Do you get one or multiples?

[AneesasMuse]

Hey,

I'm just curious... the more I get involved in the Tarantula hobby, the more I see a variety of approaches to it. I know, to be expected and all that jazz...

..but I'm curious about some things and who better to ask, right?

Do you purchase singles or multiples when introducing a new species to your collection? Why?

Do you prefer tiny s'lings or "juvie" size or adults? Why?

Do you stay away from "under-rated" tarantulas or do you have an affinity to them? Why?

Do I ask too many questions? ...I'll answer that one.. YEP!


Thanks in advance,
~Aminah


P.s. Is it bad that I've acquired as many spiders in 2 days as I've had for the duration of my hobby?

 

[moose35]

yea you ask way too many questions. what the heck is wrong with you? do you think we have time to anwser all these questions?

just kidding. me personally usually just buy singles. i'm not in it for breeding so it dosen't really matter what i get.(M/F)
as far as size i try to buy slings...reasons are...price, you get to raise it from a baby.
no tarantula can be under-rated. so don't worry about that.


but my theory is if i want it i buy it. no matter size or price.


moose

p.s. stop asking questions

 

[Rydog]

I get both slings and juvies and I only get two of the more expensive T's just because then there is a higher chance of one being female and one male etc. I am trying to limit my collection to pokies, lasiodoras, and grammostola so I do descriminate.

 

[sick4x4]

1. depends on the availability....usually i want at least 2 of each of the t's i own, with some of my more desirables going into the 6's....

2. again depends on the price? slings of rarer species go for less then the juv's but i prefer sexed juv's when i can get them....

3. well if your buying t's all of the time you will usually get "underrated"(i didn't think there were any lol) as freebies soo why pay for them....

4. yeah.......j/k

 

[jen650s]

1. I usually purchase between 2 & 4 of each species I get. It gives me a better sampling of their behaviors and I might have the opportunity to breed them when they are ready.

2. I generally get either slings or juvies. They are a better price and will eventually grow into adults (except for G.roseas which never seem to grow-up ). And since I seem to have a knack for acquiring males that is an advantage.

3. I always try to have some of the under-rated Ts around because those are often the best choices for education (pet rocks are fairly unscary).

4. Too many questions...not if you learn from the asking and answering.

 

[spid142]

I buy single slings, when I want something I have planned to buy, since I enjoy the challenge of raising my Ts from slings, M/F doesnt matter, I am happy with whatever I get, altho eventually I hope for a M/F pair, for possible breeding later. If, I am visiting a pet shop, and I see a T, I may spur-of-the-moment buy, and then I usually go for a bigger juvie. Just depends, really.

 

[TTstinger]

It really all depends on what you want to do in the hobby do you want to breed? do you want to breed big time and be a dealer? do you just want to collect? do you want to research them? it all really depends on you what do you want to do?

 

[WARPIG]

I have 50/50 between juvies and slings, although if available, I would buy sexed juvies of T's I really must have.

 

[sparular]

For me it depends on the species. It's nice to get species like Aviculari versicolor or Chromatopelma cyanopubescens as slings as they have interesting juvenile coloration and it's fun to watch them change. Fast growers like Poecilotheria or Ptrinochilus are also a good deal since they are good sized before you know it. Slow growers like Brachypelmas can be a good investment as sub adults or adults since most juvies are brown or the same color as adults and they take can take years to mature.
Young spiders molt about every 3 weeks-8weeks so you have more molts to go wrong in a shorter span. They also dry out faster than adults, so proper humidity is more crucial. Also they require smaller food that can be hard to find/prepare particularly when they are under 3/4".
Those are the pros and cons as I see them.
Spar

 

[BigHairy8's]

Dude! Welcome to the addiction! Have fun with it!

1. I prefer juvies over slings. Juvies have molted several times and are pretty well established. Although I have raised a "few" from slings and would never turn one down for a good deal or a "freebie."

2. On certain species, I like to get two or three of the same. It's interesting to see how different their personalities are while they grow, even though they are from the same egg sack.

3. Cost? For the most part, I don't worry too much about it. If I see a T I like..., it's mine. I once purchased an adult female X. Immanis. Uh, huh. One of my favorites today. If it strikes me, I'll buy it/ them.

4. Under rated? Who can turn down a good looking T of any kind. Or the " I don't know what this is, but you can have it." Gotta love love em all!

 

[Steven.WK]

I always buy multiples so I can get at least one female. I do plan on breeding my tarantulas though. Also males don't live very long so if you would like to keep that species for more than a few years then get at least 3 lings.

I like slings because they are cheaper and I can watch them grow and see the different morphs they go through. But if you are only getting one T you might want to consider getting a sexed juv or adult.

What do you mean by underrated? Do you mean species that are not very popular or expensive? I do find myself staying away from the very common species now. But I did keep them in the past and I just don't have enough space for them anymore. I love Brachys but can't stand the hairs so I stay away from them. So you really got to try them first hand to know what’s right for you. You can always sell or trade off any spiders you don't like.

 

[AneesasMuse]

These are great answers!! Thanks to all of you!

I am not planning to breed just yet... just got started with this hobby last year (August)... but was really curious to see folks buy multiples pretty often (even people that don't plan to breed). I understand the whole concept of odds to get a female, but I didn't realize it was that important to non-breeders, too. I just give everyone a female name or reference and HOPE

I really like slings... tiny, cute.. get to see all the various morphs or whatever (ie. A. versi, for instance); watching them grow; and getting to "know" them.

I'm not sure what I mean by "underrated", actually. It has been suggested to me recently and I had no idea the specific T that I acquired was "underrated". I see the term used on various sites, as well. Anyhow... I like my T's... err, slings... however "underrated".


