Collection Suggestions!!!

[MainMann]

Hello! I'm quite new here, So I'm just sorta wondering what species would you suggest if you could only have 8 spiders, 4 of them being arboreal and 4 of them being terrestrial. I need suggestions because I'm low on space and can only keep 8. All opinions are welcome, but I'd prefer species which are more out and about, and as for temperaments I'm okay with dealing with fast/defensive Ts. Lemme hear those suggestions, and thank you in advance

 

[sasker]

I would go for dwarf species. You could get 16 of those

You say you are new here. Does that mean that you are new to keeping tarantulas or just new to Arachnoboard?

If you are new to keeping tarantulas, I would suggest to only get three at first, just to see what you really like. My preferences have changed quite a bit since I first started. I am glad I did not get all my tarantulas at the same time because of that. I am pressed for space as well. I have room for about 10.

As a top three, I would suggest the following:

- Caribena versicolor;
- A Brachypelma sp.;
- Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens.

This will give you quite a variety of colours and behaviour. You can decide later on if you want something smaller, bigger, colourful, defensive, etc.

 

[velvetundergrowth]

My choices are based purely on the spiders I like most. I would try get as many colorful and interesting ones as possible because I love showing them to guests, so my choices are:

Terrestrial:
G. porteri
B. hamorii
T. Stirmi
N. Chromatus

Arboreal:
A. avicularia
P. metallica
C. versicolar
C. cyaneopubescens (Semi-arboreal but had to include it)

I only own 2 of the above (G. porteri, T. stirmi) but will definitely aquire the others in the future.

Best of luck with your T keeping adventure

[EDIT] - Not all of the above are good beginner species.

 

[sasker]

I would consider T. stirmi a more advanced species that I would never recommend to a beginner. I never had one, but what I understood from other keepers is that they quite easily kick the bucket if you don't keep them properly. G. porteri/rosea are much more forgiving, but quite dull IMO.

 

[velvetundergrowth]

I would consider T. stirmi a more advanced species that I would never recommend to a beginner

You're right, my bad for forgetting to take "difficulty level" into account. I was more just listing the ones I would be happy with if I were to pick just 8. I don't consider T. stirmi something recommendable for beginners either...

 

[MainMann]

I would consider T. stirmi a more advanced species that I would never recommend to a beginner. I never had one, but what I understood from other keepers is that they quite easily kick the bucket if you don't keep them properly. G. porteri/rosea are much more forgiving, but quite dull IMO.

I'm a novice, and i currently have 5 spiders, and my most recent addition to my collection is a P regalis, so I'm still training with faster spiders, but i am up to the challenge, and so far I've calmly handled this 3" pokie with no problems so far

Those suggestions are great! And as for dwarf species, I'm not a big fan of them, even though some genus' like cyriocosmus have very2 cool markings, their small size makes it very difficult for me to see them

C. cyaneopubescens are over priced in my country, such a high demand makes them too expensive for me, and as for C versicolor, I'm on the look out for fairly priced juves!

My choices are based purely on the spiders I like most. I would try get as many colorful and interesting ones as possible because I love showing them to guests, so my choices are:

Terrestrial:
G. porteri
B. hamorii
T. Stirmi
N. Chromatus

Arboreal:
A. avicularia
P. metallica
C. versicolar
C. cyaneopubescens (Semi-arboreal but had to include it)

I only own 2 of the above (G. porteri, T. stirmi) but will definitely aquire the others in the future.

Best of luck with your T keeping adventure

[EDIT] - Not all of the above are good beginner species.

Those are some neat suggestions! Right now i have 3 terrestrials that i am quite happy with, my LP and boehmei are always out and about, and never use their hides! While my vagans (which unfortunately is a male) will chill in his little cave, but I see him out and about fairly often, and as for nhandu chromatus, i am really considering them since i love their appearance! For T stirmi, they are waaaaay out of my price range and their hairs are a nightmare so I'm shying away from them.

And those arboreals suggestions are all great species in my book! But I'm still considering wether my next pokie would be metallica or ornata, which do you like better, Psalmopoeus cambridgei or Caribena versicolor? since i think I'll be choosing from those two!

 

[thebronzedragon]

I'm a novice, and i currently have 5 spiders, and my most recent addition to my collection is a P regalis, so I'm still training with faster spiders, but i am up to the challenge, and so far I've calmly handled this 3" pokie with no problems so far

Those suggestions are great! And as for dwarf species, I'm not a big fan of them, even though some genus' like cyriocosmus have very2 cool markings, their small size makes it very difficult for me to see them

C. cyaneopubescens are over priced in my country, such a high demand makes them too expensive for me, and as for C versicolor, I'm on the look out for fairly priced juves!

