Epicrates cenchria

[amsdadtodd]

Actually, the emperor and Asian forest scorpions look very similar, but the forest scorpions love moisture. How mean was yours, did you ever get stung?

I could handle a tarantula, but my daughter wouldn't come around much if she found out there was one in the house. Have you ever seen and orange baboon tarantula? Those seem to be the most popular at my local pet store, and I'm told they're very aggressive.

 

[JessJohnson87]

I never got stung but the little ****** did pinch me with his claws.

I have seen the orange baboon tarantulas and I love them! I like the pretty ones, but those are always the mean ones :biggrin:

 

[CWilson13]

Yeah, Asian Forest are pretty tough to get setup properly. I was very close to buying one of them right around the time I got Apollo, did lots of research on them so I could know how to take care of one. I would love to have a nice, large natural vivarium that could support a few different animals at once, almost like a small slice of their natural environments. Scorpions would be one of my first choices for such a setup. My wife was stung by a scorpion when she was living in Arizona as a kid though and since then she has hated them, their cousins being spiders doesn't help either. Guess I am lucky she loves reptiles lol

The male Crestie was absolutely stunning. Had he been more calm it would have been better though, he was a prime example of how great they are at leaping. The only time he actually calmed down for even a bit was when I used my hands to help him hide, and that only lasted about 10 seconds I found a similar looking one through a google search, I guess he would be described as a halloween morph?


As for tarantulas, I really only know a tiny bit. Sadly it is pretty much just Rose hair and pink toe that are ever available here.

 

[JessJohnson87]

I don't think he is a halloween morph, maybe a really high contrast flame. Petco will never carry halloween crested without the hefty price tag.

Tarantula's are very easy to care for. There are some that have major requirements but if you have a herp room that stays warm, they do fine without additional heat sources, just need a misting here and there. The pet shop in VA Beach has all different species from really nice to don't even look at me. Reptile shows are the best place to find the gorgeous ones.

 

[CWilson13]

Yeah, Petco gets greedy a lot. I just know he was gorgeous lol
My chances of getting a tarantula are pretty slim. I could own 5,000 loaded unsecured guns in the house before being allowed a tarantula... It might have been the timing but the show I went to in October had very few Tarantulas. I was surprised to see another fun predator though, various Praying Mantis species.

 

[amsdadtodd]

Cory, my local pet shop has had all kinds of neat mantis, as well as the more colorful tarantulas. Their facebook page is pretty good, but nothing like stopping in first hand. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/PureParadisePets/?fref=ts

Todd

 

[CWilson13]

Nice, that is only about 90min from me. I actually am outside of a reptile store right now. Cold Blooded Pets & Supplies - South Eastern Massachusetts largest selection of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Would be inside, but there are about 15 people in currently and the store is fairly small so bringing my 5 person family in is not happening yet lol Plus, claustrophobia sets in when I'm surrounded by people like that.

 

[amsdadtodd]

Cold blooded Pets is an awesome store! That's where my daughter's boa, Cuddles, came from. It's a tiny store, but with a great inventory. They are also a regular presence at all the regional reptile shows.

Todd

 

[CWilson13]

Yeah they were really nice in there, was able to get a few Hornworms from them. I even got a decent look at some of the spiderlings they have. Funny just how tiny some of them start out as.

 

[CWilson13]

Also, they will be my new supplier for Pandoras feeders. Fantastic prices on F/T

 

[amsdadtodd]

If you're up around Boston, I have to think Pure Paradise is an easier ride for you than Cold Blooded. PPP has a lot more space, but usually Cold Blooded has more of an arachnid inventory. PPP is easily more amenable to family visits, in fact on Saturdays they allow kids to feed the livestock, including one or two of the smaller gators. Well worth the trip, and they usually have some of the more exotic feeders, such as hornworms, on hand.

 

[CWilson13]

They were closing shortly after we were headed out. But depending on what route I take, both are roughly 45-60min away without traffic. I have really wanted to go there for a while now. Since they do it on Saturdays, I may have to convince the wife to take one off soon. My oldest wants to be a veterinarian so that would be a blast for her especially.

 

[amsdadtodd]

they do close earlier on weekends, but if you were going for the feeding then you'd want to get there early anyway, to get your pick of who to feed. They have a 9 foot gator there also, but he's brumating, and even when he is active, they prefer to leave feeding him to staff only.

 

[CWilson13]

Nice, that is only about 90min from me. I actually am outside of a reptile store right now. Cold Blooded Pets & Supplies - South Eastern Massachusetts largest selection of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Would be inside, but there are about 15 people in currently and the store is fairly small so bringing my 5 person family in is not happening yet lol Plus, claustrophobia sets in when I'm surrounded by people like that.

Funny how driving 45min from my house to Cold Blooded made me think another 45min from them would make a 90min from home. Just Google mapped PPP and got 60min lol

 

[CWilson13]

Well that is a shame, I would love the chance to feed one that size. Looks like we are aiming for just after new years for the visit. Gotta remember the camera that day for sure. Thanks for the info Todd!

 

[amsdadtodd]

I'm about 10 minutes from PPP, and used to commute to Canton, MA which was usually about a 35 minute ride off-peak traffic hours.
Even though they don't let customers feed Sludge, they do let you watch up close. When he's active, they do it every Friday around dinner time consistently, although they have to give him supplemental feedings all week as well.

 

[CWilson13]

Well who knows, maybe we will bump into each other when I go you'd be the 2nd from here I met in person, Aliza being the first up in NH.
Canton is a bit closer to major highways than me. I have a few houses I service out there actually.
So the big guys name is Sludge? Nice lol PPP really needs a website, would make it easier to see all that they have to offer, but we will still be going there soon.

 

[amsdadtodd]

Give a shout when you plan on going, I could certainly meet you there. Honestly, if we do that, Jimmy (owner) may cut you a break on any purchase.
They used to have a web site, but found it was more cumbersome to manage than just posting on facebook. Even at that, I wish they would do more of that, but their priorities are right, manage the livestock, maintain the facility, take care of customers, then focus on marketing.
The also handle a lot of rescues for DEM, they've gotten called to recover a good amount of abandonments and confiscations.
Yes, Sludge is the big guy, he has an enclosure in his own corner of the store, and Gus is the smaller gator they bring out to parties. He usually shares his pen with at least one rescue in the reptile room.

 

[CWilson13]

Well its certainly good that their priorities are animals first. Definitely better than the big box stores. I will certainly be posting when we are going to go. Not sure if we will be buying anything, but I do tend to spoil all of my animals so who knows lol Should be an interesting visit regardless though.
Sludge alone would be worth it to me, even if I can't interact. I have only been around a 5ft Black Caiman, and a few smaller American Alligators other than the 15-20ft away through a fence or glass at zoos of course. Those were years ago though.

 

[CWilson13]

Finally got the humidifier and everything set up for her Surprised at just how quickly her tank was full of fog. My hygrometer however is off, it was reading 54% (never had it drop below 60) then after the tank was full of mist, the thing actually dropped to 53% :roll: I have been running it for 15min on high then off for an hour. Pandora seems to really like the fog though, saw her being more active than usual when it was in there, even went right to the hose and was checking it out.