New Spiders :P Tox

[crlovel]

I went to the Hamburg show today. My wife was thrilled that I was selling two, a G. pulchripes and a N. chromatus. Not thrilled about these two in particular being sold, just thrilled with the idea of two tarantulas going away. The pulchripes found a new home with a board member here, and the chromatus wound up coming home with me.

Anyway, I picked up a female muticus (number two).

An S. calceatum (number two).

An H. maculata (number two).

An H. gigas.

A C. darlingi.

Here's a photo of the calceatum:

She's a pretty good size. First time I've ever been a little nervous moving a spider. One of the tricks I learned was using a plastic bottle with the end cut off, which is what I did. She went very easily into the bottle, then into her Exo Terra.

 

[Haksilence]

I was there and was looking at the s. Calceatum. But decided against it, glad someone got her because the guy definitely didn't know how to care for ts!

I came home with a Damon diadema and a b. Albo MF

 

[crlovel]

The guy against the wall to the right when you go in? I bought a few from him today. The H. mac was only $15, and good size, I wasn't saying no to that. and I got the H. gigas from him, too.

All three seem a little skinny.

 

[Toxoderidae]

I was pretty saddened at my expo, the guy who I bought my vonwirthi from was letting people handle spiders, and had them on woodchips, and my longipes didn't even have a scientific name, just common, and they are all WC, one of them had DKS.

 

[Poec54]

Stromatopelma are an advanced species, are you really up to that?

 

[Toxoderidae]

Stromatopelma are an advanced species, are you really up to that?

He has dealt with H. maculata for quite a bit, and other OW. I would say he's more prepared than I am, having just started with Haplopelma, as my first "aggressive" OW.

 

[crlovel]

Stromatopelma are an advanced species, are you really up to that?

Please. If I can keep a porteri, I can keep anything. And I'm not new, I've been collecting tarantulas since February!

 

[Poec54]

Please. If I can keep a porteri, I can keep anything. And I'm not new, I've been collecting tarantulas since February!

February 2016? You're kidding, right? That doesn't count as experience.

 

[crlovel]

February 2016? You're kidding, right? That doesn't count as experience.

I was completely sarcastic about the "if I can keep porteri, I can keep anything" bit, but totally serious about February 2016. I've kept tarantulas on and off for years, primarily simple, docile species, always one at a time. I also have extensive experience with reptiles, amphibians, and centipedes. February 2016 saw me re-look at tarantulas and jump into these. Since February, my one tarantula has become 26 tarantulas - and now my collection is some New World terrestrials, but primarily baboons and old world arboreals. Do I meet your benchmark for experience? I'm sure I do not. Do I care much? Rest assured, I do not. I have had zero problems re-homing any of my species as they molt and grow, working in their cages, feeding them, keeping temperatures and humidity, etc. I do not handle, I do not screw with, I do not mistreat, etc etc etc. Thank you for your concern, and may you be blessed today.

 

[FreddyKrueger]

I completely agree with you, I started out with a P.murinus and a L.violaceopes when I was 17 and that soon grew to much more most old worlds from Africa. but I never had a single problem. I think if you know what you are doing you can start with whatever you want but H.macs and the S.calceatum I rather not have or anything arboreal way to fast for me. I sold everything I had when I was 21 but now started again with only some M.balfouris, P.murinus, GBB's and maybe soon some H.pulchripes.

 

[Poec54]

I think if you know what you are doing you can start with whatever you want.

This is some of the worst advice that can be given in this hobby. How is a person 'know what they're doing' if they don't have a foundation of experience and skills? Reading? Online research? That in no way prepares a person for a fast, defensive tarantula with a nasty bite running loose around the room. I suppose you can learn to scuba dive or drive a car by reading about it.

 

[mistertim]

Wow, only since Feb and you're getting H. macs and S. calceatums? That's not much time for actual experience. I mean, reading is great, but it doesn't really prepare you for the sheer speed and venom toxicity of some of the OWs you have. I'll be coming up on a year in the hobby and just now am going to be getting a Psalmo to prepare me for OW arboreals. I guess I'm just taking a more measured approach *shrug*. To each their own, I suppose. Just be careful, man. Have you experienced any of them getting spooked and doing a runner on you or running up your tongs and onto your arm before you could even blink?

 

[Walter1]

Please. If I can keep a porteri, I can keep anything. And I'm not new, I've been collecting tarantulas since February!

Ha! Please post a pic of the Hysterocrates. I don't keep them but really like the genus.

 

[crlovel]

No can do - she's dug down in a hide. However, her next removing will be to tank with a water area, possibly a few guppies. I'll get pics then.

 

[FreddyKrueger]

This is some of the worst advice that can be given in this hobby. How is a person 'know what they're doing' if they don't have a foundation of experience and skills? Reading? Online research? That in no way prepares a person for a fast, defensive tarantula with a nasty bite running loose around the room.

So tell me what spider gifs you the experience before you get a p.murinus, my meaning is get a p.murines to get the experience with it. Same as driving a car u get the experience when driving. And if u take good precautions u will never have your spider running in your room at least it never happened to me.

