beginner tarantula

[mantid]

What is the best tarantula to start out with? one that is big and nice looking but not extrememly hard to take care of.

 

[CIRE]

What is the best tarantula to start out with? one that is big and nice looking but not extrememly hard to take care of.

I would really recommend you try the search function for this question, as it has been answered many times before...however, to get you started I'd say look into getting a G. aureostriata or a L. parahybana...

 

[Arachnobrian]

Brazilian white knee - A. geniculata would make an impressive first "T". They have beautiful colouration, grow quickly to a large size, and have a healthy appitite. All the makings of an interesting "T" to observe, and learn from.

My first since returning to the hobby was an A. seemani (pet dirt) lol, it seems to be getting a little more active and visible as it grows larger, but as a sling it was rarley seen.

A B. smithi would be another good choice, but can somewhat difficult to find, and pricey.

 

[xanadu1015]

There are all kinds that can be "beginner T's". What most people usually start with are the Chilean Rose (G. rosea). They only require dry substrate, a hide and a waterdish. Their set-ups are very easy to start. Another good tarantula for beginners is a Mexican Red Knee (B. smithi). They basically the same requirements as the rosies. There are many more species that can be great beginner T's. Just make sure you research them before you buy.




Laura

 

[becca81]

Many people say not to get a G. rosea as a beginner T because they are very unpredictable, but I saw one at my local PetCo yesterday that was HUGE! I wanted to buy it just to take a picture!

G. rosea was my first and although they don't do much, they are still very interesting to watch. I've heard they are also great to handle.

 

[xanadu1015]

Any tarantula can be unpredictable



Laura

 

[becca81]

Any tarantula can be unpredictable



Laura

You're right. I guess I'm thinking about how G. rosea are notorious for going on long fasts, etc.

 

[Sandra]

I have got a grammastola aureostriatum for our first T in Oct. So far, it's been really easy to take care of, and pretty mellow in personality.

 

[Cory Loomis]

Grammostola aureostriata

The G. aureostriata is what I recommend in terms of cost, avialability, care and disposition.

 

[mantid]

Thanks for the help.

 

[Buspirone]

G. aureostriata isn't very available through pet shops IME. The two species that I would recommend that are almost always readily available and are cheap would be Avicularia avicularia(Pink Toe) and Brachypelma albopilosum(Curly Hair). Grammostola rosea(Chilean Rose hair) are "bullet proof" but their dispositions are inconsistent even for tarantulas as are their appetites and lets face it, feeding time is the funnest part of keeping tarantulas once the newness of having a large "hairy" spider in your possession wears off and keeping a large spider for the first time that may not eat for months to over a year at a time isn't much fun.

 

[CIRE]

G. aureostriata isn't very available through pet shops IME. The two species that I would recommend that are almost always readily available and are cheap would be Avicularia avicularia(Pink Toe) and Brachypelma albopilosum(Curly Hair). Grammostola rosea(Chilean Rose hair) are "bullet proof" but their dispositions are inconsistent even for tarantulas as are their appetites and lets face it, feeding time is the funnest part of keeping tarantulas once the newness of having a large "hairy" spider in your possession wears off and keeping a large spider for the first time that may not eat for months to over a year at a time isn't much fun.

I don't agree with your suggestions Buspirone...for one, you just recommended that this person go to a pet store to purchase their first T...which will most likely be wild caught (and all the problems that can come along with such an animal - parasites, laying an eggsack etc...not to mention perpetuating the maltreatment of many a T)...so that's not the type of mentality that I would want purveying and maintaining the hobby...if a T isn't readily available at pet stores, that doesn't mean it isn't worth it for them to do a little legwork and maybe wait until the weather gets warmer so they can order some spiders from an experienced dealer/breeder that can actually give them some input and suggestions...

My first Ts were a B. auratum, L. parahybana, and a G. aureostriata...and they didn't come too cheap. I bought them from a reputable dealer and all three of them were tiny slings. While I can see why someone new to the hobby might want a large T to start off with, but I think that if they want to actually make it a long term commitment, they should look at it as more of an "investment" rather than just a "trial period" for something that if they don't like it, or don't feel like caring for it anymore, they're only down 10-15 bucks.

I will get off my soapbox now... ;P

 

[Sheri]

Brazilian white knee - A. geniculata would make an impressive first "T". They have beautiful colouration, grow quickly to a large size, and have a healthy appitite. All the makings of an interesting "T" to observe, and learn from.

The common name for Acanthoscurria geniculata is Giant White Knee... otherwise it quickly becomes confused with Nhandu coloratovillosus Brazilian Black and White, Brazilian White Knee...

But yes, my reccomendation is the A. genic, or a G. pulchra.

 

[Sheri]

Starter T’s

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=36623
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=36627
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=35516&highlight=starter
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=30626&highlight=starter
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=29138&highlight=starter
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=28505&highlight=starter
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=24011&highlight=starter

 

[jdcarrel]

I would go with a B. Smithi. They are very docile, and grow pretty slow.

 

[Buspirone]

I don't agree with your suggestions Buspirone...for one, you just recommended that this person go to a pet store to purchase their first T...which will most likely be wild caught (and all the problems that can come along with such an animal - parasites, laying an eggsack etc...not to mention perpetuating the maltreatment of many a T)...so that's not the type of mentality that I would want purveying and maintaining the hobby...if a T isn't readily available at pet stores, that doesn't mean it isn't worth it for them to do a little legwork and maybe wait until the weather gets warmer so they can order some spiders from an experienced dealer/breeder that can actually give them some input and suggestions...

