NEWBIE looking for advice.

[hillie16]

Hi all, been looking over the net for a few days, and I'm thinking about getting a tarantula. I've learned a lot already just from lurking here and searching.

I'm looking for a good first to get. I love the look of Cobalts, blue is my favorite color, but I have read that they are for those with lots of experience. I want one that will grow to a decent size. I've had lots of experience with reptiles, I've had iguanas, a green amieva, and tons of anoles. I don't want a snake, to worried about them getting too big or getting loose. If anyone has any advice, I'd greatly appreciate it. Is it best to start out with a sling?

LOL I'll trade spider advice for Mustang advice, if any one here is into Mustangs they've probably seen my name before, I post on lots of Mustang boards and moderate forums on two of them.

Oh and I wanted to give a big thumbs up to Botar on his chosen profession! Stay safe bro!

hillie

 

[bness2]

Well, I am on the new side myself, but I can speak from my own experience. For ease of care and docility the Chilean Rose (Grammostola rosea) can hardly be beat, in my opinion. The one I have right now is extremely gentle and almost nothing ruffles her. They typically reach about 4" or so, so they have nice size. Lastly, they are often the most readily available from most pet stores, and some of them need rescuing from the store, considering how poorly understood tarantulas are at times.

There are some other easy and docile species, but in my opinion, this is the one to start with.

Bryan

 

[JacenBeers]

There are so many things to consider. If you want an easy beginner spider that grows to be a good size and you want it to be fairly docile then you could get a Rose Hair (G Rosea) or a Mexican Red Knee which is also very nice looking but fairly inactive. Both are terrestrial species. If you would prefer a docile and nice looking arboreal species I would recommend A Avicularia or A Versicolor.

 

[Al Muoio]

I'm kind of new with tarantulas but for what its worth, If you are only getting one I would say get a Pink Toe (avicularia avicularia. My Rosea Hair and Strip Knee stay in there burrow and I don't get to see them much ( for the last week). The Pink Toe will be visible lots more. I heard the Brazilian Black is like the Rosea Hair but more active. All of them are beautiful and you will probably get more than one.

 

[hillie16]

Just from what I'm reading I'm probably gonna end up with 3 or 4, most likely terrestrial.

Thanks for the good info so far, keep it coming!

 

[AlbinoDragon829]

To kind of broaden on what everyone else here has said, for beginner's spiders, stay away from spiders that originate from asia and africa. Asian spiders (like the cobalt blue you mentioned) burrow EXTREMELY deep, and plus they are pure EVIL.. They will attack and bite and their poison is very potent, landing you in the hospital or very very ill for weeks. African spiders are venomous, but not to the gradiose extent that the asians are. Some african spiders, namely the baboons, are very defensive and will rear up on their hind legs and actually hiss. The upside to these spiders is that they don't require too much humidity while the asian's do. North American Spiders, like rose hairs, red knees (very expensive), fire legs and arboreal spiders are good for beginners. North American spiders are handleable and forgiving for beginners, while the africans and asians are not to be handled at all.

 

[Alonso99]

w00t

Your wrong on that Albino, Cameroons are obviously african and they need nice humidity

 

[Immortal_sin]

I would not characterize the Asians and Africans as 'evil' LOL
They are just more defensive, and mine are no problem, as long as I am not poking around in their burrow.
I can do cage maintenence very easily. However, that being said, they are quite secretive and you may not see them for weeks or months at a time. And if you are trying to move them, or do some kinds of maintenence, they are lightening fast, and *can* be difficult.
I definately don't recommend them for a first spider.
THere are some NW tarantulas that are great 'first' spiders. If you have no plans to try and handle your spider, the Lasiodora parahybana can be an awesome display T. You could go for Grammastola areostriatum as well, very docile, and gets to a very large size.
the Grammastola pulchra is another highly recommended first.
Nothing wrong with the old standby- G rosea either!
These species are not finicky about humidity, they are very hardy, good eaters, and would all work nicely
just my own opinion, of course!

 

[Alonso99]

albino

No animal is evil, they just do what they do in nature. The only animal who can be evil is man.

 

[hillie16]

WOW I just looked at TG's site...that Colombian is HUGE! How big do the biggest ones get!!?? I though 5-6" was the biggest they would get....

All the ones that I'm looking at that I like the looks of so far are ones not recommended for beginners LOL. I'm gonna keep doing my homework and find exactly what I want AND can take care of starting out. I don't wanna do any T's wrong, so I'll start out small and work my way to a Cobalt female..those things are beautiful.

 

[Immortal_sin]

they ARE beautiful, IF you ever see them LOL
here's a pic of my girl that Scott has here on the site:
http://www.arachnopets.com/images/timages/hlividum01.jpg
This is when I first put her in her new digs.
Once she made a burrow...that was all she wrote...I never see her!
As for your question: which columbian are you talking about?
the Megaphobema robustum?
I'm not too great with common names, sorry!

 

[MrT]

Hillie16,
Look at a Acanthoscurria geniculata.( Brazilian Whiteknee).
They reach 7"- 8". Grow really fast. Great eaters. And don't cost to much. Their not prone to biteing, But will flick urticating hairs.
Check em out.

Ernie

 

[Code Monkey]

Just a simple rule of thumb here: if you're new to Ts and also want to see your T, stick to the following genera:

Aphonopelma
Brachypelma
Grammastola

If you're new and want a cool T that you might not see as much and don't mind the added housing of an arboreal species, tack on:

Avicularia

That covers your rosehairs, redlegs, redknees, Brazilian blacks, bloodlegs, Arizona blondes, pinktoes, curly hairs, Texas tans, etc. With some exceptions, any species from these four genera is generally tolerant of wide ranges of temp and humidity, hardy, and mostly of docile temperament.

