probably the biggest mistake a beginner could make: please help!

[Tycho Hasebos]

Hello Everyone, my name is Tycho.

today i went to terraria. (link: http://vhm-events.nl/index.php/nl/terraria-2018/terraria-zwolle-februari-2018 :dutch: ) and bought a row of spider enclosures attached to each other, a grammastola rosea red, and to fill up the last enclosure, an chilobrachys andersoni. after me and my dad cleaned the new enclosure with hot water, dried it with a towel thurowly we lifted it to my room. after filling it up, we moved the new Ts in their enclosures, also rehousing my Brachypelma Albopilosum (who after all wasn't in pre-mould) in the prosess. no problems, but if you know a fair amount of tarantulas you already know my problem. It's the stunning but skittish, fast, and very defensive/aggresive chilobrachy andersoni. i think mine's got quite a relaxed personality. she didnt attack the thongs and the rehousing was flawless. then my dad started to watch some videos about the grammastola rosea red and the chilobrachys andersoni he found out their fangs get quite big, and apparently arent affraid to use them. i'm still a beginner, but seeing i realy love how she looks, and as she is quite calm today (but i think that that won't last long because of the expo and rehousing in one day) i will keep her, so i wanted to ask for some tips, or warnings. if you think i should trade it, let me know too. i didn't know she was an old world tarantula when i bought her, but it wasn't my goal to get one while im still a beginner.

please let me know what i should do, tips or any thoughts at all.

thanks, greetings from holland,
Tycho.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

If you ask me, the venom of genus Chilobrachys should IMO be compared to genus Poecilotheria ones. Not sure about that specie in particular, but C.fimbriatus venom potency isn't something to take lightly.

I remember a bite report, happened in Poland years ago, that was pretty severe (starting from the point that 'we' need to believe that, what was written, was the truth) and that man ended to the E.R, in a pretty shock state.

Incredible, a note: despite how much people keep said genus, bite reports are (thankfully) almost unexistent, unlike to what happened around the likes of 'Pokie' or 'OBT' ones.

Bottom line, you already know that said spider isn't a 'beginner friendly' one, it's up to you but, more, to your father. If you people decide to keep that, it's ok. If you people decide to trade/sell/etc that, it's ok either

 

[nicodimus22]

It's somewhat troubling to me that you bought a tarantula without knowing that it's an OW, because it also makes me wonder what else you don't know about it, when something that basic is overlooked. Enough scolding, I suppose. I'm just a strong advocate for researching animals before one gets them. Research does have its limits, I will admit, and real-world experience is invaluable.

I would personally sell or give it away, because the combination of speed and potent venom is something I don't want to mess with, but that's only me. A lot of people are really into the old world species and will tell you to hang on to it and learn as you go. It's not really a black and white issue. It could work out either way. What are you and your dad comfortable with? What are the pros and cons of keeping it versus rehoming it?

 

[Nightstalker47]

Hello Everyone, my name is Tycho.

today i went to terraria. (link: http://vhm-events.nl/index.php/nl/terraria-2018/terraria-zwolle-februari-2018 :dutch: ) and bought a row of spider enclosures attached to each other, a grammastola rosea red, and to fill up the last enclosure, an chilobrachys andersoni. after me and my dad cleaned the new enclosure with hot water, dried it with a towel thurowly we lifted it to my room. after filling it up, we moved the new Ts in their enclosures, also rehousing my Brachypelma Albopilosum (who after all wasn't in pre-mould) in the prosess. no problems, but if you know a fair amount of tarantulas you already know my problem. It's the stunning but skittish, fast, and very defensive/aggresive chilobrachy andersoni. i think mine's got quite a relaxed personality. she didnt attack the thongs and the rehousing was flawless. then my dad started to watch some videos about the grammastola rosea red and the chilobrachys andersoni he found out their fangs get quite big, and apparently arent affraid to use them. i'm still a beginner, but seeing i realy love how she looks, and as she is quite calm today (but i think that that won't last long because of the expo and rehousing in one day) i will keep her, so i wanted to ask for some tips, or warnings. if you think i should trade it, let me know too. i didn't know she was an old world tarantula when i bought her, but it wasn't my goal to get one while im still a beginner.

please let me know what i should do, tips or any thoughts at all.

thanks, greetings from holland,
Tycho.

