Is a genic too much for me?

[Brachyfan]

Hello all!

I am placing an order soon and was considering finally getting an A geniculata.
These are one of my favorite looking tarantulas and I am aware of the fact that they can be kinda feisty. Talking to people at expos I was told that they are not overly defensive they just have insane feeding responses and think everything is food.

I don't want to feel in over my head with this t but would love to get one. I have been keeping t's for a while (6+ months)
and have very little interest in OW for keeping. But having something a little feisty does kinda appeal to me.

These are the ts I currently have:

Brachypelmas

Hamorii x2
Baumgarteni
Klaasi
Boehmei
Emilia
Auratum

Tliltocatls

Albopilosum (hobby and nicaraguan)

Grammastola

Pulchra
Pulchripes

Eupalestrus Campastratus


Do you think I would be in over my head with a genic? I am aware of the size, growth rate and feeding response already. Not sure how bad their hairs and bite are though. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

 

[Vanessa]

Do you think I would be in over my head with a genic?

No.
Be prepared for a really fast growth rate compared to what you have already. I would suggest always going a bit bigger on their homes with this species once they reach about 2". Before that, treat them the same as other spiderlings.
My girl is lovely. Yes, she freaks out over food, and water going into her dish, but, since I caught on to rehousing her into bigger enclosures, she never even kicks hair.
I adore my girl so much. Everyone should have this species.

 

[Brachyfan]

No.
Be prepared for a really fast growth rate compared to what you have already. I would suggest always going a bit bigger on their homes with this species once they reach about 2". Before that, treat them the same as other spiderlings.
My girl is lovely. Yes, she freaks out over food, and water going into her dish, but, since I caught on to rehousing her into bigger enclosures, she never even kicks hair.
I adore my girl so much. Everyone should have this species.

Thank for the reply! I did the same thing with my first t rehouse. Put a 2/3" sling in an 8 oz deli cup and created a pet hole. Now the t is around 1.5" (last molt was 1.25") and finally hangs out up top. The benefits as i see it are that the t won't need a rehouse for some time and whenever I touch the enclosure the t goes in its giant burrow

 

[Vanisher]

Hello all!

I am placing an order soon and was considering finally getting an A geniculata.
These are one of my favorite looking tarantulas and I am aware of the fact that they can be kinda feisty. Talking to people at expos I was told that they are not overly defensive they just have insane feeding responses and think everything is food.

I don't want to feel in over my head with this t but would love to get one. I have been keeping t's for a while (6+ months)
and have very little interest in OW for keeping. But having something a little feisty does kinda appeal to me.

These are the ts I currently have:

Brachypelmas

Hamorii x2
Baumgarteni
Klaasi
Boehmei
Emilia
Auratum

Tliltocatls

Albopilosum (hobby and nicaraguan)

Grammastola

Pulchra
Pulchripes

Eupalestrus Campastratus


Do you think I would be in over my head with a genic? I am aware of the size, growth rate and feeding response already. Not sure how bad their hairs and bite are though. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

No, they are pretty easy to care for and pretty undemanding. Be prepared for nasty urticating hairs though. Atleast for me. And keep your fingers out of its cage, otherwise it may go for one of your sausages!

 

[Vanessa]

Thank for the reply! I did the same thing with my first t rehouse. Put a 2/3" sling in an 8 oz deli cup and created a pet hole. Now the t is around 1.5" (last molt was 1.25") and finally hangs out up top. The benefits as i see it are that the t won't need a rehouse for some time and whenever I touch the enclosure the t goes in its giant burrow

I would keep them snug until about 2", then start going a bit larger than other species. My girl was very nervous in the smaller enclosures - when another species of the same size were comfortable.

 

[Brachyfan]

No, they are pretty easy to care for and pretty undemanding. Be prepared for nasty urticating hairs though. Atleast for me. And keep your fingers out of its cage, otherwise it may go for one of your sausages!

No worries about the fingers lol! I use tongs for everything! Are the hairs on par with a theraphosa stirmi? Like really bad? Or more like an albopilosum (pretty bad)?

 

[Vanisher]

For me, the hairs of a A genic was very bad, not as bad as say a Theraphosa sp, but way more bad than an B albopilosum. But every person reacts diffrently

 

[chanda]

No worries about the fingers lol! I use tongs for everything! Are the hairs on par with a theraphosa stirmi? Like really bad? Or more like an albopilosum (pretty bad)?

If you use tongs with a genic, be sure they are long - and that they are the rubber-coated kind, just in case the genic tries biting them. My genic is one of my favorite tarantulas, but they really do think pretty much everything that enters their cage is food - and will attack it accordingly. You wouldn't want your spider to break a fang on the tongs.

They really are fabulous spiders - beautiful markings, impressive feeding response, almost always out in the open, and fast growers. I've heard that their hairs are pretty bad - but mine has never kicked hairs at me and has no bald spots.

