about Curly hair tarantulas.

HybridReplicate

Spectrostatic
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
107
When I bought my copy it was still selling at around $145. It's a great read and some of the photography of the biotopes are beautiful as well as being informative they tend to focus more on Brachypelma and Grammostola though so it's mainly central/south America
Tell me more about this place where you buy AF G. Pulchra for $72.50...
 

boina

Lady of the mites
Active Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Messages
2,217
The tarantula keepers guide is a great starting point for any new keeper and as such it should be the 1st addition to your collection. It's not without it's faults one of which @EulersK as brought up as I'm pretty sure none of us do or would keep Avics that way there's a few more besides but maybe that's the reason there's an updated version in the pipeline (may even be out now) along side tkg I have a small book by Russ Gurley about keeping tarantula and scorpions in captivity so between them there's plenty of information that helps beginners and experienced keeper.

My go to book though is Tarantulas of the world by Francois teyssie it feels almost twice as thick as Tkg and it as a lot more up to date information. It feels fresh in it's approach compared to tkg don't get me wrong there's still alot of reading of a scientific nature which may seem daunting to a beginner and it's definitely not a sit and read in 1 sitting kind of book.
There's a major downside to this book also and that is the price to put it bluntly it was more expensive that any of my tarantulas including my adult females and that was after it was on sale at half price if I'd paid full price for it then it would have been almost double the price of my Grammostola pulchra female who is my most expensive tarantula purchase ever
I've just ordered a copy - thanks for the hint, I didn't know that book existed.
 

johnny quango

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
May 17, 2013
Messages
260
Tell me more about this place where you buy AF G. Pulchra for $72.50...
It's called the United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the UK to friends.
It cost around $85 including shipping so not quite half price but close enough. The $85 was for my pulchra not the book
 
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Nicole Dunn

Arachnopeon
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Mar 14, 2017
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0
Hey I was wounding what I should do for lighting, my tarantula isn't near any windows and I'm not moving her and I need to know should I keep on her lamp all the time {normal lamp} or should I make a schedule for her lighting. If you know anywhere I could find this answer if you don't know.
 

Inspector Aberline

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 12, 2018
Messages
7
Hello, we will go over the Curly Haired tarantula for you guys, I will cover everything you need too know about the tarantula. A helpful tip; The Curly Haired tarantula's latin name is Brachyplema albopilosum

So, what does this tarantula look like? Well when it's a sub-adult it'll be a plain black colour all over with little golden hairs on it, so it gives it a nice colour to it, it has 8 legs because it's a new world spider, these spiders are from Costa Rica, which are located in the forests.

These spiders are a great spider to have when you first start buying tarantulas because they're very cheap and easy too care for, very docile (calm natured) which means they're not prone to bite or put you in any harm, this tarantula is a Terrestrial species (ground living) meaning they do not need any height when looking after them. The only thing these will do is flick hairs if they get spooked by sudden movements or if your annoying them lol these hairs could irritate your skin and cause rashes but normally this type of tarantula won't flick hairs or bite you if your careful with them just like any other spider.
If you do decide to buy one of these tarantula's and keep it in an enclosure then you'll need the some of the following things (I'll do multiple choices to give you an idea of what you'd want)

Heat mat (not required) this will basically provide the tarantula with a heat source and make it feel more comfortable in the environment you're keeping it in. Heat mats for a spider will not cost anything over £10 if you've got a good pet store near you, if not Amazon will provide you one for about £7, or $10. You should only cover up to half the tank at maximum so if the tarantula decides to cool down or heat up then it can move from one side to the other side depending on how it's feeling, the heat mat will encourage the spider too molt as well (only when it's ready to go into pre-molt) because it needs a certain temperature for it's body too allow it to go into the molting stage, so overall a heat mat is recommended.

Hiding - You should always give your tarantula a hiding source so it can burrow underneath it and feel safe if it ever wants to hide away from anything, also it's a place it can molt and eat because it's a suitable place because it's out the way of everything else but itself, You can provide a rock or plant pot.. something which is can easily burrow and hide under.

