Neoholothele Incei - Trinidad Olive/Gold Behavior & Care?

[Alchemax]

Hello!
I am new to tarantulas and am figuring out which species I would like for my first tarantula.
I have fallen in love with the Trinidad Olive & Golds-- they are so beautiful and I adore their web tunnels. They also seem to be docile, but still fascinating predators, which is awesome.
Something I have noticed in most care sheets or information pages for them is that they are very skittish and very fast. I am not personally very interested in handling the tarantula-- but there will be times where I must, such as rehousing it, or when I first get it and put it in its enclosure.
Does anyone who owns one (or more) have any behavioral tips on them? Any tips for handling them when moving them in/out of the enclosure, and feeding tips not to startle them?
Again, this would be my first tarantula, and I have been researching for a week or so. I would very much prefer this species, for its appearance, its size, its behavior, and so on. My only concern as a first-time keeper is with its skittish speed, when needing to handle or feed it.
Thank you for any responses!!!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Larger specimens can be set up in a similar fashion to the images below (left is D. diamantinensis, right is N. incei), substrate should be kept slightly moist at all stages.

I am not personally very interested in handling the tarantula-- but there will be times where I must, such as rehousing it, or when I first get it and put it in its enclosure.

You don't need to handle them at all, rehouses can (and should) be done by coaxing the tarantula into a catch cup and then coaxing it out into the new enclosure (watch some Tom Moran rehouse videos for an idea of how to do it), the only times I even "handle" anymore are when tarantulas bolt out of the enclosure and onto me (which almost never happens).

 

[viper69]

but there will be times where I must, such as rehousing it

Must- absolutely not, I've never had to handle a T during a rehouse by choice. Including the 5 incei I owned.

or when I first get it and put it in its enclosure.

Never had to handle at this point either.


This is THE most underrated species out there. It's a SOLID eater, and amazing tunnel webber. Feeding them is like watching a Whack-a-Mole game. It's amazing.

They are a fairly nervous species. It's hard not to startle them, or any other T as they are so sensitive to movement/vibrations.

They won't go running out of their tunnels and out of their containers.

Plus they lack urticating setae if I recall correctly too, which is nice.

Given that you are first time POSSIBLE owner- I will tell you researching for a week is not enough time, unless you've been reading and asking questions for like 8 hr a day in my opinion. I don't feel owning exotics should be on the job training when it can be prevented. In this care it can be prevented given this species has been available for decades.

They are very fast- so if this is a concern, I'd get a different pet rock instead, like G. pulchripes.

Something I have noticed in most care sheets

These kill Ts, DO NOT use them unless you don't give a crap about the animals. Come here for your info.

 

[CJJon]

Damn viper69, I've been wanted a gold form for a while now...now I might have to pull the trigger! Was actually thinking of trying a communal set up.

 

[BrittanyS]

I currently have a gold and olive, but the gold’s color absolutely amazes me. I honestly have never seen speed from these guys as long as they are comfortable. When I open the enclosure, they hide in their burrows. They let me do what I need to do and the moment they feel the twitching of a dubia and me close the lid, they are on the roach immediately. Pics of feeding the gold:


Rehousing isn’t too difficult, there are definitely more difficult species to rehouse. Although the multiple entrances to the burrow makes it interesting

 

[cold blood]

They are voracious eaters, very fast growers and some of the most prolific webbers there is...not typically defensive.

That said, theyre a poor first t and i would never reccomend one to a beginner.

Theyre fast, about the fastest terrestrial ive ever seen, and easily the fastest NW terrestrial ive kept. When it comes to keeping, defensive is much easier to deal with than insane speed.

They also require damp substrate and can perish if kept too dry....arid species are much easier for a beginner to maintain.

On another note, i do not consider them to be communal...for every successful communal, there are dozens and dozens of failures...dont force them to live together, please.

Dont be in a hurry, they breed easily, so theyre readily available and generally pretty cheap.