I experienced my first adult death the other day... that was pretty sad. I've only lost a tiny C. fasciatum sling when I first started out, and it wasn't so bad I guess.. I didn't really have time to get attached.

My last 3 additions have been "oppurtunistic burrowers/ground dwellers", so I think it's time for some more semi arboreal/arboreals... like a POKIE and possibly a OBT!!


Thanks again, everyone! Don't stop here.. keep the answers coming! I'm learning quite a bit.

 

[beetleman]

i most always get 2 of everything,slings/juvies/adults which ever is availible,but mostly adults if their avail. so i know the sex on them

 

[luna]

I'm not sure what I mean by "underrated", actually. It has been suggested to me recently and I had no idea the specific T that I acquired was "underrated". I see the term used on various sites, as well. Anyhow... I like my T's... err, slings... however "underrated".

When I hear "underrated" the impression I get is that it is a really nice spider, but people do not give them the same monetary value as others usually because they are so easy to obtain.

My idea of nice is something with either good color, large size, or super easy to care for.

Spiders that are frequently classified as such are Pterinochilus murinus, Psalmopoeus cambridgei, Lasiodora parahybana & Brachypelma vagans . All of these are beautiful and you can often get extremely good deals on them.

 

[markface]

all the T's i have bought so far have been bought in singles , although i do now have 2 G. roseas ( male and female) and 2 A. avics ( female and unsexed) . i'm new to the hobby so i hadn't considered doing any breeding for a while , but when i had a chance to get a MM G. rosea for 7 bucks to go with my huge female i couldn't say no . for the most part right now though i'm just trying to learn as much as i can about as many different T's as i can .

i dont care if a T is under rated or not , if i like the way it looks i get it if i can .

of the 10 T's i have now , 3 were adults when i got them , 3 were sub adults , 2 were juvies , and 2 were slings . once again , if it's something i like i get it reguardless of what stage of life it's in .

i had figured on eventually breeding some T's , but not any time soon . i have now ended up putting my MM G. rosea together with my female twice with successful insertions both times . the first time was the day after he made a sperm web , so i guess i'm already doing some breeding although i have no plans to do any more for quite a while . i have a bad habit of jumping in with both feet when i find something i find interesting , and right now T's are just fasinating to me .

 

[Drachenjager]

well right now i want A.moderatum female for breeding project, so i wouldnt buy a sling. I dont want to wait 20 years for her to grow up lol

 

[AneesasMuse]

When I hear "underrated" the impression I get is that it is a really nice spider, but people do not give them the same monetary value as others usually because they are so easy to obtain.

My idea of nice is something with either good color, large size, or super easy to care for.

Spiders that are frequently classified as such are Pterinochilus murinus, Psalmopoeus cambridgei, Lasiodora parahybana & Brachypelma vagans . All of these are beautiful and you can often get extremely good deals on them.

This is it! I agree completely, but I wasn't sure what was being implied by others making the suggestion. Funny enough, I have 2 of the 4 you mention as "underrated" and want the other two. Heh! But someone called my new T. pruriens an "underrated" T and I had no idea what they really meant cuz I don't see them that often... or I never make it to the letter 'T' on the pricelist or have spent all my money by the time I reach it.

Thanks so much, Everyone! A tremendous help, really.


~Aminah

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

i usually buy sub-adults b/c i can get them at the reptile show really cheap. $15 will buy you a wide variety. $30 will get you something a little more special like an h. lividium sub-adult.

i usually just buy what is available and cheap that i don't have in my collection. once you want something more specific you'll have to start shelling out some more serious money. but if you're always broke or not in it for breeding etc you don't have to spend much money to have a really nice collection. if you check the for-sale section you can usually find a wide variety of very nice tarantula slings for under $5, and most of the time people will send you an extra one just to be nice or to help get rid of the ones they have hehe.

not every T is as interesting to me as the next, but once you get some of your own you'll find out what types you like best.

 

[adonis]

One or Multiples?

I typically purchase one T of each species as I'm not interested in breeding at the moment.

I want to amass a huge collection of T's from around the world, so I have not discrimnated against any of them. My last couple T's were "begginer" species, the A.semmanni and G.aereoustriata (sp?) but I love them. I previously owned a P.murinus, and my roommate has a G.rosea MM and a B.smithii.

I am looking at some pokies, and some larger "bird-eater" spiders. A horned baboon should also make an apperance in my collection soon, I hope.

I like to buy juvi's, but have recently been turned onto slings. They are exciting to watch and grow.

 

[AneesasMuse]

Yeah.. I'm finding that there are specific groups that I like and specifics about the Ts themselves... size is a factor with me.. I like em BIG! Color is another thing that attracts me.. especially if they keep their color into adulthood. Speed and bite quality is not a factor that I consider much.. I'll likely have serious issues from any bite, due to my allergies.

Money is not much of a holdback either... but I'm not stupid or careless with it, so I'm getting experience with various slings before trying some of the more pricey T's that I'd like to add someday.

I also ask a lot of questions and try to do as much research as I can before jumping in. I said, "I try... " Heh! The recent purchase of T. pruriens was "spur of the moment" and I rushed home to find some info and call around to my T "mentors"... I just couldn't leave such a pretty "green" baby in the store, nor chance that she'd be gone when I returned with "more knowledge". I really don't advise this, though!

My T's.. err, slings.. in order of acquisition

A. versicolor... she's almost 3" now
L. parahybana
C. fasciatum... sudden sling death victim
G. aureostriata
B. vagans... MM when I rescued him, since passed
T. pruriens
B. vagans
C. fimbriatus... today is pick up!