Looking for ideal 'trophy' T

[otoha0309]

So im fairly new to the world of Ts. My gf had a few when we got together some time ago, and the collection has grown and continues to do so but none of the spides are actually mine. so im looking to buy myself one T thats all mine. not for breeding or trading or anything. just my personal pal to raise, and handle, and call my own to be my gaming buddy lol. to sit with me while i play my xbox and stuff. you get the picture. i want a pet basically. now i know that can be a hard thing to find, simply because each T can be unique in personality and even though a breed is known for being nice and docile there are still some who are just grumpy and strike-happy, like for instance our 2 rose hairs. one is typical docile and friendly, the other is just a grumpy bitch who tolerates no one, and dont even dream of trying to handle her.

so i just kind of have a list of things im trying to get with my trophy spider when i buy it, and i just want to know if there is a breed out there that default tends to fit this list:
No painful venom (my gfs OBT scared the crap out of me before he died, the fear of muscle spasms for a week just kinda spooked me and i was always shaky with it)
BIG, i would really like a T that gets 7-8" or more
cool colors, not essential but something with a chance for really bright colors would be cool
good appetite, im a worry wart and when some of the Ts we have now get finnicky it always scares me lol
docile, or typically docile to handle. i truly enjoy handling my spiders and want one i can bring out really anytime i want without fear of a bite. and when i say anytime i mean like every other day for hours if i want if thats possible.
Tends to display itself, i know thats more of a unique to each T kind of thing but some breeds do tend not to hide more than others.
EDIT: Fast growing would be great too, im impatient lol

Any input would be appreciated and keep in mind, im still fairly noobish with Ts. however im not afraid of more advanced breeds that demand more intricate care and such, ones with more precise temp and humidity needs etc.

 

[Oreo]

She won't give you one? I'd suggest A. geniculata since they have decent coloration and are great eaters, but their temperament varies. You'd probably be better off with a G. pulchripes or a brachy such as B. smithi if you want to handle more often. Assuming it's not stressed, keeping any T out for hours also requires constant supervision, so you don't squash it by accident etc.

 

[sezra]

So im fairly new to the world of Ts. My gf had a few when we got together some time ago, and the collection has grown and continues to do so but none of the spides are actually mine. so im looking to buy myself one T thats all mine. not for breeding or trading or anything. just my personal pal to raise, and handle, and call my own to be my gaming buddy lol. to sit with me while i play my xbox and stuff. you get the picture. i want a pet basically. now i know that can be a hard thing to find, simply because each T can be unique in personality and even though a breed is known for being nice and docile there are still some who are just grumpy and strike-happy, like for instance our 2 rose hairs. one is typical docile and friendly, the other is just a grumpy bitch who tolerates no one, and dont even dream of trying to handle her.

so i just kind of have a list of things im trying to get with my trophy spider when i buy it, and i just want to know if there is a breed out there that default tends to fit this list:
No painful venom (my gfs OBT scared the crap out of me before he died, the fear of muscle spasms for a week just kinda spooked me and i was always shaky with it)
BIG, i would really like a T that gets 7-8" or more
cool colors, not essential but something with a chance for really bright colors would be cool
good appetite, im a worry wart and when some of the Ts we have now get finnicky it always scares me lol
docile, or typically docile to handle. i truly enjoy handling my spiders and want one i can bring out really anytime i want without fear of a bite. and when i say anytime i mean like every other day for hours if i want if thats possible.
Tends to display itself, i know thats more of a unique to each T kind of thing but some breeds do tend not to hide more than others.

Any input would be appreciated and keep in mind, im still fairly noobish with Ts. however im not afraid of more advanced breeds that demand more intricate care and such, ones with more precise temp and humidity needs etc.

you would be better off with a cat haha. Jokes aside, I think you are going to be met with quite a lot of criticism here. people have very mixed views about handling, especially the amount of handling you are planning on, with good reason too.

