Enclosure questions.

[cooperevans001]

I want an OW because they seem more interesting and colorful. I dont want an OW just to have one. OW T's seem to posess a certain charm to me.

 

[Venom1080]

I want an OW because they seem more interesting and colorful. I dont want an OW just to have one. OW T's seem to posess a certain charm to me.

tarantulas are the same all over. OWs are nothing different. the only colorful OW genera i can think of off the top of my head, Poecilotheria, Hapactira, P murinus, L violaceopes, Phormingochilus, C fimbriatus. i can think of a dozen colorful NW.

 

[cooperevans001]

I also dont want just NW T's. What do you guys reccomend other than previously mentioned? I read somewhere that Camaroon Red is a good T, just want your guys opinion.

 

[YagerManJennsen]

I want an OW because they seem more interesting and colorful. I dont want an OW just to have one. OW T's seem to posess a certain charm to me.

They have the charm of high venom potency and lighting quick movement. Also the added bonus of sending an adult to the ER in intense pain with symptoms lasting well over a week with s8me species. I would just wait. Practice getting used to high speed NW Ts Psalmopoeus is a good one.

 

[cooperevans001]

Also, what sibstrate would you guys reccomend for terrerstrials? Is coconut fiber good? I got a big bag of that.

 

[Venom1080]

I also dont want just NW T's. What do you guys reccomend other than previously mentioned? I read somewhere that Camaroon Red is a good T, just want your guys opinion.

you really have to learn the scientific names. Cameroon red? i have no idea what that even is, do you mean a Hysteocrates sp.?
coco fibers fine.

 

[YagerManJennsen]

Also, what sibstrate would you guys reccomend for terrerstrials? Is coconut fiber good? I got a big bag of that.

cocoanut fiber is my sub of choice, I just don't like the feeling of having real dirt in the enclosures. You can use top soil its way cheaper.

 

[cooperevans001]

It is going to take me a while to learn scientific names

 

[YagerManJennsen]

@cooperevans001 slow down...breathe in......and out......in....and out.....I know it's exciting at first seeing all the different species and the "want" factor is unreal. This hobby is one where you cannot get ahead of yourself. wanting to buy OWs is like having your very first guitar lesson and and the next week trying to play Van Halen's eruption. The T hobby is one where experience is the best way to gauge yourself, watch and read as much as you can but without progressing with real T you will almost always be under-prepared.

 

[Venom1080]

It is going to take me a while to learn scientific names

just be warned some people wont know what youre talking about when you use common names.

 

[EulersK]

just be warned some people wont know what youre talking about when you use common names.

Like me. I halfway refuse to even entertain the discussion if common names are used.

I don't understand the fascination with OW tarantulas, I really don't. You won't enjoy a pet that you're scared of. Want aggression? Go with N. coloratovillosus or A. geniculata. Want colors? Go with C. cyaneopubescens or any Avic. Want a display spider? Go with any Brachypelma or Aphonopelma. The list goes on.

In general, OW tarantulas are skittish, reclusive, and frankly display boring coloration (with the exception of Poecilotheria).

I'm going to be frank. If you want OW just so you can "run with the big boys" or whatever other perception you may have, then don't. Not one person is impressed by what spiders another keeps beyond the rare factor. Some of the most experienced keepers on this forum have almost entirely NW specimens because of the reasons I've already listed.

 

[symbol]

I just got into the hobby myself. I love brightly coloured Ts. I love interesting patterns and markings. I have spent many hours looking at photographs and drooling over beautiful spiders. Every time I see something that I particularly like, I add it to my list. Right now, I've got ~35 species on my spider list -- most of them impressively colourful. Of those 35, eight are OW. Just sayin'...

Like blues? Take a look at Pterinopelma sazimai or Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens.
Like greens? Check out Phormictopus sp. green or maybe even Ephebopus uatuman.
Reds? Euathlus sp. red or Brachypelma boehmei are solid choices.
Orange? What about a Tapinauchenius gigas?
Purple? Got you covered with Avicularia purpurea and Tapinauchenius violaceus!
I don't have much in the way of yellows on my list, but you could always look for Euathlus sp. yellow.
If you like the look of a nice smooth, velvety black then Grammostola pulchra really can't be beat.
If you want something with lots of different colours all in one spider, then Avicularia versicolor are a great choice. Beautiful blue slings/juvies that mature into wonderfully colourful adults.
If you go in more for really crisp, distinctive patters, then take a look at Psalmopoeus irminia and/or Hapalopus sp. Colombia.
Looking for a dramatic change in colouration and/or markings from sling to adult? Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, most Avicularia spp., and many Pamphobeteus spp. share that trait.

Want a tarantula with some attitude? Ephebopus murinus or Grammostola iheringi might be good places to start.
Looking for impressive size? Lasiodora parahybana's got you covered! (Although Acanthoscurria geniculata and Lasiodora difficilis are also great and get to about the same size.)
Do you fancy a speed demon? Pretty much any Tapinauchenius sp. or Psalmopoeus sp. will fill that niche.
Want something that lacks urticating hairs/setae? Tapinauchenius and Psalmopoeus fit that bill too!
Looking for something of a taxonomic oddity? Check out the Ephebopus genus: They're fossorial (burrowing) spiders in an otherwise arboreal family. They're NW tarantulas that don't have urticating hairs on their abdomens like most other NW Ts, but do have them on their pedipalps. The slings tend to be arboreal and web up bromeliads, but move to the ground at some point to dig burrows amongst the leaf litter. Very cool! Plus there are some absolutely gorgeous spiders in that genus! Really stunning colours/markings. I've currently got three Ephebopus spp. on my wishlist.

