First tarantula?

[JungleGuts]

i wouldnt call them the lamest species in the hobby. Just the most readily available if they banned importation of them then they would be like the B smithi .

And they are odd balls too. you never know what to expect of a g. rosea they may be defensive in the OBT sense or docile in the pet rock sense... never know. and they are quite pretty after a molt for a good while

Then the long wait for the next molt begins lol. They are long lived and hardy which is good.

 

[dukegarda]

Has anyone suggested a B. smithi? Roseas have weird temperaments and can throw someone new to the hobby off with their odd prolonged fasts, and mood swings.

 

[AlainL]

Hey, I'm quite new to tarantulas too but I've been on this forum for a bit posting, asking questions, reading, and more. I will be getting my first 3 tarantulas Wednesday. I ordered 3 G. rosea slings for several reasons. They are slow, easy to take care of, and are cheap. I also ordered a G. rosea so I can show my parents that all T's aren't so bad . Goodluck with your choice!

Hi John!

Just be careful with rosy when they reach adult size(probably take 10 years from sling)they can be quit aggresive and unpredictable

Mine's a crazy bitch:evil:

 

[Matt K]

Holy smokin' pinheads....

Well this has been quite alot of information. :? I have read associated links and threads, and I hope this one stays as it directs to so many other resources.

The whole choice field has been narrowed, which helps me out alot. Thanks for everyones opinion! Now I have been told that you may want to start with multiples to get a good male/female once they have grown. The jury is also still out on what age of spider to purchase. I have roach species with all sizes available as food items. So I am thinking the 1-2" size of spiderling? And how many? 2 or 3? more? one? I may go with rosea and seemani. Some may be 'lame starter varieties', but I think they all are valid to keep...when they are adults nearly all tarantuala have impressive qualities, regardless of common or rare. And what about the (genus?) cyanopubecens ???

Thanks all!

 

[Sheazy]

I started with the C. cyaneopubescens (green bottle blue) as my first and it is awesome. Very colorful after 1-1.5" somewhat nervous, but mine isn't at all defensive. It eats like a cow, and loves to web up whatever it can. If I was looking for something to keep several of for a few years with hopes of breeding this would probably be it. They are not nearly as readily available as rosies, and even in a few years should go for higher prices and faster than the rosies you might be holding for awhile. Thats just my opinion...but I love my GBB.

 

[SnakeManJohn]

lol now watch you get one thats possessed by the ghost of an OBT with PMS

Haha oh boy! I was juuuuuuuust about to get an OBT for a first tarantula until a few people scared me in the arachnochat lol.

Hi John!

Just be careful with rosy when they reach adult size(probably take 10 years from sling)they can be quit aggresive and unpredictable

Mine's a crazy bitch:evil:

Hey Alain! I can't wait..< sarcasm

 

[widowkeeper]

start with 5 thats what i try to get as a min and another 5 from someone else dunno if you want to breed brothers and sisters but i will avoid it when i can (there is some exceptions with some species getting unrelated Ts may be impossible dunno really). when my slings get big enough to pick out my breeders i plan on getting hopefully unrelated males/females,if i dont already have them. as for size if your gonna do a slow grower id get 2"+juvs. if your going with a fast grower id get them at 3/4''


just my 2 cents

 

[AubZ]

Some may be 'lame starter varieties', but I think they all are valid to keep...when they are adults nearly all tarantuala have impressive qualities, regardless of common or rare.

I couldn't have put it better myself. My exact feelings. :clap: :clap:

 

[AubZ]

Hi John!

Just be careful with rosy when they reach adult size(probably take 10 years from sling)they can be quit aggresive and unpredictable

Mine's a crazy bitch:evil:

Are you serious about 10 years?? Mine is about 4in or so. Have not measured properly yet. Roughly how old would you estimate her at?? She looks just over half the size, maybe 3/4's, of what I have seen before.

 

[JungleGuts]

@ Jonathon Rice : How can you call the G Rosea Lame or any T for that matter. Perhaps the normal one is bland, but not the Red Color Form. They are really awesome and easy to look after.
However I agree with you on the A seemanni. It is an awesome T and really looks stunning. Still trying to track one down where I live, as well as A Geniculata.

Im gonna agree with Jonathon kinda, first let me say I still think rosehairs are great T's(I have a sling and a mature)....for their docile nature, hardy, and easy to handle for just about anyone. Other than that I find them boring. Just kinda sit there their whole live, grow slow, and arnt aggressive eaters. They will just sit there and wait for the foot to walk right in front of them then they grab it. Slings on the otherhand are alot more active and agressive eaters. It all depends what you want....theres other T's out there that arnt mean and that you could easily handel, but may be a little more entertaining for you.

 

[Matt K]

Another note: I do not intend to handle any T that I get. I am more of a "look dont touch" keeper and will try to accomodate my acquisition in a naturalistic habitat if possible. If that makes any difference on 'first time' choices or not....

 

[JungleGuts]

Another note: I do not intend to handle any T that I get. I am more of a "look dont touch" keeper and will try to accomodate my acquisition in a naturalistic habitat if possible. If that makes any difference on 'first time' choices or not....

Ok well if you dont plan on handeling that opens your options a bit more. So now you have to ask youself do you want a kinda bland looking T or something more colorful?

 

[AubZ]

@ Jungle Guts - I see your point. But like we have all seen, G Rosea's really have different attitudes. My adult female launches herself to catch her crics. Today when I fed her, the cric walked into her hide & touched her. She first just backed away, and then when the cric ran out, she ran out after him. When he got close enough she attacked, but strangely enough she did not fang the cric. Instead she held it down with her front leg & a few secs later when the cric tried to get way she fanged him. It was awesome to watch. Maybe I'm just lucky enough to have an interesting Rosea.
However you do make a valid point about being boring, but don't all T's pretty much 'just sit there' or hide in their burrows?? Or do you get T's that are always active & walking about??

 

[william]

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens:clap:

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Are you serious about 10 years?? Mine is about 4in or so. Have not measured properly yet. Roughly how old would you estimate her at?? She looks just over half the size, maybe 3/4's, of what I have seen before.

You absolutely cannot guess how old a tarantula is based on their size, because it isn't time that determines their growth, but food/warmth/water and a good environment. Yes, they age outside the time/space continuum. You might have one that's twenty years old but lived a lean life, or it might be half that but have been overfed and kept warm.

Example: there's a thread on these very forums where someone lost an L. parahybana sling--an extremely fast-growing species--in their home for like four years. When they found it, it hadn't grown at ALL due to a very lean diet. With regular meals and water, it resumed its growing where it left off.

 

[JungleGuts]

@ Jungle Guts - I see your point. But like we have all seen, G Rosea's really have different attitudes. My adult female launches herself to catch her crics. Today when I fed her, the cric walked into her hide & touched her. She first just backed away, and then when the cric ran out, she ran out after him. When he got close enough she attacked, but strangely enough she did not fang the cric. Instead she held it down with her front leg & a few secs later when the cric tried to get way she fanged him. It was awesome to watch. Maybe I'm just lucky enough to have an interesting Rosea.
However you do make a valid point about being boring, but don't all T's pretty much 'just sit there' or hide in their burrows?? Or do you get T's that are always active & walking about??

Always active, no. But some are more than others

 

[LimaMikeSquared]

Try a Curly Hair, they are really docile, easy to keep and grow really fast. Then you can experiment with some of the more colourful and interesting species as you get more experience.