Avicularia geroldi - I'm in love

[greensleeves]

Hi there. I'm a migrant from the pede board, where I was observing in somewhat fearful fascination, but this is much more my speed since I never had a problem with spiders. In fact, I used to love to handle them when I was a child before my Mom talked me out of it. (She's a rampant arachnophobe.) Sitting here, and getting somewhat nostalgic about it, I was thinking I'd like to meet a fuzzy spider sometime, maybe even own one of the more handle-able species. Your stories have certainly taken a lot of the mystery out of the idea of owning a tarantula.

I think if I got one I'd like to raise it from a baby and gradually accustom myself to its increasing size. Despite my affinity for spiders, I don't know if I could handle a big one right away after being accustomed to only holding little ones the size of a nickel.

Anyway, I was browsing the Arachnopets classifieds, and I found the spider I would like to own. It's on this page - third from the top - a Brazilian Blue and Green Pinktoe. I've heard pinktoes were relatively placid, and the colours of this one are so magnificent, and green is my favourite colour.

Now all I have to do is convince my husband Ts are safe and it won't escape and poison the cat.

Oh, and find someone who will ship one of these pretties to Canada.

Greensleeves

 

[Vys]

From what i've heard, the cat is more likely to eat the spider without getting hurt than anythings else, if they happen to happen upon each other.


Welcome to this side of the boards, and good choice in spider.

 

[Code Monkey]

The thing people need to keep in mind regarding the 'dangerousness' of Ts is that even for the largest T out there the biggest prey it might conceivably be able to take down would be a small chicken. So fine, if we're talking a full grown goliath birdeater versus a 4 week old kitten, my money goes to the spider, but a A. geroldi isn't a threat to anything unless you have pet insects roaming around free

 

[greensleeves]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
The thing people need to keep in mind regarding the 'dangerousness' of Ts is that even for the largest T out there the biggest prey it might conceivably be able to take down would be a small chicken. So fine, if we're talking a full grown goliath birdeater versus a 4 week old kitten, my money goes to the spider, but a A. geroldi isn't a threat to anything unless you have pet insects roaming around free

I agree with that estimate - with venom and such it's all relative.

I think a lot of people look at size and assume big automatically equals lethally dangerous.

Sometimes colour can be a factor, too. Warning coloration and such - I've been wary of b. smithis because they remind me of bumble bees, though from what I hear they are real sweeties, or at least nice pet rocks.

Greensleeves

 

[Aviculariinae]

thats a nice avic spider your talking about,but dont be fooled by the way its being described its rather dull,but there is better looking ones try avic versicolor,gorgous spider,or mexican redknee,easy as hell to keep and great colours,spiders colours dont really show until they get older!and a baby avic versicolor is blue when young!!!
Hope this helps

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Sham,Tarantulas
thats a nice avic spider your talking about,but dont be fooled by the way its being described its rather dull,but there is better looking ones

Appeal is subjective, but this is one of the more overhyped Avics on the market.

Since there's a good chance it will one day be synonymized with A. avicularia, people are going to be pretty bummed they paid $30+ for a $5 spider with a different name.

Remember, this 'species' was described by the same loose cannon who looked at some B. smithi from a sac produced in Europe and created B. annitha out of the air. If you see then name "Tesmoingt' as the guy who described a species, keep your skepticism meter on is my advice. He's got a history of publishing papers declaring minor color morphs as new species.

 

[Lopez]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
Appeal is subjective, but this is one of the more overhyped Avics on the market.

My girlfriend's Geroldi is 2 moults ahead of my Avic avic.

So far mine has followed hers exactly for moulting patterns and colour changes.
I'd not be surprised to see the Avicularia genus reduced to half it's current size. It's in a worse state than the Haplopelma/Cyriopagopus mess.
Still a very very pretty Avic, certainly wouldn't say it was dull.

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Lopez
Still a very very pretty Avic, certainly wouldn't say it was dull.

I agree, but then I think that 'plain old' A. avicularia are one of the nicer Ts in the hobby as far as appearances go.

To Greensleeves, fwiw, you may just want to get an A. avic. You'll have a much easier time finding one and it will look and act just like the geroldi minus the blue guard hairs on the abdomen (which seems to be the only "distinguishing" character).

