My husband wants a T...I am disabled, and I have a concern...

shypoet

Arachnoknight
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Sep 8, 2009
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163
Hi,
I went through the search page and read through all the threads about the best T for a beginner. But, my question is specific and I didn't get an answer, and I thought I would ask advice for anyone that may be disabled here who has a T.

I have read on here that some people handle their T's while others do not. My husband would like to handle our future T sometimes. I have no problem with handling them either. My only concern would be if they got away and I couldn't get to them.

I have read that Pink Zebra's are great beginner T's because they are so calm and easy to handle.

Ideally, I'd like a spider that isn't very fast that way if they got away and my hubby wasn't here, I could get to them.

Can you please post a link to the pictures forum of one that you would suggest for me? I don't know all of the terms yet and am confused as to if the ones I have looked at are beginner T's or not.

Thank you!
 
Last edited:

JC

Arachnolort
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Brachypelma albopilosum! Best handling spider and a personal favorite of mine.
 

Anastasia

Arachnoprince
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Any Grammostola Sp will be delightful pet
its such a wonderful and easy keeping genus
 

Dillon

Arachnobaron
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I'm going to have to throw the book in, and say G. Rosea.

The "rose hair" t's are not that quick, I dont think it getting away from you would be a concern.

Plus, G. Rosea is a hobby standard!

Then after that, you can stock up on others and just "view" them from inside their tank, while holding the rosea.

that's usually what I do ; hold my rose hair(G. Rosea) or red knee(B. Smithi) - another good beginner choice) while messing with another T's cage maintenance.

But I would say.....
1. ) G. Rosea - Auriostriata - Pulchra (pricey)
2. ) B. Smithi - Albophisilom - Klassi(pricey)
3. ) Also a lot of Aphonopelmas are usually nice and calm. A. Moderatum or A. Seemani , from personal experience, are decently paced and nice.
 

shypoet

Arachnoknight
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I'm going to have to throw the book in, and say G. Rosea.

The "rose hair" t's are not that quick, I dont think it getting away from you would be a concern.

Plus, G. Rosea is a hobby standard!

Then after that, you can stock up on others and just "view" them from inside their tank, while holding the rosea.

that's usually what I do ; hold my rose hair(G. Rosea) or red knee(B. Smithi) - another good beginner choice) while messing with another T's cage maintenance.

But I would say.....
1. ) G. Rosea - Auriostriata - Pulchra (pricey)
2. ) B. Smithi - Albophisilom - Klassi(pricey)
3. ) Also a lot of Aphonopelmas are usually nice and calm. A. Moderatum or A. Seemani , from personal experience, are decently paced and nice.
I saw the Rosea on the movie hangman's curse and thought they looked cool.
 

curiousme

Arachnoprince
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Hi,
I went through the search page and read through all the threads about the best T for a beginner. But, my question is specific and I didn't get an answer, and I thought I would ask advice for anyone that may be disabled here who has a T.
Welcome to the forums. i am disabled and we have 19 Ts. i am glad you tried the search first, but you are right that it is a very specific question and i doubt searches would have yielded any answers specific enough.

I have read on here that some people handle their T's while others do not. My husband would like to handle our future T sometimes. I have no problem with handling them either. My only concern would be if they got away and I couldn't get to them.
Handling is for the human only. The Ts neither likes nor needs to be handled. We usually only handle when we need to do tank maintenance or are moving our slings to larger enclosures, because it stresses them out. What i mean by that is that when we put them back in the enclosure, they will pout for awhile before returning to normal behavior.

i don't try and handle any of our Ts when my husband(Mr. Gone) is not here, simply because i do not want a T to get away from me. So, that means i never even open their enclosures if he is not here, for the safety of the Ts. That way i am never in the position to 'lose track' of one. i feel it is the correct thing to do as a responsible pet owner.

I have read that Pink Zebra's are great beginner T's because they are so calm and easy to handle.
i do not know what a pink zebra is......... once we realized common names were pretty useless when talking about specific Ts, we focused on learning the scientific names. My advice to you as a newbie, is to forget about common names, as anyone can call a T whatever they want and any one species of T could have half a dozen common names. If you identify it by genus and species, everyone knows what you are talking about.;)

Ideally, I'd like a spider that isn't very fast that way if they got away and my hubby wasn't here, I could get to them.
My suggestion would be to get a terrestrial T then, maybe something from the Aphonopelma or Grammostola genus. They aren't as colorful as others, but generally are slower moving. Plus, they aren't generally as defensive. (Ts do have personalities though, so this is not a guarantee that you will get a docile one)

Can you please post a link to the pictures forum of one that you would suggest for me? I don't know all of the terms yet and am confused as to if the ones I have looked at are beginner T's or not.
Aphonopelma picture thread

Grammostola picture thread

i hope this has answered your questions and been helpful! Once again, welcome!:D
 

shypoet

Arachnoknight
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Messages
163
Welcome to the forums. i am disabled and we have 19 Ts. i am glad you tried the search first, but you are right that it is a very specific question and i doubt searches would have yielded any answers specific enough.



