Opinion on OW T's as beginner species?

[Introvertebrate]

They’re fast enough the word teleporter I used to hear in description of those ow sub species & others .

Imo it’s a terrible idea to start out with old worlds , and to think there’s a podcast were they suggest doing this ? They’re reclusive and lightning fast, easy for experienced keepers but a new one ? Not without even mentioning the stronger venom.
Example ; a week after buying it “ hey I can’t wait to call my friends to watch this pet hole”..
although some are visible obligates aren’t .

Didn't you city slickers ever catch a critter before? They're all reclusive and lightning fast.

 

[Lazaru]

I started with ow and kept them for over 15 years with no problems whatsoever

Then I got tagged by a adult female S.calceatum and honestly would never keep an ow again

Just keeping nw from here on in not worth the risk from first hand experience

 

[Introvertebrate]

I started with ow and kept them for over 15 years with no problems whatsoever

Then I got tagged by a adult female S.calceatum and honestly would never keep an ow again

Just keeping nw from here on in not worth the risk from first hand experience

So what happened?

 

[biteybitey]

So what happened?

Story time. Right? I’m waiting

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Didn't you city slickers ever catch a critter before? They're all reclusive and lightning fast.

Yeah I used to catch wolf spiders and orb weavers and all sorts of bugs . Don’t think anything around here has the speed of ow Ts beside centipedes or some wolf / funnel spiders.

I started with ow and kept them for over 15 years with no problems whatsoever

Then I got tagged by a adult female S.calceatum and honestly would never keep an ow again

Just keeping nw from here on in not worth the risk from first hand experience

It’s a different story when your alergic to the hairs on me like me so I need protective gear for rehousing etc rubber gloves , the story of how you gotten needs to be shared because I had multiple ow and never got bitten , although I don’t have any right now . Prob had my p striata/ornata close to 15 years before they died never got bitten Rip . I thought it was dead once so I poked it, luckily it didn’t bite just a minor threat pose slapped me with it’s front legs.

Story time. Right? I’m waiting

yeah that’s a story to tell ! S cal attack dog(I mean t) !

 

[Introvertebrate]

I just did what I'm hoping is the last rehousing of my S.calceatum. It hasn't had a chance to web the place up yet, so I can get a good look at it through the glass. Damn, they're pretty when they get big, aren't they?

 

[Shinn]

You can start with OW of you are someone who can keep a clear head when unexpected things happen or have had some good amount of experience dealing with other exotic or venomous pets.

The others have outlined some good reason why you shouldn't. Ie. With most being Fossorial, puts up heavy webbing, bolty etc. Which can complicate husbandry and care but as someone who bought got his first OW around the same time as NW, it's not that much different if you arm yourself with knowledge beforehand.

The forum has got some good resources and I think youtuber - Dave's little beasties demonstrates some excellent husbandry practices around Ts. Key is staying calm and focused. Not exactly easy when you have a T scrambling up your arms or pants or even worse, into gaps of furniture or storage. If you can deal with that, then you'll probably do fine with an OW.

Research, plan ahead, mitigate, keep calm and drink tea. That's about it really.

 

[Lazaru]

I was getting her ready for shipping and was coaxing her into a tub then while I thought she was still in front of me she bolted up the 50cm tweezers up my arm and down my top .

The next thing I knew was I felt a stabbing pain on my stomach and when I looked down she was on my stomach so I managed to get her off and finally in the tub

Tha pain for 12 hours or so felt like I was being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach then began to fade off

Honestly I would take that pain any day compared to the full body cramps I suffered for the next 7 days , random muscles going into full cramp with the worst beng in the chest it felt like I was having a heart attack

It was the speed that caught me out no amount of rehousing can prepare you for the day they decide to really put the burners on

Your choice

 

[Introvertebrate]

Anyone who thinks that all Ts are pet holes should get an S. calceatum. Any time I pick up the enclosure, this guy is doing laps.

 

[biteybitey]

I was getting her ready for shipping and was coaxing her into a tub then while I thought she was still in front of me she bolted up the 50cm tweezers up my arm and down my top .

The next thing I knew was I felt a stabbing pain on my stomach and when I looked down she was on my stomach so I managed to get her off and finally in the tub

Tha pain for 12 hours or so felt like I was being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach then began to fade off

Honestly I would take that pain any day compared to the full body cramps I suffered for the next 7 days , random muscles going into full cramp with the worst beng in the chest it felt like I was having a heart attack

It was the speed that caught me out no amount of rehousing can prepare you for the day they decide to really put the burners on

Your choice

What a horror story

 

[dragonblade71]

Tha pain for 12 hours or so felt like I was being repeatedly stabbed in the stomach then began to fade off

Honestly I would take that pain any day compared to the full body cramps I suffered for the next 7 days , random muscles going into full cramp with the worst beng in the chest it felt like I was having a heart attack

A very unpleasant experience to have. Nasty.

Here in Australia, I don't really have any choice but to keep the native tarantulas as pets. And sure, it would suck to be bitten by one of these. However, on the positive side, at least the symptoms will be over within a day. Ive read as many bite reports as possible with Australian tarantulas and Ive never come across anyone experiencing symptoms beyond 8 hours. Typically, it's nausea and vomiting. And if you're lucky, it might be just a few hours. And generally, the people who are bitten by our local Aussie Ts are fine the following day with no ill effects.

If I was going to be bitten by an old world tarantula and I had a choice between an Aussie T, a baboon and a pokie, I would choose the Aussie. They're all going to be bad but to me, the Aussie T seems like the lesser of three evils.

 

[Matt Man]

I started with ow and kept them for over 15 years with no problems whatsoever

Then I got tagged by a adult female S.calceatum and honestly would never keep an ow again

Just keeping nw from here on in not worth the risk from first hand experience

first hand risk / reward sampling

stomatapelma and H. macs fall on my list of "just not worth it"

 

[Introvertebrate]

first hand risk / reward sampling

stomatapelma and H. macs fall on my list of "just not worth it"

But they’re so pretty when they come out and play.

 

[Matt Man]

But they’re so pretty when they come out and play.

beautiful right up until they bite you and you go in the pain cave for several days
and I keep / have kept pterinonochilus, poeciliotheria, harpactira and ceratogyrus

I have my limits though, and it is mostly because you never see them (low reward)

 

[Introvertebrate]

beautiful right up until they bite you and you go in the pain cave for several days
and I keep / have kept pterinonochilus, poeciliotheria, harpactira and ceratogyrus

I have my limits though, and it is mostly because you never see them (low reward)

He is a persnickety little SOB. Those other species stay out in the open more? He was a freebie, so you get what you pay for.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

beautiful right up until they bite you and you go in the pain cave for several days
and I keep / have kept pterinonochilus, poeciliotheria, harpactira and ceratogyrus

I have my limits though, and it is mostly because you never see them (low reward)

One word describes them “ghosts” ..

 

[Matt Man]

One word describes them “ghosts” ..

yup, ghosts that are good for an ER run

 

[moghue]

I was listing to a Tarantula Collective podcast about select OW T's as beginner species, sounds controversial but what are your thoughts\ concerns?

i saw that podcast and if you listen to him he wasnt saying what are good beginner OWas a first tarantuals. he was saying that these are good beginner OW after you have been keeping NW tarantuals for a while

 

[skar]

i saw that podcast and if you listen to him he wasnt saying what are good beginner OWas a first tarantuals. he was saying that these are good beginner OW after you have been keeping NW tarantuals for a while

That’s how I read it too.

Gotta start some where.
My first was horned baboon. I don’t know if that’s the best to start but that’s what I did.