 

[dennis]

Aw great. my Avicularia ulrichea is also named by that dude ... I wonder what it really is


Dennis

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by dennie
Aw great. my Avicularia ulrichea is also named by that dude ... I wonder what it really is


Dennis

The guy's not always wrong, he's just not always right, either. Hope yours is in the second category, or that you didn't pay any sort of extreme price for it

 

[RugbyDave]

I'm actually heading out to buy some geroldi's tonight! Planning on a breeding ring in my house They're a great price, too -- around $20 for around a 1"

you can have first dibs at slings in a couple of years

peace
dave

 

[greensleeves]

Originally posted by RugbyDave
I'm actually heading out to buy some geroldi's tonight! Planning on a breeding ring in my house They're a great price, too -- around $20 for around a 1"

you can have first dibs at slings in a couple of years

peace
dave

I might take you up on that - it's going to take that long to convince my hubby it will be safe to have one.

Greensleeves

 

[RugbyDave]

Ah they're very cool Ts...

it's just gonna take some time until they mature... but as some people here can testify to, i stick to my word

still waiting on some FK slings =D

pce
dave

 

[greensleeves]

Originally posted by RugbyDave
Ah they're very cool Ts...

it's just gonna take some time until they mature... but as some people here can testify to, i stick to my word

still waiting on some FK slings =D

pce
dave

FK? What's that>

You know, a tarantula would be a perfect accessory for my desk at work. I work with about 65 other women, so you can just imagine the sensation it would create.

"What's that?"

"It's just a terrarium."

"Is there something moving in there?"

"Nah, that's a plastic spider for atmosphere..."

Maybe I could just keep the T in my inbox...

Greensleeves

 

[SpiderTwin]

The A. geroldi is similar in color to the A. avic but minus any of the red hairs. In the right light they have really cool electric blue hairs. This Avic is as doscile as the others.

The A. geroldi and all the Avic's are safe T's to have, the only thing you have to watch out for is they can be fast if startled.

 

[Mendnwngs]

Yeah.. fast.

*grin*

Had my 2.5" A avic jump from my hand today. (about a 6" fall to carpet)

They are speedy suckers when they want to be.. Slow as heck when they dont.

-Jason

 

[genious_gr]

Originally posted by Sham,Tarantulas
thats a nice avic spider your talking about,but dont be fooled by the way its being described its rather dull,but there is better looking ones try avic versicolor,gorgous spider,or mexican redknee,easy as hell to keep and great colours,spiders colours dont really show until they get older!and a baby avic versicolor is blue when young!!!
Hope this helps

I got my Geroldi sling for 5 Euros, and I LOVE its colors. It's all whitish with dark toes. A real cutie.

 

[Aviculariinae]

i dont mean that they are a bad spider,i had one and it died, But there are better looking avics out there and for the same price as geroldi,s,im a huge fan of avic,s so dont get me wrong

 

[WYSIWYG]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
I agree, but then I think that 'plain old' A. avicularia are one of the nicer Ts in the hobby as far as appearances go.

To Greensleeves, fwiw, you may just want to get an A. avic. You'll have a much easier time finding one and it will look and act just like the geroldi minus the blue guard hairs on the abdomen (which seems to be the only "distinguishing" character).

Here's another distinguishing characteristic for you (though it is behavioral and not physical).....

Geroldis are little piggies and I don't mean eating-wise. I mean MESSY-wise!

I have an Avic. avic AND a geroldi of the same size (around 3.5-4 inches) and the geroldi's container is always 100 times more full of poop all over the side than he avic's is. I can clean both of their containers both at the same time and the geroldi's will always end up intolerable in no time. (I'm about to get it cleaned out again today).

Also, unless mine is the exception to the rule, it is NOT a docile critter. It bit the guy at the petstore before I bought him. (It's still not sexed....I just assume the "him" to be on the safe side).

Wysi

 

[Code Monkey]

I'm not saying that geroldi's aren't somewhat different than 'generic' A. avicularia, they're clearly do have some morphologically distinct features.

But a German shepherd still isn't a different species than a wolf just because it looks different.

A Chinese rice farmer isn't a different species than an English taxi driver just because they look different.

I think that like a lot of the Avicularia complex, it will turn out to be a subspecies of A. avicularia, and because of the hatred for subspecies by arachnologists, it will just wind up synonymized.