P cambridgei as a first tarantula?

DargonVGC

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May 13, 2018
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Hey, I was just wondering about the suitability of a P cambridgei as a first T. I've read that they are quite fast and have fairly bad venom, I know, but what I'm more interested in is growth rate and hardiness.

What are their husbandry requirements? I've read a couple of care sheets but since they gave me totally different information I thought I should just ask the experts :p

Are they particularly skittish/defensive, and would rehousings be a nightmare?

Also, I live in the UK with average temps around 20-22° (low seventies) indoors and I'm just curious whether this would be ok...

Thanks!
 

Nightstalker47

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They can be pretty skittish when small, and will become more bold as they grow. Both my AFs are always out these days, when it comes to feeding time they never disappoint.

Not a very defensive species IME, just super food oriented. I will say that they aren't the best candidate for your first tarantula just cause of their speed, usually terrestrials are the easiest starters. I could see cams surprise someone with no hands on experience.

Husbandry is simple, keep slings on moist sub, adults can be kept slightly drier without issue...they need cork bark or some other wood to climb and web up. They grow very fast and adults are great display specimens. Wonderful species overall just not the best first tarantula.

 

cold blood

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I would not recommend one for a first t. Too fast.

Many species grow fast and most species are quite hardy. IMO your first should be a terrestrial. Some with fast growth are Nhandu, A. geniculata and Lasiodora sp...these do tend to be feisty, but much easier to deal with than the potential a cam can dish out. Most large NW terrestrials are very good eaters and exhibit faster growth.
Another to consider is B.cabocla.
 

DargonVGC

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Thanks! I want to get a pokie sling relatively soon (a few months?) and Ive heard P. cams are the quite similar in terms of temperment, without the same risks.

Your specimen is beautiful too! I love the little orange footsies :p
 

cold blood

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I want to get a pokie sling relatively soon (a few months?) and Ive heard P. cams are the quite similar in terms of temperment
Baby steps man, baby steps. Nothing will prepare you adequately in just a few months...don't be in a hurry, you will just pass on a ton of spectacular species that would go a long way in preparation. Look too hard at a pokie and you simply look past not only a lot of experience, but a lot of really enjoyable species...many even more enjoyable than pokies...and this is coming from someone with plenty of Poecilotheria species.

Even if you were ready for a cam, you would want to raise it to adulthood before jumping to advanced OW species....and we are talking raising a sling for a good 10-12 months..this experience will prove invaluable.
 
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DargonVGC

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Baby steps man, baby steps. Nothing will prepare you adequately in just a few months...don't be in a hurry, you will just pass on a ton of spectacular species that would go a long way in preparation. Look to hard at a pokie and you simply look past not only a lot of experience, but a lot of really enjoyable species...many even more enjoyable than pokies...and this is coming from someone with plenty of Poecilotheria species.

Even if you were ready for a cam, you would want to raise it to adulthood before jumping to advanced OW species....and we are talking raising a sling for a good 10-12 months..this experience will prove invaluable.
To be honest I instantly fell in love with my friends P. regalis, so maybe I should get less of a tunnel vision. I'm definately getting a P. cam soon, but I'll be sure to get a few different species too. Thanks for the advice!
 

viper69

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P. regalis
A worse choice than P cam. P cam's are an intermediate advanced species. People that don't know what they are doing often buy species that outgrow the skill sets of the owner; they end up with a T they cannot take care of.

There are tons of other species one can get that are far safer and EASIER to manage.

Thanks! I want to get a pokie sling relatively soon (a few months?) and Ive heard P. cams are the quite similar in terms of temperment, without the same risks.
A few months? That would be one of WORST ideas. It's a species that puts grown man in the hospital. P cams similar? Not in my opinion. Poki's are much faster, depending upon the specimen, not as predictable.

There's no rush to get something you are unlikely ready for, all things being equal. A Poki's growth rate will definitely outpace your skill set.
 
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DargonVGC

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Me and my friend are both 19, his 1st T was his P. regalis which he got as a sling when he was 15. He has never been bitten or had an escape. I understand that they are fast, but I feel that as long as you exercise caution and respect you can care for a T like that.

