Lasiodora parahybana questions

[LoganVivisected]

So my department just got in a bunch of new spiders; Rose Hairs, Ornamentals, Pink Toes, ( a little antilles too), a couple Curly Hairs, and a Brazillian Pink Salmon...This little guy caught my attention. Right now its only about the size of a silver dollar, so its still very young. I am generally more of a scorpion/reptile person, with a few black widows thrown in for good measure. Though I have kept a few tarantulas in the past, I havent had one for a couple years, but this guy might change that. I have all the caresheet info and housing requierments down, so thats not an issue... What I want to know is just how interesting of a pet are these guys? Good display? Attitude? How active are they? I would just like to know some general experience from people who have kept them. Thanks.

 

[Sheazy]

I have two of them...both small slings (0.5" & 1.25") still. However, they are very active, and out in the open alot. Feed aggressively, but hide if I disrupt them. My larger one will spend hours moving stuff around in the cage, and then smoothing the ground and substrate out to it's liking. He is very fun to watch...great choice for a display pet in my opinion.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I have all the caresheet info and housing requierments down, so thats not an issue... What I want to know is just how interesting of a pet are these guys? Good display? Attitude? How active are they?

First of all I just want to say that the vast majority of caresheets are either wrong or just full of unnecessary crap. Keep the tarantula between 65-85F, mist the enclosure or pour a little water into the dirt (wet dirt, not mud) 1-2 times a week, feed once a week, and you're good.

As for prey size, I could never get small prey, so I'd just pre-kill the smallest adult crickets I could get. My L. parahybana once made a cricket that I swear was bigger than its entire legspan just...disappear. Even if they can't eat the whole thing, they'll sit on top of it and eat all they can, then you can pick out what's left. It's also convenient to pre-kill because you can just put the dead cricket by the burrow entrance and they'll find it--and it can't go down in the burrow and hurt them if they're molting/not hungry.

As tiny babies they usually aren't very good display, mine spent the majority of its time burrowed. I'd only see it if I uncovered the side of the deli cup (it burrowed against a wall) or if it was hungry (in which case some toes would emerge from the hole and it would wait). In particular, if yours burrows, I'd stick to misting instead of pouring water in the dirt. Don't want to flood the thing. But once they're old enough to feel comfortable, they're almost always visible. I think they're good display critters, the pink fuzz is very pretty.

No tarantula is *active* active, but they do stuff. Mine landscaped a little, but it's got nothing on my G. aureostriata. Attitude varies with the individual. Some people say they're handleable up until about 2", some people have specimens that are skittish all their lives, a few people claim to have huge females as docile as a kitten. For the most part, because they're so big and have such crazy metabolisms, they tend to assume anything that moves is food.

Mine is like 2" now I guess, I've had it since it was a wee speck of a thing, but I don't handle. Its last rehousing was hilarious with its attempted aggression and slapping the cardboard I was "herding" it with, but rehousing will upset just about any bug. I will note that it's been surprisingly chill when I've had to go into the enclosure with tongs, whether to pick out mold or catch a live cricket just the other day (when it wasn't attacked for getting within an inch of my guy, I realized I had pre-molt on my hands). Just sort of sat there while the tongs were right in front of its face. Thank goodness.

 

[spid142]

para

My over 6 inch para, is out nearly all the time, patrols her enclosure , and has separated the cage to halves, eg. left half is feeding area, right half is prey killing ground. I throw a crix in on the right side, she grabs it and walks to the left end to feed. They are impressive display Ts, and good eaters. Mine was raised from 1 inch sling, and fairly docile, allows pretty close-in work during maintenance with my hands, doesnt lunge of threat display at all.

 

[peterspiderling]

they are very active, angry, and loves food!

 

[P. Novak]

Just keep half its enclosure dry and the other moist, not soaked! Feed it prey a bit smaller then it, cause this species will take down almost everything. As a young spiderling it might hide, but when it get bigger it will almost never hide. I provided my L.parahybana with a hide and she or actually he now wanted nothing to do with it. These Ts are very good display Ts, and varocious eaters.