First tarantula for a beginner?

YagerManJennsen

Arachnobaron
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Jan 3, 2016
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508
LPs are a bit faster/skittish and more likely to kick hairs and bite than the others mentioned. LPs are great beginners mostly because of their hardiness, ease of keeping and they are almost always out and about
That's what I was thinking.
 

TheShrubbery

Arachnosquire
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Aug 30, 2016
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62
Also, is there a general consensus as to what I should get?

Requirements: Big; large; fast growing, docile and handleable. But pls not ugly.
 

YagerManJennsen

Arachnobaron
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Jan 3, 2016
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508
What about avics? I have not raised one from a sling. Maybe they will grow faster than a brachy or aphonopelma. Aviularia metallica get around 6" I believe. Beautiful spiders and avics are known for being gentle, at least the ones I have kept are. Hopefully someone else can clarify on their growth rate.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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Whoever asked about the studies, MAN ISN'T IT ANNOYING WHEN AN ARTICLE POPS UP IN YOUR NEWSFEED AND YOU CAN'T FIND IT SO NOW YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE CREDIBILITY ON YOUR CLAIM? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH YEAH ME TOO HAHAHA.

https://www.quora.com/Can-tarantulas-solve-problems

And the "Portia Spider" is the most intelligent spider species, I should have really specified my bad :(

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_(spider)
The quora post, you must be joking right? It is not peer-reviewed. In short, it's garbage.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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Also, is there a general consensus as to what I should get?

Requirements: Big; large; fast growing, docile and handleable. But pls not ugly.
There could be a general consensus if you provided relevant information.

Big to you, is small to me. Fast to you, is slow to me etc etc.

All of these terms are relative and thus not helpful.
 

Ceymann

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 3, 2016
Messages
185
Also, is there a general consensus as to what I should get?

Requirements: Big; large; fast growing, docile and handleable. But pls not ugly.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder my friend, one may think a plain jet black H. minax is ugly, where as others (myself) think they are super pretty.

TBH the best solution to your problem is drop some dead presidents and get yourself a sub adult female B. smithi, it covers all your bases, but yes you are going to pay for it.
 

EulersK

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Whoever asked about the studies, MAN ISN'T IT ANNOYING WHEN AN ARTICLE POPS UP IN YOUR NEWSFEED AND YOU CAN'T FIND IT SO NOW YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE CREDIBILITY ON YOUR CLAIM? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH YEAH ME TOO HAHAHA.

https://www.quora.com/Can-tarantulas-solve-problems

And the "Portia Spider" is the most intelligent spider species, I should have really specified my bad :(

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_(spider)
True spiders have been shown to problem solve, create hunting techniques, and even create puppets to scare off predators. No one debates that they are quite intelligent as far as arthropods go. Tarantulas, on the other hand, can't even hold a candle to true spiders. It's like comparing humans to chimps - we're related, but we're not even close in terms of intelligence. Also, that's not peer-reviewed.

Also, is there a general consensus as to what I should get?

Requirements: Big; large; fast growing, docile and handleable. But pls not ugly.
Define ugly, that's my biggest hangup. Because to me, B. albopilosum is gorgeous. Do you want blaring colors? Also, what's your price range? I'm asking for a specific number here.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
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May 6, 2016
Messages
412
It's definitely a beginner, but not one to handle at all. My subadult female is anything but docile, but even if she was, I'd never touch her. Their urticating setae are pretty nasty, and they readily kick that hair.
My 3.5 inch female LP is not handlable at all. Would rather grab my haplo male than her. I held her at 2.5 inches and she ended up on my head, then my bed and eventually was found in a pillow case(my pillow)
I don't know if I can suggest a spider that is everything you want because your asking for too much from the spider, be big, grow quick, be handlable , and also beautiful? I would recomend you get a tegu lizard they'd fill your needs 100% :happy:
 

Ceymann

Arachnoknight
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Jul 3, 2016
Messages
185
My 3.5 inch female LP is not handlable at all. Would rather grab my haplo male than her. I held her at 2.5 inches and she ended up on my head, then my bed and eventually was found in a pillow case(my pillow)
I don't know if I can suggest a spider that is everything you want because your asking for too much from the spider, be big, grow quick, be handlable , and also beautiful? I would recomend you get a tegu lizard they'd fill your needs 100% :happy:
 

mistertim

Arachnobaron
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@TheShrubbery You aren't really going to find all of the things you want in one package; the "handling" part really throws it off. There are fast growing spiders that are beautiful and get pretty big but are far too skittish or defensive or just nervous to be handled without something bad happening eventually. And yes, the Portia jumping spider is incredibly fascinating with its problem solving skills, but we're talking about tarantulas here, not jumping spiders which are some of the most intelligent spiders out there.

