Intro to OW

magicmed

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
404
I wanted to post this because of a few reasons, the first was I couldn't see any recent thread specifically geared to this topic, and I thought it may help some hobbiest looking to test the waters. I've also seen two old world species that are appealing to me, however both are in no way regarded as a first OW species. (P. Metallica, and H. Maculata) and if I decide to go into OW's, it would be nice to have an intro, instead of jumping right in.

As a reminder, I am NOT recommending any newer hobbiests enter the world of OW tarantulas. I think everyone realizes that there's no amount of time that every single person could take to make them ready, I believe the keepers general personality is just as much of a factor as their species experience or time spent.

If you would, for both terrestrial and arboreal name a species or two that you feel gives a good introduction to OW. And list your reasonings for said species ( defensiveness, venom, speed, skittishness, etc.)

For bonus, on top of a first arboreal ow suggestions, let's hear some first poec suggestions for my own curiosity (I realize poecs in general are not going to be a good first ow, Hense the seperation, @Poec54 I'm very interested in what you have to say )

Also, this is assuming said keeper has kept some quick NW species as the "precursor to ow" such as n. Incei and p. Cambridgei


Thank you for the time and opinions.
 

antinous

Pamphopharaoh
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
1,668
As I normally don't deal with arboreals, I'll stick with terrestrials:
Ceratogyrus species
Eucratoscelus species
Augacephalus species
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
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.
 

TownesVanZandt

Arachnoprince
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
1,041
E. pachypus is by far the most forgiving OW around, much more so than any Ceratogyrus who will be second on that list. However, if you or anyone else plans to get one, get a sub-adult as they grow painfully slow. IME E. pachypus grows even slower than P. muticus.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
I have a weak point, when arboreals OW's are concerned, for 0.1 (and 0.1 only) L.nigerrimum, IMO they are too class. For the rest, as you/others know, except for genus Psalmopoeus (IMO a complete one, nuff said) I'm not an arboreal T's man.

Anyway those are more high strung than the average 'Pokie'. Not a jumping nightmare like S.calceatum could been (if they want) but still a nice challenge.

As for the rest, EulersK and TownesVanZadt are right, frankly you can't absolutely go wrong with a C.marshalli. Or C.darlingi. Or, IMO better, a C.sanderi. Or a C.whatever :angelic:

Actually I spot my female (C.marshalli) 24/7 with the trick of the cork bark placed in diagonal near the side of the enclosure... I will always suggest those: they are a pleasure to own and see, cheap, great eaters, care is not easy... but easy-laughable.
I love how my baby moves when she's out... she's insane, lovely and creepy with that horn that looks like the one of those thugs of "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" :kiss:
 

Matabuey

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Messages
96
Orphnaecus sp blue panay
Idiothele mira

For terrestrials sp. They're both pretty hardy, easy to deal with, and pretty tarantulas.

You'll rarely see the mira though, being a trap door T. See the feet 90% of the time and that's it haha.
 

mistertim

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
548
I only have limited experience so far in Old World tarantulas. My first was a Harpactira pulchripes sling, then I got a Poecilotheria regalis sling not long ago, and I have a P. metallica sling coming tomorrow (yay!).

H. pulchripes was a great OW intro for me but the downside is the cost. If that is an issue then I have heard very good things about Ceratogyrus. As for the H. pulchripes, the biggest upside is that they aren't very defensive at all...they will generally just run or hunker down (almost like a terrestrial version of a Pokie) when disturbed. They're very hardy and are also absolutely gorgeous. They also tend to be out and about, though they will burrow much more as younger slings.

As for arboreals...I would honestly say Poecilotheria. Yes, they're incredibly fast, and yes they have very potent venom. But they generally aren't very defensive and will prefer to run, hide, or hunker down instead of strike. But of course this is all assuming that you have experience with fast NW arboreals like Psamos or Taps. Without that experience, no OW arboreal is a good idea IMO.
 

magicmed

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
404
Very good responses indeed! Keep em coming! I personally don't know if I'll ever make the jump, I just believe in being well prepared and informed, and I'm very curious by nature. Rest assured I have no intention of taking any species lightly if I do make the jump :)
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
pokies are probably the easiest OW arboreal. ive heard ornata is the most defensive. personally ive never gotten a threat posture from any of my juvi-adult Poecilotheria. once youve kept a Psalmopoeus or 2, i think pokies are the next step. then genera like Lampropelma, Omothymus, Cyriopagopus, etc etc. its pretty well known that regalis or metallica are considered the best "beginner" pokie. my pokies settled down as they grew. my regalis barely even runs have to catch cup her. just dont get cocky.

as for terrestrial, Ceratogyrus are very easy.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
Let's start a flame war, shall we?

