I think I have a serious problem....

[Paiige]

A. metallica is a perfect starter Avic. Husbandry is easy peasy and they're great eaters. And as 14pokies pointed out, they grow to be big and fluffy! Mine is incredibly docile and cooperative when I'm doing cage maintenance.

Good to know, now I definitely need one...

 

[14pokies]

OK thanks for the info, will definitely look into getting one!

As Moonohol stated IME A.metallica are the best Avics to start with.. IME it's not hardiness or ease of care as all Avics are hardy when set up properly.. The real appeal comes from there laid back personalities.. A.avic is a little more skitttish.. All of my versicolor are slightly defensive as well as skittish and the rest of the species are either slightly difficult to find or markedly more expensive.. Out of all the A.mets I have seen only one has been a complete monster and I own her.. Lol she's in pic #2.. The rest have all been very slow movers and extremely cooperative...IMO based on temperament price, availability and looks A.mets are a great introduction to keeping Avicularua..

 

[Andrea82]

I just can't stop buying Avicularia metallicas... Even worse I find my self skipping my dutys around the house to stare at and take pictures of them.. If I catch someone watching me stare at them too long I isolate myself in my room and stare at the pictures I took of them at all hours of the night admiring there beauty and imagining how fuzzy they feel..

I lie to my friends and family about the true numbers I actually have and the prices I have paid... Just the other night my friend found the fourth enclosure hidden under my couch with some polaroids that I snapped of my largest female spread out on the side of her enclosure...

Lately I have been considering taking the next step and actually video taping myself interacting with these beautys either feeding them big fat roaches or just rambling on about how beautiful they are and why I'm so addicted... I Don't want help but I think I need it ...

Anyways ...Here are some pics of my four A.mets I hope you enjoy them.. Feel free to post pics of yours and or discuss anything you want about this species... View attachment 233319 she is so beautiful even in premolt.. Hopefully she will have a new suit any day now! View attachment 233320 This girl while extremely attractive is one of the most defensive Tarantulas I have ever come across.. No threats no warnings whatever touches her ( straws when doing transfers) she hits like a Great White! She is also in pre-molt ATM.. View attachment 233321 This is my largest girl.. She is so damn mellow it's unbelievable.. In order to get a better view of her I would of really had to push her hard with the straw as she is seemingly oblivious to anything other than food.. Even then she takes it gently.. I LOVE this girl!... When I get a better angle of her I will attatch it to the thread.. View attachment 233322 I just picked this girl up last night.. She is very calm but still scared as hell from the ride home and the new enclosure so I didn't want to bother her to get a better picture.. Once she settles in and webs I will add a better pic of her..

I hope you enjoy my lady's as much as I do!

Secretive whispering:
Psst...i have one too! Don't tell on me!

 

[sdsnybny]

BEWARE THE FLUFFY!!! (enabler alert)


A. metallica male


A. urticans adult female (now A. juruensis)

A. geroldi adult female

C. versicolor.....hmm seems to be more than eight legs LOL

Not an Avic but "cuz fluffy" N. tripepii female

 

[Paiige]

BEWARE THE FLUFFY!!! (enabler alert)


A. metallica male
View attachment 233328

A. urticans adult female (now A. juruensis) View attachment 233331

A. geroldi adult female View attachment 233330

C. versicolor.....hmm seems to be more than eight legs LOL View attachment 233332

Not an Avic but "cuz fluffy" N. tripepii female View attachment 233329

Thank you for this! Can't wait for my A. geroldi and my N. tripepii to grow up Also I appreciate how plump they all are!

Also, does your geroldi typically look that bright or do you have a flashlight on it?

 

[14pokies]

Secretive whispering:
Psst...i have one too! Don't tell on me!

So far there has been alot of love on this page.. I don't think any of us have to keep our addiction secret anymore.. Those that try to curb our lust for these beautys must be handled swiftly.. Burned at the stake and denied a proper buriel!

 

[14pokies]

BEWARE THE FLUFFY!!! (enabler alert)


A. metallica male
View attachment 233328


Damn you! You have all the males I need at the wrong time...

Do you have a female A.met?

 

[Andrea82]

So far there has been alot of love on this page.. I don't think any of us have to keep our addiction secret anymore.. Those that try to curb our lust for these beautys must be handled swiftly.. Burned at the stake and denied a proper buriel!

Seriously though, my A.metallica takes quite some effort to piss off, during rehouses she just gets more skittish and jumpy. The only time i've seen her defensive was towards an unwelcome roach, she slapped it out of her tube, but that was because of premolt.
They grow quite fast as well i must say.

 

[sdsnybny]

Thank you for this! Can't wait for my A. geroldi and my N. tripepii to grow up Also I appreciate how plump they all are!

Also, does your geroldi typically look that bright or do you have a flashlight on it?

that is an overhead 6000k florescent tube lighting so nearly daylight in color. Id say she looks that way in natural light just a tiny bit dimmer.
You wont have to wait long for the tripepii to grow. That pic is at 5" I bought my female at @3" and in two molts she is over 6" as well as nearing another molt.

