a question I could not find an answer to

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Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
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Aug 26, 2005
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4,497
most rose hairs ive seen dont kick hairs to often.there a great starter species!see if u can find a captive bred younger one round 2-3 inches to start with.there extremely slow growing but worth the wait id say.also if u dont plan on handling the tarantula u really dont have to worry about hairs much.just be careful when doing cage maintance
 

spiders4life

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Messages
339
Rosea is defenetly what you are looking for!
Its normally a calm dosile species, with nice colloraton, and not to difficult to take care of.

But keep in mind that spiders, as well as humans are individuals.

I´ve got 1 who is the kind of kick it in the ass, and it turns arround to say im sorry type.

Numbe two is 100% pure evil. It will attack everything that comes within range:evil:. Perhaps it thinks it a blondi:? . Actually i think it is quite amusing {D

So make sure that the one you´ll get is like my numer one, Insted of a psychotic wannabe blondi. At least as long as you are new to the hobby. ;)
 

ricneto

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
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Jun 9, 2007
Messages
98
I was thinking of a T. blondi, they are very mild mannered and very seldom kick hairs... then again it may be that i am being sarcastic
My first T is a Blondi, :worship: she does not kick hair but I do not handle her. {D
She does have a atitude problem though lol{D
 

magda

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
4
hello again!
i read that avicularia sp. have some kind of contanct urticating hair that they usually do not flick. the only reports of flicking avis I have found on the net were a. versicolor and a. avicularia.
does anyone have information about urticating hairs of a. purpurea or a. minatrix? they seem (from what I have read) to be quite nice guys ;) ? are they something to begin with?

btw. thanks for all the helpful answers so far!
 

lindell687

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 28, 2007
Messages
23
Yes these are nice in the sense you are looking for faster than the rosea and climb glass. So in this sense you take away the hairs but add the art of climing since they are aboreal. Aslo a little harder to maintain since they are a tropical species require higher humidity.
 

gumby

Arachnoprince
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Feb 15, 2006
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Given the proper distance and respect you would do fine with almost any of them.
I agree 100% with this the only other thing Id say is if you really want to worry about something when you are starting just dont go for T. thats to speedy. Thats just my opinion. not that im worried about the T. just that from what ive seen people who are new to Ts get more nervous around faster Ts.
scott
 

Mina

Arachnoking
Old Timer
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Oct 4, 2005
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An avic could work for you. It really depends on the personality of the T you end up with. I have a number of avics, 3 of them A. purpureas. My female is calm and mellow, my male is a little snot, and the sling seems to be taking after the male. I have 4 A. avicularia, the male is a sweetie gentle baby, the female has attitude, and one of the little 3/4 inch slings was throwing threat poses at us when we unpacked it!! None of mine have ever kicked.
I have over 60 T's and have been in the hobby for almost 2 years. I have been kicked at twice, both times by brachys, both were males. My B. boehmei kicks if I look at him (and I raised him from tiny) and a breeder B. albo male kicked at me when I was putting him in to breed with the female.
 

christin

Arachnosquire
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Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
87
Yeah, I think Rosea makes a fantastic first tarantula. That was my first. I was terrified and fasinated by large creeping things, and getting my first tarantula--quite by accident, was just the thing I needed. Like someone mentioned earlier, the red form roseas can be quite beautiful. Thier easy to care for, readily available and inexpensive. I have never had a problem with hairs, she was a joy, and gosh....lived a long time. She was an adult when I got her and she was around for 10 years give or take. lol, I had her in a 55 gallon terrarium and fed her anoles and crickets (I know better than that now, pretend you didn't see that.) Awwe, I miss that girl.
 

Sobrino

Arachnoknight
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Sep 20, 2005
Messages
207
hello everybody!
my name is magda and i am planning to get a tarantula although I am still a bit scared! :) :8o I just hoped that you can give me some recommendations for a beginner species that
1) is not too defensive
2) has a rather weak venom
3) does not have urticating hairs
4) maybe is not too fast

Please do not laugh.;) I know that this sounds as if I want to get a cat or rabbit but as said before I am still a bit scared and would like to start with something "safe".
Is there a tarantula that can live up to these points or is it just impossible.
I would appreciate if somebody could help me with these questions.

Best wishes,
Magda


just get yourself a T. Blondi. They're great for beginners :liar:

no im just kidding, my first T was a G. Rosea and then I got a G. Auerostratia and a B. albopilosum. Great Starter T's and then i moved on and got a pokie (it died :( R.I.P)
 

jen650s

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
333
Many, many long time T owners seem to look down at G. rosea or B. albopilosums as uninteresting pet rocks however, they are docile enough that they are often used in children's programs:clap: . If you choose a docile, calm one that is at least 3" its basic personality will be evident from the get go as opposed to some slings that are just so intimidated by the giant feeding thing that the run and hide anytime you open their enclosure until they get a little bigger (and these guys take a long time to grow up) and you find out that you have one of the less docile ones several years down the line. As for pet rocks, yes some of them are.

