blue tarantulas? (and handling)

Stitch_geevi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
12
hey, can someone suggest a blue T species thats fairly docile and easy to handle and live with?

on a scale of 1-10, how defensive are p.metallicas?
on the same scale, how fast are they?
do they jump?

(not that i plan to put my Ts on a leash and take them jogging with me, i know handling is a big controversy, i just want to know that i CAN handle them if i want/need to, without too much difficulty. a part of me feels like any animal that CANT be handled, probably shouldnt be a pet. and i dont wanna be the one guilty of imprisoning it.)
 

burmish101

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 13, 2008
Messages
492
Im not an avid T handler but the only blue T I wouldnt be worried about holding would be a GBB (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens). P. metallica are just like any other pokie from my understanding but are amongst the least defensive? Think I read that somewhere but I havent any experience with this species in particular. I would not recommend handling a pokie as they tend to bite without warning during handling, as most bite reports here suggest. Ive seen P. regalis jump away during cage maintenence so I wouldnt put it past P. metallica.
 

BlackCat

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Messages
195
A sling/juvie A. versicolor would probably be a good choice, but they won't stay blue.

P. metallicas, as with any Pokie (and pretty much any old world T for that mater), will be quick and generally aggressive. I've never actually heard of a pokie described as docile, but I could be wrong...
 

Stitch_geevi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
12
yea.. alot of people are telling me GBB... god i just fell so inlove with pokie, ya know?? lol!! and its infuriating because i've seen video of surprisingly calm and docile p.metallicas, but from my understanding thats very out of character for them, and theres NO way i could count on it without meeting them first.

in that case, i have some more random and unrelated questions:

how much does a 3" female GBB usually run for?
how potent is the venom? (of GBB? p.metallica? g.rosea?)

will 2 Ts of the same gender automatically attack eachother if placed near enough? (i ask because i like to take photos)

what exactly happens when a T bites you? do you swell up? go numb? lots of pain? serious infection/illness?
 

JDeRosa

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 7, 2008
Messages
501
The problem is that in the animal kingdom bright colors such as blue is a warning sing to predators of either potent venom, or a bad attitude.
 

jimmy dale

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 10, 2008
Messages
1
Aphonopelma seemani

There is a blue form of Aphonopelma seemani (unless this form has been given seperate species or subspecies status since I last checked). As was correctly mentioned above - many of the lurid electric blue species are that colour for a reason, that reason being they don't like being played with. If you feel you must handle it then I'd advise against something like GBB, the fact that you want to handle it and are asking a question like that sugegsts you haven't kept many spiders before (I apologise if I am incorrect in my assumption). A. seemani are fairly placid as a rule and may be well suited what you are asking for. The blue variety not a stunning bright blue - more a slatey denim colour but a nice spider all the same. Even cooler still these spiders are known to co-habit burrows with a little puddle frog, Pyhsalaemus pustulosus - Now that's cool!
 

BrynWilliams

Arachnoprince
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Apr 22, 2009
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1,295
GBBs are cheap!

Here's the one I got yesterday and she was a calm as a cucumber.

 

Sky`Scorcher

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 3, 2008
Messages
225
P.Metallica's are not exactly the same as the other pokies. I recently found out they're more inclined on the docile side and not the run-all-over-the-place-and-up-your-pants kind as pokies are in general.

I found out in Talkenlate's video and when I checked out my friend's P.Metallica, I was surprised to find a very accommodating blue pokie on my hand. No fuss at all. But I don't know, its still does depend on the individual T. :D

It never did hurt to try anyway. :D I suggest buying a sling first.:p
 

Stitch_geevi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
12
no slings... i want it sexed. im not falling inlove with something just to watch it die in 2 or 3 years.
i appreciate the blue forms being suggested, but i need something common and easy to find. and while i understand that brightly colored Ts will be more potent and defensive than anything you'd find at a petshop, i hear GBB is the least so of those.

jimmy, you're right about my being a newb, i only have a g.rosea. but i can assure you im long past the "i have a tarantula and i wanna play with it" faze. (believe it or not, my rosie actually DEMANDS some travel time on my bed by climbing her walls and hanging herself from the screen. [and before you suggest its a problem with the enclosure or conditions, its not.. i made sure of it.]) i've also done my homework before and after getting one, and i still extensively study any species i might be interested in. (i know their warning signs and what they can do.)
all i mean is i dont want a spider i have to be afraid to put my hand near, should i need to change enclosures, or repare a wound, or confirm gender, or maybe just take a few posed photos.
and actually i've been hearing/reading the exact opposite of the GBB.. most other sorces are telling me that GBB is perfect as a second T! some even say its good as a FIRST, but i think thats pushing it a bit.. no nervious spider can be good for a beginer.

but that brings me back to a question nobody answered yet, and i'd kinda like to know: what effects do you feel when a T bites you? (with high and low potency?) what exactly does the poison do to you?
i find so many things about tarantulas biting, which ones bite the most, but you'd be amazed at how little i find on what a T. bite actually does!

and bryn, how much did you pay for yours?
 

