Lasiodora Striatipes as a first tarantula?

[KiraTheNight]

Hey so I have a chance to get a Lasiodora Striatipes he's an adult and has already shed 7 times he's from my city and the woman can't keep it any longer cuz of family members, he is a defensive one tho and pretty big so I'm a bit vary i don't mind not being able to handle him tho. anyone who has them or has kept one have any tips on care or if it should be my first?

 

[viper69]

Even if a T is docile, never handle them, too many people kill Ts by handling.

 

[nicodimus22]

Most NW terrestrials are kept in the same basic conditions...substrate deep enough to prevent long falls, a hide, and a water dish. You can decorate more, but the tarantula won't know or care. (Personally, I don't do much because it gives food items more places to scurry and hide in.)

The biggest variation in the above care is the amount of moist substrate they need. Some prefer to be kept bone dry, like the GBB, and some like a lot of moist substrate available. Many of the big tropical NW terrestrial species (Pamphobeteus, Phormictopus, Xenesthis, Lasiodora, Sericopelma, etc) like at least a section of substrate that is moist. You can watch to see if the T seems to spend a lot of time on the moist area or not.

Definitely skip handling. It's so risky for them, and many people have accidentally killed their tarantulas by doing it.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Lasiodora species can be good starter species in my opinion. My first was a L. klugi and he's been great. But they are NOT animals that you'd want to handle. I have no doubts that my little guy would kick hairs and likely bite me if I ever tried to handle him....they can be skittish and defensive. Of course it's a terrible idea to handle tarantulas in general. They are a look, don't touch kind of pet, like fish in an aquarium. They're surprisingly fragile and can easily be injured or killed by accident.

Now, species in this genus can get large and their husbandry requirements are easy for beginners. They are opportunistic burrowers, so provide them with plenty of substrate and a starter burrow. They're voracious eaters, almost like an endless trash compactor. Mine was like a bottomless pit and ate so much that he quickly became obese. Now I feed him according to abdomen size, because he will NEVER refuse food unless it's the day before a molt. Also keep in mind that sizes and growth rates for this species are often exaggerated on care sheets. Mine has grown more slowly than I anticipated. Online you'll see exaggerated reports of 10, 11, or even 12 inch size specimens, but this isn't true. Most get to around 7-8 inches in reality. Overall, great starter spiders. They're inexpensive, get to a decent size, and are easy to care for.

 

[KiraTheNight]

thanks for all the replies i have one more concern he is a male and he is already 4 years old so how long do this species of males live I'm afraid to get it and in a year it might be gone

 

[Liquifin]

I usually tell new people into the hobby to not really get any Lasiadora species unless they're 100% certain they know what they've got or getting because beginners and new hobbyists tend to get the entire Lasiodora genus into a misidentification confusion resulting in hybrids and mislabeled species of Lasiodora all around the hobby. If you're 100% confident you know what species of Lasiodora it is and if it's from someone reputable, then I say it's fine to get it for a beginner.

thanks for all the replies i have one more concern he is a male and he is already 4 years old so how long do this species of males live I'm afraid to get it and in a year it might be gone

To be honest, no one can say for sure when it will be mature as growth rates are highly affected by the care and husbandry (feeding, temps, enclosure, etc.). Age doesn't really determine if he is mature or not because care and husbandry usually fluctuates growth more than time in most cases. I'll be honest, I wouldn't take him in because a first tarantula being a sexed male is basically someone trying to sell out for a cheap profit. Which in honesty, wouldn't be fun or fair for you as any new person to the hobby deserves better.