New to the hobby.

[william kratofil]

hello everyone,


So as the title reads, I’m just getting into the hobby. I’ve got a few questions for you more experienced keepers. I wanted to ask for your guys input.


1 I’m thinking about getting these three species

· Avicularia purpurea (purple pink toe) I’m thinking of getting 3

· Caribena (Avicularia) versicolor (Antilles pink toe) get 3 as well

· Harpactira pulchripes (golden blue leg baboon getting 2


although we really wanted 2 Poecilotheria metallica instead of 2 Harpactira pulchripes but “fear not tarantulas” is sold out.


Also I have a few more questions. I’ve been breeding ball pythons for a while now, it’s my hobby. Nothing I plan on retiring or making a full time job out of it. Just something that I do with my kids. I keep the cool stuff I produce and sell the stuff I either already have or don’t want. As long as it pays for itself, I’m going to keep doing it.


Either way, before we place our order, I have a few questions. These are the same questions I asked “fear not tarantulas”.


1)I’m going to put these t's in my reptile room that is completely controlled with a thermostat to 85-degree ambient air temperature and the hydrometer the keep the humidity at 60%. I’ve been trying to find something about housing snakes and spiders together, can housing them with each other be harmful. I haven’t really found anything, was wondering your opinions.


2) what are the quarantine procedures that need to be taken before they enter my reptile room. My current quarantine procedure for my reptiles, I put all new reptiles in my incubator (83 degrees) for about a month to insure no mites (physically look for them) or infections spread into my healthy collection. How do I check for mites or infections with tarantulas?


3) are the mites that spider get the same that snakes get? Is the process to remove mites the same? I use Provent-A-Mite spray the tub let it sit and after a while put the snake in. I also use mite off spray on the snake before they go into the tub.


Thank you,


William K.

 

[Venom1080]

No, nothing, and no. Welcome to the hobby.

 

[william kratofil]

No, nothing, and no. Welcome.

So as far as my selection, they seem okay for a beginner?

What about my temps and humidity?

Not to say Tanya sell T’s with mites, but what happens if I get something with mites? How do I check and help the t?

 

[nicodimus22]

So as far as my selection, they seem okay for a beginner?

I would probably not recommend getting a tarantula that can land you in the ER as one of your first, but I can't stop you from doing it.

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/harpactira-pulchripes-bite-extremely-bad.295298/

 

[Venom1080]

So as far as my selection, they seem okay for a beginner?

What about my temps and humidity?

Not to say Tanya sell T’s with mites, but what happens if I get something with mites? How do I check and help the t?

Most of us don't have a dedicated herp room, and we do fine with 70-80 temps. Yours are fine, you'll get really good growth rates with frequent feedings.

Humidity with spiders is as simple as keeping the sub moist. For the avics/caribena, they only require a water dish for humidity. They're not the humid jungle dwellers you hear about online. Harpactira are ow spiders and thus have bad venom, not a great choice but you can probably manage. Not life threatening in the slightest to an adult, but enough to ruin your week. Mites aren't as big a problem to Ts .they are basically a free cleaning crew for missed boli and mold. If there's a massive infestation, removing the T and feeding the cage overnight will do it. Look for mites around the chelicerae (mouth) and leg joints.

 

[william kratofil]

I would probably not recommend getting a tarantula that can land you in the ER as one of your first, but I can't stop you from doing it.

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/harpactira-pulchripes-bite-extremely-bad.295298/

so should I replace harpactira pulchripes with poecilotheria Metallica?

 

[Venom1080]

No^^ those are arboreal and much more flighty. Not a good starter.

 

[Toddydog]

so should I replace harpactira pulchripes with poecilotheria Metallica?

That's also an OW (old world) which means it has potent venom as well.

 

[nicodimus22]

so should I replace harpactira pulchripes with poecilotheria Metallica?

Both have potent venom. Anything Old World (from Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia) is going to.

 

[Toddydog]

I would suggest a nice GBB or B. hamorii. Yes they aren't as pretty but they are nice beginners. Also i believe fear not has good beginner deals where they give you a beginner spieces with a beginner enclosure to help you get started.

 

[william kratofil]

Man you guys have to be kidding me.. that’s the main one that got me interested in getting into the hobby. I love the colors on it!