I will say, golds get the hype, but IMO olives are significantly prettier.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I will say, golds get the hype, but IMO olives are significantly prettier.

This, everyone gets gassed up over the golds but I think they look really plain next to the olives.

0.1 Neoholothele incei

• The Grym Reaper
• Dec 17, 2018
• 1
• holothele incei holothele vellardi incei neoholothele neoholothele incei trinidad olive tarantula

Jade rocking her new suit.

 

[Konstantin Konstantinov]

This, everyone gets gassed up over the golds but I think they look really plain next to the olives.

0.1 Neoholothele incei

• The Grym Reaper
• Dec 17, 2018
• 1
• holothele incei holothele vellardi incei neoholothele neoholothele incei trinidad olive tarantula

Jade rocking her new suit.

Hi
What enclosure dimensions will you recommend for their Adult forever home.
Regards Konstantin

 

[Alchemax]

Oh, wow!!! Thank you everyone for your replies!!!
For those who mentioned it, I will quickly say-- I significantly prefer olive to gold. Gold is certainly pretty, but the striped little butt of the olive, and that sunburst look is just effing gorgeous. I will be staring at all of you guys' pictures of your olives!!!

Also, sorry in advance if my formatting is trash-- doing my best, lol.

You don't need to handle them at all, rehouses can (and should) be done by coaxing the tarantula into a catch cup and then coaxing it out into the new enclosure (watch some Tom Moran rehouse videos for an idea of how to do it), the only times I even "handle" anymore are when tarantulas bolt out of the enclosure and onto me (which almost never happens).

Understood-- I was thinking of doing something similar to this to rehouse if needed. I think I viewed it as adjacent to handling, and worried they would still run out at the time. My plan was to close the bathroom doors and do the actual moving of the spider in the tub, so that if it hopped out, it would be much easier to spot, keep contained, and catch. Also there would be no fall distance. I will watch the Tom Moran rehousing videos for sure, thank you!

On another note, i do not consider them to be communal...for every successful communal, there are dozens and dozens of failures...dont force them to live together, please.

No worries-- no way in hell I was going to house them communally. When I first read they "could" be housed communally, I was like, "Oh, damn! That's cool!" And then thought about it for like 5 more seconds, checked arachnoboards, and my suspicions were confirmed. So, no worries there.

This is THE most underrated species out there. It's a SOLID eater, and amazing tunnel webber. Feeding them is like watching a Whack-a-Mole game. It's amazing.

They are a fairly nervous species. It's hard not to startle them, or any other T as they are so sensitive to movement/vibrations.

They won't go running out of their tunnels and out of their containers.

Plus they lack urticating setae if I recall correctly too, which is nice.

These are some of the many reasons that incei is so far my favorite species I've come across. The webs are incredible, the hunting is fascinating, the coloration is so beautiful, and not having the urticating hairs is a plus, lol. It makes sense they'd be so sensitive to movement and vibration when they are so reliant on their webs!

Given that you are first time POSSIBLE owner- I will tell you researching for a week is not enough time, unless you've been reading and asking questions for like 8 hr a day in my opinion. I don't feel owning exotics should be on the job training when it can be prevented. In this care it can be prevented given this species has been available for decades.

These kill Ts, DO NOT use them unless you don't give a crap about the animals. Come here for your info.

I may not be reaching a full 8 hours a day, but I can say honestly I think I spend around 5 hours per day doing as much research as I can. That said, I still have a lot to learn. There is nothing to worry about in terms of me going out and buying a tarantula tomorrow-- I want to wait until I have everything I possibly can to prepare. I adore animals and get totally obsessed when I am raising one about every aspect of its health, and that is something extremely important to me, so I hope that eases your worry there. (I spent 6 months reading about cat nutrition every single day until I found the perfect food for my kittens at the time-- who are now a lot bigger but just as sweet )

Also, I believe you-- but I am genuinely, earnestly wondering-- what is it about care sheets that are unsafe? Are there any websites besides AB that seem safe to read care sheets on? There are definitely certain sites I just ignore because they are so basic and trivial, but aside from those, can you elaborate for me? (Again, I mean this in earnest. Just asking for clarification. I want to know what to look for.)

