T species: biggest surprises/disappointments

[jayefbe]

I’m interested in hearing stories from everyone else on species they were pleasantly surprised by or disappointed in once they got their hands on them.

For me, biggest surprises have to be Pseudoclamoris gigas and GBB. I’ve never been interested in any of the formerly known as Tappies. They just didn’t appeal to me. But I got a P. gigas as a freebie, and almost immediately changed my mind. It’s super active, it’ll take down prey as big as itself, and it’s growing crazy fast. Plus, at least as a sling, the black/orange coloration is very striking.

The GBB was a similar story. I always thought they were pretty, but just never got around to getting one myself. I added one to a large order almost as an afterthought. Now, it’s one of my favorite. It looks awesome, it webs like crazy, it always has an immediate and strong feeding response, and it’s growing incredibly fast. I should’ve gotten one years ago.

Honorable mention: any Pterinochilus species/localities. They’re quite beautiful in an understated way. I never appreciated them until I got some as freebies. Now I want to collect any localities I can.

Biggest disappointment. G. pulchra/quirogai. The thought of a big and calm velvet black tarantula sounds AWESOME. Then I get a few slings and they sit in pre-molt doing nothing for months at a time. When they finally molt, you can hardly tell they grew at all. Future me will be glad I was patient with them. Current me is getting frustrated with them.

 

[Vanessa]

Biggest surprise was how attached I would become to Avicularia. For many years, I avoided them. I had no interest in keeping any arboreal species. Then, I bought a 'package' deal from a guy online and I had to take an adult female Avicularia avicularia along with the terrestrial I wanted. It was an awesome deal, so I agreed and went home with both. I absolutely adore them now and I have several species. They are really incredible.
Biggest disappointment was my Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. Everyone rants about them and I think they are very overrated. Their webs look great in the beginning, but just end up getting dirty looking quickly. My girls have always had mediocre appetites too. Yes, they're pretty, but not any prettier than dozens of other species. The one thing that they do have going for them is that they are always visible as adults. I'll give them that.

 

[Theneil]

To me the most over rated in the hobby isn't really a species but the adult female. Not that there is anything wrong with them, but in honestly find slings more fun to keep and unless i want to breed them, the sex isn’t important.

Species wise, my chilobrachys sp never really got me that excited. i like any species, but they were on the lower end for me no explainable reason why... (specifically C. sp kaeng Kratchen and C. sp. vietnam blue/ discous ‘south vietnam)

Also, other than my P. met and P. ornata, pokies were kind of a let doen too... (again, still like them, but i liked them more before i had them...)

 

[SonsofArachne]

Biggest surprise - Acanthoscurria geniculata. I bought mine as almost an afterthought with several other T's that I really wanted, she's now one of my favorites.

Biggest disappointment - Psalmopoeus irminia. Beautiful T, the few times I've seen it. I actually pulled it's enclosure off the shelf the other day make sure it was still alive. It was, got see a couple of legs pull into a dirt curtain . I finally bought a couple of slings in hopes of getting a more visible one - wish me luck.

 

[draconisj4]

Biggest surprise: OBT. I thought I would never get one because of all the stories about them, then I got one as a freebie. Turns out it's one of my favorites, good looking and mine is surprisingly mellow. I've never even gotten a threat pose from it, not even during rehousing. I probably would never have gotten any baboons if it had not been for it.

Biggest disappointment: P. auratus: After owning 2 P. cancerides and loving them I was excited to get more of the genus. This thing is a bigger pet hole than my Ts that are supposed to be pet holes. It pretty much keeps the entrance to the burrow sealed, I don't even see legs. As near as I can tell through the small window it left in the side it's about 4" after it's last molt. My cancerides were out and about even as slings, not this guy.

 

[PanzoN88]

Biggest surprise: B. schroederi, didn't know much about this species when I got her two years ago. Her feeding response is ridiculous, not even my Phormictopus sp. or A. geniculata eat like this one does. I've talked to others who own this species and they report the same thing. Here is a picture of my girl for reference.



Biggest disappointment: C. versicolor, seriously, who buys 8 slings only to end up with 8 males (may they rest in peace), I gave up on buying slings of this species because of my luck.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Biggest disappointment
Everyone on this forum: "P. cambridgei never hide, they're the best Psalmo ever, you won't regret getting one"
Me: **Gets a P. cambridgei**
P. cambridgei: **Only shows itself 6 times over the course of a year including unboxing and shipping off as an MM**
Me:

Most pleasant surprise
Everyone on this forum: "Don't get a P. irminia, you'll never see it"
Me: **Thinks "sod it" and gets one anyway**
P. irminia: **Almost never hides unless in pre-moult**
Me:

Some more disappointments
C. cyaneopubescens are so overrated, they're by far the least interesting heavy webbing species I've kept and I greatly prefer the sling colouration to the adult colouration.
Lasiodora spp. are basically just less attractive versions of A. geniculata with less stable temperaments and worse hairs.

