Not for beginners?

[solaceofwinter]

but if you buy them as slings you get to grow in experience with them.
housing and other needs of a. geniculta and l.parahybana are both easily done. so you cant stick your hand in there and grab something. no biggie. i find my two area about as easy to care for as my g.rosea ever was and are alot more interesting. ;P

 

[Buspirone]

but if you buy them as slings you get to grow in experience with them.
housing and other needs of a. geniculta and l.parahybana are both easily done. so you cant stick your hand in there and grab something. no biggie. i find my two area about as easy to care for as my g.rosea ever was and are alot more interesting. ;P

Different people catch on faster than others. Most new people don't do well with slings or are afraid to try with out gaining more confidence. We are dealing with wild animals in captivity that possess venom. The responsible thing to do, especially when dealing with anyone who lacks alot of knowledge and experience, is to make recommendations on the more conservative side of the spectrum. These animals aren't tightly regulated.......yet. Some people, including myself, believe that as a group of enthusiasts we are only one bad national news story away from heavy regulation or an all out ban. All it takes is one cute little blonde haired, blue eyed kid from a well to do family to get something he/she isn't capable of dealing with and receive a hot bite or an urticating bristle in the eye resulting in blindness or eye loss due to a secondary infection and its a media frenzy and the next great witch hunt. Its easy to forget when you interact on these boards that the majority of the population hates and fears these animals. Invert enthusiasts represent a very tiny portion of the population and are absolutley unequipped to stave off such a scenerio if it were to occur. So far we have been under the radar but the interest in keeping inverts is growing....this board has more than tripled its membship since I joined and new people are showing up faster than ever before.

 

[Ms. Peaches]

My question then would be when do you stop being a begginer. I started with a G. aureostriata last year on 2-22-05. Then within the last few weeks I decided to expand a bit and I purchased an A. versicolor then a week later A.avicularia then the following week a P. irminia and a B. vagans...and then a B. smithi and then last week a H. lividum. My husband set a limit of 8 (that will change though) So this week I am going to pick up number 8 a P. regalis.

I still feel like a beginer and I still have a lot of questions but I did my research before I purchased the ones I wanted and have been reading a lot since I purchased the first one.

I have kept reptiles since childhood. My mother had many reptiles and exposed them to me at a young age. I have kept my own steady collection of snakes and lizards for the last 3 years and over the last year decided to keep mostly boas. Reptiles also require very specific care requirements although different its still habbit to follow what needs to be done for each individual animal, I think this adds to expiernce level as well.


So with all that said I agree start with something easy to care for, the least venomous, and most docile if you are completely new to the whole hobby..but I am really curious when others think its ok to move from a G. rosea to a H. lividum (just an example) I don't think caring for a Rosie really prepares you for caring for a Cobalt.

 

[Drachenjager]

A.Anax all the way

A. Anax is to me the best beginner T there is! I have never ever found one that was agressive, and they are about as hardy as they come. They range from teh rocks of the hill country to the black land prarie in Texas and i have played with these when i was a kid.
My only problem wiht them is that the are hard to find CB around here probably because they are running wild, however in fewer numbers than i remember as a kid. Shipping them to me costs too much, but if you want a docile and hardy BHS id get A. Anax. Even if you have to pay 25 bucks for it and 25 to ship.
Of course you can go to a place like petco and get a G. Rosea for 14.95 or so in varying sizes and totally unknown ages.
OBT is definatly not a beginner T. In fact it dosent even act like a T more like a demon from hell !! I want one badly but not willing to shell out the greenbacks for one lol Anyone got one they are too scare fo let me know ill adopt it lol

 

[Drachenjager]

Beginner

That does present a problem.. When is one no longer a beginner? I would say that is not a matter of time but a matter of confidence and ability in caring for your critters. Having grown up with A. Anax all around me i may be a bit TOO confident as these are prob the most docile Tarantulas i have ever seen. I have an A. Seemani that is very docile but quite skittish she does have a bald butt from kicking hair at me tho lol but they dont bother me at all( in the eye would suck i am sure). But all in all you have to have the disclipline to actually look after them, the knowledge to properly care for them and the wisdom not to try to hand feed an OBT lol .
I dont believe that Testerial T's should be picked up and handled as a matter of course , not even the most docile ones. There is too muck risk of them deciding to run for it and falling to a splat on the floor. That being said, i have picked up and carried many a male wandering A. Anax out of the house or road into the grass where it could continue to look for a mate. and as a kid played with them. But especially for your pet the risk of a splat it too much.
hmmm
Too long a post lol sorry

 

[Buspirone]

My question then would be when do you stop being a begginer.

I still feel like a beginer and I still have a lot of questions but I did my research before I purchased the ones I wanted and have been reading a lot since I purchased the first one.


