need advice beginner friendly

[Femtogenic]

I've loved spiders for a while but never owned one. I was thinking about getting a Mexican red knee and was told they're cheap and easy to care for. I've looked up care guides and the cost of materials. Still want to know if there's anything else to worry about before purchasing, like any tips and tricks! or if there's any cheaper more beginner friendly alternatives.

 

[FatBadBay]

I personally would pick a different T to start with. Only because they grow so slowly and can be extreme flickers.

I would recommend a c cyanoepubescenes. Decent growth rate, great eaters, heavy webbers and beautiful colors for both slings and adults. Yes they can be skittish and flicky but I would still choose the GBB over a brachy for a first. But that's just my opinion.

 

[ladyratri]

Read the pinned threads in the tarantula questions forum, especially the one for beginners.

 

[viper69]

@Femtogenic Tip- read the pinned threads at this site for beginners. Then come back with specific questions.

It’s unrealistic to expect people to type whatever they know when you may already know it. No one is getting paid here to help, everyone has busy lives.

For animals that are so “easy” to care for a lot of people kill them.

I personally would pick a different T to start with. Only because they grow so slowly and can be extreme flickers.

I would recommend a c cyanoepubescenes. Decent growth rate, great eaters, heavy webbers and beautiful colors for both slings and adults. Yes they can be skittish and flicky but I would still choose the GBB over a brachy for a first. But that's just my opinion.

GBBs are just as flicky if not more so.

 

[Ratmosphere]

I personally would pick a different T to start with. Only because they grow so slowly and can be extreme flickers.

I would recommend a c cyanoepubescenes. Decent growth rate, great eaters, heavy webbers and beautiful colors for both slings and adults. Yes they can be skittish and flicky but I would still choose the GBB over a brachy for a first. But that's just my opinion.

100%

 

[Andrew Clayton]

I've loved spiders for a while but never owned one. I was thinking about getting a Mexican red knee and was told they're cheap and easy to care for. I've looked up care guides and the cost of materials. Still want to know if there's anything else to worry about before purchasing, like any tips and tricks! or if there's any cheaper more beginner friendly alternatives.

I would recommend a c cyanoepubescenes. Decent growth rate, great eaters, heavy webbers and beautiful colors for both slings and adults. Yes they can be skittish and flicky but I would still choose the GBB over a brachy for a first. But that's just my opinion.

If you can get one of these, it's definitely a better 1st T, as said before, those Brachys are slow growing.
Doesn't look as bright, but something very cheap and overlooked is the Lasiodora Parahybana they get big grow fast and are pretty hardy to begginer mistakes.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

If you get a brachy as an adult or sub adult, many people have them as firsts, as they are easy to come by. GBB is a great starter, too, as is my personal favorite, Acanthoscurria geniculata (Brazilian White Knee).
You can search Google for your local T dealers, then come here to search for reviews of those businesses. Reptile expos are good places to find T’s. There are also online dealers who sell them cheaper, but keep in mind shipping costs can be high, especially if it’s for only one.

 

[cold blood]

don't read care sheets!

 

[Femtogenic]

don't read care sheets!

may i ask why?

 

[cold blood]

may i ask why?

They are terrible, they teach you bad habits and stress things that don't matter...like specific needs....which don't exist

 

[HoneyOilers]

you should get a Lasiodora Parahybana, they’re cheap, grow good, eat good, cool colours and like to display themselves typically, GBB is a great choice too. Oh yeah, LPs get pretty huge!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

I think a Mexican redknee would be a great starter species, but you just need realistic expectations. They are slow growers. I'd recommend getting a juvenile or subadult if you can. If you do end up getting a sling, understand that it'll be a few years until you get a bigger, more colorful tarantula. But they are worth the wait.
Other good ideas for starter species:
- G. pulchripes (highly recommend!)
- Lasiodora sp. These get large, are very inexpensive, and grow more quickly. However they're less colorful.
- C. cyaneopubescens: colorful, fast growing, but can be jumpy/ skittish.
-T. albopilosus: Fluffy, cute, usually pretty calm, easy to find and cheap.
- A. geniculata: huge appetite, fast growth, beautiful markings. Also relatively inexpensive.
- A. chalcodes: very docile, hardy, and readily available if you're in the US.

 

[HoneyOilers]

I think a Mexican redknee would be a great starter species, but you just need realistic expectations. They are slow growers. I'd recommend getting a juvenile or subadult if you can. If you do end up getting a sling, understand that it'll be a few years until you get a bigger, more colorful tarantula. But they are worth the wait.
Other good ideas for starter species:
- G. pulchripes (highly recommend!)
- Lasiodora sp. These get large, are very inexpensive, and grow more quickly. However they're less colorful.
- C. cyaneopubescens: colorful, fast growing, but can be jumpy/ skittish.
-T. albopilosus: Fluffy, cute, usually pretty calm, easy to find and cheap.
- A. geniculata: huge appetite, fast growth, beautiful markings. Also relatively inexpensive.
- A. chalcodes: very docile, hardy, and readily available if you're in the US.

Man my LP post moult is beautiful. The offsetting reds and blacks are gorgeous

 

[Femtogenic]

Man my LP post moult is beautiful. The offsetting reds and blacks are gorgeous

they are gorgeous!!

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Man my LP post moult is beautiful. The offsetting reds and blacks are gorgeous

Very pretty.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

LP’s are beautiful if you have space for a 9” tarantula.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

may i ask why?

If you take a single piece of advice from here, take this..."why," is because it's the most generic mishmash of "guidelines" trying to cover everything from tropical arboreals, to temperate fossorials; in other words, they're a "one size fits all" morsel of advise, & as likely to do harm as any good...

The focus so far has been on terrestrial, or ground-dwelling species; an alternative would be a variety of "pink toe" (avicularia) that is probably sold in the same shop.
You can't go wrong with a "Mexican White Knee" (A geniculata), though ...there's probably a half-dozen threads with them as the focus up right now, LoL

 

[Mustafa67]

I've loved spiders for a while but never owned one. I was thinking about getting a Mexican red knee and was told they're cheap and easy to care for. I've looked up care guides and the cost of materials. Still want to know if there's anything else to worry about before purchasing, like any tips and tricks! or if there's any cheaper more beginner friendly alternatives.

Search “Brachypelma harmorii arachnoboards” into Google. Tub, coco fibre as sub, milk top as water dish and lid.

Also read these beginner guides:

So you want a Tarantula? Here is some beginner Advice I wish I knew.

This is written completely from my own experiences. Any input welcome. So you want to get yourself a Tarantula, hopefully it's a New world. So what is meant by new world?, you may ask. The New World, is, the Continent of America, these Tarantulas are generally more docile and advised to start...

arachnoboards.com

Admin Announcement - Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

 

[HoneyOilers]

LP’s are beautiful if you have space for a 9” tarantula.

If you love your spider there will always be space.

 

[goofyGoober99]

Still want to know if there's anything else to worry about before purchasing, like any tips and tricks!

I would recommend buying directly from a breeder if possible. A lot of people have had not great experiences with chain pet store tarantulas (sick spiders or overcharged for mature males).
There's a section on here for vendor reviews if you want to look around at your options.

may i ask why?

A lot of care sheets are also outdated. Husbandry has changed a lot since the early days of tarantula keeping.