# Greenbottle Blue Tarantula



## Lost In Space (Mar 3, 2012)

Thinking about getting one, anyone got any good experiences or want to share their thoughts on the species?


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## Formerphobe (Mar 3, 2012)

Great species!  No collection is complete without one, or more.  It's a tremendous experience to watch them grow and go through their color changes from sling to adult.  Great webbers, good eaters, easy keepers.  Females are notorious male munchers at breeding time.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Lost In Space (Mar 3, 2012)

Lol at the 'male munchers' that's great to know  Thank you for your comment.


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## Jared781 (Mar 3, 2012)

they're amazing eaters, some will even say "ferocious", My 3/4" sling will jump in mid air, snag the cricket with his legs and then eat!
he/she once tried the same attack on my paintbrush!


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## Lost In Space (Mar 3, 2012)

Handling is a big no no for them right? My first and only T atm is an Avic, love to handle her.

Reactions: Dislike 1


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## Billeh (Mar 4, 2012)

As they get older they get calmer. I wouldn't handle, they are skittish, nervous, and hair kickers.


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## Curious jay (Mar 4, 2012)

I purchased a juvie last Friday within a day he's created a nice web funnel amongst some fake plants in his setup and just chills on his web. Seems pretty calm although he enjoy hair flicking when I transfered him over. Hasn't eaten yet though which I'm excited to wait for! But yea beautiful colours


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## Jared781 (Mar 4, 2012)

to me.. Im highly more concerned about the speed of the specimen! not the bite his possesses! i handled my C. huahini (ino... DUMB) they're tricky (or at least mine is) because he won't move at all while on your hand at first... then will just bolt! he got from my hand to my head in a split second! then stayed up top pearched for a bit. so i had to lower my HEAD in his enclosure very slowly so he could make a safe transfer! (because if put my hands up top it would've startled him!!)

So if you decide to handle, be smart!
(I dont recommend handling either way, but they're your Ts)

anyways!.... GBB are a must in every collection ... Although, if said that for tons of em' BUT they're for sure


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## newspidermom (Mar 4, 2012)

I LOVE this species! I had a MM that I shipped out on a breeding loan. He got munched...  I made it a mission to find a female.  I did get one and I love her!  I named her Jewel.  She's about 4" of attitude!.  They are VERY fast when they want to be.  Especially when they are actively eating. Just adding water to the water dish makes her spin a 180* and attack the dish....lol.  I would NEVER think of handling her. She's thrown a threat posture many times. She's my little witch...lol.  Still a MUST have in the collection! You gotta get one!


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## Lost In Space (Mar 4, 2012)

LOL! I can see you putting your head in the enclosure probably nervous as hell. That made me laugh. I'm actually thinking of staying in the Avicularia genus but this time instead of getting another azuraklaasi, I'm looking more towards the minatrix.  I like the orange/brown.. It's kind of like having a friendly and handable OBT. >.< less orange, but atleast it's still there. I love handling my A. azuraklaasi so I don't really know if getting a display T is worth it.


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## newspidermom (Mar 4, 2012)

Spencer08 said:


> LOL! I can see you putting your head in the enclosure probably nervous as hell. That made me laugh. I'm actually thinking of staying in the Avicularia genus but this time instead of getting another azuraklaasi, I'm looking more towards the minatrix.  I like the orange/brown.. It's kind of like having a friendly and handable OBT. >.< less orange, but atleast it's still there. I love handling my A. azuraklaasi so I don't really know if getting a display T is worth it.


If you're wanting a T you can handle the common pink toe Avic avic is a good choice. I had a  5" female that used to just hang on my chest. I sold her to someone with a male that wanted to breed her. The A. metallica is pretty calm, but they all have different personalities. A great terrestrial that's pretty easy going is the G. pulchripes. I just had my girl out cause I was cleaning her enclosure and she is a sweetheart. They are VERY easy to keep too. Room temp and no high humidity requirements. They like it dry.  My female Rosehair is way more tempermental and skittish than my G. pulchripes


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## rosybreeder (Mar 4, 2012)

They can be mean, but great eaters!


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## killy (Mar 4, 2012)

Arguably the most beautiful tarantula in the known universe, truly an architectural and interior decorating genius, and a joy and pleasure to watch grow.  Be sure to get a sling so you can see first-hand how the beautiful duckling transforms into a beautiful swan.  And as far as handling goes, I can only speak for myself, but I have had no trouble with hair-kicking, skittishness, or hostility of any kind ... here's my favorite snap ...