The actual setup you provided will greatly influence the spiders behavior, if it has an appropriate retreat the odds of confrontation go way down. All my Chilos would sooner flee then engage, but if you persist and start poking/prodding around them they will get very defensive. Their venom is no joke either, could send you to the hospital in the event of a bite. Probably best left for when you have more experience, feeling in over your head should be enough to persuade you of that.

For now, throw up some pics of your spider and the enclosure, then we can see about keeping it or not. Judging by your post I would personally advise against it. Being fearful of it and feeling unprepared means you will be nervous and more prone to making mistakes.

 

[Vinny2915]

I don't want to be "that guy" but no, the worst mistake a beginner could make is buy a couple H.macs and S.cals and house them all together in a fishbowl and rehousing using hands. XD

 

[FrDoc]

I don't want to be "that guy" but no, the worst mistake a beginner could make is buy a couple H.macs and S.cals and house them all together in a fishbowl and rehousing using hands. XD

You mean??? Oops,my bad.

 

[Ungoliant]

i will keep her, so i wanted to ask for some tips, or warnings. if you think i should trade it, let me know too. i didn't know she was an old world tarantula when i bought her, but it wasn't my goal to get one while im still a beginner.

If this is your first experience with tarantulas, I would rehome the Chilobrachys andersoni. (You said yourself that you didn't know it was an OW species and hadn't intended to get an OW species as a beginner.)

Keep in mind that temperament can change over time as the spider grows (particularly after a molt), so a spider that behaved calmly today may not behave that way tomorrow or six months from now.

I haven't kept Chilobrachys before, so I can't offer advice on their care.

bought a row of spider enclosures attached to each other

You say all of the enclosures are attached to each other? I would get separate enclosures that aren't attached, as I find it helpful to be able to manipulate each enclosure by itself when doing feedings, maintenance, etc. Your current setup may make such tasks unwieldy, and it will be hard to do anything with one of the tarantulas without disturbing the others.

 

[sasker]

Hé, Hoofddorp! Ik heb jaren in Nieuw-Vennep gewoond!

Your Chilobrachys andersoni may have been relatively calm because of the trip from Zwolle to your home. Perhaps it was a bit cooler in the car, making the tarantula a bit slower. If it is a sling, it should not give you too much trouble either. I don't have experience with this genus myself, but I have seen enough of them to know they can be lightning fast. I agree that being scared of your tarantula could make you prone to make mistakes, but it could also make you more cautious (cautious enough) to avoid making mistakes. After all, underestimating tarantulas is more likely to end in a bite/escape.

You said that you also have a B. albopilosum, right? How long do you have that one? Do you have any other tarantulas as well? If you have some experience already - even with a slow-moving terrestrial - you may be over your initial knee-jerk reflex whenever your tarantula moves, which could be helpful.

I agree with everyone else that if you feel way over your head you should sell it/donate it to someone else. Perhaps you can find someone on vogelspinnenforum.nl who would gladly take it from you. Perhaps you have an experienced keeper living not too far away from you who could even come over to take it from its enclosure for you in case you are worried about catching and packing an angry Chilo

Just in case, post pictures of your terrarium. If the row of enclosures is what I think it is, it may not be very suitable for a Chilobrachys sp. (vertical sliding door).

 

[Draketeeth]

bought a row of spider enclosures attached to each other

That sounds interesting. How big is the enclosure and how much space does it allot each spider? Do you happen to have a picture?

 

[Paul1126]

she didnt attack the thongs

I blushed when I read this.

