# Curious about Xenesthis genus



## mistertim (Jan 12, 2016)

So I was looking around online today thinking about getting a GBB sling as my next addition at some point, perhaps soon. I came across some Xenesthis Ts for sale and thought they were fascinating. I searched around on here and elsewhere and there seems to be some widely varying opinions on these Ts as far as temperament and housing requirements. 

Some people said they were a bit skittish but not too defensive and pretty easy to keep. Some said they were definitely not beginner spiders and were very defensive. Some said they need humidity and moist substrate, some said they had the best luck with theirs in a relatively dry setup (and actually had one die due to too much humidity). 

I'm not necessarily thinking of getting one right now (even though they really are some absolutely stunning spiders), especially if its definitely not a beginner spider as I only have a B. smithi and A. versicolor (and possibly a GBB soon), but I'm curious as to what the experience is from people here who currently have them regarding temperament and housing. What other genus would you most liken them to?

Thanks!


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Jan 12, 2016)

Bah. My personal opinion is: buy a _Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens_, because you can't go wrong with a 'GBB'.
However genus _Xenesthis _isn't an hard one to care for. Dry substrate? Not really. They need a substrate on the moist side (but not like a _Theraphosa _or _Megaphobema _one of course).
Temperament? Temperament vary, but they aren't either the "worst" _Phormictopus cancerides _as well. I view them as a more fast "Genic".
Another thing is (at least here, and for my views about) their price is too much high IMO, probably due to their colours.
However i take a genus _Phambobeteus _and genus _Phormictopus _T's anytime instead of a genus _Xenesthis _one.

Go for it, if you want one... they are cool but i view those as a bit on the overestimated side but that's only my opinion.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


----------



## cold blood (Jan 12, 2016)

IMO Xenesthis sp. are some of the most outright stunning ts on the planet.  

They do require moist sub, and can get quite large and have bothersome hairs, as do many of the larger terrestrials.   This damper requirement and to a degree rarity and price, are reasons why they would be more of an intermediate t than a beginner.   Their temperament can very, as chriclixx mentioned, but I wouldn't expect an exactly laid back spider if I were you....should you get one in the future...cause you totally should at some point.   One thing about them is that they tend to grow more slowly than many of the other large terrestrial species, this combined with fairly small sacs and relatively difficult captive breeding (from what I understand), helps keep their prices perpetually high....some in the genus can fetch $3-500 sling....but that's only if you can find them.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2 | Informative 1


----------



## peterUK (Jan 12, 2016)

I have sub adults of  Xenesthis immanis (1.3) and X intermedia (1.1) all raised from slings. I've found them to easy to care for if the substrate is kept slightly damp with a once fortnightly soaking, letting the substrate slowly dry out  before resoaking.  
They are probably the 2nd most nervous Genus/species (T. apophysis is first) that i keep out of the 75 species that i currently have.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## awiec (Jan 12, 2016)

Doing your research on where the species comes from is quite handy as you do occasionally get some oddballs of the genus who do better being kept a little different. I understand this genus as a more high strung version of _Pamphobeteus, _as Pamphos generally become very bold and prefer to "thump" before resorting to hair kicking or biting. I would say get the GBB and then try out a Pampho as they are generally much cheaper and will give you a taste of big South American terrestrials. I have a female who has never kicked and I think this may be because she is big and she knows it so she will tackle and "thump" instead; either that or I'm very good at not scaring her.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


----------



## mistertim (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks everyone, some really good info here. I'll go ahead and get the GBB and wait for a while, but eventually I know there's no way I'll be able to resist once I have enough experience.


----------



## peterUK (Jan 12, 2016)

GBB's are a nice species. So nice in fact, that i have 14 AF's

Reactions: Funny 5


----------



## Poec54 (Jan 12, 2016)

mistertim said:


> Thanks everyone, some really good info here. I'll go ahead and get the GBB and wait for a while, but eventually I know there's no way I'll be able to resist once I have enough experience.


Good plan.  As pricey and rare as Xenesthis are, at least in the US, it's best to have more experience before getting one.


