Good first aggressive t?

[jgod790]

Cobalt Blue (Haplopelma Lividum)

Well if your sick of the common, new world, docile species, and want a more exotic tarantula to add, I would suggest a Cobalt blue tarantula aka Haplopelma Lividum. I just got one weeks ago, and I am very pleased with it. There blue and silky legs make them BEAUTIFUL to look at. And they are EXTREMELY aggressive, and there venom is very toxic (compared to most tarantula venoms anyway) they are an old world species from South western China. So they do not flick hair, but they will not hesitate to bite. I hope you at least consider this species for your collection, it sounds like the perfect species considering what you are looking for.

 

[Crispy9168]

My fiance was 11B and try as he may, he couldn't catch one because they were so fast. He usually saw them wandering at night. He had to convince (unsuccessfully) a medic that they were not venomous and didn't eat your legs while you slept. :} Camel spiders aren't really too big. We have our own right hear in the U.S. but they are smaller species. I believe the larger species only get up to a 6-7" leg span and that's big for a solifugid. We deal with tarantulas bigger than that!

Anyway, back to the topic of the thread, it seems OBT was one of the first defensive Ts of many people that have commented. All that have been mentioned are fine to start with but it really depends on your comfort level.

lol I've heard stories (mostly from marines) about camel spiders actually chasing people. I don't there would be anything more funny.

 

[jgod790]

Forget anything and everything you have ever herd about camel spiders. Truth is, there very small ( may be large for a spider, but small compared to a large tarantula ) There not venomous either. I have NO idea where all the crazy rumors came from, but there just that, rumors. No truth to them at all.

 

[Crispy9168]

Forget anything and everything you have ever herd about camel spiders. Truth is, there very small ( may be large for a spider, but small compared to a large tarantula ) There not venomous either. I have NO idea where all the crazy rumors came from, but there just that, rumors. No truth to them at all.

Assumption, mainly. People assume that since they look scary, they must be scary. However, they're actually not even spiders. It's a sort of tail less scorpion.

 

[jgod790]

Yea I thought Ive herd that somewhere, that some people debate on whether or not there even spiders, and more so like one of those tailless whip scorpions, I think thats the right name, I could be wrong. Whatever they are, I dont think there that cool. Just weird.

 

[Scolopeon]

Honestly the camel spiders are worse. No venom. So it just grinds your flesh. Bites are a big infection-ridden hole. I had to train for that.

Honestly It's all myth, I have owned a 5-6" camel spider myself (the type you probably trained for lol) and I could put it on my hands without any problem, they are aggressive feeders if you want to call that aggressive, sadly mine died within the first year of ownership, they are seasonal animals with short spans, whereas a T can live up to 30 years.

I don't doubt they could give you a painful bite though seeing as how they have the post powerful jaws pound for pound (or gram for gram in this case!).

In my experience a defensive OW T is much much worse than a Camel spider, especially the flighty ones.

I would expect a camel spider would end up as lunch for a large OW if they were to overlap in the wild, as Scorps and Camels eat eachother regularly in the wild, you only need to look on Youtube for bored soldiers fighting them for entertainment.

Like you said they lack venom but they have specialized adhesive pedipalps which drag the hapless victim to those chainsaws for jaws, these palps are longer than their first 3 pairs of legs and gives off the impression that they have 5 pairs of legs.

Camel Spiders, Sun Spiders, Red Romans, Wind Scorpions whatever you want to call them are neither Spider nor Scorpion... but are in the same family, the order Arachnida which encompasses Mites, Spiders, Scorpions, Whip Scorps, Camel Spiders, Harvestman etc etc.

---------- Post added at 08:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

It's always unnerving when you first deal with a defensive and flighty T. My first was P. murinus. I would also recommend H. maculata if you want to try some teleporting.

Yea, H.Macs are fast... if you want to go full out get a H.Lividum though I seriously advise against this for your first OW.

Fast, unpreditable and have a tendancy to run up your forceps/cage wall in a flash if attacking them does not work.

 

[Rob1985]

the camel spider didn't really bother me much... it was more of the sand fleas and a chaffing from the sand.

*side note*

 

[Johnny1320]

ya mean BCT? lol

Yes. My bad.

 

[LeilaNami]

Honestly It's all myth, I have owned a 5-6" camel spider myself (the type you probably trained for lol) and I could put it on my hands without any problem, they are aggressive feeders if you want to call that aggressive, sadly mine died within the first year of ownership, they are seasonal animals with short spans, whereas a T can live up to 30 years.

I don't doubt they could give you a painful bite though seeing as how they have the post powerful jaws pound for pound (or gram for gram in this case!).

In my experience a defensive OW T is much much worse than a Camel spider, especially the flighty ones.

I would expect a camel spider would end up as lunch for a large OW if they were to overlap in the wild, as Scorps and Camels eat eachother regularly in the wild, you only need to look on Youtube for bored soldiers fighting them for entertainment.