Substrate - I highly recommend Coconut Husk, this stuff is fairly cheap for the amount you get it in. A brick sized-shape will cost about £5 or $8. It'll easily fill up a normal size bucket once you've added water to the brick and left it for half an hour, what it does is the brick absorbs the water and just expands by itself. This substrate is very easy for the tarantula to bury itself in, absorbs moisture as well so it can be used to also keep the tarantula cool.
Another note on this substrate is that you'll need to clean out the tarantula every 5 or 6 months so no mould or ticks will get into the enclosure (well it'll lower the risk of it happening) you could use some bark as well, as long as it's been disinfected because a chemical in the bark can harm the tarantula, this is also a good floor for the tarantula to live on as well.

Feeding/water - Depending on the size of the tarantula you can buy different sized crickets (best food for them IMO) if it's a sub-adult then you'll probably need size 3 silent crickets (you should only really feed them once a week, but that depends on how fast you'd want the tarantula to grow. The more you feed it potentially the quicker it'll grow) But beware of this method because the more you feed it the bigger the abdomen will get and if you ever dropped it or it fell off something then the abdomen has a very high risk of cracking which will kill the tarantula or seriously harm it , you can feed them the odd pinkie once they're fully grown (this is too be kept at a minimum though as it's a big food source for a spider of 5 - 6 inches big. For the water source I recommend spraying the enclosure down with a bottle sprayer, this then covers a area which you'd like to add water to the tank so the tarantula can grab a drop whenever it wants to, I normally spray mine once every 2 or 3 days to keep it well watered if it ever wants it. If any food is uneaten you should take it out after 6 - 12 hours because if the tarantula is going into pre-molt and the food is alive and in the enclosure it could cause seriously harm to the tarantula because it's defenseless once in the molting stage, so you should take it out straight away to take away the risk of the tarantula being hurt.

I hope this care sheet has helped any views that are reading this, and I hope you can one day maybe get yourself one of these great spiders for yourself, If I've missed out any information or you want too add any then feel free to Private message me and i'll add it in and give you the credits for the information which you added. You can also Private message me if you have any FAQ's, or you can just post it in this thread. Thanks for reading guys and I hope I've been of some help to any of you.
Please post your experience aswell.:biggrin:

---------- Post added 12-09-2012 at 07:01 PM ----------

I will be putting multiple resources so u dont need to do a lot of research.

---------- Post added 12-09-2012 at 07:03 PM ----------

What does the Curly Hair Tarantula look like?

While immature, this species has an overall brown colour, with a copper tint on the carapace. Mature Adults still have the copper on the carapore, but have a brown-black ground with golden-red hairs on the legs and abdomen. An average adult size is 3 inch body and up to a 4.5-5.5 inch leg span.

Personally, I prefer the Curly Hair Tarantula to the Chile Rose Tarantula. The Adult colour is pretty and I have found this species to be very calm and easy to handle. I basically just pick them up and pop them in my hand, they never seem to struggle. Caution should always be taken, as each tarantula has a different temperament.

Where are Curly Hair Tarantulas from?

Found in wet forests of Guatemala to Costa Rica.

Due to this species living in wet forests, they need to be provided with a reasonably humid living area of 70-80%. The temperature ranges from 21 - 27C (70 - 80F), just above room temperature will be fine for them.

Are Curly Hair Tarantulas to keep?

YES - This is one of the easiest and best species of tarantula to keep.

Being a Terrestrial species (ground living), you need to provide the Tarantula with more ground space than height. They will dig if given the opportunity or hide beneath logs, I find they prefer the latter. Layer the bottom of the tank with approx. 3" (80mm) of substrate to allow burrowing. Provide rocks, logs and even a plant pot for the Curly Hair to hide under.

Once a week, feed on a range of insects and depending on the age, the odd pinkie (baby mouse). Crickets can injury your tarantula during moulting, so any uneaten food should be removed if your tarantula doesn't seem interested, try feeding again a few days later. Always provide water, this can be via a shallow dish or Tarantula sponge!

---------- Post added 12-09-2012 at 07:10 PM ----------

Before you buy a tarantula you should think about the conditions it will need to live a long and healthy life. Many tarantulas die in the first few days because their new owner hasn't prepared a suitable home for them. First decide what you want to buy because a small spiderling will obviously require very different accommodation to a full grown specimen.

I will assume you are buying a medium-sized tarantula in which case you will need to provide the following.

