Least favorite tarantula species

[Red Eunice]

It's been over a year since there has been a post about peoples least favorite species.
Based off my one experience with H. Lividum I would not take another unless it was gifted to me.

Id really like to hear your least favorite species and why. What T's have you found to be pet rocks? Which ones are so defensive that even feeding them is a chore? Do you hate avics because they projectile shit everywhere? Let me know your thoughts!

Least favorite, hands down, P. murinus. Why: attitude and orange, my least favored color. Mostly the orange, I've others with highly defensive attitudes. Received a sling as a freebie and gave it away. I do keep their "mild" cousins lugardi and chordatus.

I've a few that people consider "pet rocks". I enjoy them as much as any other species I have.

Defensive at feeding: juvenile C. paganus, comes out its burrow and immediately threat postures. Grabs a cricket and bolts back to the burrow.

Haven't kept any Avic species for nearly 10 years, but most arboreals shoot "poo". Cleaning it off the sides is just part of keeping them.

PM me if you're "gifted" an H. lividum, I'll definitely take it.

 

[Bugmom]

I like them since their webbing style reminds me of N. incei and GBB's which I already have. I didn't see them on any price list that I view regularly last time I looked so if they are there, I suspect you are right on the high price.

I would figure they would be my introduction to OW's, but right now I don't see anything else that excites me. I love arboreals and the Psalms, Avic's, and Tapi's are giving me satisfaction on that area.

I know where you can get some balfouri slings very soon; friend of mine has a sac. PM me if you want the info.

Also a great webber is C. darlingi. Yeah it's an OW baboon but mine have all been pretty chill, and they web the heck out of their enclosures. Some of them web more than my GBB and OBT.

 

[Jeff23]

I know where you can get some balfouri slings very soon; friend of mine has a sac. PM me if you want the info.

Also a great webber is C. darlingi. Yeah it's an OW baboon but mine have all been pretty chill, and they web the heck out of their enclosures. Some of them web more than my GBB and OBT.

That sounds interesting on the balfouri slings. PM me with information once it becomes available. From what I have read this species is a little more forgiving (not as high strung on its defensive nature).

I love the looks on the C. darlingi. I still need to research it more since I really had not noticed it much until the recent discovery of the new species. But that horn makes it a very interesting choice.

 

[cold blood]

you are super lucky there, i was like that too in start. it all started as super bad reaction on N. chromatus hairs(worst ones by far) after 6 months of owning one, and then it started to happen with other T's as well. I literally get small blisters all over my hands that are super itchy and last for 2-3 days

I don't understand this stream of hairs. I now have over 50 NW T's and no hairs have bothered me yet. Yes. I need to avoid them just like you need to avoid the bite. I open my T containers three times a week for feeding and maintenance.

All in good time my friends. For the first 12 years I never had a reaction (my collection was small for much of that time), I literally didn't understand what the fuss was all about...I thought I was "special"

Then a few years back I am unpacking some AF Avic avic...easy peasy....the last one, when it emerged, it held onto the paper towel it was packed in, causing it to fall urticating side down on the back of my hand. I thought nothing of it and kept working. About 30 minutes later I understood what everyone was talking about. Now my skin reacts in similar fashion to poison ivy...blisters and everything.

I do avoid the NW's that have reputations as terrible hair kickers. My B. Smithi is the only T I own that has a reputation and it has went well; but hasn't had a molt either so maybe that has reduced the ones in the enclosure for when I do maintenance. I avoided N. Chromatus simply because of the comments about its' hairs.

Get a chromatus...my experience is that they kick less than other Nhandu species. I've raised over 30 and can only recall a few isolated incidences of flicking. Theyre a fantastic species, especially females...males get skittish as they grow, MMs are extremely skittish and prone to flicking a lot more....but its as easy as selling any males when juvies. Chromatus is one cool NW terrestrial, and at the prices they are, there's no reason not to get one or 5.