Handling is for the human only. The Ts neither likes nor needs to be handled. We usually only handle when we need to do tank maintenance or are moving our slings to larger enclosures, because it stresses them out. What i mean by that is that when we put them back in the enclosure, they will pout for awhile before returning to normal behavior.

i don't try and handle any of our Ts when my husband(Mr. Gone) is not here, simply because i do not want a T to get away from me. So, that means i never even open their enclosures if he is not here, for the safety of the Ts. That way i am never in the position to 'lose track' of one. i feel it is the correct thing to do as a responsible pet owner.



i do not know what a pink zebra is......... once we realized common names were pretty useless when talking about specific Ts, we focused on learning the scientific names. My advice to you as a newbie, is to forget about common names, as anyone can call a T whatever they want and any one species of T could have half a dozen common names. If you identify it by genus and species, everyone knows what you are talking about.;)



My suggestion would be to get a terrestrial T then, maybe something from the Aphonopelma or Grammostola genus. They aren't as colorful as others, but generally are slower moving. Plus, they aren't generally as defensive. (Ts do have personalities though, so this is not a guarantee that you will get a docile one)



Aphonopelma picture thread

Grammostola picture thread

i hope this has answered your questions and been helpful! Once again, welcome!:D
Thank you! :)
 

JimM

Arachnoangel
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880
that's what I've heard. Sometimes they can be not so calm like people claim they are
Exactly, I recommend steering clear of Rosies.

Brachypelma's are great choices, smithi, emelia, etc.
G.auriostriata is a superb choice as well.
 

JC

Arachnolort
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Apr 15, 2009
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that's what I've heard. Sometimes they can be not so calm like people claim they are
Yup. Grammostolas are crazy! I have never ever seen a B.albopilosum do a threat posture. Both my Grammostolas, pulchripes and rosea, have given me threat postures and have lunged at my spoon and they are not even matured yet(my G.rosea is just 1.5 inches)!

P.S.

Have you seen Jon3800's(youtube) Grammostolas?
 

Stan Schultz

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... and I thought I would ask advice for anyone that may be disabled here who has a T. ...
Good to hear from you! Welcome to the hobby and welcome to this forum.

It may interest you to know that my wife, Marguerite, is also disabled to the point where she would be wheelchair bound if there were room for one in the motorhome in which we live. We have kept tarantulas, up to something in the neighborhood of 1300 of them, between February 1968 and spring 2005. They may likely be among the best pets for the disabled because they are small, require little care and attention, and many, if not most, can be relatively easily handled. Never fear, you won't be making a mistake by keeping a tarantula as a pet.

... I have read on here that some people handle their T's while others do not. My husband would like to handle our future T sometimes. I have no problem with handling them either. My only concern would be if they got away and I couldn't get to them. ...
Handling is a subject that has been known to cause flame wars that rival the American Civil War on the various forums, and I hope this doesn't cause another such conflagration!

... I have read that Pink Zebra's are great beginner T's because they are so calm and easy to handle. ...
Correct, but there are lots of others like almost all North American Aphonopelma species (North American "brown" tarantulas), most Brachypelma species (Mexican or other Central American "red" tarantulas), almost all Grammostola species, and the list goes on. Almost all of these are not quick spiders, do not bite readily, live long lives, are quite hardy, and make good pets.

However, there is one concern that you must address and be prepared for: Many of the tarantulas that make the best pets also possess irritating bristles called urticating bristles, and the sensitivity to these varies from enthusiast to enthusiast and between the various kinds of tarantulas. If it turns out that either you or your spouse are terribly allergic to one or more species of those tarantulas that possess these bristles, you may have to either find a different pet or confine your acquisitions to those species that you aren't allergic to. This is clearly a trial and error condition.

... Ideally, I'd like a spider that isn't very fast that way if they got away and my hubby wasn't here, I could get to them. ...
The magnitude and type of your disabilities will have a major effect on this, but I need to put the problem in the proper perspective.

Tarantulas are neither terribly huge animals (think pet African elephant here), terribly fast animals (think pet coachwhip snake here), nor terribly dangerous (think pet Brahma bull, Egyptian cobra, or Sydney funnelweb spider here). They're just rather large, rather fuzzy spiders with a reputation, even among enthusiasts, that's 90% myth.

... Can you please post a link to the pictures forum of one that you would suggest for me? ...
In a very general sort of way visit the following link for some very good photos.

http://www.birdspiders.com/gallery/g.php?id=3

... I don't know all of the terms yet and am confused as to if the ones I have looked at are beginner T's or not.
WARNING: INCOMING, UNABASHED, SELF-SERVING RECOMMENDATION!

As a newbie you might best read the following webpage:

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/stansrant.html

END: INCOMING, UNABASHED, SELF-SERVING RECOMMENDATION!