 

[Liquifin]

When it comes to OW T's, I personally think it depends on whether the person feels "prepared" or not for it. If you're raising an OW from a sling or small juvenile I think it wouldn't be too hard. Because a young OW T. gives you time to understand them before becoming a fully grown and more defensive T, as to when they were small juveniles or slings which are more skittish than defensive. So i'm not trying to discourage you or other people from not getting a T you want, even though it is OW. T. I personally would at least have some sort of T. experience to be safe on your side though like a C. versicolor.

 

[Venom1080]

Then start studying up my friend..
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/poecilotheria-care.291471/

 

[miss moxie]

Stay away from anything that's an 'old world' tarantula. Not only can they put a healthy adult in the hospital, envenomation can have long lasting neurological affects. I've heard of people experiencing muscle spasms and pain even a year after being bit. Tarantulas from Australia kill dogs with alarming frequency, and other OW tarantulas have the potential to do the same. We can't be sure, as there aren't many studies done on tarantula venom in animals. There was one study done on Australian tarantulas and dog bites, and every single dog bitten succumbed. We also don't know exactly what a child would experience if envenomated by an old world tarantula, though death is unlikely. Even so, it's not fair to -any- child to experience that much pain for no reason other than a beginner got a tarantula they weren't ready for.

So, if you have 1. other pets 2. children or elderly living with you 3. share walls (apartment, condo, townhouse) with others then there's really no reason to take a chance.

Old world tarantulas won't die out before you have the experience to deal with them, so take your time and learn how to properly care for tarantulas in the first place before you go spelunking in the advanced species cavern.

If you want a blue tarantula, D. diamantinensis, C. cyaneopubescens, and P. sazimai are your best bet as a beginner.

Fear Not isn't the only tarantula shop online, by the way. Shop around. I personally find Fear Not to generally be more expensive, and their shipping is ridiculous. You have to pay -extra- to get it sent to your house instead of picking it up at a Fed Ex facility. Arachnoiden is a personal favorite. Their prices are fair, and their shipping is free if you spend $200.

 

[PanzoN88]

While H. pulchripes and P. metallica are stunning, I would not recommend them to beginners. Others have already stated why they are not good for beginners, so I will recommend the following:

From what you listed-

C. versicolor
A. pupurea

Not listed

GBB
B. hamorii
E. Sp. red,also sold as Homeomma Sp. red (or H. Sp. fire)

 

[william kratofil]

I think I’m going to go with the P. Metallica, every sling I’m getting is about 3/4 or 1/2. I’m just going to do a ton of research on how to keep a new world t. I want to thank you guys. I now know to be very careful with the p. Metallica. Definitely won’t let my kids around it. Thank you! I’ve already made enclosers, different size catch cups, tweezers, and a small colony of red runners, Transfer cup that I’ve learned from videos on YouTube. Shout out dark den!

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I think I’m going to go with the P. Metallica, every sling I’m getting is about 3/4 or 1/2. I’m just going to do a ton of research on how to keep a new world t. I want to thank you guys. I now know to be very careful with the p. Metallica. Definitely won’t let my kids around it. Thank you! I’ve already made enclosers, different size catch cups, tweezers, and a small colony of red runners, Transfer cup that I’ve learned from videos on YouTube. Shout out dark den!

Buy what you want my man but I beg you, it's P.metallica

 

[miss moxie]

Shocker. Another beginner who asks for advice and then ignores that advice when it isn't what they want to hear.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

If you're raising an OW from a sling or small juvenile I think it wouldn't be too hard. Because a young OW T. gives you time to understand them before becoming a fully grown and more defensive T, as to when they were small juveniles or slings which are more skittish than defensive.

Once upon a time, existed a multitude of keepers that purchased a quite cheap, almost always available Theraphosidae named P.murinus. The orange bugger managed always, somewhat somehow, to grow fast than their ability, and a lot of those keepers were even scared to open the enclosure for feeding, let alone perform a necessary cage upgrade/rehouse

 

[Venom1080]

I think I’m going to go with the P. Metallica, every sling I’m getting is about 3/4 or 1/2. I’m just going to do a ton of research on how to keep a new world t. I want to thank you guys. I now know to be very careful with the p. Metallica. Definitely won’t let my kids around it. Thank you! I’ve already made enclosers, different size catch cups, tweezers, and a small colony of red runners, Transfer cup that I’ve learned from videos on YouTube. Shout out dark den!

It's old world. New worlds are the ones with the weaker venom. Be very careful where you look for advice. 90% of the stuff out there is garbage. This site is probably your best bet.