OBT, Honduran Curly Hairs, and a Salmon Pink Bird Eater!

[CitizenNumber9]

Just curious, why are you starting with 12+ tarantulas? Are those 12 different species or multiples of a few species? Personally I'd start with fewer and get more as time goes on. It'll prevent you from being swamped with lots of spiders, particularly slings. As you become more familiar with them you'll find out about other species on the Boards that you're interested in, and then you can build a nice collection.

10 of them are Honduran Curly Hairs, 10 for $4. I'm much more likely to get a female and I know some who will take a couple, the rest I will just find homes for

 

[Keith B]

10 of them are Honduran Curly Hairs, 10 for $4. I'm much more likely to get a female and I know some who will take a couple, the rest I will just find homes for

With 10 you will probably definitely get at LEAST one female, likely several. It's just raising all 10 of them to 2" or so to figure that out, before you give them away, that you have to worry about. On the bright side, you get to watch how they all behave, and pick the one that you enjoy the most. Sling to adult behavior can change drastically, but I always found it more endearing to look back on what antics my adults pulled "when they were kids"

 

[Hydrazine]

G. pulchripes? They are perfect. It and probably the Pink Zebra Beauty are the 2 best Ts I can think of to get when wants a Large T. I've seen 2 different females, different bloodlines, they were LARGE. And it's "relative" the Brazilian Black is beautiful, shiny jet black, like coal.


here's a G. pul. not even full grown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5tFcLPj5Q8

The problem with pulchras is that they grow slow even for a Grammostola!
I've made a mistake of buying one as a sling, now it's gonna take years to grow into the black..

 

[CitizenNumber9]

With 10 you will probably definitely get at LEAST one female, likely several. It's just raising all 10 of them to 2" or so to figure that out, before you give them away, that you have to worry about. On the bright side, you get to watch how they all behave, and pick the one that you enjoy the most. Sling to adult behavior can change drastically, but I always found it more endearing to look back on what antics my adults pulled "when they were kids"

That's a good point I didn't even think about I'm very excited, though I wish there were some type of aboreal I were getting, maybe after growing these a bit

 

[buddah4207]

Your gonna love the pulchripes, I got mine last Feb. at two inches she is now a big 6+ inch girl! Mine is almost always visible and frequently climbs out of her enclosure to join me lol.

 

[Roblicious]

there are quite a few guides that say OBT are decent beginner since they are so hardy
probably a good first OW species

 

[Keith B]

That's a good point I didn't even think about I'm very excited, though I wish there were some type of aboreal I were getting, maybe after growing these a bit

That's the idea we're expressing you should do. Ideally you want to start off with some of the slower terrestrial species, then some faster ones, THEN work your way into NW arboreals, then OW terrestrials and arboreals thereafter. There is no such thing as a slow arboreal, and the attitudes and dispositions can vary widely. In the case of your Avicularia, they are one of the more docile, so it's easy for some to say they're the best arboreal to start out with. But they fail to take into account that they aren't particularly hardy, so we've seen beginners go out and buy 7 or 8 of them, and none of them survive. Most Avics will stay at the top of the cage, and are skittish, making it easier for them to bolt out on you when you need to move them, feed them, anything really. While it MAY be possible for you to cram with knowledge and have some success, as a few have, it's also an increased opportunity for mishaps and/or failure. Patience really works in your favor here, because while you're reading Tarantula Keeper's Guide and raising your easier species, you have the opportunity to check in on the boards and ask questions, and find answers that are already posted. As you check in, you'll see posts from others (and distressing, avoidable failures in keeping) about species they're keeping that you'll want in the future, and gradually learn things you didn't know for when you're ready to keep one. If you search the threads, you'd be surprised to see how many "HELP!! MY T is DYING!!!" posts there are on here. Some are just poor luck, but most the owner finds out there was a mistake made. In your Avics case, for example, it may well have been the pine cone in the enclosure, as cedar and pine vapors can be lethal to a tarantula. This was just ONE THING you didn't know, and the T has died. That's why it's good to be patient and find out bad things before they happen. You must not risk a T's life for your own desires to look at them, however irresistibly pretty they may be.

PS - slow growers live longer, whether male or female, so while its distressing at first to wait for them to reach full size, ultimately that's what you're seeking. A long lived female, am I right?

