Beginner Spider?

[Olan]

Brachypelma vagans! The best beginner!
Closely followed by Grammostola pulchripes.

 

[Olan]

Double post

 

[Jones0911]

So, I've been intensively researching about Tarantulas the last few weeks and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for good starter tarantulas? I have zero experience with dealing with them but I stumbled on a picture of a P. Metallica and my end goal is to one day have one.

Also hi, I'm Autumn or Whisper!

Grammostola pulchripes Or any from that genus

The brackyplema genus

Lasiodora Genus

 

[Jones0911]

Definitely not cheap.

There's some for $25....that's inexpensive

 

[Rittdk01]

There's some for $25....that's inexpensive

That’s for a tiny spiderling. An adult red knee is well over $100. I would assume nobody wants a spiderling that’s going to take years to grow as an intro to tarantula keeping.

 

[Venom1080]

Brachypelma albopilosum is the best beginner spider I've ever had. My B vagans was one of the meanest spiders I ever owned

 

[JoP]

That’s for a tiny spiderling. An adult red knee is well over $100. I would assume nobody wants a spiderling that’s going to take years to grow as an intro to tarantula keeping.

Not always true! I've kept inverts for a long time, but purposely chose a 1/4" Euathlus sp. sling as my first T because I like watching the little babies grow! I'll admit it's probably not as exciting as having a juvi or adult capable of impressive prey takedowns, but I enjoy it.

 

[johnny quango]

All of the above............But I'd look for Lasiodorides polycuspulatus a truly beautiful if slightly rare often overlooked species

 

[efmp1987]

1. I would recommend a juvenile or a sub-adult as a start. It's always preferable to have something that is not a delicate as a sling when you are still in the learning phase, where there is a greater margin for error which can result in the death of the spiderling.

Speaking of which people also have to understand that not everybody is enthralled at the prospect of raising a sling. Just because you like slings that it means the next person does too.

2. Go for something more exotic, but one that is still within the beginner territory. Go for something more uncommon. Decide after : Do you like the hobby? Or do you not? If you end up with "do you not" and you bought something that everyone's mother, brother, sister, or grandmother has, you will be hard-pressed to find someone to sell the spider to (I have heard horror stories of people killing their T's when they cannot sell it, or worse, release it somewhere where it is not native).

3. Get a female as your first. With the amount of sellers/breeders around, it's easy peazy to get a female spider. There are new users who post on the forums proudly showing their first T's that turned out to be mature males, only for them to die several months later.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Brachypelma albopilosum is probably the best readily available beginner species, they're one of the fastest growing species out of the genus, have a great appetite and feeding response, are pretty active (as Brachys go) and have an easy temperament (I've never heard of anyone with an evil one anyway), they're adorable little fuzzballs.

My B vagans was one of the meanest spiders I ever owned

My sling is a ballsy little bugger, I shine a light in its container and it comes charging out of its burrow towards the light, it's pretty funny tbh.

I'm waiting to see if it'll give my B. hamorii a run for its money in the "evil Brachypelma" department as it gets bigger.

 

[PanzoN88]

E. Sp. red

I have no recent pictures (within the last few months), but here is a picture of my female:



B. hamorii

This is the only picture I've taken of my female:



Hope this helps, after 3 months on this forum (or less) we will have pulled you into our large web (no pun intended, well maybe somewhat intended).

 

[BC1579]

@Tomoran's list.

Hard to go against his suggestions.

I think you have to weigh out what you want in a tarantula. Personally, I enjoy watching the predation. Color isn't as big of a factor for me. L. parahybana aren't super active, don't make intricate webs and probably wouldn't be considered among the most beautiful Ts. However, it is a pretty easy keeper and eats like a pig. It's right up my alley.

GBB is probably another decent choice, as they also eat well and unlike the LP, make crazy webs and are super colorful. They can be a bit quick and skittish, but I think they keep pretty easily and wouldn't be a huge challenge for a new keeper.

