New Comer + Tips Guys

TarantuChimp · May 12, 2003

Hey hey I am new comer to these arachnidy parts.

I have been in love with spiders since I was 4yrs old when my dad and I used to keep ones caught in the house, only small house spiders

and I have been around spiders from friends and such and always enjoyed them but have never been allowed to keep them, until now, I just really want to know a goos starter spider, not to aggressive and not an arborial species, I volunteered at a local zoo for a while and have been scared sh*tless of a babboon hitting the side of its tank...oooh crums

Olly (The once arachnaphobe)

Buspirone · May 12, 2003

I'd recommend a Curlyhair(B. albopilosum) as a first spider. They are docile, good eaters, easy to keep and like to stay busy moving dirt around for fun.

The_Phantom · May 12, 2003

Id recommend a Chilean Rose or a Mexican Red Knee. Mexican Red Knees are a little more prone to hair kicking, but if you dont mind that, they are one of the prettiest tarantulas out there *that ISNT defensive* Chileans are pretty, but kind of a plain Jane in the tarantula world. Still, very nice. =D

RugbyDave · May 12, 2003

Hello there!

Welcome to this list (and a whole new obsession you could not possibly forsee! Let's just say in about 7 months you'll be thinking the following thought: "well, i could put off the electric bill for one more month, cos swifty has a REALLY good price for a usumbara..")

but seriously,
as for starter species, In my opinion, i'd say:

E.campestratus - Pink Zebra Beauty
B.albopilosum - Curlyhair
A.avicularia - Pink Toe (A little quick, but still generally docile)
G.pulchra - Brazilian Black
(G.rosea - Chilean Rose Hair)

I'd stay away from a G.rosea, in my opinion, unless you've been around it and know its more of a "pet rock" rather than a "pet punk" (depending on what you want)-- they can be pretty agressive sometime, as can ANY Tarantula ("T" as we say in this forum), i suppose..

I guess that's a great place to start: Learn early on, that not all T's are alike. In other words, every different T, even in the same family or genus, can be FULLY different. 3 people could have the SAME 3 types of T's, and still have 3 different temperaments of their T's....

so don't think "well every baboon is the same".. well, at the same time, for some of the more aggressive T's, there are some generalities, but just go with the fact that there are no real generalities for T's.. haha sorry, if this is confusing, i don't think it is, we're all pretty smart on this board!

but yes, ask questions, enjoy the forum, and don't get scared off... No matter how different everyone is on this board, from newcomer to old hat, we all are together on the Tarantula thing (and scorpion, etc..). Everyones really cool on this board, and its a GREAT place to learn!

There's more "starter" species, but i'm stopping at 4.

enjoy!
peace,
dave

TarantuChimp · May 12, 2003

Moving dirt around

much like myself cheers.

I have been reading about hardend keeprs

keeping king Baboons the guy i used 2 work with at the zoo said they were nuts.

With keeping my chosen spider i know it matters that if they are arborial rather than ground dwelling a higher cage is necessary, what do i need with a ground dweller? lots of room incase they silk the place up??....what are your thoughts on handling, or does it depend species? and temprement

cheers u lot, making me feel like home already

RugbyDave · May 12, 2003

quick quick rundown:

arboreal species (tree) need taller cages, but not like.. reaching the heavens or anything. Alot of people tend to stick to the LegSpan+Half for the size of the container (meaning, if your T has a leg span of 6 inches, a 10 inch container would be fine).. I don't use that idea, i just find a container that (if they are ground-dwelling) gives them about 7 inches to walk around... usually the plastic Kritter Keepers do well for an adult/bigger T.

terrestrial species (ground) species need floor space rather then height. You want to keep the height in the cage to a minimum incase the T falls when its climbing, which could kill the T by rupturing its abdomen....

as for handling T's, there are a couple different view points. Some people handle like nothing, and have no problem with it, in regards to the T. Other people think that handling T's is not neccesary and causes undue stress to the T. Who knows what's right. Depending on your views, there's really only a coupe of T's that are commonly handled for starters.

B.albopilosum (Curlyhair)
G.pulchra (Brazilian Black)
E.campestratus (Pink Zebra Beauty)
B.smithi (Mexican Red Knee)
A.avicularia (Pink Toe)

now that doesnt mean that any T in that family can be handled. It all depends on the T. Much like a person, every T has their own personality (Learn this early on

). You just have to spend time getting to know your T, and learning about its personality. After youve determined that its aggressive, defensive, or neither, you can go from there. I'd say get a T first and focus on learning how to care for your new pet. Worry about handling later on

By the way, the general starter species aren't really notorious for webbing up the place. Save for the avicularia, most just tend to silk when they are eating, or just walking around discovering their new cage, or when they want some privacy in their hide (they silk up the opening, alot of times, to block out the light and wind possibly).