Some more pleasant surprises
I had absolutely no intention of getting any OW pet holes until I received surprise freebie Chilobrachys huahini/Hysterocrates gigas/Pelinobius muticus slings, have since purchased a couple more OW pet holes.

 

[Goopyguy56]

Pleasant surprise: enjoy all 3 species of psalmopoeus I have raised. Pulcher, Cams, Irminia. B Verdezi has been a blast to own. Need to get more.
Dissapointment= probably g Pulchra/Quirogai. I liked the idea of a black t but they take forever to grow and cost too much. There are better options for black t's that don't cost so much. I am pretty sure my B vagans is a prettier black.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

There are better options for black t's that don't cost so much.

P. antinous (or P. cf antinous, or whatever people call them atm) aren't exactly cheap but they are stunning

0.1 Pamphobeteus antinous (Peru)

• The Grym Reaper
• May 29, 2019
• 1
• antinous big black bolivian blueleg tarantula female pamphobeteus pamphobeteus antinous peruvian big black peruvian steely blue subadult subadult female

Kira rocking her new suit.

 

[Goopyguy56]

P. antinous (or P. cf antinous, or whatever people call them atm) aren't exactly cheap but they are stunning

0.1 Pamphobeteus antinous (Peru)

• The Grym Reaper
• May 29, 2019
• 1
• antinous big black bolivian blueleg tarantula female pamphobeteus pamphobeteus antinous peruvian big black peruvian steely blue subadult subadult female

Kira rocking her new suit.

Are the females pretty as well? I have avoided pamphos cus the males are usually the lookers

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Are the females pretty as well? I have avoided pamphos cus the males are usually the lookers

That's my female in the pic, mature males have blue femurs

 

[PanzoN88]

Biggest disappointment
Everyone on this forum: "P. cambridgei never hide, they're the best Psalmo ever, you won't regret getting one"
Me: **Gets a P. cambridgei**
P. cambridgei: **Only shows itself 6 times over the course of a year including unboxing and shipping off as an MM**
Me:

Most pleasant surprise
Everyone on this forum: "Don't get a P. irminia, you'll never see it"
Me: **Thinks "sod it" and gets one anyway**
P. irminia: **Almost never hides unless in pre-moult**
Me:

Some more disappointments
C. cyaneopubescens are so overrated, they're by far the least interesting heavy webbing species I've kept and I greatly prefer the sling colouration to the adult colouration.
Lasiodora spp. are basically just less attractive versions of A. geniculata with less stable temperaments and worse hairs.

Some more pleasant surprises
I had absolutely no intention of getting any OW pet holes until I received surprise freebie Chilobrachys huahini/Hysterocrates gigas/Pelinobius muticus slings, have since purchased a couple more OW pet holes.

I think we can all agree that your collection is officially broken.

Speaking of broken, I'm surprised you didn't mention your B. hamorii.

 

[Liquifin]

Best surprises so far- Can't think one right now, but I'll put something on here later that was a surprise for me.

Disappointments 1000% (grind my rage)- A. moderatum for sure. If anyone has kept a B. albiceps and hates slow growing T.'s then the A. moderatum passes it by long shot. started with 3 specimens at 1/4'' in legspan, but one died unexpectedly and the other two are very slow growing. The first one had 4 molts (so far) and it's still not passed the 1/2'' (barely at 1/2'') mark. The other one only molted about 2-3 times and is smaller then the first one. They're fat and healthy, but they molt slowly with very slow jumps every molt.

Second disappointment- M. balfouri (fight me). Overrated T. and it's another blue spider (all blue T.'s = $$$$). Not worth the hype people make them. I don't care if you hate this opinion, but I can bet anyone that Blue spider=$$$$.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I think we can all agree that your collection is officially broken.

Speaking of broken, I'm surprised you didn't mention your B. hamorii.

Not at all, cranky hamorii aren't that uncommon tbh, nor are reclusive cams/exhibitionist irminia for that matter.

My collection would only be "officially broken" if nothing acted "how it was supposed to"

EDIT: Speaking of pleasant surprises, that my hamorii female suddenly turned evil, she's all the more amusing for it.

 

[nicodimus22]

Biggest surprise: My P. sazimai are both threat-pose machines. This isn't necessarily a negative, it's just something I chuckle at, especially when they're threat posing a cricket. I almost never get threat poses from anything else in the collection. I would have expected this kind of behavior from P. cancerides from what I've read, but no.

Biggest disappointment: C. elegans. It's super pretty, but it's a pet hole. Even at night when every other tarantula comes out, I almost never see it. I only got a decent photo of it by unearthing it temporarily.

 

[MetalMan2004]

Dissapointments:

P metallica, G pulchra, C versicolor.