Ditto. Plus, all the baboon t's, because they're just too nasty. All of mine are NW & either opportunistic burrowers (Brachys, Grammies & giant birdeater types) & aboreals (Avics).

I find this to be not true. Baboons and any fossirial for that matter, are really easy to deal with. Its just a matter of giving them proper depth to make their underground home. Once they have a nice deep burrow, they almost always retreat when spooked. Issues arise when not enough is provided for them to make this home. Without this, they generally will interpret the entire enclosure as their burrow. When you have this happening, what you get is an instantly pissed off t as it sees your opening the top as a complete home invasion like you see on sooo many of those quality (lol) you tube videos.

I know where you can get some balfouri slings very soon; friend of mine has a sac. PM me if you want the info.

Also a great webber is C. darlingi. Yeah it's an OW baboon but mine have all been pretty chill, and they web the heck out of their enclosures. Some of them web more than my GBB and OBT.

I believe @Blue Jaye is selling some from her vast communal, you could try contacting her, she's good people

Darlingi are indeed a great species...although I like marshalli even better. These are two baboons that do stay out in the open most of the time, although I never found them to be overly defensive and certainly not at all skittish either....great eaters though.

 

[Bugmom]

All in good time my friends. For the first 12 years I never had a reaction (my collection was small for much of that time), I literally didn't understand what the fuss was all about...I thought I was "special"

Then a few years back I am unpacking some AF Avic avic...easy peasy....the last one, when it emerged, it held onto the paper towel it was packed in, causing it to fall urticating side down on the back of my hand. I thought nothing of it and kept working. About 30 minutes later I understood what everyone was talking about. Now my skin reacts in similar fashion to poison ivy...blisters and everything.

Urticating hairs didn't bother me at all for years. Until they did. Now I get burning and itching that takes a day or two to show up; it doesn't happen immediately, but it lasts several days and it's miserable. Cortisone cream only takes the edge off.

Darlingi are indeed a great species...although I like marshalli even better. These are two baboons that do stay out in the open most of the time, although I never found them to be overly defensive and certainly not at all skittish either....great eaters though.

I need all the Ceratogyrus. ALL OF THEM, I SAY!

 

[woodermeloon]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's become more sensitiveto hairs over the years. Rehousing my spiders now results in red spots all over!

 

[Jeff23]

With regard to the subject of hairs, I guess I need to start wearing gloves when changing out water dishes, but these bad habits are hard to break.

 

[Bugmom]

With regard to the subject of hairs, I guess I need to start wearing gloves when changing out water dishes, but these bad habits are hard to break.

I'm bad about thinking "wonder if I can sex this molt" and not getting my gloves on first Or cleaning out an old enclosure after a rehouse without wearing gloves.

 

[cold blood]

I'm bad about thinking "wonder if I can sex this molt" and not getting my gloves on first Or cleaning out an old enclosure after a rehouse without wearing gloves.

I've done that more than once, only to realize what I was doing. Last time the palm I had the molt in itched for like a week.

 

[basin79]

Bloody hell that's a hell of a question. I was thinking of Avics but then I love the Versicolor. Do that's a non starter.

Hmmmmmmmm.

 

[louise f]

Try to use duct tape over the spots where the itchy is @cold blood and @Bugmom it helps a little

 

[woodermeloon]

Does anyone know the mechanism as to why we become more sensitive to these hairs? And does anyone else see the cruel irony in becoming more sensitive to something you love??

 

[basin79]

Does anyone know the mechanism as to why we become more sensitive to these hairs? And does anyone else see the cruel irony in becoming more sensitive to something you love??

It happens with DWA snakes too. Owners can become extremely sensitive to dried venom.

It could be a way for the human body to make you worse so you avoid the problem. If you keep getting hit by hairs your body might "think" it's procedures aren't working so ups the symptoms.