If you decide to get a Chilean rose you should read the following webpage:

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/roses.html

Best of luck and enjoy your newfound little buddies!
 

sean-820

Arachnobaron
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Jun 15, 2008
Messages
547
Hi,

I have read on here that some people handle their T's while others do not. My husband would like to handle our future T sometimes. I have no problem with handling them either. My only concern would be if they got away and I couldn't get to them.First you solve this with a very secure lid (a sliding one would work well or even some tank clips

Ideally, I'd like a spider that isn't very fast that way if they got away and my hubby wasn't here, I could get to them.

Thank you!
I would say Get a Grammostola species (includes rosea, pulchra, pulchripes) or brachypelma species (includes smithi, vagans)
None of these species are too fast or skiddish compared to ther t's, but any t can run at a decent pace. A these guys are generally beginner species as they are farily slow, attractive and easy to care
 

paul fleming

Arachnoangel
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If any spiders decides to make a bolt for it,you have to be pretty quick to tub it,just a thought but good luck with your new spid and know you will enjoy.
paul
 

gvfarns

Arachnoprince
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As people have said, tarantulas in genus Grammostola, Brachypelma, and Aphonopelma are slow moving and very reluctant to bite. Excellent T's for your application.

Best T's for this in many opinions (as well as mine):

Brachypelma albopilosum
Grammostola pulchripes

These are cheap, common, docile, slow, and large-ish. Actually any Brachypelma or Grammostola will not bite or run fast, so you can go with something prettier, like Brachypelma smithi. The common Grammostola rosea "rose hair" may work too. These are what you find in pet stores typically, but tend to be wild caught and less predictable.

"Pink Zebra" probably refers to Eupalastrus campestratus. That's a very docile tarantula, but you don't see many for sale these days. And I don't think it's more docile than the ones I mentioned above, or better looking. You also see things like Grammostola Pulchra mentioned a lot, but they can be pricey.

I'd definitely suggest getting a full grown or subadult tarantula. The smaller ones are faster and more skittish, and more delicate from a care perspective.

To avoid: arboreals like Avicularia avicularia because they are faster and more likely to get away from you, all old world tarantulas since they are more likely to bite and probably quicker as well.
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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I'm surprised that nobody has said the following:

Any tarantula is capable of short bursts of energy at any given time and is most likely quite capable of getting away from you very easily.

That being said, some are less likely than others, but they all (in my opinion) posess that capability. I just don't want you to get one, have it get away from you, and then you come back and say, "You said it wouldn't get away from me!" ;)

Brachypelmas are good, but they have urticating hairs and you probably would decide against holding one if it is constantly kicking hairs at you.

G. rosea, in my opinion, is a bad choice for a handleable spider. I've seen my share of demon rosies, and I personally don't hold mine unless it's during a cage change/cleanup and it was necessary to prevent the spider from getting away or getting hurt.

Eupalaestrus campestratus (curiousme, this is the Pink Zebra, usually) is a good choice in my opinion. B. albopilosum are pretty docile, too, and from my experience much less likely to kick hairs than B. smithi/emilia/boehmei/vagans and are also probably the cheapest of the Brachys I just mentioned.

I don't really have much of an interest in the Aphonopelma genus, so I can't offer what I would call 'advice from experience' on them, but from what I have read (mainly on here) they are usually quite docile.

I hope this helps. :)

--Joe
 

paul fleming

Arachnoangel
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I'm surprised that nobody has said the following:

Any tarantula is capable of short bursts of energy at any given time and is most likely quite capable of getting away from you very easily.[/SIZE]

That being said, some are less likely than others, but they all (in my opinion) posess that capability. I just don't want you to get one, have it get away from you, and then you come back and say, "You said it wouldn't get away from me!" ;)

Brachypelmas are good, but they have urticating hairs and you probably would decide against holding one if it is constantly kicking hairs at you.

G. rosea, in my opinion, is a bad choice for a handleable spider. I've seen my share of demon rosies, and I personally don't hold mine unless it's during a cage change/cleanup and it was necessary to prevent the spider from getting away or getting hurt.

Eupalaestrus campestratus (curiousme, this is the Pink Zebra, usually) is a good choice in my opinion. B. albopilosum are pretty docile, too, and from my experience much less likely to kick hairs than B. smithi/emilia/boehmei/vagans and are also probably the cheapest of the Brachys I just mentioned.

I don't really have much of an interest in the Aphonopelma genus, so I can't offer what I would call 'advice from experience' on them, but from what I have read (mainly on here) they are usually quite docile.

I hope this helps. :)

--Joe

Actually,I did
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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Actually,I did
Actually, you said:

If any spiders decides to make a bolt for it,you have to be pretty quick to tub it,just a thought but good luck with your new spid and know you will enjoy.
paul
This to me appears as a suggestion of what to do if a spider bolts. You didn't suggest that any spider she gets is capable of doing it.

But hey, that's just me.
 
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