Well, can be pretty expensive to buy an adult. And slings, still a bit expensive to learn the ropes with. I'd hate to learn I was doing something wrong with one...I'm suprised no one has mentioned Grammostola pulchra.
I wouldn't call them colorful, at least not by the standards of other things like C. cyaneopubescens. However, they ARE nice, with their little striped feet and their orange/gold highlights. I've never tried to hold mine, but it's a sweet little thing that's never given me any trouble when doing maintenance or rehousing.i think ive decided on Grammostola aeriostriata seems like the pics ive seen of it make it a little more colorful than Brachypelma albopilosum
Why get a tarantula? It makes more sense to get several. After all, that's what will happen in a couple of months anyway. I think the G. aureostriata is a great species, and I love B. albopilusum too. I'd also recommend that you get a B. vagans and an A. geniculata. And to make it an even half-dozen (almost worth the shipping costs), throw in a L. parahybana and a C. fasciata (Yeah, I know they're Davus now, but try to find a care sheet with that name). After you work with these a while, you'll want arboreals and old world burrowers, but we can save that for a later post.