 

[otoha0309]

She won't give you one? I'd suggest A. geniculata since they have decent coloration and are great eaters, but their temperament varies. You'd probably be better off with a G. pulchripes or a brachy such as B. smithi if you want to handle more often. Assuming it's not stressed, keeping any T out for hours also requires constant supervision, so you don't squash it by accident etc.

Thanks, and yes i know to be very careful when handling them outside of their enclosures. And no i dont want to actually take one of hers, she really loves all of hers and even though i have branded a couple of them to be my favorites and i handle them regularly they are still hers. The biggest problem with the 'hers or mine' thing is our difference in opinions over lots of things T related. like for instance i believe it best to wait 6-7 days to feed a T post-molt while she is adamant on feeding them 1-3 days post molt. its little things like that, and since they are all her Ts i cant really argue with her. but when i get one or more of my own then i can dictate their care and she will have to do what ive been doing all along, shut up and do as im told lol jk jk.

But thank you for that list, im off to look up what i can on all of those breeds.

---------- Post added 12-26-2013 at 01:23 PM ----------

you would be better off with a cat haha. Jokes aside, I think you are going to be met with quite a lot of criticism here. people have very mixed views about handling, especially the amount of handling you are planning on, with good reason too.

only pet in this entire house that is actually mine is a cat lol. well debate away, im not about to sit and argue a topic i know very little about. i do know that it can be done, ive seen it. i believe with a delicate caring hand, and the right T, i can accomplish it. And please make note that i truly do LOVE Ts and would never do anything at all that i believe would harm them in any way. as a fairly new T hobbyist i can say that i have yet to be bitten, and i have never done anything that has in anyway harmed a T. in fact on my own i helped a aviculara aviculara of ours that was very sick get back to 100% health very recently. he just ate for the first time in a long while today. but frankly i have no interest in debating how much i should handle my Ts, take my word that no matter how much i handle them i would NEVER do something to harm them. and if i do buy a T for myself and for some reason i find that they dont like that level of handeling, or some other problems arise i would not hesitate to cease whatever is causing the issue and stop handling them if neccessary to ensure their health, and happiness. i'd just simply resort to trying another breed.

 

[sezra]

only pet in this entire house that is actually mine is a cat lol. well debate away, im not about to sit and argue a topic i know very little about. i do know that it can be done, ive seen it. i believe with a delicate caring hand, and the right T, i can accomplish it. And please make note that i truly do LOVE Ts and would never do anything at all that i believe would harm them in any way. as a fairly new T hobbyist i can say that i have yet to be bitten, and i have never done anything that has in anyway harmed a T. in fact on my own i helped a aviculara aviculara of ours that was very sick get back to 100% health very recently. he just ate for the first time in a long while today. but frankly i have no interest in debating how much i should handle my Ts, take my word that no matter how much i handle them i would NEVER do something to harm them. and if i do buy a T for myself and for some reason i find that they dont like that level of handeling, or some other problems arise i would not hesitate to cease whatever is causing the issue and stop handling them if neccessary to ensure their health, and happiness. i'd just simply resort to trying another breed.

I dont doubt you wouldnt look after them, and I dont tend to get into the debate either. It was more of a warning that some people have very strong opinions on it. I didnt mean to sound as though I was telling you not handle your T's though

 

[Curious jay]

If you want something that's pretty much garanteed to be docile/handable I'd have to say Euathlus sp. "red".

But they don't meet your criteria except the docile enough for handling and colouration is stunning when freshly molted.

They're considered a dwarf so it isn't going to get to your desired size of 7-8".

It does have a low venom potency and are often on display. VERY slow growing and can be finicky eaters.