My first Ts were a B. auratum, L. parahybana, and a G. aureostriata...and they didn't come too cheap. I bought them from a reputable dealer and all three of them were tiny slings. While I can see why someone new to the hobby might want a large T to start off with, but I think that if they want to actually make it a long term commitment, they should look at it as more of an "investment" rather than just a "trial period" for something that if they don't like it, or don't feel like caring for it anymore, they're only down 10-15 bucks.

I will get off my soapbox now... ;P

I did not recommend getting a tarantula from a petshop so don't put words into my mouth that aren't there. I DO automatically assume that a newbie will purchase from a petstore and replied to the topic at hand with that expectation in my mind. The truth is that the majority of people who start in this hobby will purchase their first tarantula from a petstore. Most people don't want to spend an additional $25-$35 for shipping over the cost of a tarantula to get started and see if they will enjoy keeping the spider as a pet. Most newbies also aren't going to be interested in buying a 1/4" sling of any species due to the perception that slings are more difficult to care for than mature specimens or want to wait for it to grow into an impressive adult that they can display. The cost of a CB adult specimen is going to be quite large compared to buying a WC counterpart even if you go to a reputable dealer and ,like it or not, the majority of newbies will go for the cheaper price. The prospective new tarantula keeper doesn't usually have a clue when it comes to the care and maintainence of these creatures before they actually own one. Personally, I don't recommend anyone getting any tarantula until they have read either or both of the top books on keeping Ts but realistically the prospective owner is going to go out and buy one anyway and then clog up this board with a myriad of basic questions so someone will spoon feed them everything they need to know and then whine when someone makes the suggestion that perhaps they should do some reading and research on their own. I prefer to deal with the reality of the issue and respond appropriately within that context. If you don't like that then too bad.

Now you said you took issue with my "suggestions" but I see you only took the time to climb up on your soapbox to address one issue that I never actually recommended except in your extremely loose interpretation of my post and you never continued to state which of my other real recommendations were ,in your opinion, wrong. So please continue by explaining which of my actual recommendations you disagree with and state why.

 

[CIRE]

First off, if you can suggest another way of viewing your first message I'd like to hear it...you offered no means of getting a tarantula other than from a pet store...my only beef with your first post was with that aspect alone...so I should have said "suggestion"...even if it was implied, I didn't put any words in your mouth, since you hardly said anything of importance in your first post anyways (how would you know what kind of Ts are readily available in the typical petstore in British Columbia?...I for one, have NEVER seen a curlyhair in a petstore where I live...but I have seen B. vagans, A. geniculata, and the like...so whatever Ts are common where you are from does not mean that they are common elsewhere)

I don't want this to go on for longer than it should, but I would just like to state my initial message directed less towards you, and more towards the hobby in general.

While I agree that most prospective tarantula owners might know nothing going into the hobby, when I said they should look into paying more for better quality specimens, I was suggesting that if they were to do that, maybe they would invest more time and money into their "pets" and make a greater effort to know more in advance.

I guess I am inferring from my own experiences, the only thing we, more "experienced" T keepers can do is SUGGEST to new hobbyists that there are OTHER alternatives than supporting your local, run-of-the-KILL petstore...so if you don't agree with me Buspirone, as in your words, "then TOO BAD"....

 

[Sheri]

I prefer to deal with the reality of the issue and respond appropriately within that context. If you don't like that then too bad.

Excellent, this is indeed the reality of the situation. Most rely on pet stores as an introduction to the hobby, IF they get into it as heavy as us they'll start to use dealers.
BTW Buspirone, I just clicked on your link!!! I didn't know you were a fan as well!
Very cool indeed!

 

[Sheri]

First off, if you can suggest another way of viewing your first message I'd like to hear it...you offered no means of getting a tarantula other than from a pet store...my only beef with your first post was with that aspect alone...so I should have said "suggestion"...even if it was implied, I didn't put any words in your mouth, since you hardly said anything of importance in your first post anyways (how would you know what kind of Ts are readily available in the typical petstore in British Columbia?...I for one, have NEVER seen a curlyhair in a petstore where I live...but I have seen B. vagans, A. geniculata, and the like...so whatever Ts are common where you are from does not mean that they are common elsewhere)

While I agree that most prospective tarantula owners might know nothing going into the hobby, when I said they should look into paying more for better quality specimens, I was suggesting that if they were to do that, maybe they would invest more time and money into their "pets" and make a greater effort to know more in advance.

I'm going to de-escalate this right now... like the Cuban Missile Crisis but with no stealthy manipulation of the public, ok?
First, that would be nice, but very few would get into the hobby and invest a lot of time and money into something that they have no idea they will like long-term... It wouldn't be practical - even to wish for.
WC/CB is an issue that all of us still encounter, still deal with the ethics of it on a regular basis.
But ethics aside, really, one G. rosea in light of all the other catastrophic happenings is pretty meaningless. Again, if they embrace the hobby they will soon not be buying from the pet stores.

Keep this debate going, but keep it civil. No verbal nukes - none - Russian, Cuban, OR American. I'm going to keep an eye on this one, I want to enjoy the debate, not have to end it.

 

[mantid]

Thanks again.