beginner tarantula

[Vys]

Poor PZBs, for ever more in the shadows; never shall they be mentioned by name again..ever..echo..echo.

Speaking from an inkling of own experience, I'd say 'cobalt redrumps' would make very good first pets. Mine was beautiful, beautiful, and as sweet as can be. Not as rocky as a rosie, not as fasting as my aphonopelma.

 

[CIRE]

Poor PZBs, for ever more in the shadows; never shall they be mentioned by name again..ever..echo..echo.

Speaking from an inkling of own experience, I'd say 'cobalt redrumps' would make very good first pets. Mine was beautiful, beautiful, and as sweet as can be. Not as rocky as a rosie, not as fasting as my aphonopelma.

Cobalt redrumps? I don't think I've seen many of those....are they Cyclosternum sp.?

 

[Buspirone]

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

The original question was not asking where to get a tarantula but which would be a good beginner species. That was the only question I was answering with the obvious expectation that a newbie would be looking at pet stores.

(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 clearly stated in my original response "IME" which means "In MY Experience".

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.

If it was directed towards the hobby in general then why did you find it necessary to name me and chastise me directly and openly? IMO, you wanted to try to solidify your point of view on an issue that wasn't even on topic in the thread by trying to make an example out of someone. I don't find that acceptable and I responded as I saw fit in my own defense.

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"....

I agree with you on the topic of dealing with reputable dealers over petstores but that wasn't the topic at hand in this thread until you decided to make it an issue here and attempted to do so openly at my expense. You were stating that I was encouraging someone to do something irresponsible which I wasn't doing. Please feel free to openly state facts, your opinions and advice on the topics at hand . That is what this board is about but in the future I suggest and recommend you do so in a more diplomatic way and don't name specific people directly or connect them directly with a negative view point unless they have specifically taken an opposing stance on that subject.

 

[Vys]

'Homoeomma sp. Peru', 'Chromatopelma sp.', 'Cyclosternum sp.' they've been called alot. Look mostly like Paraphysas to me

http://www.redwineexotics.com/moretarantulas9.html

 

[Arachnobrian]

I stand corrected

Ah yes, (Sheri's expertise shines again) from now on I will only use the scientific name with reference to any species as there is so much confusion using common names.

For the person who started this thread I would familiarize myself with the scientific names of species you are most interested in, as there may be several common names for one species. Not to mention the interesting names pet stores come up with.

eg. A. seemani - Costa Rican Zebra, seen at local pet store labeled as "Giant Himalayian something something".

If you found your way here on this "arachnoboard" site you should have no trouble finding whichever species you are looking for, without ever having to deal with a pet store.

Highly recomended, as you will get a healthier "T", and the peace of mind that you are getting the "T" you wanted.

 

[CIRE]

If it was directed towards the hobby in general then why did you find it necessary to name me and chastise me directly and openly? IMO, you wanted to try to solidify your point of view on an issue that wasn't even on topic in the thread by trying to make an example out of someone. I don't find that acceptable and I responded as I saw fit in my own defense.



I agree with you on the topic of dealing with reputable dealers over petstores but that wasn't the topic at hand in this thread until you decided to make it an issue here and attempted to do so openly at my expense. You were stating that I was encouraging someone to do something irresponsible which I wasn't doing. Please feel free to openly state facts, your opinions and advice on the topics at hand . That is what this board is about but in the future I suggest and recommend you do so in a more diplomatic way and don't name specific people directly or connect them directly with a negative view point unless they have specifically taken an opposing stance on that subject.

If this message board is all about stating facts and opinions, that's just what I did...if someone was asking what tarantula to get, they would undoubtedly have to GET it SOMEWHERE...and all I was responding to was to your post, which gave me the impression that you were encouraging that they get the most COMMON, most INEXPENSIVE species that are available at PET STORES...

I would like to end this now before it gets out of hand...and quite frankly, I think you took my comments way too seriously...after all, I was on my soapbox and for you to take offence to something that was referring to your post, but also dealt with broader issues is somewhat of an overreaction IMO...

 

[Buspirone]

If this message board is all about stating facts and opinions, that's just what I did...if someone was asking what tarantula to get, they would undoubtedly have to GET it SOMEWHERE...and all I was responding to was to your post, which gave me the impression that you were encouraging that they get the most COMMON, most INEXPENSIVE species that are available at PET STORES...

I would like to end this now before it gets out of hand...and quite frankly, I think you took my comments way too seriously...after all, I was on my soapbox and for you to take offence to something that was referring to your post, but also dealt with broader issues is somewhat of an overreaction IMO...

Apology accepted! ;P

 

[KJE]

This is my first post, so I hope I do it correctly.

