Intro to OW

[Sarkhan42]

I would totally agree with the sentiment that pokies make excellent first OW arboreals- IF someone has previous experience with say Psalmos or Tapis. I believe metallica and subfusca are some of the calmer species, probably subfusca moreso. Both tend to be pretty flighty but neither have really gotten defensive for me, even at Later stages of growth. For sure I cannot recommend getting a Psalmo first, both for experience and enjoyment. It's an easy genus to skip over in looking up the ladder, despite being a gorgeous and rewarding group.

 

[netr]

I also don't intend on breeding [P. metallica], unless it becomes some kind of dire need in the hobby to keep the species going.

Oh, but it is in dire need of more breeding in the hobby. So that the prices go down.

 

[Ranitomeya]

My first old world tarantulas were Monocentropus balfouri and Poecilotheria metallica. I found the Poecilotheria metallica easy to deal with after being accustomed to keeping Avicularia species. As mentioned before, they're quick to retreat to their hiding places when disturbed and will stay there while you do enclosure maintenance as long as you're not poking around it or creating too much of a disturbance.

Monocentropus balfouri burrow a lot and will retreat into them if you go to water and clean, but they'll stick around outside of the burrows enough that they're not old world pet holes. They're defensive if you bother them, but they're nothing like the more aggressive tarantulas that might charge forward at you when they feel threatened--mine will certainly rear up and strike, but they'll make a cautious retreat rather than deal with you further.

 

[REEFSPIDER]

See I'm not too big on the sling idea, don't get me wrong I love slings but I've got slings to watch grow, and since I don't intend on having too many OW (or maybe just the one if I go that route) I'd like to just get a sexed female juvie P. Metallica. I also don't intend on breeding this species, unless it becomes some kind of dire need in the hobby to keep the species going. It's too beautiful to let go out that way.

I mean generally speaking Poecilotheria are pretty fast growers, just food for thought I buy adult spiders too. Love Metallicas I vote you get them as pokies are pretty easy to work with in my opinion.

 

[cold blood]

The best introduction to OW arboreals is a NW...Psalmopeous cambridgei....hands down, not even close.

For terrestrials, Ceratogryus sp. and Augecaphelous ezendami.

 

[johnny quango]

The best introduction to OW arboreals is a NW...Psalmopeous cambridgei....hands down, not even close.

For terrestrials, Ceratogryus sp. and Augecaphelous ezendami.

I'd also add Eucratoscelus to the terrestrial list as they tend to burrow and bolt if they are distributed

 

[Venom1080]

This is excellent advice. On top of the benefits mentioned, you get to raise your tarantula from a young age and watch it develop into an adult, as well as note how its interactive behaviour changes as it ages. Which is very rewarding.

OW slings grow really fast, they can outpace their owners experience. the keeper know how to care for it as a sling, 6 months later its a juvi, etc. etc. i think they are too quick growing.

 

[netr]

OW slings grow really fast, they can outpace their owners experience. the keeper know how to care for it as a sling, 6 months later its a juvi, etc. etc. i think they are too quick growing.

True, they do grow fast and are likely to have some surprises for a keeper as they age. It's happened to me! Yet it's surely a gentler introduction than diving in and starting with a juvie or an adult.

Either way, it all goes back to having a well-informed and well-prepared attitude about what you're getting before you get it. You read about the species, you watch lots of videos of other people's individuals dashing, slapping, hissing or whatever else they do. You make sure you're prepared for the worst case scenario, by which I mean the bitiest, runniest, happy-slappiest territory defender possible - not just when you order the thing, but also every time you must interact with the container, let alone the individual inside! You stay strictly hands-off, with substrate and prey management as much as with the spider itself. You use every sneaky trick there is - and there are many! - to minimise direct contact with the spider. What more can you do? Accidents happen, but a little common sense and preparedness, with a dollop of calm respect for the creature, go a very long way.

You also look at lots of high-resolution photographs, with all the beautiful colouration and patterns. You read enthusiasic tales by devoted keepers. All just to remind yourself, after the countless hair-raising rehousing videos and bite reports, why you wanted the thing in the first place.

 

[creepa]

OW slings grow really fast, they can outpace their owners experience. the keeper know how to care for it as a sling, 6 months later its a juvi, etc. etc. i think they are too quick growing.

I think for any experianced keeper (like the topic starter) 6 months is not to fast.
Topic starter has multiple fast species and enough common sense to keep him from handling old world tarantula's

 

[Venom1080]

I think for any experianced keeper (like the topic starter) 6 months is not to fast.
Topic starter has multiple fast species and enough common sense to keep him from handling old world tarantula's

theres nothing particularly fast in his bio. OW slings are prob the best place to start when getting an OW, but its still best to be completely prepared before buying any size of OW.

 

[EulersK]

theres nothing particularly fast in his bio. OW slings are prob the best place to start when getting an OW, but its still best to be completely prepared before buying any size of OW.

N. incei and H. sp. "Columbia" are both very speedy and unpredictable terrestrials.

@magicmed has done more than enough research, he's kept the right species, and he's always open to the advice of more experienced keepers. He even made a thread specifically asking which one to get. Not sure what else he needs to do to be ready, I think he's been ready. So much so that I would be comfortable suggesting a Chilobrachys to him, specifically because of his learning curve and respect for these animals.