 

[reunsch]

10 of them are Honduran Curly Hairs, 10 for $4. I'm much more likely to get a female and I know some who will take a couple, the rest I will just find homes for

Ok, makes sense. So you're going to raise them up, keep a female and rehome the rest. Sounds like a good plan to get a female. Plus if you get multiple females you'll be able to choose to keep the one with the temperament that you most like. I have a male curly hair with a fiery temper who moves like lightning, which is not what I was expecting when I bought him! I suppose it gives him character, it sure beats having a pet rock

 

[Poec54]

there are quite a few guides that say OBT are decent beginner since they are so hardy
probably a good first OW species

No responsible authority on tarantulas would recommend OBT's for a beginner. It's an accident waiting to happen. From a hardiness factor, they're some of the toughest spiders, BUT they're also extremely fast and short-tempered, with a hot venom. They could easily become a nightmare for a beginner, especially if it bolted out of the cage and got loose. Think of the other people in the house, and the cats and dogs. Terrible advice.

Same with Avics as a first T, it's a death sentence for many of them. Just because they're not as fast or defensive as other arboreals doesn't mean a beginner is likely to get their care right. They have a narrow range for acceptable conditions and this forum is full of 'Another Dead Avic' threads.

 

[Hydrazine]

My starters were B.smithi juvie, G.pulchra and A.geniculata slings, and an impulse buy A.versicolor sling. I've done my fair share of reading beforehand though. I don't think Avics are as fragile or tricky as people tend to believe. I am quite convinced that the source of most Avic deaths is keeping them in enclosures too small. I received mine at 2cm DLS in a 10x8 cm plastic, cylindric jar, where it apparently lived since separation. It had just a few ventilation holes (which I later fixed) yet thrived in it. Tight space = air getting stale much faster. From what I've seen, a lot of Avic slings are being kept in small vials, even ventilation that might seem excessive won't help with that. Cue the dead avic threads. As for mature Avics being commonly sold, they are often kept in terrestrial conditions, or conditions inappropriate for any tarantula and often die being too weak to go through rehousing. They are arboreals, suited and adapted for vertical life and drops, there is no need to fear housing them in a tall enclosure since early age.

Thinking of it, I actually do believe a number of Avic deaths do stem from people believing the "fragile Avic" myth too religiously, freaking out and killing the Avic by overcaring.

I hadn't even *thought* of getting a species like a pokie or psalmo until I was approaching a year of keeping Ts, so I'd suggest waiting a year before dabbling into OWs, or OW-like Psalmos.

 

[viper69]

Your gonna love the pulchripes, I got mine last Feb. at two inches she is now a big 6+ inch girl! .

I find this surprising to put it mildly. I don't know your conditions though. Mine certainly hasn't grown at a rapid pace at all!!! How'd you manage this?

 

[CitizenNumber9]

I find this surprising to put it mildly. I don't know your conditions though. Mine certainly hasn't grown at a rapid pace at all!!! How'd you manage this?

Could it be that they possibly have a male?

 

[viper69]

Could it be that they possibly have a male?

Maybe. I only have 1 example of this species, didn't think males of this species could grow that fast either. I really don't know. If I'm wrong, then maybe I have a female hahaha who knows, maybe they keep it warmer than mine..IDK.

 

[buddah4207]

Lol I sexed her from a molt. Her last molt was 5.5" so I know she is bigger than that lol.

On second thought she may have been closer 3.5" in February

 

[CitizenNumber9]

Lol I sexed her from a molt. Her last molt was 5.5" so I know she is bigger than that lol.

Do you feed her a lot?

 

[buddah4207]

I did feed a lot in the beginning (she was one of my first T's) but after that just a normal routine. She even sealed up in a borrow for 8 weeks to molt, when she came out she fed like a horse lol.

 

[McGuiverstein]

there are quite a few guides that say OBT are decent beginner since they are so hardy
probably a good first OW species

Wrong.. They may be hardy, but they're not good for a beginner, or as a first old world species. When the OP is ready to get an OW, Ceratogyrus species would be a better choice. They're not as fast as P. murinus, they're more likely to hold a threat posture in one space rather than bolt and jump wildly, and they're reported to have less severe venom than other OW (should a bite occur). I've seen the info about OBTs supposedly being good beginner species, and they're incorrect and irresponsible. The OP has already decided to wait on getting an OBT. Let's not backtrack here.

 

[viper69]

I did feed a lot in the beginning (she was one of my first T's) but after that just a normal routine. She even sealed up in a borrow for 8 weeks to molt, when she came out she fed like a horse lol.

Man..yours has special growing genes hahah...

 

[McGuiverstein]

Man..yours has special growing genes hahah...

Hahaha I didn't know Miraclegro worked on spiders too. I'll have to sprinkle some on my crickets

 

[MarkmD]

there are quite a few guides that say OBT are decent beginner since they are so hardy
probably a good first OW species

I agree with the others, They dont make a good beginner OW for new T owners, not just because they are fast and very hardy, but also can be a hand full when it comes to maintenance/rehousing etc, they will not hesitate to bite or run up your arm, they dont like being moved or loud noises, they are quite secretive but will come out if disturbed (not happy) when they do, other than that they are pretty T's.