I am very careful to keep my fingers out of the tank - and I don't tong-feed either. I just drop the crickets into the cage through a lid that's cracked open and let the spider grab them herself. (Sometimes she seems to get them before they even hit the ground!) She will snatch up several crickets at once and wad them into a big ball to feed on. There have even been a few times where she's grabbed the cricket bag as I was attempting to pour in the crickets and didn't want to let go!

 

[Ungoliant]

Do you think I would be in over my head with a genic? I am aware of the size, growth rate and feeding response already. Not sure how bad their hairs and bite are though. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

This is a fine species for beginners who don't intend to handle and are willing to do all maintenance with tongs. (They think anything that moves is food, and they react accordingly.)

My genic is one of the most consistently entertaining tarantulas I have, and I like his coloring.

He's Crying (♂ Acanthoscurria geniculata 3.75")

• Ungoliant
• Oct 5, 2019
• 3
• acanthoscurria acanthoscurria geniculata genicula geniculata juvenile juvenile male male whitebanded tarantula

Great crimes against spider kind: refilling water a water dish.

No worries about the fingers lol! I use tongs for everything! Are the hairs on par with a theraphosa stirmi? Like really bad? Or more like an albopilosum (pretty bad)?

Acanthoscurria hairs are generally considered less irritating than Theraphosa hairs, but I react pretty strongly to them. Still, I love my genic so much that I'm willing to put up with the occasional itchy rash.

My genic did go through a hair-kicking phase but has since mellowed out with his latest molt.

However, you should be aware that even if they don't kick hairs at you, they're likely still shedding hairs around the enclosure, especially during pre-molt. (This forms a sort of defensive perimeter.) Accordingly, if you are sensitive to their hairs, I would not directly touch anything you remove from the enclosure. (I wear gloves when I clean his water dish.)

 

[FrDoc]

Go for it! A. geniculata was my first tarantula. I will not belabor all of the good advice provided above. So, as long as you personally feel comfortable (and given your posted experience, you should be) snag one. They are probably the quintessential terrestrial, everything you want in a spider and nothing you don’t. The over-the-top feeding response IS the primary selling point. How could one say no?!

 

[Colorado Ts]

Acanthoscurria geniculata is on of my absolute favorite spiders.

I would say that you already know what you are getting into, you've received very good advice in the above posts. Enjoy your new tarantula and post images...lots of images.

 

[Brachyfan]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread and offered advice! Still a little divided on it but should be placing an order today so I will make my mind up by then. Right now it is about 70% go for it and 30% heck no!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

A.geniculata is basically the 'Slimer' ('Ghostbusters') of T's... why a "30% heck no"?

Who wouldn't love to have 'Slimer' as a friend?

 

[Brachyfan]

A.geniculata is basically the 'Slimer' ('Ghostbusters') of T's... why a "30% heck no"?

Who wouldn't love to have 'Slimer' as a friend?

Slimer lol!

I think a bit of the apprehension is the same thing when someone has decided to step up to old worlds. All my tarantulas currently are notoriously slow growing and known for docility. I started with a 1/4" T albopilosum. It took me 4 months to get a larger t (Grammastola pulchra) and even longer to buy an older larger t ( 4" G pulchripes). So it is kinda incremental if ya know what I mean. Just a psychological hurdle if you will.

The last couple of months I have been on a juvie kick buying hamorii and Baumgarteni so I was able to get over the size thing. But my 2 largest max size t's are known as being among the most docile in the hobby. So part of me still doesn't know if I'm good with a genic yet. Same feeling with avic too (mostly escape/bolting as opposed to biting). But then again I wasn't sure about the pulchra either. Or the 4" pulchripes but I handled that fine.

That being said the genic is a 1/4" sling right now so I know that I have some time before it grows up. Not as much time as the E campastratus though

 

[Goopyguy56]

A genic is easy. Just don't stick your fingers in there you will be fine. Probably one of the best tarantulas to own period

 

[Brachyfan]

Just placed my order and added the genic! Sometimes you just have to get your feet wet lol.

 

[Goopyguy56]

I think they would honestly make good beginner t's

 

[CommanderBacon]

If you already have a B boehmei, you'll be A-ok with an A geniculata. I absolutely love mine, and think he's far less ornery than my B boehmei, but your specimens may vary.

My A geniculata is very different from the other tarantulas I keep, and after having him, I can't imagine ever being without one. He's gorgeous and his feeding response is intense, but I love it!

 

[VermillionFox]

Just placed my order and added the genic! Sometimes you just have to get your feet wet lol.

Big congrats on getting one! Though yeah, careful when feeding as they do a very solid imitation of the Alex Jones running meme. Big chunky body moving at full speed in the direction of anything that even blinks. Love em!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I put them in the same category as C. cyaneopubescens in that they make a great 2nd or 3rd tarantula (but are still do-able as a 1st) so you'll be fine.