Desert species suitable for beginners.

Newports

Arachnobaron
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B. Smithi seem nice,but because they are on the bit more pricey side, what other species do you guys think are great?

thanks
 

cliff

Arachnosquire
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A.chalcodes are real nice and very affordable.

Cliff :)
 

arrowhd

Arachnolord
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A.chalcodes are real nice and very affordable.

Make that 2 votes for A. chalodes.
 

Spike

Arachnobaron
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Make that 4. My first T beautiful and extremly docile species. :) Good luck
 
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NeitherSparky

Arachnosquire
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Make it 5. I only have one t, but she's a Tucson Blonde, and she's a fantastic pet. :)
 

Alice

Arachnoangel
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well, many grammostola species will work as well. but mind - even a t 'desert' species cannot be kept on sand. they need dry substrate, but it should be something suitable for digging like peat moss or potting soil.

btw. - i don't own an a chalcodes, but a friend of mine has three. all of them are totally psycho, to the point where they drip venom while maintaining a threat pose for minutes... so if you go for one (and they are certainly gorgeous), make sure you get a beginner-firendly specimen ;).
 

cheetah13mo

Arachnoking
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A. anax is good too. What about B. emelia or the most common A. hentzi. Just a few other suggestions.
 

CedrikG

Arachnoking
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Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens is a good desert species addition, no doubt.
 

mr_jacob7

Arachnoknight
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I have an Aphonopelma Pallidum, and he's very gentle. He's all brown, and only costed 20 bucks. I love 'em. He requires the same conditions that Alice stated. If u want a pic of him, check out my page by clicking on my username. :cool:
 

Scott C.

Arachnofloater
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I know people are usually against the more defensive sp. for beginners, but Pterinochilus murinus is one of the easiest sp. to care for, and one of the coolest Ts too. They have it all, a little attitude, over the top webbing, vibrant coloring, fast growing. Doesn't get any better than these guys for securing a long lived interest in tarantulas IMO. All you need is a bit of common sense, and a healthy respect for the speed, and you'll be just fine.
Great beginner sp.. It was mine.......
Good luck whichever way you go bud.
Cheers,
Scott
 

Brian S

ArachnoGod
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I know people are usually against the more defensive sp. for beginners, but Pterinochilus murinus is one of the easiest sp. to care for, and one of the coolest Ts too. They have it all, a little attitude, over the top webbing, vibrant coloring, fast growing. Doesn't get any better than these guys for securing a long lived interest in tarantulas IMO. All you need is a bit of common sense, and a healthy respect for the speed, and you'll be just fine.
Great beginner sp.. It was mine.......
Good luck whichever way you go bud.
Cheers,
Scott
I agree with you. They are dirt cheap and tuff as nails!! On the other hand, I dont think a B smithi is all that pricey. Perhaps more so than some others but man are they worth it!!
 

Newports

Arachnobaron
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Scott, thanks for the great suggestion. I think when I will purchase a trantula, I will definitely go for the baboon!

Thanks
 

CedrikG

Arachnoking
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The problem with Pterinochilus murinus and beginer's is'nt really the nervous behavior, but that it can be hiding 3 month without showing a leg.

From what I've read in the last years, someone that has less then 5 Ts, can find this species boring. What a beginer wants is a species that showitself and make good display spider. Of course, as an African keeper I think they're FASCINATING and I would suggest it all the way, they're the best ... but ... i've seen to many beginer desapointed from this species to think its a good choice.

If you still decide to get this species, you can always PM me question or ask on the forum for any good way to care of them, and prepare their environnement. Some people will provide a CRAP environment without hide, beause they say : Yeah well, I never see it if I dont provide this kind of environement ...

Yeah well, its the part of the deal, thats how this species act when you offer a good environnement, if you cannot deal with this fact, dont get this species... you know its like if someone was getting a dog, but was keeping its ass blocked with a piece of cotton to prevent him to shit, lol, its the part of the deal.
 
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Newports

Arachnobaron
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I understand totally what your saying. The Pterinochilus murinus would not be my first tarantula. Ive kept Eupalastrus campestratus, Haplopelma lividum, and Haplopelma schmidti before. But its just that its been a while.
I will just pick up more T's, what others do you suggest?
 

P. Novak

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Most, if not all, Grammostolas and Aphonopelmas and Brachypelma are somewhat desert species, and I just keep them on 50% "bed-a-beast" and 50% sand.
 

TheDarkFinder

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Most, if not all, Grammostolas and Aphonopelmas and Brachypelma are somewhat desert species, and I just keep them on 50% "bed-a-beast" and 50% sand.
You just made a statement, now please prove your statement. Prove that mosts, 70% of all grammostolas and brachypelmas come from a area that has less then a good solid number of 250. In fact try it for Aphonopelmas, you can not try do it, it is nearly impossible.

I will let you have the ones that even live around oasis, ie G. rosea. I will make a list too. Maybe post it next week. You know species+rainfall+link to varify what I'm saying.

If you are going to list a desert species I think the only fair thing to do is list your source with the statement. And do not do the "it was in a book" or my favorite "I saw it on a website"

B. smithi
Temp:20-26
Rainfall:400-1300mm possible over entire range.
B. smithi not a desert species how hard this that.
sorry no source need to look it up.
But for you none believers. here is a B. smithi habitat
http://www.bluechameleon.org/a---_James_fishing_for_redlegs.jpg
Here is a b. smithi in that habitat.
here try this
what is wrong with this picture?
OH yea no <edit> desert. No sand, no sun, no cactus. Just a spider, her rock, and the forest she lives in.

This is not hard. Man.
 

P. Novak

ArachnoGod
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thats why I said "somewhat", they "can" be kept like desert species(should of clarified) and prefer it like that, in my mind desert means dry.
 

Scott C.

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The problem with Pterinochilus murinus and beginer's is'nt really the nervous behavior, but that it can be hiding 3 month without showing a leg.......
Good point. I failed to mention that I don't bother my T's very much, and not seeing them for months at a time never bothered me. As Baboon said, if you provide it with a proper environment, the chances are high that you won't see it often, during the day anyway.

As alternatives I, personally, would go with either Brachypelma smithi, or Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. Truth be told though, if you provide any T with an good environment full of hiding spots, and room for burrows, you're more than likely not going to see much of it during the day. I've got a lot of T's, and I don't really see much of them at all. Even the rosy has her burrow, which she spends nearly all the day in.
 
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