Introduce Yourself

[Nix the Rather Short]

-takes deep breath and steps up to the podium-
Hello, my name is Sean, though I usually go by Nix when table-top gaming and/or amongst friends. When I first thought about getting a tarantula as a pet, I then spent between two and three months researching what to expect, what is needed, etc.. as the time drew near where I knew I was going to get one (which then turned into three) I relied rather heavily a friend with my last minute questions.

I currently have a T. albopilosus, a G. pulchra/quirogai, an N. incei, and a C. lividus (which I shouldn't have bought being a beginner.. but the pic was super pretty and it's a cute sling). I will be getting, via mail, P. sazimai, G. iheringi, and an Hapalopus spp.

it's been just a couple of weeks now and I've successfully housed and fed all of them.. and rehoused the C.lividus when I read that it liked to burrow deep. They all seem.. content? Both the T. albopilosus and N.incei wander about quite a bit before going back into their dens.

While I do have a pic of the C.lividus, under the red light all you really see is a bit fo butt bump and dirt, while the G. pulchra/quirogai was evidently quite stressed from when I bought it and the entire substrate was sopping wet. I got it home, rehoused, and it immediately walled itself into the burrow I made. I then read that they enjoy around 3" of substrate, so I added a little more while being careful not to disturb the 'sling and keep the entrance clear. It's still hiding there.. so...huzzah?

 

[AcidbathTX]

Hello people!

I am a prospective new hobbyist located in Texas, looking to get his first tarantula. Previously an aquarist; I could no longer swing the space and energy cost and so downsized until the fish were all gone.

I have zero experience with arachnids, aside from some marbled orb weavers I would catch in the woods in Alaska as a kid.

I have some reservations about what species I should start with. I love the appearance and behavior of the chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, but I worry that it may be too fast for me. I have no interest in handling, I prefer observational pets.

Would a c. cyaneopubescens spiderling be a reasonable first attempt at tarantula keeping? Or am I being too ambitious?

 

[David1981]

Hello and good morning from indonesia.
im an animal keeper coming back from 4 year off
about 11 years ago after i got married, i breed cornsnakes and kept some tarantulas also. after my 1st kid i stil breed them, but then time was a big problem so i have to choose and i choose family
now 2 new human pets later, and beter time management study , im starting again in the hobby, and started off with tarantulas last year and since couple of months ago with scorpions.

now i have 22 different species of tarantulas. and 11 species of scorpions and soon to be more

not mentioning some that i still keep since back then : a ball python, 8 aligator snapping turtles, a common snapping turtle, 2 malayan boxturtle. 2 redeared sliders, a sulcata tortoise, some birds and a dog

i already been around here for some time and now its time to introduce my self i guess

cheers !

i can put the list of my tarantulas and scorpions later on in the right thread

 

[Ungoliant]

i can put the list of my tarantulas and scorpions later on in the right thread

Your profile has a field for this under "My Inverts & Other Pets."

 

[ikeywill]

good day to all!

Hi! my name is Erwin and I am new to this hobby of keeping tarantula. I got influenced from my cousin seeing how fascinating his T's are. I said to myself I'll just try a few and ended buying 6 different t's during the time of pandemic and now I have added 2 more species and I am not stopping yet. Hopefully my wife will just let me have as much as I can afford. Anyways happy keeping everyone and keep safe.

 

[Sarah23]

Hi! I'm new to the hobby, and to arachnoboards! I have an Avicularia Avicularia named jellybean, and I am hoping to start a collection! I've Had jellybean for almost a year now, and I'm hoping to start a collection with my friend, who also happens to love spiders! I don't know any other hobbyists, and I'm so excited to be able to interact with other people who love tarantulas! I'm so happy to be here, and I'm excited to be in a group that can help me become a better tarantula owner! Have a wonderful day!

 

[Goboldlyjumping]

Hello!

I'm a partially-reformed arachnophobe turned salticidae enthusiast and tarantula admirer. I have a Phidippus Audax that hopped into my life not too long ago that I'm still in the courtship phase of them trusting that I'm not some evil giant with and trying to crush - in the most metaphorical sense - being its owner before I go into the deep end of having a house full of eight-legged beings.

 

[Sarah23]

Hey everyone I just started keeping tarantulas this year even though I should have started last year, ants are my main hobby since they are easy to take care of and you can catch queens outside to start your collection but that’s only because one day I was watch g exotic lairs and I saw a ants Canada video which made me just get caught up in all the ant keeping and stuff I never decided to get a tarantula until now because they cost, I figured out my local pet store which wasn’t a chain pet store had a avicularia avicularia which I heard was a good beginner I did my research and because I kept ants and i just literally spent good money just on some harvester ants I got a avic now here we are I have a avic now which was very hard to get since my mom hates spiders and she just ate her first meal in her new home yesterday and she ate again today which is around three crickets already she is in a big enclosure which I will probably never have to rehouse her out of because it’s huge for her, well it’s great to finally be a tarantula keeper.