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## GxTx (Mar 4, 2012)

I started a thread about GBB's not too long ago as i was hesitant about getting one, after much thought i bought a 2cm long sling. It is a little beast at feeding time, it hits crickets incredibly hard even at that very small size. There really is nothing to worry about, they are damn fast though and i was caught a little off guard once when it ran out of the enclosure and started trying to bite the paintbrush when i was ushering him back in. He has flicked hairs a bit, but ive never felt the effects of them. I think the key with these guys (oe any T) is to be very slow and gentle, mine will only take so much harrassment before biting or legging it in the opposite direction lol. Even at 2cm his colours are awesome.

Deffo worth getting one.


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## Danielson (Mar 4, 2012)

Very fast, very skittish and great eaters.

edit: A nice photo i took after i posted this comment, my lovely female


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## killy (Mar 4, 2012)

There are lots of GBB threads on this forum, which I love because I love talking up GBBs!  I'll quote myself from one of them (June 2011, I think), on the subject of handling ...

"This is exactly how I discovered that my GBB (a sling at the time) was okay for handling - I had opened his enclosure to change the substrate and he bolted - directly onto my hand. And there he sat. We've been meeting like this ever since!"

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jared781 (Mar 4, 2012)

thats Classic!!


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## ErynByrd (Mar 26, 2013)

*If you're looking for sweetheart tarantulas...*

If you're looking for really nice ones that you can handle that are low maintenance, i don't remember who mentioned it before, but i've also had really good experience with the Grammostola pulchripes (chaco golden knee). mine was a little defensive when it was small, but it's chilled out a ton and is really good for handling, plus it's fuzzy and super cute! i had a Brachypelma albopilosum (curlyhair) that was also a very nice spider for handling tho it was more on the shy side and liked to sit in it's dark corner once it was out it was fine. Of all of them tho my Mexican Redknee is the nicest. When i get her out she just sits and looks pretty and sometimes cleans herself, quite the princess. she's really slow and almost never darts, though i've heard some of them can kick hairs a lot. in general they are a great species and give many warnings before actually acting out so their good for handling. All three of these spiders are very low maintenance. They don't need the enclosure as humid as some of the arboreal ones which is nice to not have to worry about misting them as often or mold growing or anything. great bugs!


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## Jones0911 (Mar 26, 2013)

Here's three pictures of mine, I brought it three weeks ago and my juvenile has yet to eat. it has webbed up the entrace, so who knows when it's going to eat again or even molt:


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## Deano deano (Dec 16, 2016)

Just wondering if my one is a gbb and what age it is I got it from a friend and really want to know when it starts to go that lovely blue colour


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## Trenor (Dec 16, 2016)

Deano deano said:


> Just wondering if my one is a gbb and what age it is I got it from a friend and really want to know when it starts to go that lovely blue colour


Yes it is. They tend to go through several color changes as the grow. It's one of the cool things I like about the species.

There isn't a way for sure to be able to tell how old your sling is. I've raised several and they tend to get the nice colors at about 2-3 inches if I remember right.


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## Abyss (Dec 16, 2016)

To directly answer the original question from the OP:
GBB is easily in my top 5 fav's and i have kept many. All their good wualities have been mentioned so waste time on that.

In response to the thread comments:
Im pretty blown away at how "handle friendly" this thread is an that no one has really derailed it by arguing so i will also avoid arguing and just say....

Dont handle. The T doesnt like it, it doesnt benefit from it, you arent cool for doing it, no one admires you for doing it, no one thinks your tough or brave, the risks FAR outweigh the rewards and the reasons NOT to handle go on an on an on.
The list of reaons you should handle consist of an accidental escape during feeding/maintenace where the T climbs on you an thats really all i can think of as a reson to handle lol.

Best of luck OP, its a GREAT species and no one will regret getting one!!!!!


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## MetalMan2004 (Dec 16, 2016)

I was also surprised at the handling talk.

As a beginner, I love mine.  Its like having an advanced T but not at the same time.

My 2nd was A B Smithi, nice and slow, (my g rosea barely counts as my first, but thats another story).  My smithi matured as a male so I traded a breeder for my gbb.

When it arrived, the first thing I noticed was how fast it was because it immediately escaped when I tried to put it in its' new home.  Luckily I had a catch cup and caught it pretty easily.

As long as you don't gove it a chance to escape you'll love it.  Mines' carapace just turned from orange to green with its' last molt and it is beautiful.

Did I say it is fast? I can't yet imagine owning an OBT given how fast GBBs are.  Maybe one day.


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