Im not saying a pokie within 1-3 months of tarantula keeping would be something I'd consider, but I was thinking getting a sling around 6 months to a year after the P. cam would be a much more sensible idea.
 

boina

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as long as you exercise caution and respect you can care for a T like that.
Yes, and as long as you are lucky and nothing unexpected happens and so on. The question is not about everyday care but how do you handle the one accident/ the one unexpected run / the one challenging rehouse? I have a house full of tarantulas and most weeks maintenance is a breeze. And then one day I overlooked my P. regalis sitting out on her log, opened her enclosure and poked around in it, and she made a run for it. Luckily she went upward but I had to get a chair and pick her off the wall... would have been more difficult, though, to get her out from under my shelves. A couple of weekes ago I chased a MM O. schioedtei around my shower stall because a rehouse didn't go as planned (he bypassed the catch cup waiting for him quite neatly) - those things are fast. How do you know you can handle that?

You are drawing quite far reaching conclusions from a study with n=1... (i.e. worked for your friend, so it's going to work for you).
 

NukaMedia Exotics

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I don't think I'd get it as a first T they're usually recommended for people who have like 2-3 arboreal species already and want a bridge to get into the more venomous pokies and stuff.

For a first T I think L. parahybana is perfect, and G. pulchripes as well (though this one is slower growing).
 

dragonfire1577

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Don't tell my female regalis but I enjoy my Acanthoscurria geniculata way more than her, my genic is a blast. My genic is by far the most feisty genic I've ever seen, she repeatedly bites the tongs whenever they get close and sometimes flicks hairs but oh boy her feeding response is just the best.
 

Nightshady

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Don't tell my female regalis but I enjoy my Acanthoscurria geniculata way more than her, my genic is a blast. My genic is by far the most feisty genic I've ever seen, she repeatedly bites the tongs whenever they get close and sometimes flicks hairs but oh boy her feeding response is just the best.
My geniculata is the same way, although she never flicks hairs. Stupid crazy feeding response. She will hit the water when I pour it in, hit the tongs if I would let her, and sometimes she will charge the glass with the slightest vibration haha. She’s awesome.

Hey, I was just wondering about the suitability of a P cambridgei as a first T. I've read that they are quite fast and have fairly bad venom, I know, but what I'm more interested in is growth rate and hardiness.

What are their husbandry requirements? I've read a couple of care sheets but since they gave me totally different information I thought I should just ask the experts :p

Are they particularly skittish/defensive, and would rehousings be a nightmare?

Also, I live in the UK with average temps around 20-22° (low seventies) indoors and I'm just curious whether this would be ok...

Thanks!
I wouldn’t recommend a P. cam as a first T either, and I tend to be more liberal about saying you don’t need years of experience to have an OW. I got a P. irminia as my like 4th or 5th T. The only excitement I’ve ever had with a rehouse was with it. Everything turned out fine, but only because I was overly prepared for any glitches in the rehouse. They are insanely fast T’s and quite skittish.
 
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StampFan

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Me and my friend are both 19, his 1st T was his P. regalis which he got as a sling when he was 15. He has never been bitten or had an escape. I understand that they are fast, but I feel that as long as you exercise caution and respect you can care for a T like that.

Im not saying a pokie within 1-3 months of tarantula keeping would be something I'd consider, but I was thinking getting a sling around 6 months to a year after the P. cam would be a much more sensible idea.
Go pull up some of the Jon3800 Youtube videos (an experienced keeper) where he has a Pokey ripping around his bathroom during a rehouse, and then look up the actual damage a wet Pokey bite can cause. Those two things will give anyone some sober second thought.
 

Andrea82

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My geniculata is the same way, although she never flicks hairs. Stupid crazy feeding response. She will hit the water when I pour it in, hit the tongs if I would let her, and sometimes she will charge the glass with the slightest vibration haha. She’s awesome.
Six out of my ten are like this as well. I love my murder squad! :D
 

Nightshady

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Six out of my ten are like this as well. I love my murder squad! :D
Haha, they are feisty devils. My T’s sit on a built-in desk behind my main desk where my computer sits. When I’m working at my computer, my geniculata will get right up against the glass and just watch me... for like hours. I’m pretty sure she is plotting my demise.
 

The Grym Reaper

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Hey, I was just wondering about the suitability of a P cambridgei as a first T.
I wouldn't recommend it, the vendor I purchased my first tarantulas from were giving them away as freebies with all orders at the time, after a quick bit of research I ended up asking them not to include them with the orders, they're not even a beginner arboreal species let alone suitable for a newbie IMO.
 
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