My Tarantula Died.. :(

tequila

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
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10
:( as you can tell from the title i lost a tarantula not too long ago, my grandpa was holding her and he moved and she slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground, which in this case is hard wood floors... it goes without saying she ruptured her abdoman and bled to death even thought i made a good effort to try and super glue the break but in the morning i found her dead... anyway here is my question, i have a 10 gallon tank now that is free, i would like to get a new T but i dont know which one anyone have any suggestions? im not new to keeping T's but im not an expert either, i was thinking maybe a A. Geniculata i think thats how you spell it, or maybe a P. regalis, or a L. Parahybana, but i am still open to new ideas even if it isnt on the list please make a suggestion thank you!
 

AneesasMuse

Arachnoangel
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I'm sorry you lost your T. :(

Are you hoping for another handleable T? A terrestrial or an arboreal? What was your last T?
 

JMoran1097

Arachnoangel
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May 14, 2007
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no offense, but letting grandpa hold the T in the first place was probably a bad decision. his reaction time wouldn't have been quick enough in the first place if the T decided to crawl up his back and try to jump off or something. it's not like he can immediately reach up and direct the T back down his arm or something.
 

IguanaMama

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I do not advocate holding your tarantula, but if you are looking for one that you or grandpa can hold, none of those are good choices, maybe a Chaco Golden Knee--Grammostola aureostriata is relatively calm and grows large enough to warrant a 10 gallon. And if you do choose to handle your tarantula, please sit in the middle of a bed or the floor. The others are fine choices, but if you try to handle them serendipidously, you are likely to end up with another dead tarantula. Please note, that the regalis would require an arboreal set-up, which is turning the 10 gal on it's side--and customizing, a bit of work there....
 
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jen650s

Arachnobaron
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no offense, but letting grandpa hold the T in the first place was probably a bad decision. his reaction time wouldn't have been quick enough in the first place if the T decided to crawl up his back and try to jump off or something. it's not like he can immediately reach up and direct the T back down his arm or something.
No offense, John, but just because I'm a grandmother doesn't mean I don't have the reactions to hold a T. But, that said holding a T at waist height over a hardwood floor is probably a recipe for disaster regardless of age.
 

JMoran1097

Arachnoangel
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No offense, John, but just because I'm a grandmother doesn't mean I don't have the reactions to hold a T. But, that said holding a T at waist height over a hardwood floor is probably a recipe for disaster regardless of age.
did i just get pwned by a grandma? wtf?
 

AlainL

Arachnoprince
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no offense, but letting grandpa hold the T in the first place was probably a bad decision. his reaction time wouldn't have been quick enough in the first place if the T decided to crawl up his back and try to jump off or something. it's not like he can immediately reach up and direct the T back down his arm or something.
What are you talking about???
Have nothing to do with the age of the person holding it:rolleyes:
the problem is that the t was handled over a hard wood floor:wall:
who ever want to hold there t should be sitting on the floor or on a bed.
 

AlainL

Arachnoprince
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:( as you can tell from the title i lost a tarantula not too long ago, my grandpa was holding her and he moved and she slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground, which in this case is hard wood floors... it goes without saying she ruptured her abdoman and bled to death even thought i made a good effort to try and super glue the break but in the morning i found her dead... anyway here is my question, i have a 10 gallon tank now that is free, i would like to get a new T but i dont know which one anyone have any suggestions? im not new to keeping T's but im not an expert either, i was thinking maybe a A. Geniculata i think thats how you spell it, or maybe a P. regalis, or a L. Parahybana, but i am still open to new ideas even if it isnt on the list please make a suggestion thank you!
Sorry for your lost.
I'm sorry to say that but hopefully you can learn from a mistake.

For your new t you should go with A.geniculata, they are great display animal.
 

tequila

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
10
i understand all of the concerns here but my grandpa has fine reaction times, maybe i made it seem like his fault? but the bed we were moving too was maybe 2 feet away and she got skittish and hit the open spot of hardwood floor. But I realize i wasnt the most reponsible of keepers because i could have just put her in her deli container and moved her to the bed, i wont make this mistake again trust me i feel bad enough already. She was a G. rosea from a local pet shop, also i have done my homework on all of the T's i suggested and would like to get an arboreal and i have all the heating and furnishings for the cage i just wanted some suggestions on what i should get, also if your suggestion is not on the list please let me know, im not looking for one to handle i just want a unique display tarantula. my ten gallon tank has a locking screen top, and i get all my care sheets from gwrights and pet bugs, they look up to date and if there are any suggestions let me know. Also thank you for all the replies.

