Mean/Dangerous Ts

[Frostbyte]

Ephebopus cyanognathus : Blue Fang and The Cobalts. Are these species ONLY kepy by people that have dealt with Ts for a long time? Where and how does a person ( like myself ) get to beable to deal with a T like these? Im new to Ts in general , but have scorps mainly emps. but do respect and understand theyre bugs that have wild instincts. For lack of better words when and how did EXPERIENCED people get the nerve/know-how to deal with these types of Ts ? I keep bugging the hell outta dealers/breeders with massive questions on here and dont wanna get them to the point where they get fed up wih my " stupid emails and massive floods of curiosity" Any other ideas . . . Once again Thank You All !

 

[D-Man]

When you can answer that question for yourself, you'll be ready. Ask all the questions you want, that's what this forum is all about. I've read every book I can get my hands on - about T 's AND true spiders. I think you should educate yourself in every way possible and try keeping T's of progressive difficulty. Pace yourself to get to the level of cobalt's, pokies, and blondi's.

Dario

 

[Frostbyte]

my biggest fear is having to do the simple tasks of feeding and water changes without getting nailed .. am I a Wuss or what?

 

[Sean]

your not a wuss...take it slow your first T should be something docile like a rose hair/avic of some kind then take baby steps up to intermediate T's like say L.Parahybana and so on, everyone does this at the beggining

 

[Jeff_C]

get very long tongs and start with a sling....

Actually, my 4th and 5th Ts were a T. Blondi and P. Irminia (both s'lings). Not good starters by any stretch of the imagination but they were shipped to me by accident instead of two Brachypelma s'lings.

I would say that you should read about the standard behaviors on any T you would consider and then pretty much forget it (except for the environment section) because the T didn't read the book.

You should treat each and every T with a healthy respect and never put yourself in a compromising position like reaching in a hand assuming the T is 'asleep' (do they really every sleep?).

But D-man makes a very good point: you'll know when you are ready...

 

[jwb121377]

Originally posted by Frostbyte
my biggest fear is having to do the simple tasks of feeding and water changes without getting nailed .. am I a Wuss or what?

I keep many oldworders and have never even come close to being nailed well doing chage cleanings, feeding, or filling the water dishes. I often times reach in and get my hand 6" or so within the fiesty tarantula with no worries. Sometimes I think oldworlder get a overly bad rap, as long as you give them the correct setup most of are just shy and like to hide, rather than attack.

If you truly want something deffensive, make sure you do your homework(as you are doing now ), think it's enclosure out well in advance, and work in the stopped up bath tub(it can be a life saver when first moving the old worlder to it's new home). There is never a point when you wake up and are ready for one of these, you just need to dive in the deep end and get it over with.

 

[jesses]

Originally posted by Frostbyte
Ephebopus cyanognathus : Blue Fang and The Cobalts. Are these species ONLY kepy by people that have dealt with Ts for a long time? Where and how does a person ( like myself ) get to beable to deal with a T like these? Im new to Ts in general , but have scorps mainly emps. but do respect and understand theyre bugs that have wild instincts. For lack of better words when and how did EXPERIENCED people get the nerve/know-how to deal with these types of Ts ?

I don't believe in beginner and non beginner Tarantulas. Clearly some Tarantulas are harder to handle than others, and some shouldn't be handled at all (I never handle mine).

Most tarantulas follow a predictable set of behaviors, and its simply a matter of doing research and knowing your own tarantulas and their individual personality quirks.

Mean tarantulas are nothing that anyone should fear. Unless you do something stupid like stick your hand into their burrow, they generally want to eat, make webs, and be left alone. Watch your tarantula and give it what it needs to thrive. When they are stressed and unhappy, they will let you know in their own way.

 

[stu]

my view is maybe not the best one as I am new to the T hobby myself, i have 1 curly hair and 3 rosie slings.

Though I think, as people have said, do your homework and always respect the T's you keep - i found this out early on and luckily was only nailed by my curly (luckily a dry bite too - happened when cleaning out tank).

I say go for whatever you are confident with, as long as you know how to look after your T and are careful there shouldnt be a problem.

I still planning on my L.Parahybana slings (hopefully soon) but I really want to get a usumbara soon.

So just keep them as you would tropical fish - e.g dont handle. and i'd imagine any species would be fine for anyone as long as you are aware of the dangers that could exist.

Just dive in man - thats my plan

and as jcohen said - buy some long tongs

cheers,

Stu

 

[Jeff_C]

I took a look at my previous response and I realize now how conservative I sounded.

Here's another shot at it: Read up on what you want, set up for it and get it. Just be careful. Not just with the ones with the bad reps but the other ones too. You just never know. Look at all the posts about nasty Rose Hairs.

Go for it.