----------



## jojobear (Feb 25, 2016)

cold blood said:


> IMO Xenesthis sp. are some of the most outright stunning ts on the planet...helps keep their prices perpetually high....some in the genus can fetch $3-500 sling....but that's only if you can find them.


Just got 2 Xenesthis sp. white from Stamps Tarantulas for less than $250 he has several current ads on here with a coupon code that will save you 30% plus they were on sale. he had  1 Xenesthis intermedia “Amazon blue bloom" for $150, 2 Xenesthis immanis for $90 ea., and 4 
Xenesthis immanis “blackfire”


----------



## cold blood (Feb 26, 2016)

I personally think sp. white and "blackfire" are the least stunning Xenesthis sp.....still really really cool mind you, the others just get my juices going more.  Intermedia, sp. blue and regular old X. immanis are my dream spiders.

None-the-less, congrats on your splendid new Xenesthis sp.!

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Angel Minkov (Feb 26, 2016)

cold blood said:


> I personally think sp. white and "blackfire" are the least stunning Xenesthis sp.....still really really cool mind you, the others just get my juices going more.  Intermedia, sp. blue and regular old X. immanis are my dream spiders.
> 
> None-the-less, congrats on your splendid new Xenesthis sp.!


"blackfire" IS X. immanis. Its a name used to indicate that its from X locality. All X. immanis "blackfire" are from the same locality. 

I wouldn't buy a GBB instead of an X. immanis even in a billion years. Get experience? For what? They aren't hard to care for, they don't have potent venom. Buy the X. immanis without hesitation you CANNOT go wrong!

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## cold blood (Feb 26, 2016)

They look different angel.


----------



## Angel Minkov (Feb 26, 2016)

cold blood said:


> They look different angel.


There is absolutely no difference between X. immanis "blackfire" and normal X. immanis. Some people claim they have some special bristles here and there (nothing noticeable, really), but there is no proof of that and many taxonomists disagree with there being any difference between the two. "blackfire" as well as "shorthair" and "longhair" are just used to separate the immanis and their localities to make breeding easier, as they're a genus that requires matching animals, e.g. for best results you pair "blackfire" with "blackfire", "shorthair " with "shorthair" etc. Its the same with P. antinous "big black", "purple earth", "lightning blue" etc

Reactions: Lollipop 1


----------



## cold blood (Feb 26, 2016)

Interesting, in the pics I have seen it appears that the pinkish carapace is almost "blacked out" compared to an X. immanis.

https://stampstarantulas.com/

Compound that with the fact they are sold as a different variant and the cost for the blackfire is higher and you see where there is confusion.


----------



## Angel Minkov (Feb 26, 2016)

You're comparing them using pictures? That's pretty lousy  The lighting on both pictures is obviously vastly different, on top of that, those aren't their pictures, but rather they belong to the person who actually introduced those names to the hobby and is a friend of mine. He too used to sell the different "variants" at different prices, but it seems like now he's corrected that.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## shawno821 (Feb 26, 2016)

They're not hard to care for.Put an inch or so of long fibered spaghnum moss under your substrate,keep 1/2 the cage damp,and 1/2 dry,always have a clean water dish.They aren't overly aggressive,but will bite you if you provoked,they are not handlers.I love mine,I have 7 atm.

Reactions: Like 1 | Dislike 1


----------



## cold blood (Feb 27, 2016)

Angel Minkov said:


> You're comparing them using pictures? That's pretty lousy  The lighting on both pictures is obviously vastly different, on top of that, those aren't their pictures, but rather they belong to the person who actually introduced those names to the hobby and is a friend of mine. He too used to sell the different "variants" at different prices, but it seems like now he's corrected that.


No, I'm comparing them using a reputable dealer that claims them to be different and has them priced differently...along with the pic differences which are obvious...I'm not buying the "lighting" difference, it doesn't look that different to me.

Now I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't see any proof that you are right(yet).  I do appreciate your input though, its an interesting conversation.