-Cam
Thanks!

That's awesome! Same here actually! I owned ants, and then a little while after they died (very sadly, because my dad wouldn't let me open the enclosure to take the dead ones out, and it eventually effected the whole colony. Don't ask me why he wouldn't let me take the dead ones out, there was no logic in that decision) I was like, "Wait, what am I thinking, why don't I just get a tarantula!", Not knowing that it's actually a hobby (at the time), and then it took my a few years to convince my arachnophob mother to let me get one. I too got an avicularia avicularia! I've had him for about a year now, but it doesn't feel like it's been that long. He's about to molt for the second time (his name is Jellybean ), and I'm so excited!!! Anyway, sorry for the paragraph, just thought that was cool
My mom's favorite fraze when seeing a spider is "Ew, that's a big one... Let's squish it!", And then I grab it before she can

Whoa! That’s impressive!!! #goals

4 daughters, that’s tough! Girls are much more difficult than boys, so much sass! Haha (but also super fun!) My oldest daughter and my niece I raised are both out of the house, two down, two to go haha - and 4 boys.

That's great! I want to have 21 kids, (mostly adopted, I don't think I could give birth to that many children ) when I get older, but that may be a bit ambitious... It's awesome that you have a bug lover though! The wide world of bugs, insects, and of course arachnids is so fascinating!

Hey guys! My name is Jacob. I am 26. I live in Alabama, USA. I was a LONG time arachnophobe. I eventually started learning about insects and arachnids and joined a big group on Facebook that studies entomology. I eventually started to overcome my arachnid fear about a year ago. A few weeks ago I decided I would try raising a T after weeks of research. I picked up a Pink-Toe (avic avic) named Thundara. I have handled her and she is extremely docile and amazing. She's my profile pic! Anyway I am super new to arachnoboards and a new Tarantula hobbyist. If any other newbies wanna be friends hmu! We can learn together! Welcome to all!

That's so great that you overcame your fear! I too have a avicularia avicularia! They are so gentle and docile! I am also new, got my avic in December, 2019. Nice to meet you!

I read other replies, and now I feel like I didn't give enough information , so:
My name is Sarah, but I go by Abby (no one knows why), I'm 17, a christian, an artist (just for fun), I make and sell jewelry (a business I started), I work at a horse ranch full of horses that love kicking each other (definitely safe), and I have another job (cuz why not). I'm unnaturally flexible, which seems to freak people out. When I was little, my mom would dress me up in dresses and white tights, and I would proceed to sit in the mud and look for little creepy crawley friends . I have always loved bugs, but I think what pushed me to get a T (and convince my mother to let me get one, because she was NOT a fan [she is now ]) was my friend, who thought he loved bugs(and arachnids) more than me (because he is delusional), has a bug collection (dead bugs) and he said that proved he loved them more, so I proceeded to have a living collection (I also have several black widows in my freezer to turn into resin jewelry). I have a doggo aswell (pointer, black lab mix named shadow) because doggos are great, and I don't have a horse because A. I live in northern California (bay area), and 2. Horses are a pain, unlike Tarantulas, and are extremely expensive, as one might imagine. And... I think that's it, besides what I put in the first comment above about my avicularia avicularia (Jellybean). Thanks whoever took the time to read all that!!!
My avic and doggo:

 

[Benjaminn]

Hi, my name is Ben I’m 15 years old from Canada and I’ve been keeping tarantulas for 6 and a half years now. I got my first tarantula ( MM A. braunshauseni ) when I was just 9 years old. I now have over 30 animals including both New World and Old World tarantulas, True spiders, Scorpions as well as some reptiles. I plan on doing this for my whole life as just a hobby as well as to educate people about them. I would hopefully like to have a public facility with displays of tons of different species of arachnids and reptiles. Maybe I’ll even make a carrier out of this in some way.

 

[lolthqueen]

Hi, I’m Fiona from northern Colorado! I am very new to arachnid husbandry, I just recently adopted an a. avicularia who I believe actually to be a sp. blue velvet color variant! She just molted today and her name is Octavia, I also have a brachypelma. Whether she is a humorii or a smithi is yet to be determined but her name is Hestia! I’m excited to learn new things on this forum, and for you guys to check out Octavia and Hestia and other spiders I end up adopting too! I’m almost positive they are both females so I can’t wait to live a happy long life with these girls, and add new ones to the family!

