coolest true spider in the hobby?

ornamentalist

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 2, 2010
Messages
196
whats the coolest true spider to own? I saw loads at hamburg but didnt know anything about them. I own tons of t's but want a wicked spider that looks nice, active, and lives long. I dont mind how evil they are lol. (i love the violent individuals) thanks
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Apr 11, 2007
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I think some of the very coolest trues are Phoneutria species but that may be a bit above your level of expertise (judging from the nature of your question and the join date). On the same note, Sicarius have some fantastic behaviors but are an equally bad idea for anybody but the most very experienced keepers.

If it's a webber you want, I get lots of enjoyment out of keeping widows. Despite their toxicity, they are fairly harmless due to their timid nature. Wolf spiders and Fishing spiders (Dolomedes spp) are fairly cool too and easy to keep. Their behavior, especially the wolfies, are not unlike your typical terrestrial tarantula. Care is somewhat similar as well.

I've left out trapdoor spiders, which are also quite cool but being mygalomorphs they aren't really "true" spiders.
 

ornamentalist

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 2, 2010
Messages
196
i didnt see any of the above at hamburg i dont think :( especially the wanderer. Are they allowed to sell them at expos? I would also like a whip scorpion but again, im completely clueless about them. Hoping to get a true spider after christmas, probably a wolfie :)
 

dannyboypede

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
142
The coolest I have is my Dolomedes tenebrosus. I would think that any Dolomedes would be loads of fun...mine is!!!

--Dan
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
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Whipscorpions are great fun and fairly easy to keep. Just give them a simple arboreal setup and keep it somewhat humid. They bring a high "wow factor" to your collection and if you get a pair they breed fairly easily (so i've heard) and will live communally.
 

revilo

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 2, 2010
Messages
173
hi,

my tip :

ancylometes rufus !
very big, eatmachines, really fast if necessary, interessting behavior, active,
good looking (males with white marginal bands on carapace),...

regards, oli

p.s.: in germany trade with all this mentioned species above is allowed.
 

Scourge

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
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Jan 3, 2005
Messages
278
If you're living in England then you won't be able to (legally) keep Phoneutria or Latrodectus etc, without obtaining a DWA license.
 

Merfolk

Arachnoprince
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Dec 13, 2005
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All large huntsmans, and jumping spiders. I also like Lycosidae and Dolomedes...
 

Vespula

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
706
My vote's for Jumpers and Wolfies! They're awesome and fun to keep!
 

davisfam

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
287
Here's our intake on this question thus far in our experience with True spiders;

If your looking for more of a "chill" spider that doesn't require too much attention then I would go for a species of the Widow. These spidiies are extremely easy to take care of and don't require much besides a medium-large sized 'home' and a large meal about once a month along with the occasional mist to their web, of course. Other than that, this species is mostly fun to just watch as they tend to be little perfectionists, LOL! :p We've owned a few Widows and have found them to be very "chill" and fun to watch when active. Watch out tho, with females, your most likely going to have multiple egg sacs.. we've never had a fertile one soo, we don't have much input in that aspect! ;]

Widow Information: http://bugguide.net/node/view/1999

If your wanting an extremely active spidiie then Jumper spidiies would def. be the way to go. These spidiies have a VERY large variety of colorations among ALL the different species; soo many to choose from! :p Jumpers don't get big in size but watching these little guys in action is pretty neat; they just LOVE when it's meal time! LOL! We don't have too much experience with Jumpers soo, we can't provide too much information there, sorry!

Jumper Information: http://bugguide.net/node/view/1962


If your wanting a larger sized spidiie with a docile attitude then a species from the Dolomedes genus would be perfect. We've own quite a few of these spidiies and just LOVE them! :) The females of some species can get up to 4" with leg span and are very beautiful creatures. ALL of the Fishing spidiies we have owned have been VERY docile even to the point of handling although it's not recommended because this species LOVES to jump, believe it or not, and are EXPERTS.. We had one jump a couple feet from us before, it's kinda funny but just a warning, LOL! :p This species can be active especially the semi-aquatic species, they will actually go down and sit in their water dishes.. it's soo neat! :] They are brutal feeders and even if they are not interested in a meal, our Fishing spidiies will rip and tear the prey to shreds before just dropping the pieces to the 'floor' of their homes; it's their way of saying "NO THANKS!".. kinda creepy how brutal, especially with moths; their favorite meal ;) Fishing spidiies are def. our second favorite!