 

[BobBarley]

So tell me what spider gifs you the experience before you get a p.murinus, my meaning is get a p.murines to get the experience with it. Same as driving a car u get the experience when driving. And if u take good precautions u will never have your spider running in your room at least it never happened to me.

There are many t's that can prepare you for the speed and defensiveness of a P. murinus, without the potency of the bite...

 

[mistertim]

So tell me what spider gifs you the experience before you get a p.murinus, my meaning is get a p.murines to get the experience with it. Same as driving a car u get the experience when driving. And if u take good precautions u will never have your spider running in your room at least it never happened to me.

In learning how to drive for the first time you usually take a functional and easy to drive car and begin in parking lots to get the basics, then move to the local roads around you and then once you're comfortable there you start to test out the highways, etc. What the OP and you are talking about is jumping in a Mustang GT500 as your very first driving lesson and taking it on the interstate. You might be ok, but you're just as likely to either get yourself or others, or both, hurt.

Best thing to do is start out with one of the easier to care for NW terrestrials (of which there are many, and some awesome spiders), then move up from there once you've gotten down the basics of tarantula husbandry. Where you go from there will depend on what type or genera of spider you want to end up with (OW arboreal, advanced NW tropicals, OW terrestrials, OW fossorials, etc etc). With each successive step you hone new skills that will help you eventually deal with all of the pitfalls that can (and will) come with more advanced tarantulas, especially Old World species.

We're just talking common sense here. When I first got into the hobby I wanted to rush into more advanced species too but luckily I got on here and started talking to some of the experienced keepers and they gave me great advice about taking my time and using a ladder system and making sure I was truly ready. I can tell you now that there is NO WAY I would have been able to handle some of the tarantulas I was interested in back then, even if I thought I could. I also learned that there are a TON of amazing spiders that are beginner to intermediate level, so there is no real reason to rush into something you're probably not prepared for.

 

[crlovel]

Sometimes, I think those who preach pretentious paranoia want people who go faster than they feel is right to get bitten, just so they can feel justified and point and say, "See, I told you so."

It gets old.

I brought home a regalis sling last night. Because of my inexperience, it got loose and ate my three cats and two dogs. I've not seen my wife since around 2 am, and I'm pretty sure it's set free my other 26 NW and OW tarantulas to form a conquering army.

"You were right."

There, now, doesn't that make you feel good?

 

[Poec54]

Sometimes, I think those who preach pretentious paranoia want people who go faster than they feel is right to get bitten, just so they can feel justified and point and say, "See, I told you so."

It gets old.

There's nothing like well thought out, reasoned arguments like this to make us experienced collectors and breeders look foolish. We spend hundreds of hours here volunteering our time, under the pretext of helping people, but are really just setting up psychological traps for people to get inappropriate species for their experience level. You saw right thru that. A very perceptive man.

Actually, what does 'get old' is cocky beginners that get advanced species, become afraid of them because of their speed and temperament, and put them up for sale. Driver's Ed on the freeway. That' what we're trying to avoid, as no one benefits from that.

 

[mistertim]

Sometimes, I think those who preach pretentious paranoia want people who go faster than they feel is right to get bitten, just so they can feel justified and point and say, "See, I told you so."

It gets old.

I brought home a regalis sling last night. Because of my inexperience, it got loose and ate my three cats and two dogs. I've not seen my wife since around 2 am, and I'm pretty sure it's set free my other 26 NW and OW tarantulas to form a conquering army.

"You were right."

There, now, doesn't that make you feel good?

So now people who have been keeping tarantulas for decades (not me, guys like Poec) trying to explain to you why your course of action is unwise is "pretentious paranoia"? Everyone who advises against something is just trying to get you bit so they can say "told you so"? We're not 10 year olds; people are telling you these things to keep you, other people you may live with, and the hobby itself, safe. I've read the bite reports for some of these OWs and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Do you live with other people? Kids? Pets? Parents? Are they aware of these animals and the dangers they can pose? They should at the very least have the information. Let THEM read the bite reports and see how they feel about it.

Case in point re: "you need actual experience for these OWs". I was just feeding my 3 inch B. smithi. She's been hanging out in her hide a lot recently so I've been dropping the crickets for her to eat close by so she can just grab them easily. I was lowering the cricket down with my tongs and suddenly she darts out, leaps up, and grabs the cricket while running halfway up my tongs. She has NEVER, in all the many many times I have fed her, done anything even close to that before. If I didn't have experience with my A. versicolor teleporting and jumping onto my tongs I would have freaked out...even as it was I had to fight every nerve in my body to stay calm and collected. And that was a B. smithi. Imagine if that was an OW that is about 10 times faster and has venom about 10 times more potent. Would I have been able to stay as calm? I have my doubts, even with prior experience with a pretty quick arboreal.

Point is these are wild animals and they are always unpredictable. With a species like B. smithi mistakes can be made and learned from and surprises can be dealt with easily and it isn't a big deal. The same mistakes and surprises with an advanced OW is a whole different ballgame; there's pretty much no room for error. Just because everything has gone fine for you so far does NOT mean it will stay that way. Please just be as careful as possible...contrary to what you might think, this isn't some pissing match for me. I don't want anyone, including you or anyone you live with, to get hurt. That is the point, not my ego or Poec's or anyone else's