Like you said they lack venom but they have specialized adhesive pedipalps which drag the hapless victim to those chainsaws for jaws, these palps are longer than their first 3 pairs of legs and gives off the impression that they have 5 pairs of legs.

Camel Spiders, Sun Spiders, Red Romans, Wind Scorpions whatever you want to call them are neither Spider nor Scorpion... but are in the same family, the order Arachnida which encompasses Mites, Spiders, Scorpions, Whip Scorps, Camel Spiders, Harvestman etc etc.

---------- Post added at 08:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------



Yea, H.Macs are fast... if you want to go full out get a H.Lividum though I seriously advise against this for your first OW.

Fast, unpreditable and have a tendancy to run up your forceps/cage wall in a flash if attacking them does not work.

+1

You know, I've never kept H. lividum but their attitude is legendary but so is their pet-hole tendencies. I like my H. mac because she's always in full view. I mean, I had to chase her up the wall only once.

 

[Mez]

Hooah (all the way!)! Well mine's 68w. mainly because I'm a terrible garrison soldier. Not enough physical s
activity. And yeah I know they like to hide in places like boots, sleeping bags, anywhere warm. They have a nasty bite, tho. I could probably take care of an obt bite a lot faster than a camel spider bite. Smaller chance of infection too...

Huh? Wow. The myths still go on about these invertabrates that aren't even spiders.
They hide in boots, sleeping bags etc to stay cool, not to keep warm, they also have no venom at all, and are totally harmless apart from a strong mechanical bite.

 

[Moltar]

I am of the opinion that a good starter defensive species is one of the NW nasties. Thinking along the lines of N. coloratovillosus, P. cancerides, A. geniculata, etc. Some of these guys can actually be incredibly mean if they feel even the slightest bit threatened. Also, they are less likely to back down and run away to their hole; they're very "stand and fight", if you get my meaning.

I think they make a nice first defensive because when compared to OBT or whatever african/asian/ozzy you choose, they are relatively slow moving and less inclined to go darting up the wall (or back into their hole). So what you get is a venom dripping, tong slapping (and yes, hair flicking) fuzzy little ball of anger without the dangerous venom or the tendency to charge/flee. If you like showing off your "mean scary spider", these make arguably the coolest display animals.

 

[baboonfan]

Ok... So I know I keep posting random questions, but I figured I'd get some more experinced opinions on this. I'd like to start expanding my tarantula collection and I want to start getting more aggressive t's. I've heard obt's are really good as a first aggressive/ow t, but I wasn't sure. Any suggestions? Side note: I've "tarantula proofed" my room, so speed isn't an issue (it's a big, flat, empty space... Nothing to get lost under, no way out). Also, I'm a military medic/EMT with a fully stocked aid bag, so medical significance of the venom doesn't matter.

Most of the nasties arent as nasty as they are supposed to be. I am starting over with a collection after an Iraq tour and my OBT and mustard baboon arent proving to be hard to get along with. They build alot and stay fairly actve compared to most of what Ive seen. Both of them were fair sized when bought and only set me back 15.00 each. The OBT would be my suggestion.

My first nasty was a wild caught adult female H lividum that proved to be alot more vile than she was supposed to be. She attacked everything despite having plenty of room in her cage (she even charged at water droplets when I filled her dish through the lid). She required no provocation whatsoever and really hated her water dish. Behaviors were offensive rather than defensive. People have told me that their specimans were just defensive I learned alot from that one but I wasnt sad to give her up after a year and a half of living with her.

NG here too. I thought I would do another enlistment but didnt want to do another one in active duty USMC. A weekend here and there is enough.

 

[BigJ999]

Hmmm the King Baboon would be a good first highly aggressively defensive T. although they grow slow they are impressive Turantula's big and stocky with a lot of attitude

 

[Crispy9168]

Huh? Wow. The myths still go on about these invertabrates that aren't even spiders.
They hide in boots, sleeping bags etc to stay cool, not to keep warm, they also have no venom at all, and are totally harmless apart from a strong mechanical bite.

Yeah I actually mentioned the fact that they are not spiders earlier.... And yes, I am well aware that they don't have venom. However, anything that could cause one of my men to become combat ineffective (and yes, infection is a distinct possibilty) can be very dangerous.

 

[baboonfan]

Yeah I actually mentioned the fact that they are not spiders earlier.... And yes, I am well aware that they don't have venom. However, anything that could cause one of my men to become combat ineffective (and yes, infection is a distinct possibilty) can be very dangerous.

I like Ts but I never wanted to meet the camel spiders. There is just something I dont like about them.

I went the whole year without seeing one for sure, but I think I might have seen a few blur by in the midle of the night at the FOB. We slept in or on top of our trucks every once and a while when on mission but I never woke up with anything.

 

[Crispy9168]

Most of the nasties arent as nasty as they are supposed to be. I am starting over with a collection after an Iraq tour and my OBT and mustard baboon arent proving to be hard to get along with. They build alot and stay fairly actve compared to most of what Ive seen. Both of them were fair sized when bought and only set me back 15.00 each. The OBT would be my suggestion.

