2nd T time!!

[Tank_21]

Long time viewer (OK about 2 months) first time submitter. I purchased a Chaco golden knee (Grammostola auerostriata) about a month ago and it is currently about 2" big. Very cool and impressive all the same. But here is when things get a little "cloudy", I am about to purchase my second but don't know what to get. I am looking at a Antilles Pink Toe (Avicularia versicolor) or a Cobalt blue (Haplopelma lividum). I know the smart choice would be the A. Versi. but they are very small to purchase and am looking for instant gratification with having a mature fully grown (Atleast bigger) T. Can anyone give me some suggestions on what to do? Is the juvie A. Versi absolutely a must see, as it matures and goes thru the color phases? Or should I get a mature female Cobalt Blue for $40 and bang be there....?

P.S. These are pretty cool. http://www.tarantulacages.com/

 

[Bulldog08]

easy answer! get both!

 

[jeep]

Get a Green Bottle Blue.... (Chromatopelma cyanopubescens)

They are big web builders and a lot of fun to watch. they are as colorful as the versicolor. Mine likes to hunt it's prety, not wait for it to walk by.

If you are looking for an arboreal, then the versi is a good one to get.

I'd get a Lividum, but not as your 2nd T. They are not much to watch, unless a dark hole is fun to peer into:?

-darren

Convert your Aquarium into a nice T cage

 

[DeTwan]

I have a full grown trinidad Chevron for sale. I'll sell it to you for $100? Shes about 7in big. Look under the for sale/trade page for pics

 

[IndianaSlim]

I bought a versicolor and adopted a versicolor from a friend and I don't like them much. They stay hidden in their web all the time and turns out they needed more humidity than I was giving and my smaller one died. They are very good looking spiders, just don't expect to see them much.

 

[Thoth]

Avoid the H.lividum, you will rarely see it. If you want to have the same experience as owning one, get a tank fill it with substrate put a hole in it and toss a cricket or two once a week. Exactly the same experience as owning one, trust me.

If you you coud go with GBB if you want a t with ome blue. Very hardy and fast growers.

Versi's are a nice pick also but a finicky when it comes to care, they need high humidity and high ventilation.

 

[golda]

wouldnt you rather purchase brachy's instead? they're very colorful as well as docile, they tend to kick hairs a bit though depending on the species.

 

[Tank_21]

Wow. Fantastic replys, thanks a ton. I have learned a lot and will let everyone know what I decide on (please keep the suggestions coming). I have zero people to talk "bugs" with and it is refreshing to know other peeps like me can be interested in other things besides cats and dogs.

 

[Alice]

i'd not buy the haplopelma. i get round eyed every time i see a cobalt blue in all its beauty at a show, but never buy one. trust me, you'll only love it while it decides where to burrow. once it's built a home, you'll never see it again (or like, twice a year, with some luck).

if you want something big, and don't want to spend too much money on your second t, get an adult grammostola rosea, an adult avicularia (any, actually, they are all gorgeous, avicularia avicularia seem to be the cheapest, though). it will hide more than your g. aureostriata, but you will see it a lot more than the lividum for sure!

another great choice would be lasiodora parahybana (get a juvie, pretty cheap and very fast growers) or acanthoscurria geniculata (same here).

if your local pet store doesn't offer these - there are many realibla breeders who sell only and ship the t to you. shipping cost are usually roughly equal or less than what you pay more for the t at a store.

have fun choosing

 

[froggyman]

is Chromatopelma cyanopubescens as agressive as a colbalt blue

 

[ErikH]

A second vote here for a. geniculata or l. parahybana. You might also consider p. cancerides. They are all fairly fast growing, with the parahybana being the fastest growing of the lot, or so I believe. The GBB would be a good choice, too, I know I have them on my "need to aquire" list.

There are too many brachypelma and aphonopelma species to list here that would also be a good choice.

 

[Thoth]

is Chromatopelma cyanopubescens as agressive as a colbalt blue

No, they are very skittish and very fast, but not very inclined to bite. Good display t but not one for handling. Also their venom is not as bad as H.lividum's, which is one of the more potent ones.

 

[phil jones]

how about a L - PARAHYBANA or P- MURINUS or A - GENICULATA or if you want to go for some thing nasty how about B- ALBOPILOSUM lol or G - ROSEA lol === phil

 

[padkison]

I'd vote for an avic. Try your hand at an Avic avic and see how you like it. you can get a decent sized one of these for an inexpensive price.

You can see your Avic species if you have them in a container condusive to viewing. Once my avics became large enough (1.5"+), I placed them in a 4x4x5 Michael's display case. This case is clear polystyrene and allows good viewing of my A. versi even with all the web it laid down. I have about an inch of eco-earth (damp) at the bottom and a sprig of $ store plastic plant for webbing. I drill about 20 holes in each side in 3 rows near the top and about 20 more holes in the top. I also drill a feed hole plugged with a foam cork. Note, My A. versi likes to hang out outside its web much of the time.

Smaller Avics can be kept in vials with many 1/16" holes drilled in the lid and a row of holes about 1/2 way up the vial. Put 3/4" damp eco-earth in the bottom and a pruned, leafless sprig of plastic plant for webbing.

I really get a kick out of these "fuzzy tree Ts".

I bought a versicolor and adopted a versicolor from a friend and I don't like them much. They stay hidden in their web all the time and turns out they needed more humidity than I was giving and my smaller one died. They are very good looking spiders, just don't expect to see them much.

 

[P. Novak]

I second the Avicularia avicularia, very nice species. Its an inexpensive and great looking T. You really can't go wrong with an Avicularia spp.

If not an Avicularia avicularia, then go for the Acanthoscurria geniculata, another great species. Always visible, even during molts. Get large and actually are gorgeous. Most large T's aren't the best of colors but this one is.