 

[Bugmom]

Does anyone know the mechanism as to why we become more sensitive to these hairs? And does anyone else see the cruel irony in becoming more sensitive to something you love??

In many allergic reactions, the immune system, when first exposed to an allergen, produces a type of antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE binds to a type of white blood cell called basophils in the bloodstream and to a similar type of cell called mast cells in the tissues. The first exposure may make people sensitive to the allergen but does not cause symptoms. When sensitized people subsequently encounter the allergen, the basophils and mast cells with IgE on their surface release substances (such as histamine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes) that cause swelling or inflammation in the surrounding tissues. Such substances begin a cascade of reactions that continue to irritate and harm tissues. These reactions range from mild to severe.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/im...vity-disorders/overview-of-allergic-reactions
Strange, isn't yet? Yet you can undergo immunotherapy for allergens, such as insect venom, to lessen your reaction to it, yet repeated exposure to urticating hairs has the opposite effect. You become more allergic. I wonder how they make immunotherapy work (when it works) - what are they doing to the allergen to cause your body to have less reaction when it's administered?

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Least favourite is probably G. rosea/porteri, doubt I'll ever get either when there's plenty of other Grammo's that look much better and have better appetites.

I initially had no interest in keeping any OW's but I got given a Chilobrachys huahini sling as a surprise freebie when I got my B. emilia so I'll see if that changes my mind on them.

As for hairs, the only T's in my collection whose hairs really bother me are my L. difficilis, L. parahybana (she bloody knows it as well, I swear she kicks hairs for the sake of it sometimes) and my A. geniculata to a lesser extent, the rest either don't kick hairs or cause no reaction at all when they do.

 

[Andrea82]

Least favourite is probably G. rosea/porteri, doubt I'll ever get either when there's plenty of other Grammo's that look much better and have better appetites.

I initially had no interest in keeping any OW's but I got given a Chilobrachys huahini sling as a surprise freebie when I got my B. emilia so I'll see if that changes my mind on them.

As for hairs, the only T's in my collection whose hairs really bother me are my L. difficilis, L. parahybana (she bloody knows it as well, I swear she kicks hairs for the sake of it sometimes) and my A. geniculata to a lesser extent, the rest either don't kick hairs or cause no reaction at all when they do.

@Jeff23 , and you thought receiving an H.gigas as freebie was bad? Check above post,

 

[dopamine]

@Jeff23 H.gigas as freebie

That sounds like a pretty awesome freebie lol

 

[Andrea82]

That sounds like a pretty awesome freebie lol

It is, generally, but not so much if you're only keeping NW. See his thread 'falling into OW'

 

[Vanessa]

I guess I might be the only one who says C. cyaneopubescens. Don't get me wrong, because I do love my girls and I'm not going to part with them, but they are probably my least favourite. The bright colours don't appeal to me at all - understated and more subtle colouring is what I find the most attractive. My girls are very skittish, although they have never been defensive. They never want to eat and have no enthusiasm to do so.
I got them because I wanted someone who webbed. It took forever for them to do so and now all their webbing is looking dingy and neglected and it's an eyesore. It used to look lovely and now it's just dirty and pathetic looking.

 

[Olan]

I guess I might be the only one who says C. cyaneopubescens. Don't get me wrong, because I do love my girls and I'm not going to part with them, but they are probably my least favourite. The bright colours don't appeal to me at all - understated and more subtle colouring is what I find the most attractive. My girls are very skittish, although they have never been defensive. They never want to eat and have no enthusiasm to do so.
I got them because I wanted someone who webbed. It took forever for them to do so and now all their webbing is looking dingy and neglected and it's an eyesore. It used to look lovely and now it's just dirty and pathetic looking.
View attachment 224706

Oh my god, I didn't want to say anything cause I thought I'd be burned at the stake but I had a GBB and didn't like it. At the sling stage it was great, but the adult, although beautiful, was boring and a fussy eater and lacked character. OBT is my choice for a beautiful webber nowadays.