son, he looks about the same age as my 8 year old?

We are in NYC. This picture is a few years old (BC - Before Covid). Every year I go to my son's school to introduce the kids to some tarantulas and they have me do every classrooms
Enzo is now 10 years old, he got his first T at 5 but had ball pythons at 3....

 

[SnakesVsSpiders]

We are in NYC. This picture is a few years old (BC - Before Covid). Every year I go to my son's school to introduce the kids to some tarantulas and they have me do every classrooms
Enzo is now 10 years old, he got his first T at 5 but had ball pythons at 3....
View attachment 60024

Lol, I was going to ask about that but forgot. It always seems like people that love tarantulas are also into reptiles, snakes in particular. I love ball pythons, you ever seen Brian Barczyk on YouTube, my boys love him. He has some of the most beautiful specimens I have ever seen and the guy seems to know everything about reptiles.