I would just like to say that I, too, am in the process of trying to figure out which T I would like to start with. I have read two posts by people on this thread that have assumed that people do not educate themselves on T's and their requirements before they buy one. On the contrary, I have been a member here since Oct. 21, 2004 and am still reading so I, hopefully, will make the correct choice. I have read most of this board, "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" and "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids". I have also been reading up on different T's and their individual requirements. I know you both said most and not all first time T owners, but give some of us a little credit, please.

Anyway, I was leaning toward an Avic, but am concerned about the humidity and temp. they require. During the winter months my home drops to about 65 at night and is about 72 during the day. I am fearful to use a heating element because it will dry out the cage. I would love to start with a young T so I can watch it grow up, but I would also like to have a female since they live longer. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Sorry about hijacking this thread, but I didn't want to start a new one.

 

[Sandra]

:? Hmmm, I must not be a majority beginner...I most definitely wanted to investigate breeders/dealers over pet store choices, I was tickled at the idea of a sling, and didn't mind the idea of coughing up a few bucks for shipping. And, I suspect that if Mantid came in here to research ahead of time, chances are he(?) is probably less likely to impulsively run to a petshop to buy whatever's the cheapest deal.

Anyway, Mantid, there are some good reputable dealers out there. On the main Arachnoboards page there are links to the online dealer and breeder reviews. If you can get your name added to access the Canadian folder there is further info. in there specific to Canada.
I went with "Tarantula Canada," and had a very good first experience with ordering, receiving, and loads of helpful info. It's located in Montreal though, so shipping won't be available til warmer temps return. However, if you don't want to wait that long, there might be a dealer within driving distance to your area. Do some research, and good luck! Let us know what you get!

 

[Sandra]

Hi KJE, good on you for all the research you're doing too. I can't help you much with your questions/concerns, but I did learn when getting my baby, that when you get a sling it just cannot be sexed at that age. Many enjoy buying adult Ts for a number of good reasons, but I can say I am really loving raising the little fellow we have. It's fun watching him(?) grow, and we plan to get an even littler T in the near future. A little more work overall I understand, but if you like that kind of thing, go for it. Only you'll need to take the gamble of what sex you end up with.

 

[Schlyne]

Another way you might be able to provide some sort of backup heat is an under the tank heater, flexwatt, or heat tape. I have no experience with the latter two, and I don't know how an an under the tank heater would work for T's.

But those are some heating ideas that don't dry out the air as much. I would not recommend using any of without some research. Also, you might want to be sure that if you're going to use any of that on plastic, be sure you're not going to create a fire hazard, or melt the plastic.

I'm sure other people with more experience can give you more advice, but those are three things I know of.

 

[mantid]

Thanks for the help.

 

[KJE]

Ditto what mantid said..."Thanks for the help."

mantid - sorry for hijacking your thread. Believe me, I know how important it is to me to get the T that would work best for a beginner, so I know where you are coming from.

 

[Salmissra]

T-Rex makes a small UTH especially for critter keepers that won't melt the plastic. It's part of their "Crab Island" series of hermit crab accessories. I'm pretty sure the UTH won't mind if you use it on a spider instead of a crab!
They are very small (about 4 x 4 1/2 inches) so they should fit on just about any size container.

As with any heat source you may want to rig the UTH up to a thermostatic control so as to regulate the temps and not have cooked spider.

I am using one with my B. smithi and she seems to be a happy camper.

 

[MountinGal]

I agree that newbies should be given some credit. I am doing research about purchasing my first T. and that has included reading several books, checking out multiple online dealers and their reputations, and reading this message board.

I think my research has narrowed my choices to a b. smithi or a Chaco Golden Knee, whose scientific name has momentarily escaped me.

Good luck to all the other newbies out there!

 

[Mojo Jojo]

If you want a boring, ugly tarantula, get a rose hair. Otherwise, try B. vagans, B. albilosum, A. avicularia, C. cyaneopubescens, B. emilia, B. smithi, or C. fasciatum.

 

[DanD5303]

MountinGal,

I'm still pretty new, but started with the Chaco Golden Knee. She's been a great spider, so far. Eats well, looks good, and is easy to work with. Dan

 

[Buspirone]

If you want a boring, ugly tarantula, get a rose hair. Otherwise, try B. vagans, B. albilosum, A. avicularia, C. cyaneopubescens, B. emilia, B. smithi, or C. fasciatum.

I can agree with boring but since I own a red phase rosie I can't agree with ugly. ;P

 

[nowhereman]

I can agree with boring but since I own a red phase rosie I can't agree with ugly. ;P

I'll 2nd that. Never seen an ugly rosie. A handsome species.

 

[Washout]

If you want a boring, ugly tarantula, get a rose hair. Otherwise, try B. vagans, B. albilosum, A. avicularia, C. cyaneopubescens, B. emilia, B. smithi, or C. fasciatum.

Guh? You think a rose hair dosen't look as good as a vagans or albopilosum? The metallic pink carapace is really cool looking imho. And they are pretty active in terms of moving stuff in the tank around. I like my rosies.