If you've never kept a T before, do not under any circumstances make a cobalt your entry. It's an obligate burrower which means you are unlikely to see it well more than a few times a year unless you're in the habit of creeping up to the cage in the dark with a red light (which kind of invalidates the point of the blue coloration). Further, as has been pointed out it's a defensive/aggressive breed, and it's more picky about the moisture and humidity of its environment. It's a scenario custom made to give you a non-representative picture of Ts and the hobby.

 

[hillie16]

Originally posted by Immortal_sin
As for your question: which columbian are you talking about?
the Megaphobema robustum?
I'm not too great with common names, sorry!

Sorry, I meant Xenesthis monstrosa! I guess Todd has the only one in North America! Right at the top of his page....

http://www.tarantulaspiders.com/

Originally posted by Code Monkey
Just a simple rule of thumb here: if you're new to Ts and also want to see your T, stick to the following genera:

Brachypelma

This includes B. smithi?

Originally posted by Code Monkey
If you've never kept a T before, do not under any circumstances make a cobalt your entry. It's an obligate burrower which means you are unlikely to see it well more than a few times a year unless you're in the habit of creeping up to the cage in the dark with a red light (which kind of invalidates the point of the blue coloration). Further, as has been pointed out it's a defensive/aggressive breed, and it's more picky about the moisture and humidity of its environment. It's a scenario custom made to give you a non-representative picture of Ts and the hobby.

I hope to get one after I've raised a few and am well experienced in the hobby....like I said, I don't wanna do wrong by such a beautiful T, or any T for that matter. I just think they are the best looking I've seen so far LOL.

Originally posted by MrT
Hillie16,
Look at a Acanthoscurria geniculata.( Brazilian Whiteknee).
They reach 7"- 8". Grow really fast. Great eaters. And don't cost to much. Their not prone to biteing, But will flick urticating hairs.
Check em out.

That's one of the ones I'm pondering, as well as the Lasiodora parahybana that was suggested.

I just want to thank everyone that has posted so far for the wealth of info, I know newbie questions of basic stuff gets old, so thank you all very much!

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by hillie16
This includes B. smithi?

Of course (I did say 'redknee' above ) B. smithi's are wonderful Ts.

I plan on getting one after I've raised a few and am well experienced in the hobby....

By all means if after you've kept Ts for several months (or whatever your standard period of getting bored with something passing is), you want to go for a cobalt, go for it. Ts aren't rocket science and even the hardest to keep is easier to do so than many common houseplants.

A. geniculata is another easy to care for T, btw (very attractive as well).

 

[hillie16]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
Of course (I did say 'redknee' above ) B. smithi's are wonderful Ts.

LOL thanks...still getting names straight.

 

[Botar]

Originally posted by hillie16
Oh and I wanted to give a big thumbs up to Botar on his chosen profession! Stay safe bro!

hillie

Thanks. Looks like I got here a bit late and you've already received some great recommendations so I'll just leave it at that. From what I've seen as the recommendations, you can't go wrong. I dare to say though, you'll probably wind up with all of the recommended "starters" and then some. Good luck and keep us posted.

Botar

 

[Rookie]

copy me

I only have one T, and I've only had that s'ling for about four days now, but I'll just say this; I was asking the EXACT same question as you a month and a half ago.
I had it down to the G. Rosea, the B.Smithi, and the G.Pulchra.
Scott suggested that I get the G.Pulchra because it looked nicer than the G.Rosea (definitly gonna get disagreement there), and was a little rarer to find. He also said the Pulchra was less likely to kick hairs than the B.Smithi. I ended up listening to his advice, and I'm glad I did.
The thing is, I would be just as excited right now if I had a G.Rosea or a B.Smithi because Tarantulas are fascinating and amazing creatures. I think I speak for everyone here when I say that I'm glad to see someone else engaging in the hobby. I think I have a good little spider that will grow into a good big spider, but as long as you have one that you decided on, you will feel the same way.
Only you can make the decision, and as long as you don't get a species that's too difficult, you should be happy like myself.
Good luck!
Paul

 

[hillie16]

I think I'm gonna start out with four.

Acanthoscurria geniculata
Brachypelma smithi
Grammostola rosea
Lasiodora parahybana

And someday work my way up to

Haplopelma lividum
Haplopelma minax
Theraphosa blondi


Should I start out with slings, or start out with ones that I know are females?

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by hillie16
Should I start out with slings, or start out with ones that I know are females?

That's a 'depends' question. It depends on how much money you've got, depends on how much you want a female, and it depends on how much you want a TARANTULA, and not just a tarantula.

A. geniculata and B. smithi are both very pricey as adults or even sexed subadults, male or female . You can get a wild caught G. rosea for as little as $4, though (it's actually more expensive to get a captive bred rosehair than a wild caught on account of the sheer numbers that are imported). L. parahybana is somewhere in the middle costwise for adults.

Getting slings is my preference. They cost 1/4 or less than what an adult will cost. You know they were captive bred (or at least reared for some species). Plus, there's just something neat about watching the whole growth process from a little thing to a progressively bigger thing, to in a few years, a really big thing

OTOH, purchasing larger, sexed individuals means you don't have to wait as long for a big thing (my A. geniculata was literally no bigger than a common American worker termite when I got it). While not 100% certain, buying a 'known' female does guarantee you a certain return on your dollar you might or might not get with the sling. Plus, some people, particularly a first timer, might not feel entirely comfortable with how delicate slings seem.

EDIT: given your four starters what I would do is get a subadult/adult rosehair without worrying about gender so long as it wasn't mature, then try to find slings over 1" for the other three. The A. geniculata and L. parahybana are both pretty fast growing and at that size should be hardy. The B. smithi is a bit more slow growing. But that's just my opinion.