Hobo

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Staff member
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
2,208
There's a whole board dedicated to bites. Have a look here, look up whatever T you are interested in, and you can read reports about bite symptoms and stuff like that.
 

RB40

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
21
For a calm blue T. I would suggest a Homoeomma sp. blue. I have several of them. Also most of my collection (75+ T's) are blue, and these are the most docile. The only dealer I know that has any right now would be Exoskeleton invertrabrates. The adult picture of the Homoeomma sp. Exoskeleton is using is my adult female. You won't be sorry if you get one because the pic is pretty, but the real thing looks better
 

hellraizor

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Messages
146
Ive kept GBBs and Id never handle mine! 1. I dont like getting bit. And all of mine were fierce! and 2. I dont like to itch for weeks on end. Considering mine would flick hairs before I even got their lid off of the tank. I'd go with a blue color form A.seemani if you want to be able to handle her.
 

satanslilhelper

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
May 24, 2009
Messages
734
From the P. metallicas I've seen they're generally the most docile of all the Pokies. Every one that I've seen so far the owner has been more than willing to show me how calm they are. A lot of people claim them to be THE beginner pokie when it comes to temperament. Of course this is just a general statement as of course there are always going to be exceptions to this.
 

jayefbe

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
1,351
I know the nature boy will have some more information on this, but you 'can' handle pretty much any tarantula. Remove the T from the enclosure, let it adjust to its new surroundings for a few minutes, and then carefully freehandle it. Most T's will calm right down, and in my experience, pokies almost never try to bite or even throw a threat pose.

The problem comes with that tiny chance that a T will bite. If you're holding a NW, big deal. It'll hurt a little. If it's a pokie, you can cancel your weekend plans. Given the astonishing pain of a pokie bite most people would rather not risk it.
 

Stitch_geevi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
12
hmm.. im almost thinking of just diving right into level 2 and stop being such a >>kitty cat<< about it. im never gunna learn if i basically just keep getting different colored rosies.. even she can bit me after all, and if i need to step it up with gloves for my "level 2" T, i can deal with that.
..besides, all YOU guys can live with them, even handle them, what makes ME so delicate? lol {D

also because its hard enough to find sexed FEMALE adults or juvies of anything for affordable prices, i dont need to make it more complicated for myself by looking for fazes and morfs. if i want a blue T, i'll have better luck with a species thats ALWAYS blue.
 

jayefbe

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
1,351
First, a P. metallica sexed female is going to run you hundreds of dollars. Second, going from a rosie to a pokie isn't like going from step 1 to step 2. It's more like going from step 1 to step 9 (step 10 being S cal or H mac). Third, I don't know anyone who would recommend handling with gloves to protect from a bite. In most circumstances only the thickest gloves will offer any protection from a bite attempt. Additionally, thick gloves are just too cumbersome to safely handle a tarantula.

I don't think anyone is saying you're delicate, just naive and in need of way more research.

Edit: If, on the other hand, you're talking about a GBB then go for it. You can get a sexed female for about $100 (pricey but worth it). They're easy to keep. While typically skittish they don't have potent venom. Still, if handling I wouldn't use anything thicker than latex gloves and those would only offer some protection against the urticating bristles.
 
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Stitch_geevi

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2009
Messages
12
oh nobody was calling me delicate, I was. I'm being all nervious about a GBB when it seems like i could probably deal with one just fine, even if i cant handle it as easily as my rosie.

i know pokies are way the *H* up there, i was just sucked in by their beauty. i realize once the "ooo pretty!" factor wears off, i probably wouldnt be able to enjoy it the way experienced people might.

i did mean thick gloves, but only to gauge the Ts temperment when i first get it. im not worried about my hands being clumsy in gloves because im pretty good at knowing exactly how to use them nomatter whats covering them... i can scrape the dirt off an ant without hurting it.. comes from years of drawing tiny detailed patterns on fashion illustrations.. lol
after a few tries with the gloves, if it seems calm enough to satisfy me, i can ditch them. if not, i'll only handle that T when i absolutely need to.. no "bonding" sessions :p
 

Spunky

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
106
hey, can someone suggest a blue T species thats fairly docile and easy to handle and live with?

on a scale of 1-10, how defensive are p.metallicas?
on the same scale, how fast are they?
do they jump?

(not that i plan to put my Ts on a leash and take them jogging with me, i know handling is a big controversy, i just want to know that i CAN handle them if i want/need to, without too much difficulty. a part of me feels like any animal that CANT be handled, probably shouldnt be a pet. and i dont wanna be the one guilty of imprisoning it.)
I have four P. metallicas, 2 juvenile males, 1 mature female and 1 mature male. I would say on a scale of 1-10 they are a solid 5. The juveniles are more flighty than the adults, but easily manageable when doing tank maintenance. My female is the most laid back and would let you hold her with no problem, but is pretty skittish. Not sure about the jumping as I dont give any of my T's the chance to do so, however with them being arboreal it is certainly within their ability. I would highly recommend one for a begginer pokie if you can swing it. Out of all my pokies (regalis, rufilata, ornata and miranda( these are the most laid back, even more so than my GBB.
 
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