B. Emelia/Smithi question

Socfroggy

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I'm looking to get my first T in the not-so-distant future. I'm very intersted in getting a Euathlus sp. Red but those are harder to come by and the B. Smithi slings are at my local exotic pet store. I'm wondering how they are in terms of bolting. I've seen a video of an adult B. Smithi bolt and the owner had to spend a while chasing it down. Would the B. Emelia be the same or are they slower? How big do they get? Larger T's are going to be harder to convince my mother to accept. I know the Choco Gold Knee is also a good species but their size is a bit much.
 

nicodimus22

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B. emelia and B. smithi are very similar in most regards. They tend to be calm, but the temperament of your particular specimen can vary quite a bit with any species. They grow fairly slowly, and max out around 5-6 inches.

G. pulchripes is a wonderful beginner species, but it can grow to 7-8 inches, so it is on the larger side. Euathlus is another one, but is a small (around 3 inch) species. It is a very slow grower, so if that might drive you nuts, avoid it.

Some other medium-sized beginner Ts you might consider are Aphonopelma chalcodes and Brachypelma albopilosum. Both are very cheap as slings, very easy to care for, tend to be docile, and are pretty cheap even as adults, if you don't want to mess with slings yet.
 
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Socfroggy

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I've actuallly checked out many of Eulersk's videos. They are extremely informative. What kind of conditions does the A. Chalcodes require? Regular terrestrial setup?
 

EulersK

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Well, with both B. smithi and B. emilia, they grow terribly slow. They'll hardly be a small adult after half a decade, assuming you have a female. They're not the best beginner slings just because of how boring they are. If you get one, be prepared to have a sling for a very long time. They're also not the best eaters. There are plenty of other great beginner slings out there.

Note: The correct spelling is B. emilia
 

EulersK

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I've actuallly checked out many of Eulersk's videos. They are extremely informative. What kind of conditions does the A. Chalcodes require? Regular terrestrial setup?
Watch my video on terrestrial setups - exactly like that :) Bone dry substrate, just provide a water dish. You should be able to find an adult female for under $75.
 

Socfroggy

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Watch my video on terrestrial setups - exactly like that :) Bone dry substrate, just provide a water dish. You should be able to find an adult female for under $75.
No misting at all, correct? What's they're growth rate like? I was not expecting the Brachy's to grow so darn slow!
 

EulersK

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No misting at all, correct? What's they're growth rate like? I was not expecting the Brachy's to grow so darn slow!
Well, depends on what size you get. Slings would require mildly damp substrate, and occasional misting just for drinking water. Juvies and adults would be kept dry. A. chalcodes grows pretty slowly as well. Unfortunately, almost all arid tarantulas grow slowly.

Not all Brachypelma spp. grow slowly - a notable exception is B. vagans. Males can mature in under two years.
 

EulersK

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Adult A. chalcodes is probably my favorite beginner spider :D Hardy as a rock, but still active enough to make it interesting. They're typically docile as well.

 

The Grym Reaper

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Seeing as we're all showing off our A. chalcodes... I got this girl recently, she's out in the open most of the time, fairly active, pretty docile and has a good feeding response.
View media item 38685
 
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Socfroggy

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I love all the pics being posted! Do you guys name your T's or do you keep them nameless?
 

Ungoliant

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I love all the pics being posted! Do you guys name your T's or do you keep them nameless?
I name all of mine, but people with larger collections often don't name them (or only name certain ones).
 

Jeff23

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You can get an adult female Aphonopelma chalcodes at nice prices right now while the other options are much more expensive for adult T's. But if you want a sling, Aphonopelma is not a good choice as a first tarantula since they grow slow.

If I went back and started over with only one sling, mine would be a G. pulchripes. My Grammostola pulchripes are very active as slings. My Brachypelma slings are all burrowing so I don't see them much. They will be much more visible when they reach juvenile / adult stage. My Aphonopelma slings are all burrowing as well.
 

MetallicArachnid

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I've actuallly checked out many of Eulersk's videos. They are extremely informative. What kind of conditions does the A. Chalcodes require? Regular terrestrial setup?
A. chalcodes are a great first spider, they're generally docile...though they do flick but their hair is pretty mild. For a setup deep, stable substrate, water dish and a starter burrow. Brachypelmas are the same as far as requirements go though I've found that they can be very skittish and tend to flick a lot which can lead to an itchy situation. Usually your Brachys are going to be docile though being skittish you have to be extremely careful if you plan to handle because they can bolt faster than you can possibly react which can leave you with a lost, injured or dead T.
 
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