So with all that said I agree start with something easy to care for, the least venomous, and most docile if you are completely new to the whole hobby..but I am really curious when others think its ok to move from a G. rosea to a H. lividum (just an example) I don't think caring for a Rosie really prepares you for caring for a Cobalt.

There is no hard and fast rule when someone stops being a beginner and previous experience with other exotics certainly eases up on an individuals learning curve. A responsible individual will make rational assessements of what they have learned and experienced and decide for themselves if they are ready to attempt a more defensive species or even if the attempt is compatible with their home situation. If we are talking about a child or adolescent then they should be under the supervision of an adult who monitors their progress and decides if they are ready for the responsiblity and challenge of dealing with a defensive species. Long term care and management of mutliple specimens goes a long way to taking someone farther up the ladder because a keeper then experiences first hand the big and small issues that pop up and how to deal with them.

Now your scenerio of jumping from a G. rosea to an H. lividium is a drastic jump. In my previous post I was saying that there are intermediate species that better prepare someone for moving up to old world species. Some people do fine learning thorough trial by fire but its not a path I'm going feel comfortable recommending to someone who is asking for opinions on a public forum.

If you are concerned about what others think about your experience level you'll see that most people are quick to soften up and respect you if you demonstrate some level of knowledge and responsiblitly. It becomes obvious quickly when someone is moving too fast but thats also something they can do if they want but it doesn't mean anyone else has to encourage or help them if they are being irresponsible and pose a risk to themselves or others.

 

[Pandora]

Well, here just my two pences.

I think beginner can gain absolutely any spider provided that he know all of possible to know about him. Except this the spider must be a sling or juv to get accustomed to his behaviour while he small.

As for me, I begun keep the spiders in such sequence — Phormictopuu+Heteroscodra, then Poecilotheria+Pterinochilus, and afterwards Grammostola+Brachypelma. At the beginning I wished to keep aggressive and very toxic spiders. And now I'm happy that nobody has discouraged me from this!

 

[Ms. Peaches]

I also feel that the reason you want to keep Tarantulas at all plays a big part in what you keep as well. If you are serious about keeping them you will follow all the proper procedures for care and safety, do all the nessasary research read all they can, talk with other keepers personal expierences with keeping the species they are interested in keeping, becuase what is writen can never fully prepare you for keeping them yourself. Some part of expiernce can only be gained hands on. I started with a beginer T becuase I didn't get into them for myself, it was purely for my son's interest in them mine developed later. So starting with a beginer T mostly just pushed me to research, gain knowlege, and ask questions I couldn't find the answers for (with the Chaco that was basically none) It however did not prepare me for the T's I decided to get next. They move differently, the react differntly, you have to approach them differently. Other then the basics they vary so much its like keeping a completely different creature. I am in no way suggesting newbies shouldn't start with the suggested beginer T's. I just think that there is more needed to move up..simply keeping a Rosie or Chaco succsesfullyfor 6 months 12 months won't help you when you decide you now want something more advanced. I think it makes you more comfortable with keeping T's in general though. I also think instinct and safety techniques are what help people succesfully keep the more aggressive species. All this is just my oppion. I think people out there looking to get into T's need to think about more then just what is the easiest species to keep. Some day I hopefully will become more of a advanced keeper and be able to offer advice and answer questions...but for now. I am happy just learning, reading, and getting the hands on I need at home. I haven't found this forrum very warm to beginers but I do find it as a much needed source of information.

Please don't take this as a post saying I think all newbies should run out an get any of the advanced T's..just saying research gives you knowledge while hands on gives you expierence. I agree new people should start with the suggested T's and avoid the more aggressive harder to keep ones.

 

[swanton]

i've had a pinktoe for a few months now, it's my first T but it's been acting different than usual. usually when i put crickets in the tank it's immediately begins attacking and eating. and the last time it molted it had eaten about 3 crickets the day before but today i put crickets in and they were walking right by him and he didn't move in fact a couple of times he jerked back and climbed the side of the tank away from them.
i was wondring if maybe he was getting ready to molt again or maybe he's just not hungry but i fed him last a week ago.

also i have a humidity gauge. is there a dangerously low humidity level for pinktoes or tarantulas in general?

 

[SpiderZone2]

The GBB is very very easy to care for. Just give it a nice place to hide in. The don't burrow and are very colorful. The eat rather well except during molting time. They don't have attitudes like most. Any T can have an attitude depending on the situation. From a little 1 inch sling to a full grown adult T it only took 8 months for me to have a mature one. I did end up with a male which I have loaned out for breeding. I love them and will have more and more of them when I can get them.

 

[Sevenrats]

I have just recently got an OBT and after having A. seemani and G. rosea for a long time I must say that I think that the OBT is really easy to keep.

I don't think it makes a bad beginner spider at all as long has you don't screw with it and respect it's speed and defensiveness. You can't kill the thing. Wet, dry, hot, cold, it doesn't matter. They grow fast, web up nice and are good looking. They're cheap and easy to find too.