To be clear, some of the species I've mentioned here are more difficult to keep than others. Some have more complicated husbandry. Others are fairly defensive and/or extremely fast. And some may be somewhat difficult to find or moderately expensive if/when you do find them for sale.
There are also loads of other species that fit all of the categories I've listed above. These are just the first one or two that come to mind off the top of my head (mostly from my own wishlist).

You say that you want OW Ts because they seem more interesting/colourful, but you don't seem to be that willing to even look at NW species to begin with. Do a bit of reading/research. Do some Google image searches. Look through some of the gallery pictures on the boards here. Get more of a feel for what's out there and available. And, please, use the scientific names! Even if you don't know what they are off the top of your head, it only takes a moment to Google it and copy paste the name into your post. Common names are imprecise at best most of the time. Much better to give a scientific name and have folks actually know what you're talking about and able to give meaningful responses.

ETA: Another great blue spider if you're after more of a teal-y, gunmetal-y blue is Ischnocolinae sp. Dominican Republic.

 

[Storm76]

Aside the fact that I don't know what a Cameroon Red is supposed to be (since I don't care about common names), you need to slow down. If this hobby requires something then it's patience. And it'll teach you exactly that if you decided to stick with it. In addition, common sense goes a long way with wild , predatory animals too!

NW or OW doesn't matter really. You can end up wiht a grumpy Avicularia versicolor and a doll Psalmopoeus irminia as much, as you can end up with a calm Poecilotheria subfusca while having a really high-strung Heterothelle villosella. "General" behavior doesn't mean "carved in stone", ya know? Besides, if you end up with an animal that essentially scares you to the point where you don't really want to do maintenance, rehouse, even feed - what's the point of owning it?

There are plenty of species in the NW genera that are still pretty high-strung (generally), but without the potent venom of an OW that can send you to the hospital. And the hospital won't do much anyways - you get bit? You'll have to ride it out - period.

Enough of that though. I think many on here including myself are a bit worried you're looking to get a defensive OW for the wrong reasons. I know, you said coloration, behavior and habitat. All of that, you can have with a NW too. Don't get me wrong: You can do what you want! We can't tell you what to do, but if you want advice, help or the like, perhaps considering the answers received would yield better results overall?

That said, get a NW terrestrial is my advice. And I wouldn't suggest something high-strung if you're still trying to learn. Do you research, read read read read read. That's the best you can before acquiring any animal of any species. Preparation beats impulse buys with later surprise any time in my book.

 

[Andrea82]

It is going to take me a while to learn scientific names

If you want to do your homework on reading up the care requirements for different species, you'll just HAVE to learn scientific names. If you use common names in searches, you'll end up with crappy articles or YouTube-look-at-me-im-tough!- kind of movies which won't prepare you at all for the species you're looking in to.
The scientific names aren't really harder than common names. Lasiodora parahybana is a lot easier to pronounce than salmon pink birdeater, imo. On the Dutch forum, you are even required to use scientific names. Using common names will make you the laughing stock on that forum.
Fortunately, it isn't as harsh here, but it still shows you've done proper homework when referring animals by their scientific name.
I think EulersK and Sturm are giving sound advice.
However, if you insist on getting an OW, you could try to go for a Ceratogyrus species, or Augacephalus.

 

[cooperevans001]

Hey all, got a new photo thread. See it Here: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/cooperevans001s-photo-thread.287536/. Also, do you guys know how to add info under my posts? I see alot of you guys have it, and I want to put a link to my photo thread there. Also, thanks for all the info. I will try to get some scientific names memorized. Another reason I like OW T's is I want a variety. I would like to have experience in both, and add variety to my collection. Thanks!

 

[Trenor]

Hey all, got a new photo thread. See it Here: http://arachnoboards.com/threads/cooperevans001s-photo-thread.287536/. Also, do you guys know how to add info under my posts? I see alot of you guys have it, and I want to put a link to my photo thread there. Also, thanks for all the info. I will try to get some scientific names memorized. Another reason I like OW T's is I want a variety. I would like to have experience in both, and add variety to my collection. Thanks!

You can add it to your signature and it'll be included when you post. If you go to the upper right hand corner and click on your profile photo a drop down will appear full of items. One of them is a signature link. Open that up and write the text you want/assign colors of you wish/and use the chain to link it to the URL for your photo thread.

Good lock.

 

[cooperevans001]

Thanks.

 

[EulersK]

Another reason I like OW T's is I want a variety. I would like to have experience in both, and add variety to my collection.

Understandable with wanting variety and experience, but that's exactly what we're talking about. There is huge variety in NW, and experience is what we're worried about when talking about OW species. Those are spiders you should work your way up to, not spiders that you should get immediately.

If you want the experience of an OW, look into Tapinuachenius. It's thought to be the fastest genus out there, and they're not afraid to show their speed. They just don't have the venom of an OW.

As for a variety to your collection... there are dozens of NW genera and hundreds of species. That should keep you busy for a long time.

 

[cooperevans001]

Okay, my next T is an old world. Probably a L. Parahybana. I will look atound some too.

 

[EulersK]

Okay, my next T is an old world. Probably a L. Parahybana. I will look atound some too.

That's... not an OW species It's a great spider, though. Grows like a weed.