Housing

Pet shops will sell suitable tanks in glass or plastic and the size should not be less than about 25cm by 15cm by 15cm high. If you want to create a tank that tries to provide natural conditions (for example rain forest with leaf litter, logs etc.) then you will need a much larger tank, but you won't see your spider very often! I would suggest that you begin with the simple tank without unnecessary contents so that you can watch your tarantula's activities.

Substrate (Ground cover)

A 2cm layer of Vermiculite should cover the bottom of the tank and a thin layer of chipped bark or cocoa fibre placed on top of that. These can be purchased from most garden centres and should be kept damp to keep up the humidity levels in the tank. Potting compost should not be used as they really need to be sterilised and changed frequently.

Heating

A temperature of 21-24°C is required for most of the tarantulas that you should buy as a beginner. If you have a centrally heated room which stays at that temperature all the time then you won't need extra heating during the winter, but you will between spring and autumn when the heating is switched off.

A good pet shop that sells reptiles and spiders will have a variety of thermostatically controlled heating devices including underground cables, heating mats and hot rocks. Tell them the size and type of tank that you are using and they will recommend a suitable heater for you. An alternative is a seed propagator which can be purchased from garden centres. You can keep your tank inside it. Red light bulbs are not very suitable for heating spider tanks.

Humidity

The humidity in the tank should not be less than 50-60% and you should buy a little humidity gauge to stick on the inside of your tank. If the humidity drops below 50% your tarantula may die during its next moult. You can keep the humidity high by misting the tank with water from a plant mister. You should make sure that has been washed thoroughly if it's been used for any plant fertiliser or other chemicals. Also, keep a check on the tank to make sure no mould develops.

Feeding

Crickets and locusts are usually available from pet shops that sell tarantulas and reptiles, and you can try other livestock which you catch yourself, such as moths and caterpillars. Some will even eat earthworms. A tarantula of about 3-4cm in body length will eat 8-10 crickets each week although it will survive on less.

If you keep live food for your tarantula then you should also ensure that the live food is kept in appropriate conditions (adequate space, correct temperature and humidity and access to food and water).

Water

Water is vital to your tarantula. It can survive for weeks without food but quickly die without water. A small container such as a coffee jar lid half-full of water will provide drinking water and help keep the humidity up.

Moulting

As your tarantula grows it will moult (shed its skin in a process called ecdysis) regularly, 2-3 times a year in the case of the half grown individual. Signs of an approaching moult are darkening of the colour and the spider will stop feeding.

When feeding stops, remove any live food in case they irritate the spider, or worse, nibble it while it is helpless during the moult. Normally the spider will turn on its back to moult and lie still in that position for several hours. Do not disturb it in any way at this time as activity may prove fatal. Feed it about 4-5 days after moulting when its new skin has hardened.

Suggested species

For your first tarantula you don't want an aggressive, difficult to keep or very expensive specimen. The following are ideal species:
•Chilean Rose (Grammostola spatulatus / G. cala)
•Entre Rios (Grammostola inheringii)
•Curly Haired (Brachypelma albopilosa)
•Red Rump (Brachypelma vagans)
•White Collared (Pterinopelma saltator)

Additional considerations

Urticating hairs

Most species of tarantula possess urticating hairs. These hairs are a defensive hair that can cause itching/irritation of the skin or more severe problems if hairs enter the eye. Care should be taken when handling tarantulas or cleaning out their enclosure. Tarantulas may also rub their back legs across their abdomen to flick hairs upwards if they feel threatened.

Bites

All tarantulas are capable of biting (since this is how they feed). Many species are docile and rarely bite as a means of defence but others are more aggressive. Biting is often a last resort and different species have different threat behaviours (for example, raising the front pairs of legs, showing their fangs or hissing by rubbing their chelicerae together) which indicate that they feel threatened. It is important that you can recognise these behaviours or, better still, avoid doing anything that makes your tarantula feel threatened.

You may also find our page on Arachnids interesting.

Remember: it is important that you know the needs and requirements of your pet before you obtain the animal. You should never, ever obtain an animal before researching its needs and preparing the housing and conditions.
 

Spider Anna

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 23, 2023
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0
They like it dry, just keep one corner a bit humid by spraying it whenever you feel like it.

Remove the silica crystals, tarantulas can't drink from them, replace it with normal water.

They hate humidity, when it's too high it'll climb, fall, and possibly damage itself.
My curly does this. When I overflow his water dish he climbs the enclosure or awkwardly positions himself on the driest part of the dirt
 
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