With the exception of C. fimbriatus, I think that Chilobrachys may be an acceptable first OW. Ideal? Certainly not, but you could make worse choices. In my opinion, my P. striata is far more difficult to deal with than any Chilobrachys. My first OW was a C. andersoni, and it wasn't bad at all. Since then, I've have several Chilobrachys species. Specifically, C. andersoni wouldn't be a terrible choice for a first OW. Their venom is no joke and their speed is on par with many OW arboreals, but they're flighty. They always make a B-line straight for their burrow or web tube when disturbed, and only fight back if cornered. I get a threat posture constantly from my C. fimbriatus, but the C. andersoni will only run. They've only been confrontational during a rehouse. They're relatively hardy, can handle draughts if need be, and don't bite as a first resort.

To be clear. I wouldn't suggest a Chilobrachys to most hobbyists as a first OW. They better have experience with skittish, fast NW terrestrials - N. incei, H. sp. "Columbia", P. cancerides as juvies, etc.
 

Moonohol

Two Legged Freak
Joined
Aug 8, 2016
Messages
115
pokies are probably the easiest OW arboreal. ive heard ornata is the most defensive. personally ive never gotten a threat posture from any of my juvi-adult Poecilotheria. once youve kept a Psalmopoeus or 2, i think pokies are the next step. then genera like Lampropelma, Omothymus, Cyriopagopus, etc etc. its pretty well known that regalis or metallica are considered the best "beginner" pokie. my pokies settled down as they grew. my regalis barely even runs have to catch cup her. just dont get cocky.

as for terrestrial, Ceratogyrus are very easy.
I'll second the vote for Pokies. My P. metallica has been a walk in the park thus far, all it takes is a few taps on the side of the enclosure and he'll creep down to the bottom of his hide and leave me to my business.
 

Storm76

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
3,797
Once more throwing out the Dwarf Baboons:

Heterothele gabonensis
Heterothele villosella

The latter was my first OW ever and aside from a bite my straw received when I first tried to get her into her cage, she was always rather vanishing into her web-castle, than confrontational. With 2.5-3.5" they're dwarfs, but look incredibly good and are easy to care for like Ceratogyrus spp. With the benefit that they construct webbing like C. fimbriatus nearly (not as thick, but as gigantic).
 

Zenith

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 29, 2016
Messages
0
I agree with H. villosella and H. gabonensis as great starters. Not only have I never seen any aggression with mine, but they make for fantastic display animals as they are very heavy webbers and are out and about most of the time. I would also second E. pachypus, C. darlingi and C. marshalli as they stay burrowed most of the time (also, who doesn't love E. pachypus's big fluffy back legs? :embarrassed: )
 

creepa

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 24, 2010
Messages
260
I see a lot of terrestrial/burrowing species being mentioned here, but arboreal species are a whole different ball game...
And the two species you mention are ofcource arboreal.

Terrestrial species bolt most of the time in 2 dimentions as for old world, they bolt in 3 dimentions.

My oppinion is, just go for it...
Think 3 steps ahead, allways be prepared for a bolt because it will happen.
Keep calm, dont stress because if you stress your wife/kids will stress harder.

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

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

gypsy cola

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
192
If you can keep a proper enclosure. I would recommend most OW terrestrials.

I am more scared of getting tagged by my A.Genic than an OBT.

an OBT will more likely to hide if the cage is set up correctly.

Of course there is always that special snow flake.
 

magicmed

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
404
Man, you guys just gotta tempt me!

Truthfully I know I don't want a large OW collection at all, I see tons of beauty in NW species. but my personal endgame in the world of OW is just a nice display exo with a p. Metallica or h. Maculata. Leaning to the p. Metallica but I just don't want to jump the gun ya know? I find that species in particular just so gorgeous
 

netr

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
158
Just buy a sling and watch it grow and your xp level will grow with the sling.
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.
 

magicmed

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
404
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.
 

truecreature

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 24, 2014
Messages
206
E. pachypus is by far the most forgiving OW around, much more so than any Ceratogyrus who will be second on that list. However, if you or anyone else plans to get one, get a sub-adult as they grow painfully slow. IME E. pachypus grows even slower than P. muticus.
I agree, E. pachypus was my first OW and she's super easy to deal with, mostly because as mentioned they are pet holes. They're also just really cool tarantulas because of those big fuzzy back legs the females have and the way their colors are split olive green and brown.

Another species that hasn't been mentioned so far that I've heard can be decent first OWs are M. balfouri. My two are only 1 1/2"-ish slings so I can't chime in with much personal experience there but so far they've been very easy to deal with.
 

Matabuey

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 9, 2016
Messages
96
Another species that hasn't been mentioned so far that I've heard can be decent first OWs are M. balfouri. My two are only 1 1/2"-ish slings so I can't chime in with much personal experience there but so far they've been very easy to deal with.
I would agree, my two do go into threat posture quite often though, ever since they've hit around 2.5 inches. But they aren't very hard to deal with as you say.

Plus they're stunning. Much prettier than all the other species other people have suggested (including what i suggested), in my opinion anyway (except for P.met).
 
Top