Thank you so much everyone again, and I love everyone's photos of their little monsters!!!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Hi
What enclosure dimensions will you recommend for their Adult forever home.
Regards Konstantin

Mine's close to fully grown (Edit: she's 3" or so, so might actually be fully grown) and she's currently in a L10" x W6.5" x H7.5" (similar to small faunarium) and still has plenty of space atm.

Biggest I'd go with is probably L12" x W8" x H8" (similar to a medium faunarium).

 

[RezonantVoid]

Oh, wow!!! Thank you everyone for your replies!!!
For those who mentioned it, I will quickly say-- I significantly prefer olive to gold. Gold is certainly pretty, but the striped little butt of the olive, and that sunburst look is just effing gorgeous. I will be staring at all of you guys' pictures of your olives!!!

Also, sorry in advance if my formatting is trash-- doing my best, lol.


Understood-- I was thinking of doing something similar to this to rehouse if needed. I think I viewed it as adjacent to handling, and worried they would still run out at the time. My plan was to close the bathroom doors and do the actual moving of the spider in the tub, so that if it hopped out, it would be much easier to spot, keep contained, and catch. Also there would be no fall distance. I will watch the Tom Moran rehousing videos for sure, thank you!



No worries-- no way in hell I was going to house them communally. When I first read they "could" be housed communally, I was like, "Oh, damn! That's cool!" And then thought about it for like 5 more seconds, checked arachnoboards, and my suspicions were confirmed. So, no worries there.



These are some of the many reasons that incei is so far my favorite species I've come across. The webs are incredible, the hunting is fascinating, the coloration is so beautiful, and not having the urticating hairs is a plus, lol. It makes sense they'd be so sensitive to movement and vibration when they are so reliant on their webs!



I may not be reaching a full 8 hours a day, but I can say honestly I think I spend around 5 hours per day doing as much research as I can. That said, I still have a lot to learn. There is nothing to worry about in terms of me going out and buying a tarantula tomorrow-- I want to wait until I have everything I possibly can to prepare. I adore animals and get totally obsessed when I am raising one about every aspect of its health, and that is something extremely important to me, so I hope that eases your worry there. (I spent 6 months reading about cat nutrition every single day until I found the perfect food for my kittens at the time-- who are now a lot bigger but just as sweet )

Also, I believe you-- but I am genuinely, earnestly wondering-- what is it about care sheets that are unsafe? Are there any websites besides AB that seem safe to read care sheets on? There are definitely certain sites I just ignore because they are so basic and trivial, but aside from those, can you elaborate for me? (Again, I mean this in earnest. Just asking for clarification. I want to know what to look for.)

Thank you so much everyone again, and I love everyone's photos of their little monsters!!!

Just addressing the caresheet part, nearly every one available online is riddled with misinformation. Even one i had years back that i thought came from "reputable sellers" was in hindsight so bad that its no surprise i killed my first 3 T's.
I kid you not, im yet to actually see someone write a caresheet without questionable advice. Im not saying there aren't any good ones out there, but id save yourself the trouble and just get care info from here. The information here is not simply individuals with biased opinions, it appeals to logic and science and so far it has never let me down

 

[Alchemax]

Just addressing the caresheet part, nearly every one available online is riddled with misinformation. Even one i had years back that i thought came from "reputable sellers" was in hindsight so bad that its no surprise i killed my first 3 T's.
I kid you not, im yet to actually see someone write a caresheet without questionable advice. Im not saying there aren't any good ones out there, but id save yourself the trouble and just get care info from here. The information here is not simply individuals with biased opinions, it appeals to logic and science and so far it has never let me down