I never would have bought the pulchra or metallica if I hadn’t gotten great deals locally even though I love Poecs. The metallica hid much more than my other Poecs and didn’t have any of the personallity that my other Poecs have.

The pulchra was just kind of plain for me. It ate fine but was nothing special.

Biggest disappointment
Everyone on this forum: "P. cambridgei never hide, they're the best Psalmo ever, you won't regret getting one"
Me: **Gets a P. cambridgei**
P. cambridgei: **Only shows itself 6 times over the course of a year including unboxing and shipping off as an MM**
Me:

Most pleasant surprise
Everyone on this forum: "Don't get a P. irminia, you'll never see it"
Me: **Thinks "sod it" and gets one anyway**
P. irminia: **Almost never hides unless in pre-moult**
Me:

Some more disappointments
C. cyaneopubescens are so overrated, they're by far the least interesting heavy webbing species I've kept and I greatly prefer the sling colouration to the adult colouration.
Lasiodora spp. are basically just less attractive versions of A. geniculata with less stable temperaments and worse hairs.

Some more pleasant surprises
I had absolutely no intention of getting any OW pet holes until I received surprise freebie Chilobrachys huahini/Hysterocrates gigas/Pelinobius muticus slings, have since purchased a couple more OW pet holes.

We’re all allowed our opinions, but I love my GBBs. I’m curious what heavy webbers you like. I might have to add them to my collection.

 

[viper69]

Then I get a few slings and they sit in pre-molt doing nothing for months at a time. When they finally molt, you can hardly tell they grew at all.

The above statement/experience could have been avoided if you had done enough basic research first. There's not a soul on the planet that thinks this species is anything more than a pet rock. I had a gorgeous AF decades ago-- pet rock. Not surprised by it, I asked in advance.

A lot of disappointment I've read on the forum is simply due to people not doing enough research.

My P. sazimai are both threat-pose machines.

I'm not surprised here either. I asked someone who owned about 5 of these when they first hit Europe. He had both M/F. The report back was behavior a bit like my flickiest Brachy. I passed. Still might get it, but not sure yet.

Biggest Surprise:

By far the most underrated species in the hobby is N. incei. I could have owned these decades ago, very, very common back them. I passed. Then 2 years ago I bought 5 from @cold blood, gold and normal phase. What an amazing species, no regrets. Fast growth rate, good eaters, easy to care for, heavy webbers, and I like their small size.

Dissapointments:

P metallica, G pulchra, C versicolor.

I never would have bought the pulchra or metallica if I hadn’t gotten great deals locally even though I love Poecs. The metallica hid much more than my other Poecs and didn’t have any of the personallity that my other Poecs have.

The pulchra was just kind of plain for me. It ate fine but was nothing special.



We’re all allowed our opinions, but I love my GBBs. I’m curious what heavy webbers you like. I might have to add them to my collection.

And versi...what's up?

 

[jayefbe]

We’re all allowed our opinions, but I love my GBBs. I’m curious what heavy webbers you like. I might have to add them to my collection.

Not who you asked, but in my experience, Pterinochilus, N. incei, and many of my Avicularia-types have all been pretty impressive webbers.

The above statement/experience could have been avoided if you had done enough basic research first. There's not a soul on the planet that thinks this species is anything more than a pet rock. I had a gorgeous AF decades ago-- pet rock. Not surprised by it, I asked in advance.

A lot of disappointment I've read on the forum is simply due to people not doing enough research.

Ah, the supreme gatekeeper of arachnoboards has revealed himself. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely peruse this forum.

Look at how old my account is. I've been keeping tarantulas for over a decade, and at last count I've kept upwards of 50 different species. I have a background in scientific research, lack of research is certainly not an area I've ever had an issue with. Additionally, I've kept G. pulchra/quirogai in the past, and they had the exact same experience with them. Knowing exactly what I'm getting into, doesn't mean I'm not allowed to be frustrated when they then fast for months between molts and just sit there like a bump on a log.

I knew before I had my kid that he'd keep me up all night. It doesn't mean I wasn't frustrated after six months without a single good night's rest.

 

[MetalMan2004]

And versi...what's up?

Its a love hate relationship. Obviously they’re beautiful but its frustrating that they’d rather starve than come to the ground for food or water sometimes. I’ve seen them run from small prey even with a small abdomen that makes them look hungry.

Its just their nature being arboreal. Just more finicky than some.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

We’re all allowed our opinions, but I love my GBBs. I’m curious what heavy webbers you like. I might have to add them to my collection.

N. incei, D. diamantinensis (Yep the "mini GBBs" are both better looking and more interesting to keep than the full size ones), C. fimbriatus, Holothele sp. "Dominican Republic" (hobby H. sericea).

Pick any heavy webbing species, I'd wager they're far more interesting to keep than a GBB.