I was talking to a friend of mine this week who is VERY interested in getting a T. He didn't even realise that he could own one. I passed off some books that I told him he HAD to read before I hooked him up. But he asked me one question that had me stumped : Whch T is still rather docile yet grows quite big ? The first one that popped into my head was the golden knee ( Grammostola aureostriata ) Would I be right, or is there a better one for him ?
Big but not bad....
- Thread starter Nitibus
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That's the only one I can think of. L. parahybana will try to eat everything that moves (unless you end up with a rare calm specimen, those do exist), as will most A. geniculata and the like.
I have a 2" or so aureostriata, it's kind of nervous and spazzy, but it just runs and hides. Has never tried to bite or kick hairs, though it does "slap" water when I pour it onto the dirt in one corner of the tank. (Mine can't have a water bowl of any kind, it just flips them over in less than a day.) It will probably calm down as it gets bigger, I think, and doesn't feel so terribly edible.
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I also think a grammostola pulchra is a great choice. They can grow really large, and a very docile.
i was considering the grammostola pulchra before i got my grammostola aureostriata. Both are kind of expensive so perhaps your friend should just choose one that he finds most visually appealing (that's what i did).
Or better yet, since it seems that once you get one T you're likely to get another, he should start with a Rose Hair (great starter spider and inexpensive) and then move up to a g. aureostriata/g.puchra when he's willing to make the larger $$$ investment.
just my two cents...
Or better yet, since it seems that once you get one T you're likely to get another, he should start with a Rose Hair (great starter spider and inexpensive) and then move up to a g. aureostriata/g.puchra when he's willing to make the larger $$$ investment.
just my two cents...
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Actually, not really. I got mine as a 1" sling for free from Swift's. I don't think they're on the freebie list anymore, his aureos have grown too big to be given away like that, but some other place/s might do it.
Even then, I think he's got decent-sized slings for like twenty bucks. Not *too* terribly pricey, as tarantula species go. And aureos are great to get as slings, they're sturdy and grow at a half-decent rate.
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it all depends on how big you buy your spider. Small pulchras aren't that expensive. Big disadvantage of both grammostola rosea and grammostola pulchra is that they grow very slowly. Most big gr. roseas that are cheap are caught in the wild which is someting I try to advoid if I can (they are really caught massively in the wild). I don't know anything about the aureostriata
i think i got taken for a ride then. I got the g. aureostriatum (1.5 inches) for 70 bucks :S the g. pulchra was 80 :wall:
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I bought a 6 cm Pulchra for about 20 dollars here. I wouln't pay the prices you named for an adult species. Are these US dollars?
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JEEZ. Last time I saw a pulchra sling it was $40. Did you buy from a pet store? Those places always jack up the prices two or three times what the major dealers would charge.
Yes, a Pet Store in Mississauga, Ontario Canada.
For my next T [Antilles Pinktoe (Avicularia versicolor) I think i'm going to get it online.
I know this is sort of deviating from the original topic, and i'm sorry Nitibus for this, but how much SHOULD i be looking to spend on an a. versicolour?
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Prices will vary depending on where you live. The Ts that are readily available and affordable in Europe, may cost an arm and a leg here, and vice versa.
I have had a G pulchra for two years. She was 2.5" when I got her, now she is around 3". I have never seen anything grow sooooooooooo slow in all my life. My B smithi slings have outgrown her and they started out at 1"! She was $75 unsexed (but suspected and later confirmed, female)
I have heard Chacos grow at a more reasonable rate.
I have had a G pulchra for two years. She was 2.5" when I got her, now she is around 3". I have never seen anything grow sooooooooooo slow in all my life. My B smithi slings have outgrown her and they started out at 1"! She was $75 unsexed (but suspected and later confirmed, female)
I have heard Chacos grow at a more reasonable rate.
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The problem with G.pulchra, that here in the US they are currently hard to find, and when you do find them, they are pricey when you do find them. (Last time I saw one for sale it was $125 for a 3 in unsexed (suspected female))
G.aurestriata is your friends best bet, easy to find and relatively cheap. Though as with most ts the bigger it gets the more expensive it will be. Though it is a slow grower grower not as bad as some (my sling in 1 year went from 0.5 to about 1.5 inches my G.rose in the same time went from 0.5 to 0.6 inches))
G.aurestriata is your friends best bet, easy to find and relatively cheap. Though as with most ts the bigger it gets the more expensive it will be. Though it is a slow grower grower not as bad as some (my sling in 1 year went from 0.5 to about 1.5 inches my G.rose in the same time went from 0.5 to 0.6 inches))
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tell your friend to order one of the slings from Next Year Reptiles.. I am pretty sure they still have Chaco slings right now
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Next year reptiles is actually has a febuary special on right now and yes there are G.aureostriata available. 1" for $15. Very healthy and very well taken care of. :clap: Check out the link I have on here and just let them know I sent ya.
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I know you have them. I saw a beauty at Big Al's in town... I almost bought
You guys need to hook me up with a Smithi female first
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Sent you a pm Nitibus....maybe I can help ya outI know you have them. I saw a beauty at Big Al's in town... I almost bought
You guys need to hook me up with a Smithi female first
I personally hace a chaco and a rose hair. The rose hair I bought rather large, 6 inch for about $20 and she just recently molted into a 6.75" in rosie. The Chaco I bought was about a 2" incher for $60 and it also just molted into a 3" incher. These were both beginner spiders for me and they are really easy to take care of but I believe that the Chaco is going to be the best bet for a fast large grower.
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I actually just helped a friend of mine get into the hobby, and he decided to get a G. aureostriata as well. www.scottstarantulas.com has 1.25" - 1.5" female s'lings for $32 at the moment, and if you want an aureo i'd say that's probably your best bet, as he guarantees its a female and it's cheaper than most of the other prices I've seen in this thread.