Aphonopelma seemanni (Stripe Knee) Questions?

[Goldie Orfina]

So I was investigating new tarantulas (I've gotten sucked in, there is no escape now), and I came across at least five different people selling Stripe Knees (Aphonopelma Seemani) on Craigslist. I have some questions about them, because they seem to be common and cheap if I want to buy one. This would be my second tarantula.

Are they good for beginners?
Are they big eaters?
How bad are the urticating hairs in your experience, and in general do they flick hairs a lot?
How much of a pet hole are they? Do they web?
Are there any things I should keep in mind if I do buy one?

Thanks in advance! (and sorry for all the questions!)

 

[Poonjab]

Are they good for beginners? Yes
Are they big eaters? Decent
How bad are the urticating hairs in your experience, and in general do they flick hairs a lot? They will flick if annoyed, but not overly bad imo
How much of a pet hole are they? they are fossorial, but are visible often.
Do they web? Trip wire webs.
Are there any things I should keep in mind if I do buy one? Keep them in a fossorial setup with damp sub.

 

[moricollins]

Are they good for beginners? Yes
Are they big eaters? Decent
How bad are the urticating hairs in your experience, and in general do they flick hairs a lot? They will flick if annoyed, but not overly bad imo
How much of a pet hole are they? they are fossorial, but are visible often.
Do they web? Trip wire webs.
Are there any things I should keep in mind if I do buy one? Keep them in a fossorial setup with damp sub.

@Poonjab has done a great job answering your questions.

Individuals have differences , mine webbed quite a lot and didn't dig a ton.

 

[Poonjab]

@Poonjab has done a great job answering your questions.

Individuals have differences , mine webbed quite a lot and didn't dig a ton.

That’s a good point in the variances. Mine made a burrow, and laid thin layer of web up top. Wish mine was a Webber ha.

 

[PidderPeets]

Basically everything was covered perfectly already by @Poonjab

The only thing I can think to add is that they seem to take a long time to settle into their new enclosures. Mine took well over a month to finally start burrowing, and I think she would have taken even longer had she not been in heavy premolt

 

[Vanessa]

Another thing about this is species is that people mistakenly think that they have the laid back type of attitudes that Aphonopelma from the states have... and they don't. They can be fast, skittish, and it is not uncommon for them to be defensive.
Also, there are a lot of them coming in wild caught at the moment. Those will mostly be large juveniles and adult females. Just keep that in mind as well.