Damn, okay. If there are any really "popular opinions" out there that are super wrong, would you let me know?
So far I'm looking for an acrylic, ventilated, mesh-free enclosure, going to get springtails for keeping mold and such out (and in case I want to add living moss / something similar), keep the enclosure generally at the same temp as my house (don't think heating pads are recommended, right?), and to have a drainage layer of substrate below the coco coir layer. Waterbowl should be shallow but full, overflow is okay for humidity, cork bark is generally best for little tarantula shelters. Gut load the rancho's food before feeding and try not to always do crickets/roaches so you can watch out for impaction.
Those are so far the general-consensus basics I've found-- if there's anything glaringly wrong, let me know if you're able, I'd really appreciate it!!!

 

[RezonantVoid]

Damn, okay. If there are any really "popular opinions" out there that are super wrong, would you let me know?
So far I'm looking for an acrylic, ventilated, mesh-free enclosure, going to get springtails for keeping mold and such out (and in case I want to add living moss / something similar), keep the enclosure generally at the same temp as my house (don't think heating pads are recommended, right?), and to have a drainage layer of substrate below the coco coir layer. Waterbowl should be shallow but full, overflow is okay for humidity, cork bark is generally best for little tarantula shelters. Gut load the rancho's food before feeding and try not to always do crickets/roaches so you can watch out for impaction.
Those are so far the general-consensus basics I've found-- if there's anything glaringly wrong, let me know if you're able, I'd really appreciate it!!!

It seems like you've got the right info which is great. I probably wouldn't worry much about introducing live plants or moss to a heavy webber setup as they will mostly get burried under the webbing and wont be able to receive the needed light (i cant 100% confirm this but ive tried with non-tarantula heavy webbers and the results are usually the same, with the plants dying). Alot of sheets ive read in the past often mention the "need" for frequent enclosure maintenance but this is a myth. Regularly destroying a tarantula's home will cause it needless stress and higher risk of escapes. Other common suggestions include putting sponges or gravel in the water dish (to prevent drowning which is almost impossible as they have water repellent exoskeletons), heating their enclosures with lamps (quickly dries them out and kills them), and to keep your tarantula at a set air humidity level (they need soil moisture, not stuffy air humidity). These are a few things we usually see new keepers do from reading caresheets. I do hope however that they will start improving as time goes on

 

[Alchemax]

It seems like you've got the right info which is great. I probably wouldn't worry much about introducing live plants or moss to a heavy webber setup as they will mostly get burried under the webbing and wont be able to receive the needed light (i cant 100% confirm this but ive tried with non-tarantula heavy webbers and the results are usually the same, with the plants dying). Alot of sheets ive read in the past often mention the "need" for frequent enclosure maintenance but this is a myth. Regularly destroying a tarantula's home will cause it needless stress and higher risk of escapes. Other common suggestions include putting sponges or gravel in the water dish (to prevent drowning which is almost impossible as they have water repellent exoskeletons), heating their enclosures with lamps (quickly dries them out and kills them), and to keep your tarantula at a set air humidity level (they need soil moisture, not stuffy air humidity). These are a few things we usually see new keepers do from reading caresheets. I do hope however that they will start improving as time goes on

Okay yeah, I already know why sponges are bad, but like, without knowing that, the idea of a drinking sponge in a dirt-filled enclosure sounds disgusting, LOL. Also a lamp would totally fry the little dude so no thanks.
I'll make sure to not really readjust the home often, only for adding water or if there is some sort of problem happening. Do you have a recommendation on how often to "redo" the enclosure/do a rehousing of sorts? My guess is something like once every six months at absolute maximum, I can't imagine more than that unless there is a serious mold problem.

 

[cold blood]

care sheets are bad because they are either offering bad info, of info that's just way too specific. For instance you see things like:

temps need to be between 75 and 80----no, anything between 70 and 95 are fine for almost any t, many can even be kept cooler.

humidity needs to be between 75 and 85%----no, humidity isn't even relevant, much less specific numbers...these numbers get chased and the t suffers.