 

[boina]

Ok, soooo I looked around....

An acquaintance (breeder of my P. irminia) has a juvi F A. huriana and a juvi F A. sp. tarapoto

Should I? Which one?

No other sexed Avis around at the moment, but I then could buy slings...

 

[sdsnybny]

Mature Male went to Austin Spears for his 8" female there are picks of him in Austins thread. I do have another juvenile male coming up about 3.5-4" currently

 

[14pokies]

Seriously though, my A.metallica takes quite some effort to piss off, during rehouses she just gets more skittish and jumpy. The only time i've seen her defensive was towards an unwelcome roach, she slapped it out of her tube, but that was because of premolt.
They grow quite fast as well i must say.

Right.. They are very tolerant.. Out of the four I own only #2 and #3 are hard to deal with and even then it's not that bad.. #2 bites the straw like she is a tiger shark eating a fledgling gull and I just gently pull her out with the straw... #3 sometimes refuses to move and I would have to prod her hard enough that I might hurt her so most of the time I gently cup her with my hand and put her in her new enclosure.. The others walk out slowly when touched with the straw..

 

[14pokies]

Mature Male went to Austin Spears for his 8" female there are picks of him in Austins thread. I do have another juvenile male coming up about 3.5-4" currently
View attachment 233339

Cool.. While I don't have the time to do any breeding at the moment I was going to send you one of my females... Hopefully by the time your male matures I will be settled into my new house..

 

[14pokies]

Ok, soooo I looked around....

An acquaintance (breeder of my P. irminia) has a juvi F A. huriana and a juvi F A. sp. tarapoto

Should I? Which one?

No other sexed Avis around at the moment, but I then could buy slings...

Based on your current collection I would say neither is out of your league.. Personally I like the looks of A.huriana better..

 

[Andrea82]

Ok, soooo I looked around....

An acquaintance (breeder of my P. irminia) has a juvi F A. huriana and a juvi F A.apoto

Should I? Which one?

No other sexed Avis around at the moment, but I then could buy slings...

Well, you said you needed more spiders in an earlier thread....get them both!

 

[clive 82]

As Moonohol stated IME A.metallica are the best Avics to start with.. IME it's not hardiness or ease of care as all Avics are hardy when set up properly.. The real appeal comes from there laid back personalities.. A.avic is a little more skitttish.. All of my versicolor are slightly defensive as well as skittish and the rest of the species are either slightly difficult to find or markedly more expensive.. Out of all the A.mets I have seen only one has been a complete monster and I own her.. Lol she's in pic #2.. The rest have all been very slow movers and extremely cooperative...IMO based on temperament price, availability and looks A.mets are a great introduction to keeping Avicularua..

Would you recommend an Avic over a P cambridgeii as a starter arboreal? I was thinking of making a new thread about this but seeing as we are kind of on the subject.

 

[14pokies]

Would you recommend an Avic over a P cambridgeii as a starter arboreal? I was thinking of making a new thread about this but seeing as we are kind of on the subject.

Absolutely! P.cams can be pretty defensive and extremely fast.. While I wouldn't say they have a potent venom there venom is much more potent than Avicularia Genus... Each species is equally easy to care for and very visible.. While Avics can be very fast they are usually reluctant to bite or throw a threat posture.. They prefer flight over fight most of the time..

 

[clive 82]

Absolutely! P.cams can be pretty defensive and extremely fast.. While I wouldn't say they have a potent venom there venom is much more potent than Avicularia Genus... Each species is equally easy to care for and very visible.. While Avics can be very fast they are usually reluctant to bite or throw a threat posture.. They prefer flight over fight most of the time..

I may wait & get a bit more experience with my GBB & A geniculata before getting an Avic, just to get used to faster Ts. They are only slings at the moment so not too bad to deal with although Ive had no issues yet. Although I understand Avics are usually calm I don't really want to be chasing an Avic around trying to catch it lol!

 

[Jeff23]

The metallica certainly is a nice looking T.

Just remember that when you wake up and there are five Avics instead of one, that it was meant to be.

 

[Jeff23]

Would you recommend an Avic over a P cambridgeii as a starter arboreal? I was thinking of making a new thread about this but seeing as we are kind of on the subject.

I think it depends on what path you have taken on your terrestrial experience. Psalmopoeus are faster than Avic's. Rehousing will be more stressful for you on a Psalmopoeus. And they are certainly more liable to be aggressive if you start putting tongs into their enclosure for maintenance. A few Avic species will get defensive (example: Ybyrapora diversipes) if you are nudging them with a straw, but none of mine bother me when I do maintenance. metallica is very docile and easiest for a new owner.

On husbandry, the Psalmopoeus are easier on care than an Avic in my opinion. I have never had fears with my Psalmopoeus with regard to health or premolt. Avic's get kind of weird on the premolt stuff on a few of them. A few have also been known to forget how to go get water or hunt until something awakens them.