How many arachnids did you have when you first joined the hobby?

[Irisiridescent]

I'm starting with an Aphonopelma hentzi. It should ship sometime after the first of the year, and I can't wait to get the lil guy/gal.

A. hentzi are neat. I have a juvenile. It was crawling around its enclosure a lot. I used the vial it came in for a hide and was chasing a cricket when I pulled out a dirty wet paper towel from inside the vial. It then went back into its hide and I haven't seen it since. I guess that was the problem.

 

[SonsofArachne]

I'm starting with an Aphonopelma hentzi. It should ship sometime after the first of the year, and I can't wait to get the lil guy/gal.

Be prepared for a long wait for adulthood, these are super slow growers. I got a tiny 1/8 inch sling last January, and now, after a year of power feeding its grown to a 1/4 inch. But it is in premolt, so it might be 5/16 or even 3/8 soon!

 

[CJJon]

I first got interested in spiders when I was in college. I had a statistics professor that I was a TA for and we used to have lunch in his office which was on the 12th floor or so of a 16 story building. We would open the windows of his office and sit on the sill with our legs dangling while we ate our lunch. (Back then you could actually open a window of a high-rise building). The side of the building was covered in all manner of spiders! He would totally geek out about all the different species, explaining their particulars while we sat there eating our lunch. The building was the first tall structure very near the shore of a large great lake and his office faced out toward the lake and into the prevailing winds. Spiders would travel on the wind from far across the lake for hundreds of miles and the first thing they would encounter was our building. Of course bugs got blown into the building too, so it was a great place to be a spider!

Since then I have kept several local spiders for observation, mostly jumping spiders and wolf spiders and a few widow species found while on vacation. Never kept any long-term though except one Latrodectus hesperus and one particular orb weaver (probably an Araneus diadematus) that I had at my desk at work for a year or so.

Just bought my first T a few months ago, a GBB sling. There is an expo coming up next month and I am wanting to pick up a C. versicolor and possibly an A. geniculata. Figured that would make a nice trio of arboreal, an terrestrial that climes a bit, and terrestrial. I've got a lateralis colony starting, so why not!

 

[The Seraph]

semi-arboreal

I really should mention, before somebody else, that C. Cyaneo is not semi-arboreal.

 

[CJJon]

I really should mention, before somebody else, that C. Cyaneo is not semi-arboreal.

OK, fixed.

 

[The Seraph]

arboreal that climes a bit

terrestrial tarantula that climbs a bit

Fixed it for ya.

 

[RepublicofTexas81]

Be prepared for a long wait for adulthood, these are super slow growers. I got a tiny 1/8 inch sling last January, and now, after a year of power feeding its grown to a 1/4 inch. But it is in premolt, so it might be 5/16 or even 3/8 soon!

I ordered one a bit bigger. According to the size, it should be 1.75 - 2 inches. Still going to be a bit, but I didn't want to start with a tiny little bugger right off the bat.

 

[viper69]

Started with one, because anything more than that could lead to more deaths than necessary. I don't believe in owning a collection with no experience.

 

[thebronzedragon]

I started out recently in August 2018 with 1/19 H. spinifer scorpion(s) (She was wild caught and pregnant when she arrived). I now have 2 H. spinifers (the rest died sadly because I made the mistake of taking them away to early), 1 H. arizonensis and an A. avicularia. Got a bunch more coming. My favourites would have to be between M. balfouri and P. metallica for the looks (I love blue T's)

 

[EtienneN]

I was actually on the boards back in 09 when I first got Cuddles, my G. pulchra sling. I’m not sure if I made any posts with the old username or if I was just a lurker. My favourite tarantula that I own now is my female G. pulchripes, but my new G. pulchra and H. pulchripes are mighty cute. I also love my pokies! Guess all tarantulas are my favourite.

 

[gottarantulas]

First arachnid was a Thai Tiger about 4 1/2 years to 5 years ago.

 

[Bigme213]

First was g rosea when I was 9. All I keep now is a geniculata, l parahybana, b hamorii, b albo, a chalcodes, a hentzi, o philippinus, a ezendemi, c marshalli, t stirmi, p regalis, gbb, g rosea

 

[draconisj4]

I started with a B. vagans sling and a P. spinigerus about a year and a half ago though I started keeping beetles for a few months before that. I now have 42 Ts, 2 scorpions, a bunch of Harvestmen and several species of insects.

 

[SteveIDDQD]

I got a g.rosea 12 years ago for my first T, but I had some sort of mantis before that. Still my favourite I think, she was super fluffy and only died recently.
I did have a b.emilia for 4 years, but she died around 5 years ago (had a bad moult), she was a real looker and super calm. She would have to be a close second.

 

[0311usmc]

I had my first tarantula for 2 years before I got another one, then a year or so after that i got another one and so on. It's taken me years to build up what i currently have and i don't have much compared to most of you.

 

[Killertut]

1, just 1

 

[Brad Smith]

One? Like most people I think..

That's strange,looks like alot of people started with multiple,myself included....

 

[WhiskeyR0SE]

Im new too!

I'm starting with a young adult A. Chalcodes and a G. Pulchripes sling

 

[Bigme213]

I had my first tarantula for 2 years before I got another one, then a year or so after that i got another one and so on. It's taken me years to build up what i currently have and i don't have much compared to most of you.

Quality not quantity, right

 

[asunshinefix]

I started with 3 - G. pulchripes, G. pulchra, and B. albo, all slings. Now I have 17... I'm into New World terrestrials mostly, especially less common ones like P. trinitatis and E. pulcherrimaklaasi.