Behavior characteristics of A. Seemani

sublimeskunk37

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Hello all,
I have discovered a T that appears to be an Aphonopelma seemani. It has all of the physical characteristics of an A. seemani, but the pet store that I go to had it listed as a "white stripe". Maybe it's the lost band member of the White Stripes? {D Anyways, it's definetly a steal;$19.99 and it is well over 3 1/2". I could go online and look up information about this species, but I know that all I will get is general information. I was looking for information about this species by my fellow Tarantula owners on here! I was just curious about their behavior and what certain living conditions do they require...Thanks guys!
 

Spider-man 2

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Well, keep it dry with a full water dish is what I would do, Peat moss is good for this species. Most of them are known to have a fiesty attitude, mine do.

To help with you identification:

Female A. seemanni




CONFIRMED mature male A. seemanni



Good luck and have fun.
 

becca81

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As Dwayne said, peat moss with a water dish is fine. I give mine the option of a hide and enough substrate to burrow if it chooses to and I've heard reports of this species doing both.

I've noticed them to be more skittish and nervous than anything else.
 

Conan

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Aw spider-man that is a relly pretty spider, normally i dont give random compliments but that guy(gal) is a beauty!
 

P.P.'s Mom

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Mine is deep, deep, deep, under the substrate. Although I never see her, I know she is busy bull-dozing all day and all night. The contours of the substrate's surface are always different!
 

sublimeskunk37

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Interesting....I thought A. Seemani was supposed to be brown? Uh oh...maybe I have my tarantulas messed up!!! All I know is it has a light tannish-brown hue to its body and its legs are white striped....?
 

Madeline

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A. Seemani are that blackish color after they molt and then they fade to the brown. You will probably want to put a plastic cup into the cage for it to hide in. They are very nervous and skittish, but they are pretty docile. My seemani has peat moss, a peanut butter jar lid with water in it, and a plastic cup. There is a picture of my female A. seemani in the forum Tarantula Pictures(the thread is called Freshly Molted A. seemani)
 

edesign

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i agree with becca...i've had mine (pushing 5") for a bit over a year now and she's never shown any aggression, just nervous and skittish at times, sometimes she won't move even if you push on her abdomen. It has burrowed on occasion, but now seems happy to sit on the substrate. The only time i've seen a threat display was when i moved her in to her new tank...she held it for about 20 minutes and then began wandering around.

Seemani's are brown but right after a molt they have some nice coloring...greenish tint almost, red hairs on the abdomen, and those cream colored stripes on the legs really stand out. there is also a blue phase seemani which appears to be the kind in the first couple of pictures posted by Dwayne.
 

Crotalus

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sublimeskunk37 said:
Interesting....I thought A. Seemani was supposed to be brown? Uh oh...maybe I have my tarantulas messed up!!! All I know is it has a light tannish-brown hue to its body and its legs are white striped....?
There are more then one color variant of seemanni, one is more brown and one is more blackish blue (before and after molt)

/Lelle
 

hike34

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I must say that my adult A.seemani is anything but calm...
She rears up at the wind blowing!!! :?

I own a H. maculata, P.murinus and a few C.gracile all of which are renowned son's of satan, and I don't fear any of them as I do my seemani. She actualy goes out of her way to get me!!

I don't get it. She also isn't a very good eater - woun't tough anything bu crickets (to my dismay, as I realy want to stop using them) and them only about 3 or 4 a month.
 

sublimeskunk37

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Crotalus said:
There are more then one color variant of seemanni, one is more brown and one is more blackish blue (before and after molt)

/Lelle
Yeah the one in the store is pretty much like the color of bark, that brown/tan color. I was just making sure it was an A. Seemani before I went out and bought it. Also she's in a little tank. She's well over 3", and she's in a 6"x3" by 5" tall enclosure which I feel is WAY too small for her! I'm just worried about handling her to try to transfer her to a new tank when I get her....I don't really want to handle her at the pet store because I know how stressful being at a place like that is, and frankly (knock on wood) I haven't gotten bit yet. But on the contrary, how am I supposed to know how docile it is? Augh help me guys haha...
 

becca81

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sublimeskunk37 said:
Yeah the one in the store is pretty much like the color of bark, that brown/tan color. I was just making sure it was an A. Seemani before I went out and bought it. Also she's in a little tank. She's well over 3", and she's in a 6"x3" by 5" tall enclosure which I feel is WAY too small for her! I'm just worried about handling her to try to transfer her to a new tank when I get her....I don't really want to handle her at the pet store because I know how stressful being at a place like that is, and frankly (knock on wood) I haven't gotten bit yet. But on the contrary, how am I supposed to know how docile it is? Augh help me guys haha...
Don't handle it at all. :)

You can transfer it to a new enclosure without handling it - which is safest for the spider.
 

sublimeskunk37

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hahaha!!! alright I won't...should I try to once it gets acclimated to her surroundings in a new tank?
 

dangerprone69

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A. seemanni is way too nervous to consider handling.

They also have a habit of hiding all the time, which for such a pretty spider is a drag because you never see it. Mine pops out once in a while. I use peat as a substrate and make sure there's water available.
 

edesign

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sublimeskunk37 said:
hahaha!!! alright I won't...should I try to once it gets acclimated to her surroundings in a new tank?
nope......
 

sublimeskunk37

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Yeah, so I'm thinking this Tarantula probably isn't a good fit for me. Thank you SO MUCH guys!
 

Cerbera

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and don't forget the escapes...

Another thing you should know about Seemanni is their inbuilt need to repeatedly test your tank security. I have never seen any spider anywhere make so much of a concerted effort to overcome anything trying to contain it.

Alot of observation has revealed that a happy seemanni is one that you hardly ever see. Mine has stopped her houdini missions now I've got her tank humidity right. (65% air humidity - no higher, contradictory to most caresheets)

If you need an animal you can handle, what about a hamster ? :)
 

becca81

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sublimeskunk37 said:
Yeah, so I'm thinking this Tarantula probably isn't a good fit for me. Thank you SO MUCH guys!
If you do want an animal that you can hold frequently - don't get any tarantula. There are some species that tolerate holding better than others, but even within those species each T has its own personality and it may or may not tolerate being handled.

Even trying to hold one in a petstore can be dangerous to the spider (since you don't "know" it) if it jumps, etc.

Cerbera said:
If you need an animal you can handle, what about a hamster ?
Hamsters bite. :) Get a rabbit.
 

wicked

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becca81 said:
Hamsters bite. :) Get a rabbit.

Have you ever been bitten by a rabbit? Its like someone took a pair of scissors to your finger. Give me the A seemanni bite anyday. LOL

Sublime its great that you are doing your research and trying to find the most compatible tarantula. Everyone has been offering you some very good advice. I can say from my very limited experience that despite their beginners T status some of the ones I have are not great candidates for handling. When you find the perfect T and if you decide to handle it, use your best judgement and always consider the safety of the T and yourself. Good luck!
 
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