Price for a Mexican Red Knee / Salmon Bird Eater

[paolo_28]

Hey guys, Just wondering what's a good price for a sub adult Mexican red Knee / Salmon Bird Eater. Canadian funds, live in toronto and if anyone has any good pictures of Salmon Bird Eater.

Thanks, Paolo.

[Pixie]

For a sub-adult female mexican red knee, expect a good 150$ to 175$. Since they are a protected species and no longer taken from the wild, the red knees on the market are CB and therefore more expensive. I personally think they are worth it due to their gorgeous appearance, temperment and long life.

Pixie

P.S. I paid mine 2 1/2 years ago 150$ + tax.

[paolo_28]

Thanks Pixie, by the way, what does CB stands for?

Paolo.

[Pixie]

Captive bred, not caught from the wild.

[nouserpif]

CB=Captive Bred
WC= Wild Caught

[paolo_28]

OIC. Thanks.

[marisa]

My Lasiodora parahybana cost me 49.99 at a local pet store. He was fairly small when I bought him...bad pic from the day I got him:

<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/birdeater3.jpg">

He looks 100% different now and was well worth the 50 bucks. But there are much prettier spiders out there, the red leg being one of them. I just like this guy because of his future size.

Marisa

[marisa]

Now: (i am sure you've seen this pic)

<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/ned02-12-03.jpg">

:)
Marisa

[uog11]

here is a website for one of the best invert guys around. prices are in american but if you email him he will convert it. props out to bruce
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/Arachnophiliacs/

[uog11]

as an affordable alternative you could look at a brazilian giant white knee (Acanthoscurria geniculata). they look identical to the brachyphelma but they are white where red would be.i like smithi but didn't want to pay $200, so i got a spider that looks similar but only cost me $20

[paolo_28]

Uog11> I'de like to see some pic's of your T. Thanks for the advice.

[uog11]

i don't have a digital camera but i can give you a link to a pic of you, i assume you are talking about the whiteknee? i have many different species. i have like 12 or so tarantulas
http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/A-geniculata.html
if you need anything else just pm me
aaron

[OttawaChris]

Rednees run in the area of 150 to 200 bucks because they are CITES listed and they cannot be imorted from the wild anymore because Mexico has had its borders closed for quite some time.

The Salmon pink are usually cheap. I used to retail babies for 16 bucks and they are very fast growing spiders. You could easily have a 6 to 8 inch spider inside of a year.

If you paid 50 bucks for one you got RIPPED.

[marisa]

I don't feel I was "ripped" at all.

Not only would I have to go out of my way to obtain a spider from different source for cheaper, but I felt I was willing to pay 49.99 for this spider.

Pets are what you feel they are worth. I certainly don't feel I got ripped off paying for Ned, at this point he is worth FAR more than 50 bucks in my eyes.

Marisa

[Pixie]

Very well said marisa! Sometimes it's just not possible to get what you are looking for at "market" price or what not. When you want a particular T, sometimes you have to settle for what you can find easily.

Sure you can order some for cheaper, but factor in shipping and it comes out to the same if not more sometimes.

Pixie

[OttawaChris]

It was always possible to get things cheaper than petstores.

I was never hard to find when I was in the biz and I had damn near any tarantula that there was to buy...

That spider including shipping would have cost 32 bucks... so you could have picked up another spider in the 30 dollar range and had 2 spiders for the price of your salmon pink from a pet shop.

I guess I like my money too much to throw it away without shopping around first :)

[Pixie]

Sometimes it's a question of convenience as well. For example, when I got my red knee, she was healthy and readily available for me to bring home. If I went another way, I would have had to spend a couple of hours at least looking up where to get the best price, spend time emailing back and forth. Wait for my payment to arrive and then wait for the tarantula to be shipped.

In my personal experience, sometimes my time is worth much more that wasting hours and days for something I can get for a few bucks more right now, hassle free.

We all have our way of dealing with things and it doesn't mean because some will pay more that they are throwing their money away, they might just feel that it's fair for the price to save the hassle of ordering from somewhere out of town.

In any case, even had I paid 300$ for my red knee, I still would be just as happy with her. She is perfect in every way and so pretty :) If you factor in the life expectancy of this species for a female, I think it's well worth it.

When I bought my Charlotte I calculated that if she lived 25 years, I would have her with me until I was 51 or so, if she makes it to 30 even more!!!

I think it was a very good buy, but that is of course my opinion :)

Pixie

[marisa]

Exactly. Sure I could have gotten it for 30 bucks. But for one I live no where near Toronto and I don't drive. So any type of pick up would have cost me money for gas, money for someone to drive me, etc. This was for "sale" in my town and I didn't mind paying a measly 50 bucks to avoid travelling to save 20 or 30.

Another factor is I don't want "2 for 50" I wanted one. If I had gotten a better deal and got another spider than I would have another tank and a light and substrate and crickets to pay for. Not a good deal in my eyes.

And like Pixie said, I personally keep T's as pets. 50 dollars is a steal when in comparision to the enjoyment I get out of him.

Marisa

[OttawaChris]

You arent using a light are you?

Some friendly advice... lights dry out a spider and its tank like nothing else. You have 2 species that need higher humidity and come from jungle terrain where direct sunlight is not a factor.

Most tarantulas are nocturnal predators and a bright heat lamp above them serves to do nothing beyond stressing and drying them out. 75 to 80F is perfectly acceptable in almost every species unless you are intending to breed.

If you absolutely need a heat source I recommend the side tank heat pad (not under the tank)

[marisa]

Yes I am using a light.

Its a 15 watt suspended above both cages for better viewing.

I am well aware of the higher humidity requirement for both tarantulas I keep, and meet and maintain it with ease.

I am not using it for heat.

Marisa