 

[EmiM]

Hey, I'm Emily, a new keeper here and previous arachnophobe. T's had always fascinated me but I felt my fear of spiders would hold me back, used some homegrown CBT to help me get over that fear and here I am! Let my example prove that anyone can get over their phobias if they work hard enough. Currently the owner of a young avic avic, whom I have creatively named Pink Toe, which I am suspecting to be male, but I'll have to wait to check for sure. Anyways, happy to be here joining you all!

 

[SpTimoteo]

Hello everyone!

I’m Timo and I live in Pueblo CO USA. I’m 100% a noob to keeping Ts, and have my first 6 slings coming this week!

I’m here to learn from other keepers, find other keepers in my area, and to look for more Ts to buy! Thanks for being a thing that exists, and for the wealth of information you all share.
M

 

[Aline]

Hello !
I have been on Arachnoboards for many years but have never introduced myself...
I am a Brazilian biologist and I've worked in an Arachnid lab for a few years. Got into the spider lab first year of my undergrad, always loved spiders. I did all kinds of spider work/research.
Changed for a while to bats... and then to science education in museums. I had an opportunity to work with a spider exhibit in the museum I was working for last year, and it really brought back the spark in my relationship with spiders! I had the amazing experience of taking care of the spiders from the exhibit.
Currently have 4 spiders at home: an Hapalopus sp. Columbia large, a Grammostola rosea and 2 jumpers (P. audax).
And I really love all the discussions here on Arachnoboards !!!

 

[Vanessa]

Hello !

Hi Aline, it is Vanessa from the Canadian Arachnid group on FB.

 

[Gabe137]

Hello, im Gabriel. I've always had a fascination with spiders when I was a kid and have just re-sparked my interest in arachnids. I currently have collected around 5 spiders and am hoping to get a jumping spider and a Tarantula in the future.

 

[sanso]

Hi all,

24 yo girl from the Netherlands and have been keeping tarantulas/spiders for quite a few years now.
Went on a break for a year or so with no tarantulas at all and now starting again.

First tarantulas I wanted after the break where M. Balfouri. I did have set up a communal in the past successfull and doing that now again. Bought 12 slings first molt for about a year ago and they are still all alive and are in their adult colours now, still growing very fast! Absolutely love this species.

I also own a Sicarius which I love and last week when I was in a store I saw the most beautiful B. Albipolosum so had to get her haha. Never thought I would own a Brachypelma ever again since I mostly owned old worlds but this individual was just to good not to get

Also got a couple (1.1) spinifers together for a while.

So that’s it,currently looking to upscale the collection once more

 

[Jess S]

Hi all,

24 yo girl from the Netherlands and have been keeping tarantulas/spiders for quite a few years now.
Went on a break for a year or so with no tarantulas at all and now starting again.

First tarantulas I wanted after the break where M. Balfouri. I did have set up a communal in the past successfull and doing that now again. Bought 12 slings first molt for about a year ago and they are still all alive and are in their adult colours now, still growing very fast! Absolutely love this species.

I also own a Sicarius which I love and last week when I was in a store I saw the most beautiful B. Albipolosum so had to get her haha. Never thought I would own a Brachypelma ever again since I mostly owned old worlds but this individual was just to good not to get

Also got a couple (1.1) spinifers together for a while.

So that’s it,currently looking to upscale the collection once more

Welcome! You will be delighted to know you still haven't got a Brachypelma, cos there was a revision and curly hairs are now called Tlitocatl albopilosus

 

[bobbibink]

Hello

53 yo upstate New Yorker. I was on this site years ago and found my way back. I’ve been keeping T’s for 11 years— nothing more rewarding than raising itsy-bitsy translucent slings to full grown fuzz balls w fangs! I recently acquired a yearling a.chalcodes and a teenie tiny a.geniculata.

I have a female g. rosea/ female b. emelia/ a female t. vagans

My g. rosea was a rescue/—abandoned and left in a shitty moldy dank enclosure— outside! In the Fall! When a friend called me about her there was no hesitation. So happy to have her (Tilda) and she looks so much better, healthier and is as calm as pillow.

Hello

 

[GlitchSixxle]

yo im Blair, recently ordered an lp and my avicularia purpurea i live in Georgia and I love these doods

 

[CritterFriendly]

Hey guys, my name is Kurt. I reside in Northwest Louisiana and have always had a knack and passion for everything outdoors. I am looking to get a couple T's in the future seeing as I have only started keeping this past few months. I caught a big H. Antelucana and needed a definite ID, which is how I found this forum. I have a handful of acres I manage with fruit trees and vines as well as the garden area so there is no shortage of encounters waiting to happen. I have since caught a few more Wolfies and Jumpers and built some solid little enclosures for them. I am absolutely hooked and look forward to continue reading, researching, and learning. Thank you all for the help you have shared thus far and I hope to be able to return the favor for others new to the hobby or simply looking for quick info or ID.