New Potential Tarantula Owner: about slings?

kollidingstars

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
2
My question is just: as someone who has never owned a tarantula before, is it a good idea to buy one as a sling? Or should i buy one thats a bit older? Which would be the best idea for my first tarantula?
 

DomGom TheFather

Arachnoprince
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Apr 26, 2020
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You can easily raise a sling as your first. As long as you have a little patience it is very rewarding.
Just do your homework and choose the species carefully.

Juveniles and adults are a great option because they are less sensitive but it is kind of like adopting a 20 year old.
They don't feel like your own.

Whatever you choose. Have fun!
 

docwade87

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 11, 2019
Messages
225
You can absolutely raise a sling.
You can easily raise a sling as your first. As long as you have a little patience it is very rewarding.
Just do your homework and choose the species carefully.

Juveniles and adults are a great option because they are less sensitive but it is kind of like adopting a 20 year old.
They don't feel like your own.

Whatever you choose. Have fun!

Agree 100%. Just do your homework. Stick to some good beginner species. Check out the beginner species link on the forum and pick from there.
 

kollidingstars

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 2, 2020
Messages
2
You can easily raise a sling as your first. As long as you have a little patience it is very rewarding.
Just do your homework and choose the species carefully.

Juveniles and adults are a great option because they are less sensitive but it is kind of like adopting a 20 year old.
They don't feel like your own.

Whatever you choose. Have fun!
Okay, thank you so much :D
 

KaroKoenig

Arachnobaron
Joined
Dec 7, 2019
Messages
438
Very small slings are quite a hassle for a beginner. Not only because they are more fragile and spend their time in a burrow 90% of the time. That's not only boring, but a major source of stress for a beginner. Also the food supply. Here in Germany, you can easily get pinhead crickets or other very small prey items. But they come in boxes of ~ 100. With just one or two tiny spiderlings to feed, you'll certainly end up wasting like 80 of those, either because they have died, got eaten by their kin or have molted and grown too large. Just have a plan in advance for getting tarantula-scale food items - i.e. few individuals of the right size. And get used to the fact that taking care of the feeder insects takes more time than for your actual pet :).
Sure, they scavenge prekilled stuff like mealworms. But honestly, it's the hunting and the takedowns which are a major source of satisfaction for a beginner.

For me, it worked very well to get one well-established spiderling/small juvenile, and one decent-size juvenile.
 

Chebe6886

Arachnobaron
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Apr 24, 2018
Messages
522
I wouldn’t suggest getting a young C elegans or p. Sazmai sling as your first but if you find a decent starter species at 1/2-1” you shouldn’t have trouble at all.
Do research for each species and house it in a way it cant burrow out of site for a year. Keep your enclosure relatively small and with just enough substrate, most wont burrow and be perfectly happy.
I’d recommend a T. albo or C. Cyanopubescens(GBB) as a first sling to raise. Both eat great, grow fast, active and are practically bullet proof. GBBs are stunning the whole lifecycle and T. albo(curly hair) are neat looking as adults
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
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Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
My question is just: as someone who has never owned a tarantula before, is it a good idea to buy one as a sling? Or should i buy one thats a bit older? Which would be the best idea for my first tarantula?
Older, ie larger, is better based on your question.

Size about 2” is a good start or larger.
 

DomGom TheFather

Arachnoprince
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Apr 26, 2020
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1,975
I wouldn’t suggest getting a young C elegans or p. Sazmai sling as your first but if you find a decent starter species at 1/2-1” you shouldn’t have trouble at all.
Do research for each species and house it in a way it cant burrow out of site for a year. Keep your enclosure relatively small and with just enough substrate, most wont burrow and be perfectly happy.
I’d recommend a T. albo or C. Cyanopubescens(GBB) as a first sling to raise. Both eat great, grow fast, active and are practically bullet proof. GBBs are stunning the whole lifecycle and T. albo(curly hair) are neat looking as adults
I too recommend t. albo.
Watch that gbb, though. Very easy to keep but a little quick.
 

Chebe6886

Arachnobaron
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
522
I too recommend t. albo.
Watch that gbb, though. Very easy to keep but a little quick.
They occasionally can be but I’ve raised a lot of them and they are generally pretty laid back and easy to work with especially if you do raise it as a sling. GBB was my first sling ever so I’m kind of biased.
TBH both T. Albos I’ve had have been a lot feistier than any GBB but they have a lot of personality that makes them a lot of fun to raise.
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
Slings are do-able but I'd recommend a juvenile (from around the 5cm mark).

If you're going to get a sling then I'd recommend getting something around 2cm or larger, anything smaller can be a pain to feed which tends to stress newer keepers out.
 
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