Just want to make sure. When you say handled your P. regalis, do you mean physically or do you mean you dealt with it well?

 

[MainMann]

Just want to make sure. When you say handled your P. regalis, do you mean physically or do you mean you dealt with it well?

Oh trust me, i am not stupid enough to do that hahaha I'm not much for handling and i don't handle any of Ts, even during rehouses or anything like that, i admire them, but no touchy2

 

[l4nsky]

For terrestrials, consider A. geniculata. For arboreals, consider P. cambridge. Both are more towards the beginner spectrum than advanced, have decent coloration, and have reputations as being more visible spiders (although some have reclusive P. cams). Most pokies are light sensitive, so if you want a P. met, keep in mind you may never see it (although there can be exceptions, I have two metallica that are always out). Ornata gets large and might require the space that you are setting aside for two of the arboreals. Others to consider for more visible display species include G. porteri and C. versicolor, but I think these have already been suggested.

If I had to choose only 4 terrestrials and 4 arboreals, I'd go with P. met, P. ornata, P. rufilata, Phormingochilus sp Sabah Blue for the arboreals, P. muticus, Chilobrachys sp Electric Blue, H. pulchripes, and H. devamatha for the terrestrials. Dont know if they'd suit your needs though, as most are advanced and reclusive.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[MainMann]

For terrestrials, consider A. geniculata. For arboreals, consider P. cambridge. Both are more towards the beginner spectrum than advanced, have decent coloration, and have reputations as being more visible spiders (although some have reclusive P. cams). Most pokies are light sensitive, so if you want a P. met, keep in mind you may never see it (although there can be exceptions, I have two metallica that are always out). Ornata gets large and might require the space that you are setting aside for two of the arboreals. Others to consider for more visible display species include G. porteri and C. versicolor, but I think these have already been suggested.

If I had to choose only 4 terrestrials and 4 arboreals, I'd go with P. met, P. ornata, P. rufilata, Phormingochilus sp Sabah Blue for the arboreals, P. muticus, Chilobrachys sp Electric Blue, H. pulchripes, and H. devamatha for the terrestrials. Dont know if they'd suit your needs though, as most are advanced and reclusive.

Thanks,
--Matt

Thank you for the reply and all the great suggestions! I will very much look into P cambridgei to add as my next arboreal, there quite rare though around here but when one pops up I'll be quick to snag! And as for pokies I've noticed my regalis is never visible from morning to night, but is always out at night, either just the legs or being out in the open entirely. I will def keep all of those suggestions in mind.

Thank you, Maman

 

[Surfing Tigress]

Hello! I'm quite new here, So I'm just sorta wondering what species would you suggest if you could only have 8 spiders, 4 of them being arboreal and 4 of them being terrestrial. I need suggestions because I'm low on space and can only keep 8. All opinions are welcome, but I'd prefer species which are more out and about, and as for temperaments I'm okay with dealing with fast/defensive Ts. Lemme hear those suggestions, and thank you in advance

I am all about Old World Species (like you I don't mind a tough temperment), variety of color and patterns (each of mine will be a different color as adults), rarity, different webbing styles, and large size (at least 6 inches, though the bigger the better). So some of my favs I own are:

Poecilotheria metallica
Poecilotheria rufilata
Poecilotheria formosa
Heteroscodra masculata
Chilobrachys fimbriatus

And I know they get brushed off sometimes because they are so common, but my Avicularia avicularia is actually the most outgoing T I own, she is always out and walking about and sits on the glass cleaning herself and doesn't burrow or create a lot webbing to hide in. She is the only one that you are guaranteed to be able to see day and night when you go in the room. When I rehouse her, she is the only one I have ever had that is like, "whatevs, all good, I'm gonna go explore now" right away. Although she can be handled, unlike my other ones, I typically don't handle her because she is one of those that likes to jump (I swear she's seriously half jumping spider lol).

 

[Killertut]

Scratch the arboreal T's!