Dolomedes Information:http://bugguide.net/node/view/1985

Our personal favorite for larger spidiies are, without a doubt, Wolfiies. These spidiies are extremely aggressive and can also reach sizes of 4". In fact, the H. carolinensis is the largest Wolf spider in North America :D We've been on the hunt for one of these for months! LOL! Wolfiies are ground hunting spiders and tend to be VERY aggressive when attacking their prey. Some species of Wolfiies create burrows in the ground in which they retreat to for protection; burrowing Wolfiies will "pop out" of their burrows when wanting a meal or sensing prey near by. It's such a neat thing to watch; meal time is the BEST with Wolfiies! :D There are also MANY different species with Wolfiies; the genus Paradosa tends to be the smaller species of the Wolfiies with the genus Hogna having some of the largest species of Wolfiies. These spidiies don't require too much except for a large enough 'home' for the Wolfiie to roam around and hunt with substrate, a water dish with cotton ball, and all that jazz, of course. Wolfiies tend to be extremely active; all the Wolfiies we've owned have roamed around in their cages when not in their burrows, it can be quite entertaining to watch them. GREAT spidiies! :]

Wolfiie Information: http://bugguide.net/node/view/1967

Overall, Wolfiies and Jumpers are probably the most fun to own! :razz: GOOD LUCK!!
 

Beardo

Arachnoprince
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Jan 13, 2004
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Sicarius seem much cooler than they actually are.......I kept a few earlier this year and they were almost boring as Rose-Hairs, except they stayed burrowed in the sand 99.9% of the time. I never saw them. It was like having a container full of sand, lol.
 

Lorum

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
111
Sicarius seem much cooler than they actually are.......I kept a few earlier this year and they were almost boring as Rose-Hairs, except they stayed burrowed in the sand 99.9% of the time. I never saw them. It was like having a container full of sand, lol.
Well, I think it depends on what you are looking for in a spider (sorry if my grammar is terrible).

Some people like spiders that can be seen very often, some people like spiders who like to burrow, even if they can see them only at feeding time. You can choose different spiders for different purposes.;) I have some Loxosceles sp. and they do nothing more than stay on the same spot day after day, but anyway I enjoy watching them, hehe.
 

ornamentalist

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 2, 2010
Messages
196
many many thanks for all your replies and suggestions! Will definately be giving jumpers and wolfies a look! Hehe! Hope u all have a nice xmas :)
 

The Spider Faery

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
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Apr 19, 2009
Messages
696
Firstly, I enjoy my Heteropoda davidbowie. It is lightning fast, especially when attacking food. It pounces. Otherwise, it is very chill like a tarantula, and unique looking.

Secondly, I was lucky enough to find a lovely Steatoda triangulosa. Man, these have gorgeous triangle markings on their abdomen. To admire them close up is pure beauty. Plus they have that 'widow' look but are not as dangerous venom-wise as a widow or even other species of steatoda, for those of us not ready to take that plunge. ;)
 

davisfam

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
287
I'm assuming it was captive bred since it came from Tarantula Canada, the most reputable arachnid dealer in my country.
We weren't doubting your arachnid dealer's credibility, just curious if this species was endangered or not. If not, we wouldn't mind owning one and with our Reptile Expo coming up next month, we were just wondering if we needed a permit to own this species, if allowed in the United States.

Thanks! :)
 

The Spider Faery

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Messages
696
We weren't doubting your arachnid dealer's credibility, just curious if this species was endangered or not. If not, we wouldn't mind owning one and with our Reptile Expo coming up next month, we were just wondering if we needed a permit to own this species, if allowed in the United States.

Thanks! :)
I don't know about permits and such in the States. I'm not aware of one being necessary in Canada, but perhaps Tarcan or The Red Queen would know because they do deal internationally, so maybe they're aware of the specifics.
 
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