Jeff

 

[skadiwolf]

hey stu, tell me about the curly bite if you would. what was it like? lunge, attack, bite, back off or what?

i've never really heard any description of a T bite and i'm surprised your curly got you!

please, details!

 

[stu]

skadi,

There is a post on it here:

http://www.arachnopets.com/arachnoboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9334&highlight=psycho+curly

Luckily it didnt really hurt, probably a dry bite.

Yeah - he just lunged out of his burrow and nailed me on the finger, was a shock at first but pretty funny afterwards.

The little guy is so docile i was shocked.

Stu.

 

[skadiwolf]

thanks dude, that was an awesome thread! wow, that bit about the G. rosea grabbing hold and pumping away was not something pleasant to read. heh.

(blanches a bit and wanders off looking sick)

 

[si_sleaf]

I think it alll depends on when the individual feels ready really. For my second T a friend gave me a P.regalis sling. Bearing in mind I had only had my G.rosea (my first) for around two weeks I was a bit worried to start with. I decided to keep my Pokey after much deliberation and almost swapped him with Lopez (he's a regular poster on here) for a different spider. I have since got two more Ts because I thought it would be a good idea to get used to as many different Ts as possible to prepare me for when the Pokey gets bigger.

I decided to keep him because I know I'm responsible enough and sensible enough to look after it properly. They do come with a bit of a reputation and I always bear this in mind. In my experience though, my Pokey is nervous and would just rather run and hide under his little shelter. We'll see what happens when he gets older but for now I feel confident with him because I have done the reading since I got him and am also dealing with other more docile Ts. Saying that, you can really get a sense of the speed he can move at. If you're careful, I think anybody could keep one.

 

[Code Monkey]

Re: Re: Mean/Dangerous Ts

Originally posted by jesses
I don't believe in beginner and non beginner Tarantulas. Clearly some Tarantulas are harder to handle than others, and some shouldn't be handled at all (I never handle mine).

That's not true, it just depends on what you're definition is - and handling has next to nothing to do with what makes a good beginner T.

A beginner species is not only those with generally calm demeanors (whether you handle them or not, the way the spider reacts to various stimuli makes a big difference on how the beginner themselves will react), but more importantly: are easy to care for.

Ts aren't exactly neuroscience when it comes to taking care of them, still, far better the beginner have an Avicularia, Brachypelma, Grammostola, or something similar, which is nearly bullet proof, than a blondi, or a lividum with specialised housing needs and a good idea of what adequate moisture levels are without going overboard.

Further, I generally feel that obligate burrowers or very secretive arboreals (togos anyone?) make bad beginner spiders due their combination of more specialised housing needs and the fact the newbie just doesn't see them.

****

As for the initial question, the "when you feel ready" is the best response. Their reputation is far worse than their reality, but the way *you* are able to go about moving them, cleaning their cages, changing them into a bigger cage, etc. is what is important. I avoided "aggressives" for the better part of two decades of keeping Ts (my first T was a P. cancerides but that was due to pure ignorance on my part). Then about a year ago or so, a N. coloratovillosus - a "semi-aggressive" - I'd reared from a small sling reared up at me in a threat stance. I looked at the silly thing and thought to myself, "is that it?", and promptly went ahead and got myself some Usambaras and the togo I'd been drooling over for ages.

 

[pixi14369]

Lets put it this way..if you can hoold your self back from touching your T's, and getting your hands near them...then your ready for one....

 

[Sean]

Re: Re: Re: Mean/Dangerous Ts

Originally posted by Code Monkey
That's not true, it just depends on what you're definition is - and handling has next to nothing to do with what makes a good beginner T.

A beginner species is not only those with generally calm demeanors (whether you handle them or not, the way the spider reacts to various stimuli makes a big difference on how the beginner themselves will react), but more importantly: are easy to care for.

Ts aren't exactly neuroscience when it comes to taking care of them, still, far better the beginner have an Avicularia, Brachypelma, Grammostola, or something similar, which is nearly bullet proof, than a blondi, or a lividum with specialised housing needs and a good idea of what adequate moisture levels are without going overboard.

Further, I generally feel that obligate burrowers or very secretive arboreals (togos anyone?) make bad beginner spiders due their combination of more specialised housing needs and the fact the newbie just doesn't see them.

****

As for the initial question, the "when you feel ready" is the best response. Their reputation is far worse than their reality, but the way *you* are able to go about moving them, cleaning their cages, changing them into a bigger cage, etc. is what is important. I avoided "aggressives" for the better part of two decades of keeping Ts (my first T was a P. cancerides but that was due to pure ignorance on my part). Then about a year ago or so, a N. coloratovillosus - a "semi-aggressive" - I'd reared from a small sling reared up at me in a threat stance. I looked at the silly thing and thought to myself, "is that it?", and promptly went ahead and got myself some Usambaras and the togo I'd been drooling over for ages.

I totally agree with the monkey on this statment, you nailed it on the head