1) B. albiceps
2) B. auratum
3) B. albopilosum
4) B. emilia
5) B. hamorii
6) B. verdezi
7) B. boehmei
8) B. baumgarteni


P.S. 8 T. blondi would also be quite nice

 

[MainMann]

I am all about Old World Species (like you I don't mind a tough temperment), variety of color and patterns (each of mine will be a different color as adults), rarity, different webbing styles, and large size (at least 6 inches, though the bigger the better). So some of my favs I own are:

Poecilotheria metallica
Poecilotheria rufilata
Poecilotheria formosa
Heteroscodra masculata
Chilobrachys fimbriatus

And I know they get brushed off sometimes because they are so common, but my Avicularia avicularia is actually the most outgoing T I own, she is always out and walking about and sits on the glass cleaning herself and doesn't burrow or create a lot webbing to hide in. She is the only one that you are guaranteed to be able to see day and night when you go in the room. When I rehouse her, she is the only one I have ever had that is like, "whatevs, all good, I'm gonna go explore now" right away. Although she can be handled, unlike my other ones, I typically don't handle her because she is one of those that likes to jump (I swear she's seriously half jumping spider lol).

I do love the look of Chilobrachys spp! But sadly most of them are very shy burrowers and I've came to notice that I'm not much of a fossorial lover i have a C darlingi that i never see and it drives me nuts lol.

And i also really like the look of Avicularia avicularia, but weirdly enough they are very rare in Indonesia, Avicularia juruensis, minatrix, Iridopelma hirsutum and Caribena versicolor are far more common here than A avic! Still considering my options between an Avic and a Psalmo )

Scratch the arboreal T's!

1) B. albiceps
2) B. auratum
3) B. albopilosum
4) B. emilia
5) B. hamorii
6) B. verdezi
7) B. boehmei
8) B. baumgarteni


P.S. 8 T. blondi would also be quite nice

Gotta love the brachys man

 

[moricollins]

Those suggestions are great! And as for dwarf species, I'm not a big fan of them, even though some genus' like cyriocosmus have very2 cool markings, their small size makes it very difficult for me to see them

That's unfortunate, C. elegans are my favourite species of the ~30-40 species I used to keep. Active, big eaters, colorful.

Neoholothele incei are great as well.

I can't help much more, I'm a fan of dwarf species

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Terrestrial

A. geniculata
G. iheringi
B. hamorii
B. albopilosum

Arboreal

P. irminia
A. variegata
C. versicolor
P. subfusca

 

[MainMann]

Terrestrial

A. geniculata
G. iheringi
B. hamorii
B. albopilosum

Arboreal

P. irminia
A. variegata
C. versicolor
P. subfusca

I think These species' are very close to what I'll be getting! But A geniculata is very expensive here, and i haven't found anyone that's selling slings, i might opt for a Nhandu since genics are much rarer here

And those arboreal suggestions are neat! But I've talked to my friend that happens to be a big breeder, that P irminia are usually very reclusive, so i might shy away from irminia and opt for a cambridgei, Thank you!!!

That's unfortunate, C. elegans are my favourite species of the ~30-40 species I used to keep. Active, big eaters, colorful.

Neoholothele incei are great as well.

I can't help much more, I'm a fan of dwarf species

I am considering Neoholothele incei as well! But i would like to ask a question, how are their visibility? Are they out and about? I know they're great webbers but i also want to see them out often, that green metallic look is soo awesome!! Cyriocosmus is very expensive here because not many people breed them but if i do end up getting a dwarf, i think Hapalopus would be my best bet since i know a guy that's selling them for cheap! Thank you

 

[viper69]

Hello! I'm quite new here, So I'm just sorta wondering what species would you suggest if you could only have 8 spiders, 4 of them being arboreal and 4 of them being terrestrial. I need suggestions because I'm low on space and can only keep 8. All opinions are welcome, but I'd prefer species which are more out and about, and as for temperaments I'm okay with dealing with fast/defensive Ts. Lemme hear those suggestions, and thank you in advance

If you keep dwarf Ts, you can keep more than 8!

 

[neubii18]

Lasiodora parahybana is a favorite. Underrated because they are common, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a cool spider. They get big, mine is always out, and literally never refuses food. Not only is the legspan huge, they are stocky and “furry”.

 

[moricollins]

I am considering Neoholothele incei as well! But i would like to ask a question, how are their visibility? Are they out and about? I know they're great webbers but i also want to see them out often, that green metallic look is soo awesome!! Cyriocosmus is very expensive here because not many people breed them but if i do end up getting a dwarf, i think Hapalopus would be my best bet since i know a guy that's selling them for cheap! Thank you

My N. incei were always out and about,, web a lot, eat a lot. Fun to watch.

 

[MainMann]

Lasiodora parahybana is a favorite. Underrated because they are common, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a cool spider. They get big, mine is always out, and literally never refuses food. Not only is the legspan huge, they are stocky and “furry”.

I definitely agree! And i already have an LP, never hiding, always out and about, and damn can they eat I'm pretty sure mine's a female and she's in premolt, so hopefully i will get to sex her properly!