Another thing to remember is that no matter how "docile" the species is generally known to be, that can change in an instant. They're wild animals and cannot be "tamed" and they need to be treated that way. There are plenty of stories of a Grammos or Brachys that were docile as can be and then suddenly changed when they felt threatened or even after a molt. Complacency in this hobby is what will either get you bit or have you end up with a dead or lost spider.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
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I'm not a "Pro handling person" but I have held some of my spiders. I've never had a spider on me that I felt more unsure about than my LP. Avics can stroll all they want they don't bother me. But when the LP was on me I felt like I had a bite coming my way the entire duration.
 

Ceymann

Arachnoknight
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Jul 3, 2016
Messages
185
Tegu, handlable ? what are you smoking? LOL J/K. I had a few bad encounters with a Argentine b/w tegu at a store I worked at back in the day thing would launch its self across a 40br in the blink of an eye to grab my fingers.

Agree though, OP is asking for a lot! and like I said, ask for a lot, pay a lot, gotta love economics.
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
412
Tegu, handlable ? what are you smoking? LOL J/K. I had a few bad encounters with a Argentine b/w tegu at a store I worked at back in the day thing would launch its self across a 40br in the blink of an eye to grab my fingers.

Agree though, OP is asking for a lot! and like I said, ask for a lot, pay a lot, gotta love economics.
Well with constant handling unlike tarantulas lol, not to say they won't take a finger or two if they're having an off day or just aren't tame in general.
 

TheShrubbery

Arachnosquire
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Aug 30, 2016
Messages
62
Alright so big, I've got pretty big hands like my hands must be about 6 inches or something. I have a Logitech G700s gaming mouse, and my index finger + flip off finger (wink wink) [don't know what its scientifically called) and my thumb just about fit on it. My marriage finger and tiny finger hang off the end. This might be a good size comparison.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-G700s-Rechargeable-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B00CJAF194

And ugly would be about something like this: http://www.narbc.com/images/uploads/115-Brachypelma albopilosum.jpg

And what I would consider nice looking would be these:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=G.+pulchripes&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwju7oPs1enOAhUFaxQKHVIQAsUQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=971#imgrc=HmfcCHocmRQgZM:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=A.+chalcodes&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihzOzf2OnOAhVEchQKHQHwAVEQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=971#imgrc=VjgXLBF4T-0egM:
http://www.jonathansjungleroadshow.co.uk/images/brazilianblacktarantula2.jpg?crc=445763478

I was thinking of this guy, as my first T: http://www.hamiltonreptile.com/caresheets/images/Bsmithi.jpg
 
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viper69

ArachnoGod
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I would get the G. pulchripes that you showed. I own an AF female, she's perfect.

Let us all know when you find those peer-reviewed articles on T cognitive abilities :rofl::rofl:
 
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EulersK

Arachnonomicon
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Alright so big, I've got pretty big hands like my hands must be about 6 inches or something. I have a Logitech G700s gaming mouse, and my index finger + fuck off finger [don't know what its scientifically called) and my thumb just about fit on it. My marriage finger and tiny finger hang off the end. This might be a good size comparison.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-G700s-Rechargeable-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B00CJAF194

And ugly would be about something like this: http://www.narbc.com/images/uploads/115-Brachypelma albopilosum.jpg

And what I would consider nice looking would be these:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=G.+pulchripes&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwju7oPs1enOAhUFaxQKHVIQAsUQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=971#imgrc=HmfcCHocmRQgZM:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=A.+chalcodes&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihzOzf2OnOAhVEchQKHQHwAVEQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=971#imgrc=VjgXLBF4T-0egM:
http://www.jonathansjungleroadshow.co.uk/images/brazilianblacktarantula2.jpg?crc=445763478

I was thinking of this guy, as my first T: http://www.hamiltonreptile.com/caresheets/images/Bsmithi.jpg
If you like A. chalcodes, then that's absolutely my vote. It's slow growing, that's the only issue. That being said, just buy an adult. Shouldn't cost you more than $50.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
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3,292
How long does it take to become a full grown adult? @EulersK
From a sling? It depends on a lot of factors (feeding, temperature, sex). Expect a female to reach sexual maturity within half of a decade, and a male a bit less.

I'm telling you, just get a juvie or an adult. Slings are dull anyway, and this is a relatively inexpensive species. I literally have them roaming a few hundred yards from my house, they're very common.
 
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