 

[Tycho Hasebos]

That sounds interesting. How big is the enclosure and how much space does it allot each spider? Do you happen to have a picture?

Ill get a photo when im home but its about 40x30x30 (one enclosure and theyre three attached to each other)

 

[ShyDragoness]

You're 15 so Id say its your dads call ultimately

 

[Tycho Hasebos]

Hé, Hoofddorp! Ik heb jaren in Nieuw-Vennep gewoond!

Your Chilobrachys andersoni may have been relatively calm because of the trip from Zwolle to your home. Perhaps it was a bit cooler in the car, making the tarantula a bit slower. If it is a sling, it should not give you too much trouble either. I don't have experience with this genus myself, but I have seen enough of them to know they can be lightning fast. I agree that being scared of your tarantula could make you prone to make mistakes, but it could also make you more cautious (cautious enough) to avoid making mistakes. After all, underestimating tarantulas is more likely to end in a bite/escape.

You said that you also have a B. albopilosum, right? How long do you have that one? Do you have any other tarantulas as well? If you have some experience already - even with a slow-moving terrestrial - you may be over your initial knee-jerk reflex whenever your tarantula moves, which could be helpful.

I agree with everyone else that if you feel way over your head you should sell it/donate it to someone else. Perhaps you can find someone on vogelspinnenforum.nl who would gladly take it from you. Perhaps you have an experienced keeper living not too far away from you who could even come over to take it from its enclosure for you in case you are worried about catching and packing an angry Chilo

Just in case, post pictures of your terrarium. If the row of enclosures is what I think it is, it may not be very suitable for a Chilobrachys sp. (vertical sliding door).

bedankt

ik heb besloten haar te ruilen/verkopen. link: https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/dieren...285449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr het lieftst ruilen voor een goede beginners tarantula. iets in de Brachypelma familie is gewild in mijn huis
https://vogelspinnenforum.nl/index....i-in-hoofddorp-noordholland.8990/#post-123441
i decided to trade her or sell her.

 

[sasker]

Goed idee. Je kunt ook iets posten op vogelspinnenforum.nl. Ik denk dat je snel tot een goed ruil zult komen. Success!

 

[Tycho Hasebos]

er is nu iemand die het zwaar overweecht te ruilen. als ze nog beschikbaar zal zijn laat ik het overal wel zo'n beetje weten. anders is het helaas pindakaas

 

[sasker]

Very good. Weet je wat je ervoor terug krijgt? (Do you know what you will get in return if this person wants to trade your spider?)

 

[Tycho Hasebos]

Brachypelma hamorii en ik heb fotos gezien dus ja

 

[Ungoliant]

Brachypelma hamorii en ik heb fotos gezien dus ja

Brachypelma hamorii is a good choice.

 

[Andrea82]

If this is your first experience with tarantulas, I would rehome the Chilobrachys andersoni. (You said yourself that you didn't know it was an OW species and hadn't intended to get an OW species as a beginner.)

Keep in mind that temperament can change over time as the spider grows (particularly after a molt), so a spider that behaved calmly today may not behave that way tomorrow or six months from now.

I haven't kept Chilobrachys before, so I can't offer advice on their care.




You say all of the enclosures are attached to each other? I would get separate enclosures that aren't attached, as I find it helpful to be able to manipulate each enclosure by itself when doing feedings, maintenance, etc. Your current setup may make such tasks unwieldy, and it will be hard to do anything with one of the tarantulas without disturbing the others.

What he's referring to is an 'aisle' of glass enclosures. They all open separately.

Very popular here

 

[pirminiamac]

My first T was P.irminia, I remember an experienced keeper visibly flinching when I told them I was planning to get one that day I did do a massive amount of research beforehand so I felt confident, but saying that there are some things you can't learn from just reading and listening.
I've never had any problems to date but I would still say in hindsight it wasn't wise or necessary and I think the points made about uncertainty effecting your capabilities are defo valid!
If in doubt leave it out.