blondi not good for first T

[ricneto]

Hi
I am thinking on getting my first T.
I really love the T. blondi but I am a bit worried about the keeping. When is stated in the begginers thread that they are not good for begginers is because they are to difficult to keep, too agressive or...?
I have kept P. regius for 6 years, water turtles and a rat snake.
Do you think it's too much sand for my truck?:8o
I kept a house spider in Portugal and actually managed to breed her (more luck than knowledge at the time)
It is my first post as well.

Thanks

 

[Daniel_h]

i dont think there is any problem looking after them....if you keep an eye on humidity/ventilation etc you will be fine

 

[ricneto]

Thanks for the reply!

My first reply

I think I will get a Blondi!

As soon as I get it I will post some pics

 

[JMoran1097]

i love how you're convinced just after one reply.

 

[Okitasoshi]

I think having a T.Blondi as your only tarantula is a good idea. I think most T.Blondi's die because the owner has too many T's to take care of.

I've never personally kept T Blondi but I hear you gotta keep him more humid then the rest, so I'd look into Green tree python setups, as GTP's need more humidity than most snakes, cause I know they usually layer the substrate or something, I was thinking you could do the same.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Ok here's another one.

No big problem having a blondi as a starter, unless you expect to cuddle it every evening.

 

[ricneto]

Why? do you think it's not a good option?

I am not thinking on handling the T.

 

[bliss]

The T blondi isn't necessarily a bad beginner T, but it is not usually recommended. the reason is because the hairs and because they need so much humidity, ventilation, and adequate warmth. their urticating hairs are horrible, i know from experience. (i've had them in my eye b4, don't ask me how... ) so i would never hold my blondi.
whenever you clean the cage, get ready for a very itchy and frustrating ordeal, good spiders, but hair is bad.

your choice though

 

[Okitasoshi]

if it's just a display Tarantula go ahead and get it, he just means you can't touch it.

 

[ricneto]

Thanks!

No I am not thinking on handling it.

I had a P regius, not a green python, but I think T and hum parameters must be simmilar to the Blondi.

 

[ricneto]

The maintnance of the terrarium is one of my main worries, I don't know the normal behaviour of a T.
I was thinking on using disposable latex gloves.

 

[dbozic]

Hrvatska

I had one t.blondi he/she was 4" ,he/she eatet a lot cocroaches and crickets and everything , but he/she died after a month i dont understand why, i think that the terrain i put in her terrarium was not good for her

 

[Alice]

hi, and welcome to your new addction... uh, hobby

if you get a t blondi as a first t (and i don't think it's impossible if you have kept terrarium animals before), you should

1) make sure you read up very well on it's humidity/ventilation/temperature requirements and meet them all. best to set the tank up a week before buying the t to get it perfect. also, blondis are heavy ts that may die in a fall - so make sure that there is no more space then the t's legspan between the substrate and the tank's lid.

2) wear latex gloves during maintainance - the hairs are bad, but they are worse if you develop an allergy (been there, done that, hated it). and don't hold it, but you already seem to have made up your mind on that point

3) better get a juvenile/adult than a small sling. the small ones are damn fast and bolt more easily. and while the big ones might be agressive, they tend to threat display rather than jump around in the tank.

4) take great care with the water supply and don't overfeed. they are agressive eaters and tend to get obese if offered too much food. also, molting problems seem to turn up more often with obese blondis or blondis feed with a lot of vertebrate prey. stick to roaches/grasshoppers/crickets if you want to be on the safe side.

but if you area responsible keeper, you should be fine, even with a blondi for a first t. if however, you do not feel confident around large spiders yet, there are other, less agressive, less itchy and less complicated large species to start with. some of them like lasiodora parahybana or l. klugi even much cheaper than blondis .

anyway, good luck with your first t!

 

[Merfolk]

I say like the others... They are harder to keep, but that doean't mean obligate failure, you could very much succeed!

 

[JMoran1097]

i'd start with something that's easier to care for and somewhat more docile. perhaps an A.Avic for your first arboreal or G.Rosea for your first terrestrial. At least until you feel comfortable around those. These spiders are a bitch when it comes to flicking hairs and get huge. Just know that they are just a "show" spider and not really recommended for starters in the hobby.

 

[ricneto]

thank you for all the info!!:razz:

I think I will get one.

I wil try to set up the terrarium this w.end and get it in 1 or 2 weeks!

 

[AfterTheAsylum]

Finally, something on T. blondi on the boards! I've kept these guys for years... always having at least 15 at any given time.

I don't necessarily think that the T. blondi is a bad beginner, but I also wouldn't encourage it as a beginner. Out of all the T's that I have ever kept, I will say that you have to take better care of blondi. T. blondi, in my experience, has had more problems than any other tarantula. I think that what it boils down to is that I'd rather have a problem with any other T, than to have it with a blondi. I would personally recommend starting with one other T first, before the blondi. Maybe L. parahybana.

T.S.

 

[Moltar]

If you want a BIG spider the L. parahybana gets almost as big and is considerably easier to keep. they tolerate drier conditions and are a little more docile. G. aureostriata is especially easy to keep as well. They only grow to about 8" rather than 10"-11" like the blondi and parahybana but they are SWEET!. Bulldozers with legs; they reconstruct he whole tank every so often.

 

[AubZ]

I have to say that there is alot of informative info on here. I would love a T Blondi, but due to availability & being a newbie when I started, I opted for a G Rosea adult. Very placid T to deal with. Doesn't get all aggro on you when cleaning. I have just gotten a Juvi L Parabyhana for the reason of wanting a 'big' T that was not that hard to keep. I think that most people out there new to the hobby only want a Blondi cuz of its size. But as you can see here, it is a difficult T to keep and those hairs have caused many people to actually sell their Blondi's.
However, I believe in doing all the research before buying any T & if you have read all this and still decide on one, then go for it. At least you know what you are letting yourself in for. If any of this troubles you, go for a L Parabyhana.

 

[JMoran1097]

i'd love to get a T.Blondi, but i'd hafta get a nice, big 'ol glass terrarium soon and i don't have the money.