 

[Venom1080]

N. incei and H. sp. "Columbia" are both very speedy and unpredictable terrestrials.

@magicmed has done more than enough research, he's kept the right species, and he's always open to the advice of more experienced keepers. He even made a thread specifically asking which one to get. Not sure what else he needs to do to be ready, I think he's been ready. So much so that I would be comfortable suggesting a Chilobrachys to him, specifically because of his learning curve and respect for these animals.

oh i know, i have zero doubt that magicmed can handle a OW. i was speaking in general.

also, random question, is it Neoholothele or Holothele incei? or are they two different spiders?

 

[EulersK]

also, random question, is it Neoholothele or Holothele incei? or are they two different spiders?

It's Neoholothele. I believe the revision happened in 2014, but don't quote me on that part. So same spider, new name.

 

[magicmed]

Aww you guys are making me feel like one of the gang

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Aww you guys are making me feel like one of the gang

Promise me that one day you will buy a Goddess :-s

Carrot people can't prevail u_u

 

[bryverine]

I'll leave the arboreal opinions to someone else.

For terrestrial, you can't go wrong with a Ceratogyrus species. The downside is that they're easy because they're a pet hole for the most part. They will always turn and run rather than fight, and they're usually strictly nocturnal. C. marshalli seems to be out and about quite often, but even that one isn't a display species.

"Beginner" OW is a bit of an oxymoron. With the exception of Ceratogyrus, I can't really think of an easy OW to keep. When we say beginner OW, understand that it still requires experience.

The word "starter" reminds me of karate. How you ask? I consider black belt to be the true beginning. Everything else is just groundwork to really start learning.

While I'm just an OW noob (beginner ) I haven't had to change the way I deal with tarantulas much transitioning from NW to OW.

While I prefer arboreal tarantulas, I think my P. muticus had been the easiest T to take care of. Moving it is near impossible, but it's far easier than dealing with even my C. cyanopubescens as far as everyday maintenance and flightyness.

I was told to go with a regalis as a first poec. Other than its crazy growth speed, I've seen less threat postures from it than my irminia.

Just buy a sling and watch it grow and your xp level will grow with the sling.

I'd be weary of telling this to true beginners. My regalis was bought at 2-2.5" and in 3 months it is a solid 6" (no joke). This was pretty alarming to me and while that may be fine for YOU, it probably isn't the case for most people.
*Edit* I like that you qualified it with being ready age then buying a sling instead of a juvie. *Edit*

Keeping old worlds is not that scarry as everybody here on the board makes it appear to be...!!

As long as you treat them with respect, they aren't that scary. Just because you aren't scared of them, doesn't necessarily prepare you for their speed and unpredictability.

 

[Matabuey]

N. incei and H. sp. "Columbia" are both very speedy and unpredictable terrestrials.

I kept my friends one for 5 months while he went travelling. That thing was skittier than any of my old worlds.

 

[EulersK]

I kept my friends one for 5 months while he went travelling. That thing was skittier than any of my old worlds.

Right?! It's wild, even a shadow will send them scurrying off into random directions. Whenever I had to take the lid completely off my adult, I always had it in the middle of the floor with a catch cup nearby. I've yet to encounter an OW that does this.

 

[magicmed]

The word "starter" reminds me of karate. How you ask? I consider black belt to be the true beginning. Everything else is just groundwork to really start learning.

While I'm just an OW noob (beginner ) I haven't had to change the way I deal with tarantulas much transitioning from NW to OW.

While I prefer arboreal tarantulas, I think my P. muticus had been the easiest T to take care of. Moving it is near impossible, but it's far easier than dealing with even my C. cyanopubescens as far as everyday maintenance and flightyness.

I was told to go with a regalis as a first poec. Other than its crazy growth speed, I've seen less threat postures from it than my irminia.


I'd be weary of telling this to true beginners. My regalis was bought at 2-2.5" and in 3 months it is a solid 6" (no joke). This was pretty alarming to me and while that may be fine for YOU, it probably isn't the case for most people.


As long as you treat them with respect, they aren't that scary. Just because you aren't scared of them, doesn't necessarily prepare you for their speed and unpredictability.

This is kind of how I feel as far as the transition goes. I try to treat every one of my T's with respect for their speed. I know it's not going to be exactly the same, but every time I open an enclosure I'm on alert as if the T were going to make a mad dash to the door, I don't use hands inside the enclosure at all, and I try to setup enclosures so their safe places are as far from the opening as I can. I've recently been told about making small feeding doors, which is something I'm going to implement as well.

The one thing I can't figure out a way to truly practice is the flinch theory. I want to make sure my reflexes are trained so I don't ever fling or twitch if the OW does run onto my arm, and that I'm able to easily work with a catch cup in that scenario. Sure I've let my jumper crawl on me but come on that's just a jumper haha, I've no specific fear of spiders so I don't have to worry about phobias or anything, but knowing it has quite the bite may make me more edgey, I dunno what my mind will do at that point.

Any ideas on reflex training?

 

[Venom1080]

Any ideas on reflex training?

meth