You can't hold them and they hide alot but hey that describes the A. seemani too. Actually if you don't give it anyway to burrow but give it a piece of bark or something they'll make they're own hide with web and that's really cool.

I hold my rosea like once a year when I change the substrate so what's the diff if you're careful?

 

[RottweilExpress]

So how do you most effectivly move your OBT from the tank when changing substrate or making larger changes to it's environment? As opposed to picking your rosea up =)

 

[rattler_mt]

i love threads like this and i see similar ones on most forums i visit.

my basic answer has always been it depends on the individual, me for example: reguarding carnivorous plants, been at it for over 4 years straight now(dabbled in them before that) i am growing some of the "difficult" species with ease and am not sure why, weither they are from steamy lowland swamps or cool mountain tops most of the rare and difficult establish well for me and some become weeds. however there are a few species commonly recommended for beginers and i can kill them off faster than anyone.

i have also kept dart frogs for a few years, simple to keep if yah understand them and have a bit of a green thumb. most of my frogs have been in their tanks for over a year without being touched by me, infact this morning for a school talk was the first time one of my Suri cobalt tincs has left its tank since i recieved it 15 months ago.

im now a newbie twords T's and scorps and have my own opinions of what i want, i have zero interest in holding the animals, i enjoy watching behaviors and taking pictures. i would be more interested in an agressive species thats out alot so i can watch it and take photos of it through the glass or with part of the top off than a nice docile species that i can handle which is probably going back to a few years with dart frog keeping of "look but dont touch". granted most T's are borderline in fitting my needs as most are actually quite lazy when well fed but the colors of Avic's are drawing me to them but the various babbons with their agressive habits and feedings is quite interesting also. course even though they are just a "pet hole" cobalt blues have my attention...............now i just have to decide where I want to start and where my comfort level is and get one......................................of each

 

[dymndgyrl]

..but I am really curious when others think its ok to move from a G. rosea to a H. lividum (just an example) I don't think caring for a Rosie really prepares you for caring for a Cobalt.

Well, if you're curious, then I'll tell you because that is exactly what I did. I, too, have had a wealth of experience with other exotics. I also spend alot of time resarching on this and other forums. All the information is there - all the warnings are there - all the saftey measures, anecdotes, opinions, facts.

I'm a begginner, yes, but I feel like I know what to expect with my cobalt blue, and probably, because I have a certain amount of fear it's possible that I may be more cautious around her than others who may have grown complacent around their T's over time.

Also I'm in my 40's, have no children around, don't handle my T's and never will and have money to spend on whatever is needed for my hobby.
Not all beginners fit the same mold, just as not all "experienced" keepers know what they're doing either.

 

[Marilyn]

...............therephosas. Everything I hear indicates they are very moisture sensitive, and I definitely don't need a whiff of airborne ultra-nasty urticating hairs. ..........

no you dont,, it's evil stuff,,

 

[ShadowBlade]

It depends on WHO U ARE!

This is a hard question to answer, each person can be subjected to different advice.

If your a teenager, with no experience at all with caring for animals, then start with a young New World, (3"+)

If your a mature, responsible adult, that's been breeding exotic pets, and caring for exotic cages, get practically whatever sp. u want!

Each person can be anywhere inbetween. Take me for example. When I got started, my entire life had been devoted to inverts since I was 12 I'd been Handling and breeding Fishing Spiders, Jumpers, Wolf Spiders etc... And catching snakes, had an iguana...
I heeded everyone's advice about not getting fast/jumpy spiders... Everyone said they were crazy... uh-uh. Fishers and Geckos are FAST!! Tarantula's speed and aggression never surprised me in the least.

 

[maarrrrr]

i think you could start with anything you want as long as you have carefully studied what is required for their care. i started out with 3 h. lividums and i never had any problems.

 

[Scolopendra55]

I would recomend a medium sized new world terrestrial T such as a P.scrofa, G.rosea or G.pulchra.

 

[Chilkootmom]

Suggestions on a second T?

I have a Rosie at the moment and find that she is just Lovely but really boring. Any suggestions on a semi-easy - not so rock like - T? Im still new at this but am really learning a lot...although the scientific lingo just wont stick ;o) I would really like to get another one just not sure what to get.

Linda

 

[Ando55]

I have a Rosie at the moment and find that she is just Lovely but really boring. Any suggestions on a semi-easy - not so rock like - T? Im still new at this but am really learning a lot...although the scientific lingo just wont stick ;o) I would really like to get another one just not sure what to get.

Linda

What about a G.pulchra or a G. aureostriatum, they should both be more active then the Rosea while keeping similar temperament. If it's one T i can choose to start with it would be the Chaco (G. aureostriatum) for it's size and docile attitude. Going back to the thread title.. I think OW T's are a no no until experience is built on the keeper.