 

[otoha0309]

I dont doubt you wouldnt look after them, and I dont tend to get into the debate either. It was more of a warning that some people have very strong opinions on it. I didnt mean to sound as though I was telling you not handle your T's though

i get ya. that was more for the people who would try to argue it with me. all im saying is, you will get nowhere XD. as long as i feel no harm will come to my friends i will do as i please. i understand that a lot of people know a lot more than i do about Ts, but there are somethings that are simple and universal. holding a spider doesnt hurt it, sure it creates a potential for bad things to happen but i feel im am careful enough. and im into this because i feel that Ts are marvelous, beautiful, misunderstood creatures. I dont maybe see them like some people on this site. i see them as pets and friends, i spend time with my pets and friends not just stare at them. if thats how you wanna do things go right ahead. but in my short time i have seen one thing, people who slap their Ts in rubbermaid containers and only interact with them only during feedings always tend to have MUCH more aggressive and unhappy spiders, where i like to keep mine in nice custom enclosures and i handle them regularly and all but one of our spiders is friendly and easy to hold. Some clearly like it less than others and i do tend not to handle those much, but i still do so they are familiar with human touch so if my son wants to interact with them i myself am confident that they are much less likely to strike him. i handle 3 of ours spiders several times a week, for extended periods of time and have yet to ever have an issue. until one of my own Ts proves me entirely wrong i just dont wanna hear it. everyone is entitled to their opinion, but mine isnt open for debate. unless you can prove to me that my intensely careful handling of my Ts is somehow harming them well then you got nothing, and frankly all of my Ts are healty, happy, and friendly with the exception of one rose hair we saved from petco and she is just pissy because she was not raised properly.

---------- Post added 12-26-2013 at 01:57 PM ----------

If you want something that's pretty much garanteed to be docile/handable I'd have to say Euathlus sp. "red".

But they don't meet your criteria except the docile enough for handling and colouration is stunning when freshly molted.

They're considered a dwarf so it isn't going to get to your desired size of 7-8".

It does have a low venom potency and are often on display. VERY slow growing and can be finicky eaters.

thanks!
honestly the most important things are size, venom potency, and growth rate for me.
colors is a bonus, and a good appetite is nice but neither is too important.
and i believe anything thats not overly aggressive will do. personally i find that with a good disposition due to breed and proper care and handling any T can be docile enough for me.

 

[Curious jay]

i get ya. that was more for the people who would try to argue it with me. all im saying is, you will get nowhere XD. as long as i feel no harm will come to my friends i will do as i please. i understand that a lot of people know a lot more than i do about Ts, but there are somethings that are simple and universal. holding a spider doesnt hurt it, sure it creates a potential for bad things to happen but i feel im am careful enough. and im into this because i feel that Ts are marvelous, beautiful, misunderstood creatures. I dont maybe see them like some people on this site. i see them as pets and friends, i spend time with my pets and friends not just stare at them. if thats how you wanna do things go right ahead. but in my short time i have seen one thing, people who slap their Ts in rubbermaid containers and only interact with them only during feedings always tend to have MUCH more aggressive and unhappy spiders, where i like to keep mine in nice custom enclosures and i handle them regularly and all but one of our spiders is friendly and easy to hold. Some clearly like it less than others and i do tend not to handle those much, but i still do so they are familiar with human touch so if my son wants to interact with them i myself am confident that they are much less likely to strike him. i handle 3 of ours spiders several times a week, for extended periods of time and have yet to ever have an issue. until one of my own Ts proves me entirely wrong i just dont wanna hear it. everyone is entitled to their opinion, but mine isnt open for debate. unless you can prove to me that my intensely careful handling of my Ts is somehow harming them well then you got nothing, and frankly all of my Ts are healty, happy, and friendly with the exception of one rose hair we saved from petco and she is just pissy because she was not raised properly.

---------- Post added 12-26-2013 at 01:57 PM ----------



thanks!
honestly the most important things are size, appetite, and growth rate for me.
colors is a bonus
and i believe anything thats not overly aggressive will do. personally i find that with a good disposition due to breed and proper care and handling any T can be docile enough for me.