----------



## Angel Minkov (Feb 27, 2016)

cold blood said:


> No, I'm comparing them using a reputable dealer that claims them to be different and has them priced differently...along with the pic differences which are obvious...I'm not buying the "lighting" difference, it doesn't look that different to me.
> 
> Now I'm not saying you're wrong, I just don't see any proof that you are right(yet).  I do appreciate your input though, its an interesting conversation.


Do you know from who your "reputable breeder" imported them from? From a friend of mine in Germany who is the main man when it comes to them, Pamphobeteus and Theraphosa (and to whom I speak regularly). After much debate, he is now selling all Xenesthis on the same price. Comparing such a messy genus and using subtle color differences is not enough to discern them as a species. It depends on lighting, how far the animal is in its molt cycle, size, age etc etc. Too many factors come into play when using pictures, hence why they're frowned upon by every taxonomist and most hobbyists. Tom Patterson, who is the jewel in the US hobby and whom I greatly respect shares the same views and I hope he can see this thread and reply if he disagrees with me somewhere. I'd much rather trust him and the person who gave them those names and did most of the work to distribute them around the world than an american dealer. Im not trying to start anything, just trying to straighten things out.


----------



## cold blood (Feb 27, 2016)

As I said, it was more the reputable breeder (stamps) listing them and pricing them as different that was more what I was going by than just the pic ....I totally agree that going solely by pics isn't a good idea.  And no, why would I contact him about his source, its not really my business, especially if I'm not buying them...regardless, thanks for the info Angel.


----------



## Angel Minkov (Feb 27, 2016)

cold blood said:


> As I said, it was more the reputable breeder (stamps) listing them and pricing them as different that was more what I was going by than just the pic ....I totally agree that going solely by pics isn't a good idea.  And no, why would I contact him about his source, its not really my business, especially if I'm not buying them...regardless, thanks for the info Angel.


They're, in fact, the same. Prices will be fixed in the near future, hopefully.


----------



## michael nelson (May 15, 2019)

mistertim said:


> So I was looking around online today thinking about getting a GBB sling as my next addition at some point, perhaps soon. I came across some Xenesthis Ts for sale and thought they were fascinating. I searched around on here and elsewhere and there seems to be some widely varying opinions on these Ts as far as temperament and housing requirements.
> 
> Some people said they were a bit skittish but not too defensive and pretty easy to keep. Some said they were definitely not beginner spiders and were very defensive. Some said they need humidity and moist substrate, some said they had the best luck with theirs in a relatively dry setup (and actually had one die due to too much humidity).
> 
> ...


I have a xenesthis white seems happy with moist substrate and like with any T good ventilation

Reactions: Lollipop 1


----------



## cold blood (Apr 19, 2020)

@MatchMySkill  what exactly are you disliking about my post??


----------



## Vanisher (Apr 20, 2020)

mistertim said:


> So I was looking around online today thinking about getting a GBB sling as my next addition at some point, perhaps soon. I came across some Xenesthis Ts for sale and thought they were fascinating. I searched around on here and elsewhere and there seems to be some widely varying opinions on these Ts as far as temperament and housing requirements.
> 
> Some people said they were a bit skittish but not too defensive and pretty easy to keep. Some said they were definitely not beginner spiders and were very defensive. Some said they need humidity and moist substrate, some said they had the best luck with theirs in a relatively dry setup (and actually had one die due to too much humidity).
> 
> ...


They are great. I have had lots of them. I did a breeding project many years ago but the eggsacks was all bad. They are not easy to breed.
That said, they are not the best beginnerspeicies IMO. They are very skittish and are not the easiest speicies to set up right. They seems to be mire sensitive to what kind of set up you have and take linger to settle in than many other tarantula speicies. I have had maybe 10 X immanis both slings and adults and 1 X intermedia. Mist of them was nervous, skuttush, kicked lots of hairs and was hard to settle in. But they are lively tarantulas, but not a begginner friendly genus i'd say


----------



## BillsSpider (Apr 22, 2020)

I have both X.immanis and X. sp blue slings and that's pretty spot on, skittish as heck, bald most of the time because of kicking if someone walks near the enclosure, very humidity sensitive.


----------