That is not necessarily a bad thing for someone who is nervous around Ts since it makes them way less likely to run or be frightened into flicking hairs or adopting a threat stance. I got my first G. rosea as a juvenile almost 25 years ago and have always had at least one in my collection since then. I have used them with children and skittish adults and only ever had 1 mature male who ever flicked hairs or adopted a threat stance (he was also an escape artist and often ate 8-10 crickets at a time).

That said, if your fear is as overwhelming as it seems maybe a different pet would be a better choice for you--but remember that even a house cat can put you in the hospital (mine did):8o

---Jen
 

magda

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
4
I have read a lot about a. purpurea and a. minatrix now. and I belive that these Ts are what I am looking for. but nevertheless I have not decided wheter I go for purpurea or minatrix. can some of you give me information about the following things?
1) which one is (generally) more docile, or are they both sweeties?
2) do both of them them make extensive webs? I could only read that a. purpurea makes very extensive webs. personally I would not prefer too much webbing
3) which one is easier to keep

hope you can help me again! :)
best wishes,

magda
 

icenola

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
30
Amazing...you ask for help..bout 90% suggested this particular one..and you come up with two never mentioned? Why even bother...oh well...good luck.
 

luna

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Messages
178
Magda… I do not have either of the avics you are considering but I imagine they are both similar... Sometimes avics are touchy though. I would probably get a A. avic first. Get used to it and then move on to the more expensive species. Face it; you will probably end up with a whole shelf full of them anyway once you see how fascinating they are!
Amazing...you ask for help..bout 90% suggested this particular one..and you come up with two never mentioned? Why even bother...oh well...good luck.
After this comment I looked at your profile and saw this

“my way of helping people in need.(never accused of brutality lol)” well…

Your final comment wasn’t very helpful… sarcasm is mean! I’m accusing you of unnecessary force right now.

Mina did suggest avics. Just because Magda didn’t take your suggestion didn’t mean there probably wasn’t hours of consideration in the choice.


Get a hedgehog.
I feel like the little old lady scolding two bullies… but that’s how you are behaving.

Play nice.

Cheri
 

Aurelia

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
1,255
G. aureostriata is supposed to be the biggest, calmest species. I currently have a 2" sling and it's kind of...psycho, but I think it's just a stage (I hope!).

the urticating hairs really aren't that bad, even if they kick them. just be sure to was your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling and you should be just fine, or wear gloves during handling.
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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Apr 11, 2007
Messages
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[/COLOR][/FONT]


I feel like the little old lady scolding two bullies… but that’s how you are behaving.

Play nice.

Cheri
[/QUOTE]

I do feel kind of bad now for my snyde comment. It is however, hard to ignore the fact that we have 3 pages of posts here by experienced persons making honest reccomendations that have all been basically rejected.:?

Magda, the difference in keeping requirements between one species and another can be vast. people new to this hobby (lifestyle?) sometimes choose a species for the wrong reason. Yes, Avics are very cute and not very defensive. They are also fragile and skittish and very fast. I've seen people buy a Cobalt Blue as their first T because it's pretty. Cobalts are also highly defensive, bitey and secretive.

If you want a fuzzy Avicularia you should start with a sub-adult or adult A. Avicularia (Guyanan Pink Toe) I say this because adults are affordable and easy to find unlike the species' you mentioned. Baby (sling) Avics can be remarkably fragile. Their keeping requirements are somewhat more complicated than those of other genus' such as Grammostola or Brachypelma. You're just steepening your learning curve.

there are a number of T's that are HARDY and thus good for starters. Among them are:
G. rosea - Chilean Rose
B. albopilosum - Honduran Curly
G. auriostriata - Chaco Golden Knee :clap:
A. seemani - Zebra knee or stripe knee
B. smithi - Mexican Red Knee
really any brachypelma sp...

The A. avicularia is sweet and very unlikely to bite but they are pretty speedy and thus harder to rehouse or handle and there is slightly more risk of them bolting from their cage while doing maintenance. Also, they need higher humidity and also sufficient ventilation. This makes them more high maintenance.

I'm glad to see new people to this hobby and i hope you're not discouraged. 18 months and 15 spiders ago i was just starting out too and i was glad to have what advice i could find. It wasn't until later that i discovered this board and really began to learn. Whatever T you choose i wish you the best of luck with it. There will always be people here to answer your questions.

If you enjoy your first t then you'll probably end up getting more and learning more fairly quickly. For that reason i think you should start with an easy one. Get a Chaco, you'll love it!
 
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