Handling several times a week or extended periods of time is rather excessive, people who don't handle their Ts don't have more aggressive spiders from lack of handling....

Your spiders likely lack the security of calling their enclosure a home everytime you remove it you take it from its comfort zone if you do this multiple times a week it has no time to settle. Most settled Ts will defend their home to some extent wether its kicking/slapping/striking or raising up its abdomen to seem more intimidating.

 

[cantthinkofone]

you still arent getting that a T WILL bite you. its not a real matter of care its a matter of whether the tarantula feels threatened or not. the bigger the T the more chance it will die if you handle it due to the fact that it might slip, fall, and die. another thing, if i may add, is its not "breeds" they arent like dogs. it would be species. You need to understand that 90% of the time the T is in control and if it feels threatened it WILL make an attempt at biting you. occasional handling is fine but constant handling WILL lead to stress and stress CAN kill your T.

 

[otoha0309]

I dont doubt you wouldnt look after them, and I dont tend to get into the debate either. It was more of a warning that some people have very strong opinions on it. I didnt mean to sound as though I was telling you not handle your T's though

you were right lol here they come

 

[Curious jay]

Well if you want something large that grows fast and has a good appetite.... Any of the Lasiodora, Nhandu or Acanthoscurria genuses will suit you, but I seriously wouldn't recommend handling any of them as they tend to mistake alot of things for food and have rather large fangs... Which I'd personally worry more about the damage from the fangs than their venom.

 

[otoha0309]

Handling several times a week or extended periods of time is rather excessive, people who don't handle their Ts don't have more aggressive spiders from lack of handling....

Your spiders likely lack the security of calling their enclosure a home everytime you remove it you take it from its comfort zone if you do this multiple times a week it has no time to settle. Most settled Ts will defend their home to some extent wether its kicking/slapping/striking or raising up its abdomen to seem more intimidating.

i see your logic entirely, and mostly agree with it actually. when i rehouse one of my Ts i always give them plenty of time to 'settle in' before i go about handling them. i learned that with my green bottle blue. he kicked at me the first couple of times i tried to handle him after i rehoused him. so i left him alone for a couple weeks but after he really made the place his home he was much much less inclined to kick at me.

 

[cantthinkofone]

you were right lol here they come

seriously? we are offering our advice. we are giving our opinions not coming after you. I'm sorry its not the answers you want to hear. Constant handling IS A BAD THING for the T. It CAN and WILL cause lots of stress and even death. we cant stop you and we wont stop you. But expect some bites, hairs, and even deaths. Back on subject Gramostolas tend to be docile though they grow slowly. Lasiodora and Nhandu are good as well like jay stated.

 

[otoha0309]

you still arent getting that a T WILL bite you. its not a real matter of care its a matter of whether the tarantula feels threatened or not. the bigger the T the more chance it will die if you handle it due to the fact that it might slip, fall, and die. another thing, if i may add, is its not "breeds" they arent like dogs. it would be species. You need to understand that 90% of the time the T is in control and if it feels threatened it WILL make an attempt at biting you. occasional handling is fine but constant handling WILL lead to stress and stress CAN kill your T.

im new here and im not trying to ruffle any feathers, but come on dude. im fully aware that they WILL bite, and i fully expect to get bitten at some point, at a lot of points lol it comes with the territory. And im also plenty aware of the dangers handling them brings, ie dropping etc. im not going to debate with you, you have your opinion and i have mine but please dont assume that i lack the intelligence to understand the situation. im actually quite intelligent, and am extremely caring with my Ts. and as far as 'breeds' or 'species', lol really??? i will call them whatever i want.

 

[cantthinkofone]

I never said a thing about your intelligence and I respect your opinion as much as the next user. im just making sure you understand properly. It just confuses me that you basically want a house tarantula. It will just lead to bites and they aren't that much fun. But you are your own person and I have no control over your, or anyone's actions. Just please be careful.