for arboreals i have been looking at P. regalis, A. versicolor, A. metallica

for terrestrials i have been looking at A. geniculata, L. parahybana and M. robustum
 
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Alice

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If you want to get an arboreal, i suggest a. versicolor - they have great colors and are more out in the open than the regalis. also, many versis are handlable. the regalis can be very seclusive, and the venom is very potent (see bite section). also, they tend to be much more skittish than a rosehair, and they are FAST.
for a terrestrial, both the parahybana and the geniculata are great choices. the robustum is gorgeous, but a burrower, so you won't see her often.
btw: you don't need heating for any of those ts, room temps are fine. you can even kill a robustum with heating, they love cool burrows.
 

AneesasMuse

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Again, I am very sorry for your loss. I just wanted to chime in with my experience with both A. versicolor and L. parahybana. I have both and have raised them from very small slings. My A. versi is now almost 3.5 inches with her adult colors and she is out almost every night for me to see. My L. p is about 2 inches and a bit skittish, but still burrows in such a way that I can view her more often than not. They are both great eaters and not difficult, as far as viv husbandry goes.

I have a G. aureostriata here, as well, and she is a great T. I got her as a sling and she's turning into a nice juvie/adult. She's growing pretty fast and eats like a horse. She's one of my favorites cuz she's calm and gentle.

An A. geniculata is on my list, though, so whatever you choose... good luck! :)


~Aminah
 

Feathers

Arachnosquire
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no offense, but letting grandpa hold the T in the first place was probably a bad decision. his reaction time wouldn't have been quick enough in the first place if the T decided to crawl up his back and try to jump off or something. it's not like he can immediately reach up and direct the T back down his arm or something.
Dude! I'm a grandpa and I can put my hand behind my back and touch your nose faster than you can catch my hand. Be careful of general, across the board comments. It could have happened to anyone. I think the bed idea's a good one, but dunno about sleeping with urticating hairs. Sorry for your loss.
 

Moltar

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Not to beat up on Tequila any further but i'd say the mistake wasn't letting "grandpa" hold the t at waist height. Rather, the mistake was letting ANYBODY hold it that way. I'm sure it's not a mistake that will be repeated. It really sucks to learn something like that the hard way and i'll bet he feels terrible.

tequila: If your quest is to use that particular 10 gal tank for a t i'd reccomend a Chaco (g. aureostriata) they're very active with both digging and eating, eating, eating. they get pretty big and are very pretty. if you want to go arboreal i don't think that tank is right unless you get your hands on a very large adult. Most avics are still rather small for that tank even as adults. Kk's are cheap, if you want an arboreal, invest a few bucks in the proper enclosure.
 

IguanaMama

Arachnoangel
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Oct 13, 2004
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You don't really want an M. robustum if you don't have a lot of Ts because they are secretive, you won't see it a lot. Other than that, you just have to look at pictures and read up a bit and decide what you like. The others you picked are all fine choices, once you decide, let us know and we will give you advice on the best care. Do consider the chaco, it's pretty and docile. Any grammostola is good, even the more unusual ones like the iheringi (my favorite), pulchra (big and velvety black), etc. Take a look at the seller's lists to see what's available and what's in your price range. If you plan on putting it right into the 10 galleon, you don't want to start with a sling either. So you might want to buy an adult from a private seller, in which case you are limited to what is being sold by private sellers in the classifieds. You might even want to consider the hobby classic, an adult female B. smithi as female adults are readily available, long lived, docile, beautiful, etc. etc. and so forth....
 

tequila

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
10
thank you all for the replies i have decided on an arboreal and i was wondering if the exo terra front opening terreriums were good for these? i found the smallest one at a pet store here and i think it is 12"x12"x18" is this enough height for them? also i am on the fence i want either a A. versi. or the regalis leaning more towards the versi. i think i need a little more experience before i get a regalis, any help and experiences on both would be greatly appreciated.
 

tin man

Arachnobaron
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Aug 15, 2007
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sorry about the tarantula, I was holding my tarantula while watching a movie, I set her down and then got up to stretch and when I sat back down she moved a little and I accidently sat on her. I felt horrible. But I got over it and im sure you will too.;)
 

Ted

Arachnoprince
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Jul 7, 2007
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my grandfather is dead.
but not from falling onto a wooden floor,..i think it was old age.
anyhow,I always get on my knees when holding anything.[or sit on the couch]
sorry for your loss...maybe my grandfather is up in heaven holding your tarantula at this very moment.:eek:
 
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