If youre getting an adult T or an almost grown T (around 4"), I'd say a large Kritter Keeper would be fine. You can really use anything you find, as long as its clean and doesn't have any checmical residue on it. Oh yes, it MUST HAVE A GOOD CLOSING LID

these punks are amazing at escaping

Just enjoy the first few weeks of this whole thing, as it quite possibly will take over your life. I think a lot of us can attest to that. And that's not really a bad thing either

Good luck!
peace,
dave

TarantuChimp · May 12, 2003

Cheers Dave.

my tank is arriving next week, bloody UK Postage service.

vulpina · May 12, 2003

Try a B. smithi, B. emelia, B. albopilosa, B. vagans, C. cyaneopubescens, G. pulchra, G. aureostriatum. Any of these are great starters. As for keeping King Baboons, I have one currently and have had them in the past, they are not as bad as everyone says, just don't handle. Most of the spiders you see listed as aggressive are more defensive than anything, unless you provoke them or try to handle them, so any species can be kept even by beginners if you respect them. I personally don't handle my T's unless it is absolutely necessary. They don't need human interaction and they gain nothing from such actions. To them you are nothing more than an extension of their substrate or tree in the case of arboreals.

Andy

RugbyDave · May 12, 2003

sure thing mate!

what kind of T are you getting, can I ask? What size is the tank?!

peace
dave

TarantuChimp · May 12, 2003

Yeh well i am going for a:

14" x 9.2" x 9" XL plastic tank tight lid on it.
as for my T i am looking at the ones u said probably a Red Knee. I am not a spider Noob just never owned one myslef.

speak 2 ya guys soon, its late

Cheers

olly

TarantuChimp · May 13, 2003

when I receive it will be a sling so probably start with a smaller tank.
But the dealer i am thinkinh of using does sell young adults, but I going to get a female for display i think.

Good morning

Olly

What I am looking for really is a quite chunky ground dweller, Ithink a red knee chile rose covers that.

invadermike · May 13, 2003

For the first T i would avoid a Rosehair just because they kind of suck. i love mine!!! but i mean, they aren't to exciting and they have really weird eating habbits, and are really just a pet rock, but they are still great to have, just not the best to start with. The species i recommend the most would be curly hairs because they are very docile and easy to care for, and are pretty active. If not a curly hair i would say a pink zebra beauty, they are very docile and very hardy. although rosehairs are probably the easiest to find, they aren't the best starter, so loook around for something better! Good luck and let us know what you get, and then show us pictures!!!!!!!
Mike

Kali · May 13, 2003

actually, an ornamental baboon was my first t. then i attended an exotics convention and brought home 5 more it grew to 10 total by the middle of last month. i also have 2 emperor scorpions and am giving careful consideration to a centipede. like you, i am new to this too, but i also spent a lot of time researching and considering beforehand. good luck! if it makes you feel better, my bf has a rosehair,and has never handeled it in the almost year he has owned her, (although i do).=D the expert guys are right-it's an addiction much like tatoos or anything else!

Kristin

skadiwolf · May 13, 2003

i love my G. rosea - Chilean Rose Hair. i would definitely recommend a Pink Zebra Beauty also. those are my top two starter Ts in my opinion. both are more muted, but very nice. i would suggest getting a PZB by mail order or online and get a Rose Hair if you want one in person. some are kinda funny in personality so that way you can know how they are right off the batt.

Frostbyte · May 13, 2003

I have a 2" Rose and shes no 'Rock' .. shes actually rather friendly. She gets excited when I get home and open her lid. She actually climbs onto my hand and climbs inch by inch til she gets on my neck and rests ... kinda weird. My other is a Versicolor and she/he is so fast theres no way Id try to hold her. Im my eyes Id stay away from the Avics til later unless U enjoy chasing things. Get intouch with a Dealer Breeder like Bill INVERTEPET or Swifty .. they have tons of great Ts and can answer many questions. Good Luck and Welcome to the world of Ts !

RugbyDave · May 13, 2003

no way,
i won't touch my G.roseas -- They're all mean mean mean aggressive and DEFENSIVE as all get out

my Red Phase isn't SO much really, but the other ones, man....
i'd never let anyone near them..

i'm on the hunt for a more docile rosea... haha, after years and years of keeping T's, i'm finally going to get a nice rosea

peace
dave

Frostbyte · May 13, 2003

This guy I bought my Rose from breeds em . He sells them , mine was 2" for $8 and I was happy . Im tellin ya this girl is like the best T Ive seen !

RugbyDave · May 14, 2003

Man,i'd love to get one... I have too many T's right now (can you ever REALLY have too many T's though?

)

But seriously, about 15 in the past 2 days?? And thats not even from a show, its from a store

one day i'll get a nice, lived-in, DOCILE rosea

for now i'll stick with my family of many aggressive ones. They're fun to watch at least!

peace
dave

skadiwolf · May 14, 2003

speaking as someone who seeks out docile animals of all kinds... having nice, calm, docile creatures is definitely a plus.

nevermind that Ts are SO very soft and it's just lovely to have one crawl over the edge of your hand and brush their fuzzy little bodies against your skin. ahhhh..

=D

bliss.

TarantuChimp · May 14, 2003

Cheers Again,

My Sling tank arrived, i bought a smaller one, than the one i am going to use when it get a little bigger, The sling tnak is question is plasic should I put some glass underneath it and then have the heta mat underthat becuase i dont want it to A) Over heat and B) to melt the plastic.

and how much Substrate would you use and how much Peat or doea that really depend on the size of the spider?

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