 

[Wayfarin]

I know that my response is a little late, but it's more for other people who are reading this thread.
If you want to practice the art of keeping arachnids, look no further than your own house, attic, or garage. Whoever or wherever you are, you probably have some dust mites hiding in your dwelling place, but as for arachnids that you can see, there are probably also cellar spiders.
The pet spiders that most people have, that few people asked for.
Most of them are small, but if you are fortunate, you may find a large one. We have a ton of large cellar spiders in our house. They are super docile and prefer not to bite anyone they can't eat. Their bites are also less severe than a mosquito bite, and all but the largest can't even bite.
You can keep them in almost any transparent tank, glass, cup, or container. Just put a cover on it, and patiently watch to see if it builds a web. Discourage the spider if it tries to stick the cover and the abode together with its silk. That way, you can open the spider habitat without destroying the web.
If the spider builds a large and comfortable web on the bottom of the abode, then remove the lid.
100% impossible-to-kill-by-neglect pet spider. It's impossible to kill because if you forget to feed it, it will probably be able to escape and fend for itself.
Feed it a tiny insect a few days after capture to ensure that it's not starving.
After that, feed it any tiny live insect or spider you can find once a month. You probably won't need to buy feeder insects, but you can keep small crickets and mealworms with you as backup. Just note that the feeder insects will probably be more demanding than the actual spider!
A meal a month. Maybe two meals, just to make sure that the spider is hydrated. If you can commit to that, then you can put the spider in a tank with a lid.
For even less maintenance, put the spider's lidless abode near a lamp or flashlight at night. Free indoor moth trap.
Just don't shake or disturb the spider's abode, and it will probably stay.
Not the most exciting pet spider, but by far the best beginner.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

I have a suggestion....use the search feature at the top of AB's site.

This question has been asked so many times if I had $1 for everytime it was asked I'd be a millionaire.

Also a HUGE NO on a P. metallica for someone with zero tarantula rehousing experience.

 

[TechnoGeek]

So, I've been intensively researching about Tarantulas the last few weeks and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for good starter tarantulas? I have zero experience with dealing with them but I stumbled on a picture of a P. Metallica and my end goal is to one day have one.

Also hi, I'm Autumn or Whisper!

I'm not an expert, just another keeper, been in the hobby for a bit over 4 years, and I only keep new world Ts.

With this disclaimer out of the way, I have multiple suggestions. I think the best first spider depends on what you want.

If you want the most chill species, get a G pulchra, unless you're on a tight budget in which case I recommend a Tliltocatl albo (aka curly hair tarantula).

If you're one of those newcomers fascinated by the idea of huge spiders, and don't mind something a bit more spicy, then the top 2 species be A geniculata or L parahybana.

If you want the best looks and unique colors, consider Caribena versicolor, or a GBB (green bottle blue).

Best of luck.

 

[cadman01]

So, I've been intensively researching about Tarantulas the last few weeks and I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for good starter tarantulas? I have zero experience with dealing with them but I stumbled on a picture of a P. Metallica and my end goal is to one day have one.

Also hi, I'm Autumn or Whisper!

Welcome to the group. As a newbie myself, I will say to check out a T.albo (curly hair). Beautiful T, and mellow. Terrestrial, easy to care for. There are other, more colorful species out there, I am sure others will have more suggestions on. T.albo is pretty laid back and almost too chill for some….

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I have a suggestion....use the search feature at the top of AB's site.

This question has been asked so many times if I had $1 for everytime it was asked I'd be a millionaire.

Also a HUGE NO on a P. metallica for someone with zero tarantula rehousing experience.

I'm not an expert, just another keeper, been in the hobby for a bit over 4 years, and I only keep new world Ts.

With this disclaimer out of the way, I have multiple suggestions. I think the best first spider depends on what you want.

If you want the most chill species, get a G pulchra, unless you're on a tight budget in which case I recommend a Tliltocatl albo (aka curly hair tarantula).

If you're one of those newcomers fascinated by the idea of huge spiders, and don't mind something a bit more spicy, then the top 2 species be A geniculata or L parahybana.

If you want the best looks and unique colors, consider Caribena versicolor, or a GBB (green bottle blue).

Best of luck.

Welcome to the group.

The OP of this resurrected thread hasn't logged in to the site since 2018

This is why I generally use the filter function to sort the forums by first message as it shows the most recently created threads (rather than last message which moves any thread that was recently commented on to the top of the forum).

 

[Arachnophobphile]

The OP of this resurrected thread hasn't logged in to the site since 2018

This is why I generally use the filter function to sort the forums by first message as it shows the most recently created threads (rather than last message which moves any thread that was recently commented on to the top of the forum).

View attachment 420889

Oh man, even worse it's from 2017

Yeah it's time I start using the filter.