 

[otoha0309]

seriously? we are offering our advice. we are giving our opinions not coming after you. I'm sorry its not the answers you want to hear. Constant handling IS A BAD THING for the T. It CAN and WILL cause lots of stress and even death. we cant stop you and we wont stop you. But expect some bites, hairs, and even deaths. Back on subject Gramostolas tend to be docile though they grow slowly. Lasiodora and Nhandu are good as well like jay stated.

Ok but i would like to point out one thing: i didnt ask for advice on whether or not you think im handling my Ts too much. i asked for advice on what 'species' to look into buying based on what im looking for. and then i clearly stated that i really dont care what people want to say about my personal ways of raising my Ts everyone has their own way of doing things and i clearly feel that mine is fine for me and all of my happy healthy Ts. So i must register your quoted point invalid, by interjecting your unwanted opinion you were'nt 'offering advice' you were in fact 'coming after' me.

but thank you for the reccomendations

---------- Post added 12-26-2013 at 02:41 PM ----------

and another note: i clearly said 'if i want' meaning that my amount of handling i stated was if i wanted to handle them that much, not saying i would. more than likely once maybe twice a week frankly because im usually too busy for anything more than that. but im really not going to discuss that part any more. there is no debate, my opinion wont change.

 

[Zanyamarie]

Hello. I have a A. Chalcodes who is an amazing little girl. She's so docile, she'll crawl out of the cage to come be handled(or to explore, more like it.). She's not small but doesn't meet a lot of your requirements though, sadly. But the coloring isn't boring like a rose hair and she's a great eater. I hope you find what you're looking for, these people know what their talking about when it comes to T's. I'm not getting in on this handling debate though. Just know that I handle mine a couple times every month for a few minutes. Good luck!

 

[otoha0309]

Hello. I have a A. Chalcodes who is an amazing little girl. She's so docile, she'll crawl out of the cage to come be handled(or to explore, more like it.). She's not small but doesn't meet a lot of your requirements though, sadly. But the coloring isn't boring like a rose hair and she's a great eater. I hope you find what you're looking for, these people know what their talking about when it comes to T's. I'm not getting in on this handling debate though. Just know that I handle mine a couple times every month for a few minutes. Good luck!

Thanks!!! ill look into it.

---------- Post added 12-26-2013 at 02:52 PM ----------

and actually the only suggestions im liking so far are the first couple i got. the whiteknee, and the chaco both look like what im trying to get. anyone know how fast the chaco tends to grow? and from what im seeing the whiteknee is just about perfect but its less docile and apparently has a decent puncture when it bites. but those suggestions are exactly what i started the thread to ask for lol.

 

[ReclusiveDemon]

What you do with your tarantulas comes off as quite selfish to me. You should know that they loosely tolerate the human hand at best, and if they had a choice, they would not be handled at all. There are times when we, as the keeper, must come into contact with the spider, but when those times come, it's our obligation to keep the stress to a minimum. What you are planning on doing is in complete disregard of that. If you care more about interacting with the spider than the health of the spider, consider a different pet.

 

[Keith B]

None of the larger Ts save for maybe G. pulchripes is exactly notoriously docile. They all can make deep punctures obviously, being as large as they are, so worrying about the puncture wound is self-defeating to the criteria. I may not exactly agree with the handling policy at all, but as long as you expect to be bit eventually I can throw a suggestion out there. Some experts try to handle everything to see what happens. In TKG, Stan states the Pamphobeteus genus is generally docile. I don't handle mine so I wouldn't know. They get large, 8 or 9", eat like crazy, and the variation in color is wide. On the downside, they are a little harder to find, so sometimes a bit pricey. There's very few bite reports from these, possibly supporting the docile characteristic, but it's rumored (possibly verified) that the venom is horrendous. At least it's something fun for you to google if not. I don't handle my male. He's only 3" now, but so far he seems skittish to me, and something about the sleek appearance tells me that a skittish one could travel a large distance in a short time heh.