My first nasty was a wild caught adult female H lividum that proved to be alot more vile than she was supposed to be. She attacked everything despite having plenty of room in her cage (she even charged at water droplets when I filled her dish through the lid). She required no provocation whatsoever and really hated her water dish. Behaviors were offensive rather than defensive. People have told me that their specimans were just defensive I learned alot from that one but I wasnt sad to give her up after a year and a half of living with her.

NG here too. I thought I would do another enlistment but didnt want to do another one in active duty USMC. A weekend here and there is enough.

they seem to be a good choice. Lol I think I'd be a little too nervous around a cobalt blue at this point. I was thinking about a pokie too, but not as my first arboreal.

What mos?

---------- Post added at 10:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------

I like Ts but I never wanted to meet the camel spiders. There is just something I dont like about them.

I went the whole year without seeing one for sure, but I think I might have seen a few blur by in the midle of the night at the FOB. We slept in or on top of our trucks every once and a while when on mission but I never woke up with anything.

I don't mean to say it occurs often, all I'm saying is if I had to work on someone after a bite, there would be a few issues in the field. In country, however, that's not what I'd worry about most.

 

[baboonfan]

they seem to be a good choice. Lol I think I'd be a little too nervous around a cobalt blue at this point. I was thinking about a pokie too, but not as my first arboreal.

The cobalt was a good construction worker, it built a dirt spire it lurked in but I never saw it much unless I was trying to do cage cleaning or simply refilling the water dish.
The OBT and mustard baboon have proven to be good construction workers without the offensive displays.
I badly want a few Trinidad chevrons for an arboreal community. I have a cage waiting for adults when the time comes.
I did recently find trinidad olives for sale, I might grab one.

What mos?

88M Transport Operator. 1218th TC stationed in Alasad Airbase. We ran HET, PLS, and fuel tanker missions all over.
---------- Post added at 10:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:40 PM ----------

I don't mean to say it occurs often, all I'm saying is if I had to work on someone after a bite, there would be a few issues in the field. In country, however, that's not what I'd worry about most.

I didnt worry about them really, I just didnt want to make friends with any. Mortars in places like Ramadi were worthwhile being worried about.

---------- Post added at 10:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------

My reply didnt come out as planned, some of it is in your gray box and hardly visible.

Meant to say 88M transport operator. 1218 TC stationed in Alasad Airbase.

 

[Crispy9168]

I didnt worry about them really, I just didnt want to make friends with any. Mortars in places like Ramadi were worthwhile being worried about.

yeah things like that get me worried most.

 

[Scolopeon]

Most of the nasties arent as nasty as they are supposed to be. I am starting over with a collection after an Iraq tour and my OBT and mustard baboon arent proving to be hard to get along with. They build alot and stay fairly actve compared to most of what Ive seen. Both of them were fair sized when bought and only set me back 15.00 each. The OBT would be my suggestion.

My first nasty was a wild caught adult female H lividum that proved to be alot more vile than she was supposed to be. She attacked everything despite having plenty of room in her cage (she even charged at water droplets when I filled her dish through the lid). She required no provocation whatsoever and really hated her water dish. Behaviors were offensive rather than defensive. People have told me that their specimans were just defensive I learned alot from that one but I wasnt sad to give her up after a year and a half of living with her.

NG here too. I thought I would do another enlistment but didnt want to do another one in active duty USMC. A weekend here and there is enough.

Exactly, my H.Lividum is the only T ever to bring me into a cold sweat and i'm a serious baboon man.

Consider yourself lucky if you get a "nice" Cobalt Blue.

---------- Post added at 07:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:08 AM ----------

+1

You know, I've never kept H. lividum but their attitude is legendary but so is their pet-hole tendencies. I like my H. mac because she's always in full view. I mean, I had to chase her up the wall only once.

Oh yea man, believe me rehousing my Cobalt Blue was NOT fun.

5" of beauty and anger... defense taken to the highest form of aggression.
Flipping back on itself, fangs dripping from the slighest touch of her back legs which would even get my king baboons moving forward with no problem, then darting up the walls/forceps... I almost had a panic attack haha.
I am not exaggerating either, my specimen seemed to jump at you when striking forward.

She ran up the forceps I was using to guide her twice, I had to drop them in the cage and then use my backups to pick the other ones out with when she had settled in a corner.

It didn't help that this cage was open top... in the end I resorted to bringing the tank on to my landing and she ran up the cage and onto my wall, I had to get a second deli container that was larger as the first was too small and I actually got tapped on the wrist with one of her legs... I never believed a tarantula would give me trouble.

Once contained though rehousing her was easy, it was because I disrupted her burrow and territory.

 

[NikiP]

I think it had been mentioned on here before, but I thought it needed mentioning again.

Tapinauchenius!

Specifically T. gigas because of it resembling a muppet I haven't found mine to be terribly defensive, but dang they are fasstttt! Only thing i've personally kept that matches my pokies for speed. They are NW, so no real worries with them, but you can get great practice with them for catching a pokie When it was a sling, feeding time was always a challenge.