They are a hardy species---well almost all ts are hardy, this quality isn't anything special to any specific t.

The species should be misted x times a week---no, misting isn't ever necessary, but when you do, it should never be on a schedule, it should be on an as needed basis...do it too much during a humid time of year in your area and you will create a frog enclosure.

The species should be housed with 4-6 inches of substrate----well no, the amount of substrate will be dictated more by the enclosure than the species.

etc, etc, and so on.

 

[viper69]

Given you like the patterning of the normal phase incei, I have put a pic of its cousin below for you. I think you will like this species quite a bit. Their markings are more noticeable than incei. They are extremely rare in the USA.

what is it about care sheets that are unsafe?

New people don't know what is accurate info. Thus, they cannot figure out what info in a sheet is true, and what info is garbage.

Are there any websites besides AB that seem safe to read care sheets on?

None that I'm aware of.

(and in case I want to add living moss

A waste of time, it will be covered in dense webbing.

(don't think heating pads are recommended, right?

Correct

Waterbowl should be shallow but full

I use deep bowls because I hate filling so many water bowls regularly.

and try not to always do crickets

This too is not true. I've fed my Ts on 99.99999% crickets with zero issues.

0.1 Neoholothele fasciaaurinigra, sometimes called The Bumble Bee

• viper69
• Jan 14, 2017
• 16

I waited years to obtain this species ever since I saw it on Rick West's site.

 

[Alchemax]

0.1 Neoholothele fasciaaurinigra, sometimes called The Bumble Bee

• viper69
• Jan 14, 2017
• 16

I waited years to obtain this species ever since I saw it on Rick West's site.

Thank you for the photo!!! It's beautiful!
What are the differences between it and incei? Is it larger, less skittish? It's gorgeous.

I use deep bowls because I hate filling so many water bowls regularly.

I will only be starting with one tarantula, so don't need to worry about too many water bowls

A waste of time, it will be covered in dense webbing.

The moss comment was as an example for tarantulas in general. Some others on this thread have mentioned that the webbing means live plants don't do so well with incei. But gotcha on that too.

I think for me, my biggest struggle with finding the right species so far is that I want a relatively small sized NW tarantula. By small I mean less than 5 inches /12 cm fully grown. Something docile that I also find beautiful, because its appearance is important to me as well! I want one that is striking and beautiful to look at when it comes out of its shelter (be it web or cork den).

Another tarantula I find really pretty, that is a small New World, is the pumpkin/munchkin patch, / Hapalopus sp Colombia. However, it seems like pumpkins are pretty skittish and speedy too.
If you have any recommendations for a very small new world tarantula, let me know! I can't guarantee I'll end up going with it, but I certainly appreciate any advice given!

 

[RezonantVoid]

Small, calm and colourful NW? T.Seladonia all the way

 

[Alchemax]

Small, calm and colourful NW? T.Seladonia all the way

Just looked it up-- oh my god that thing is beautiful!!! Seems like some people find it aggressive though, lol. Can't tell if that's an earnest wink or a tricky one!!!
I am willing to bet they're crazy expensive. They look like something from another planet. So pretty

 

[RezonantVoid]

Just looked it up-- oh my god that thing is beautiful!!! Seems like some people find it aggressive though, lol. Can't tell if that's an earnest wink or a tricky one!!!
I am willing to bet they're crazy expensive. They look like something from another planet. So pretty

If you can fork out $420 for a single spiderling then they are great

Yea lol It was a joke, they do seem quite mellow as a dwarf T but they seem prone to dying for "no reason", especially as slings which is all most of us could afford. Your mention of pumpkin patch is probably the next best species, i think they look very adorable. C.Elengans is definitely my favourte dwarf for its golden heart shape on the abdomen